Fire Department Pancake Breakfasts Start Soon, Junk Mail Reduction Workshop Scheduled for Tomorrow as is Summit House Groundbreaking in Northeast Harbor
Jun 11, 2025
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by First National Bank.
TRENTON—The Trenton Select Board officially accepted a citizens’ petition to allow a recreational-use marijuana store license during its June 10 select board meeting.
Ellis and Carolee Batson submitted 86 valid signatures of registered Trenton voters during the Tuesday night meeting.
Carolee Batson said the signatures were all verified by the deputy town clerk. The petition had fallen short by 4.6 voters at a May select board meeting when it was last presented.
The next step is to have the voters decide if they want to allow to have two recreational-use marijuana businesses in town. Batson hoped that this vote would come as soon as possible.
“We’re requesting a special election because we’re losing so many tourists to Southwest Harbor,” she said.
There is a recreational-use retail cannabis store in Southwest Harbor, which is on Mount Desert Island. The only way to get to the island by land is through Trenton.
“It’s doable, but we also have the AOS election coming up at sometime. It would be nice to combine them,” said Board Chair Fred Ehrlenbach of the request. “The earliest we could have one is in August.”
“We’ll take what we can get,” Batson replied.
Expressing some concern about potential multiple town elections in a short span of time, Ehrlenbach moved to schedule it at the next town meeting. All indications have been that if the potential AOS school reorganization goes to election that will likely be in November 2025. This is the timing of normal elections.
The Batsons own the building where they already run a medical marijuana business. They are hoping to have two recreational store licenses in Trenton.
”It’s not going to be like Bangor or Brewer or Portland,” Carolee Batson said.
Carolee Batson said they don’t want to open the town to multiple retail marijuana stores nor have a big company come in but allow the two existing stores to be able to sell to tourists.
“And try to get some of the money back here from Southwest Harbor,” she’d said at the May select board meeting, referencing that same retail marijuana store on Mount Desert Island: Meristem.
Southwest Harbor allows retail marijuana sales at Meristem, which opened in 2021. It is currently Hancock County’s only retail recreational medical marijuana shop. Bar Harbor voters turned down a 2022 proposal that would have allowed recreational retail shops in the town. At the time, the Bar Harbor Town Council had been worried about lack of restrictions and transferable licenses. Ellsworth voters approved recreational-use marijuana stores in the city in November, but the city is still working through the process of creating an ordinance.
Junk Mail Reduction Workshop
Christina Heiniger, secretary of the town’s solid waste committee, told the select board members that there will be a junk mail reduction workshop, June 12, at 7 p.m. at the town office.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
The fire department reported that it’s been very busy with training, including a mass casualty training at the Hancock County airport about emergency response if an airplane hit the Thompson Island Bridge.
A ladder truck is out for service and the department hopes to have it back within two weeks.
Firefighter fundraising breakfasts are set to begin next Saturday. The costs are $12 for adults and $6 for children for the pancake breakfasts that run from 6 – 10 a.m. The dates are:
- June 21
- July 19
- August 16
- September 20
MORE ABOUT TRENTON
TOWN OFFICE CLOSURE
The Town Office will be closed Thursday, June 19.
NEW OFFICE HOURS EFFECTIVE May 5, 2025
The Town Office will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursdays and closed Fridays.
Planning Board Public Hearing
June 11, 2025
7:00 pm
Trenton Town Office
Public Hearing is scheduled for June 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the Trenton Town Office to hear comments on the Subdivision Application submitted to subdivide Map 31 Lot 10, for the property located at 12 Fairway Vista Drive.
Planning Board has openings
There are 2 openings on the Trenton Planning Board. If interested, please fill out a volunteer interest form and leave it at the Town Office.
The Planning Board meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m.
QUICK EXTRA NEWS!
SUMMIT HOUSE GROUNDBREAKING IS TOMORROW!
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
Can 5 More Signatures Change Trenton’s Marijuana Laws?
https://www.maine.gov/dafs/ocp/open-data/adult-use/retail-sales
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