Also new fire department water supply cistern and Goose Cove Road repair dissatisfaction
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by The Witham Family Hotels Charitable Fund.
TRENTON—With the dry conditions and recent elevated fire dangers, at least one Trenton resident feels that the town government should be doing more to regulate outdoor fires or at least provide education for residents and visitors on how to safely burn outdoors or make the decision not to burn at all.
Christina Heiniger spoke before the Trenton Select Board at its meeting on Tuesday, August 19, about what she feels is a potentially dangerous situation.
One other resident had emailed the select board about concerns regarding outdoor fires prior to the August 19 meeting.
Heiniger said that in her neighborhood she regularly sees fire pits being used even when fire conditions are high or very high. She said that she is not only worried about residents burning during these fire conditions but also visitors who may be staying in short-term rentals that might not be aware of the conditions and may not have any experience with fires or outdoor fire safety.
Currently the Town of Trenton requires a burn permit for brush and agricultural fires and any fire larger than three feet in diameter or height. Trenton can only issue these burn permits if Fire Chief Steve Heckman is at the fire station. Otherwise, a burn permit can be obtained via the State of Maine’s burn permit website.
Trenton does not require a burn permit for “recreational fire (warming, cooking, ceremonial, aesthetic) inside a fire pit and not exceeding 3 feet in diameter and 3 feet high.”
These regulations basically mirror state rules, but Trenton does have some specific rules regarding outdoor burning due to the fact that it has a volunteer-based fire department. Those rules can be found on the Trenton Volunteer Fire Department’s website.
Heininger was also concerned about potential costs for the town if an outdoor fire got out of control and started a large fire.
According to State of Maine statutes, a municipality is responsible for paying up to “1/4 of 1% of their state valuation on a calendar year basis” for fighting forest fires.
The State of Maine states that Trenton has a valuation of $591,950,000 for 2025. That equates to Trenton having to pay up to $1,479,875 for help with controlling and extinguishing a forest fire.
Additionally, the state statutes say that, “Any person who intentionally or negligently causes a fire that burns forest, brush, grass or other lands or intentionally fails to take reasonable action to control a fire on that person’s own land is liable civilly for restitution of costs incurred by state or municipal government entities in the suppression of that fire, up to the maximum amount of restitution permitted under section 9321.”
The select board was in favor of outdoor fire education and informational materials much more than any ordinance-based regulations. There were many ideas mentioned at the meeting, including:
- More information on the town’s website;
- A flyer for short-term rental owners to insert in their guest books;
- Pamphlets at the town office;
- Registration of outdoor fire pits;
- Chief Heckman said that he was in favor of this idea but not necessarily attaching in favor of attaching a fee to it.
- Registration money could be used to start a forest fire fund in case the town ever incurs costs associated with a forest fire.
- Fire pit locations would more well known. Chief Heckman said that he just assumes everyone in Trenton has a fire pit.
- Opportunity to get educational material when registering.
- A fire danger sign.
- It was suggested that the select board ask Acadia National Park if the fire danger sign from Thompson’s Island could be moved to the Trenton Gateway Center.
- The town will be trying to get (pending voter approval) a new electronic sign at the town office/fire station location and that could be used to promote the fire danger level.
The select board also discussed a group of citizens forming as an ad hoc group to discuss aspects of outdoor fires and fire danger just to see what kind of ideas they could come up with.
Fire Department Update
Chief Heckman said that the department continues to be busy.
He met with a Maine Department of Transportation engineer to look at the site for the fire department’s new water cistern on the Bayside Road.
Chief Heckman said that the state won’t allow a turnoff (large shoulder) on the side of the road like the town had been hoping for but would require coming in at least 10 feet off the road and creating a turnaround.
They were able to determine the entrance would be on the northern side of the property. The property is across from the Goose Cove Road at the intersection with Cottage Lane situated to the left of Cottage Lane as you face it.
Where the tank will be installed on the property has not been firmly decided as of yet, but Chief Heckman said it will be off to one side so that the majority of the property remains unused.
Goose Cove Road Repair Discussion
A discussion about Goose Cove Road repairs was added to the agenda at the beginning of the meeting by Select Board Member Susan Sargent.
Sargent said that she was hearing at the garage that people are not happy with the repairs that were done on the Goose Cove Road.
Ring’s Paving completed paving repairs on the Goose Cove Road for $27,000.
Select Board Chair Fred Ehrlenbach said, “I thought they did a pretty good job.”
No action was taken on this discussion.
The next select board meeting will be on September 2 at 7:00 p.m., at the town office.
Follow us on Facebook or BlueSky or Instagram. And as a reminder, you can easily view all our past stories and press releases here.
Bar Harbor Story is a mostly reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thanks for being here with us and being part of our community, too!
Thanks for reading Bar Harbor Story! This post is public so feel free to share it.
If you’d like to donate to help support us, you can, but no pressure! Just click here (about how you can give) or here (a direct link), which is the same as the button below.
If you’d like to sponsor the Bar Harbor Story, you can! Learn more here.
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR COMMITMENT TO YOUR COMMUNITY
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearlyDiscover more from Bar Harbor Story
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.