Nov 11, 2025
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by the Maine Seacoast Mission.
MOUNT DESERT—The Mount Desert Selectboard’s hour-long meeting, November 3, focused mostly on a report from Municipal WasteHub Executive Director Michael Carroll before public comment which focused on the budget and parking requests as the town prepares for a public workshop on its comprehensive plan, which is a document meant to guide the town’s future land use decisions.
SEAL HARBOR WORK AND FEMA REPAIRS FROM JANUARY 2024 STORMS
The town is still sorting out finances from a pair of destructive storms in January 2024 that caused significant damage to multiple spots along the Mount Desert Island coast.
According to an October 30 memo from Fire Chief Mike Bender, “The town received these funds as part of a reimbursement claim filed with FEMA on behalf of SHVIS (Seal Harbor Village Improvement Society). This claim was related to the January 2024 storms, which were declared a major disaster (FEMA-4764-DR-ME) by the President on March 20, 2024. The claim was submitted to cover the costs of removing storm debris from the Seal Harbor beach, parking lot, and village green area, which are maintained by SHVIS but are town-owned properties. As SHVIS could not file a claim themselves, we submitted a project claim on their behalf. The requested amount for transfer includes both federal and state reimbursement shares.”
Selectboard Secretary Geoff Wood was worried about the town contracting out $5,543 in FEMA work from the town to the Seal Harbor Village Improvement Society. A lot of the storm damage on Seal Harbor Beach was cleaned up by the society. That was above and beyond its staff’s work hours.
Another $1,600, not related to the reimbursement, will be used to pay Seawood Services Inc. to do work on the whales back at the Seal Harbor Pier.
PUBLIC COMMENT ABOUT PARKING AND BUDGETS
A member of the public asked about potentially placing more parallel parking signs on Main Street in Northeast Harbor down by the Kimball Shop and College of the Atlantic housing for the winter where there was diagonal parking.
He also suggested that the town does not allow sidewalk parking from Memorial Day through the October holiday.
One selectboard member suggested sidewalk parking just always be banned.
Town Manager Alex Kimball said he’d look into the issue of cars parking on sidewalks. Selectboard member Martha Dudman said they’d spoken with the police department about this previously.
“You’re preaching to the choir,” Chair John Macauley said.
The board then quickly discussed the parking policy in Bar Harbor, including paid parking, which brought in approximately $4 million to the town’s annual budget, minus costs. There was verbal discomfort at doing anything similar in Mount Desert.
Allen Kimmerly asked if the board and departments could work to reduce budget increases.
“I don’t see how we can sustain increases like that every year. You know, I can see if we come in at the rate of inflation, but there’s been a lot of double digit pay increases in departments and of course that reflects on our property taxes which have almost doubled in the last five years,” Kimmerly said. “For us poor people that are living on social security, it’d be nice if we could try to curtail some of these things and have some people lower expenditures.”
“That being said—thank you, Allen—don’t forget about a third of our community is in economic hardship, which means they go into debt just to pay for eating groceries. You wouldn’t think that on this island. But that’s what the census data is telling us. So all those changes in budget, all those upward trends are significant for a lot of people,” Macauley said.
“Being on the warrant committee, I see them every year,” Kimmerly said.
MUNICIPAL WASTE SOLUTIONS PRESENTATION
Carroll’s presentation centered on the operation of the Municipal Waste Solutions processing facility, which is a Maine nonprofit that was formerly known as the Municipal Review Committee (MRC), which was established in 1992 when PERC in Orrington was struggling.
Then, in 2018, 155 members of MRC left PERC when PERC wasn’t able to keep a purchase-power agreement. That agreement kept the price of trash disposal down for members. Instead, the communities that split off helped construct a Hampden waste processing plant.
That construction of the $85-million Hampden facility, Carroll said, began in 2017 under Coastal Resources of Maine. Funding shortfalls kept it from working more than seven months.
Coastal Resources of Maine was then purchased by Municipal Review Committee in 2023. It reopened in April 2025. Now, staff is working toward full operations in the first quarter of 2026, Carroll said.
“We serve municipalities, refuge disposal districts, public waste disposal, corporations, and other public entities throughout central and eastern Maine, managing waste generated by households, businesses and infrastructures and in institutions,” Carroll said.
The Municipal Waste Solution is undergoing a $22 million investment with 10 million already deployed and 12 million allocated to the frontend material recovery facility known as the MURF, Carroll said.
They have acquired a fleet of 15 tractors and 20 trailers, which are meant to connect the Hampden hub with member transfer stations like the one in Mount Desert.
“Members want improved transportation solutions and more accessible collection points to increase recycling and decrease tip rates and disposal of all types of waste beyond the municipal solid waste in ways that are both environmentally sound and economical,” Carroll said.
Carroll also advised the town about recycling.
“What I would do is for the first year, keep your recycling, but bring it to us, and we will give you a reduced rate. We will cut it almost in half. And then after everything runs for a while and all the bugs are out, then you can make the decision and can at least be comfortable to make the decision whether you want to go back to all the money or whether you want to keep it,” he said. “Either way, we’ll be able to reduce your costs compared to what you’re doing now.”
Sustainability Committee Chair Phil Lichtenstein gave Carroll kudos.
“The thing that has really been restrictive for us is the transportation cost,” Lichtenstein said.
Carroll said that most communities are paying $250-$300 tipping rate currently for recycling. As members, he said, the town has a contracted rate of $110-130 and the waste disposal cost is between $87 and $88 a ton. It would be delivered by EMR in Southwest Harbor.
UPCOMING COMPREHENSIVE PLAN LISTENING SESSION
There will be a comprehensive plan listening session this week where topics such as trash, population, budget, economy, parking and others may be discussed. Everyone in town can attend the session, which will be Thursday, November 13, from 5-7 p.m. at the Neighborhood House, 1 Kimball Road, Northeast Harbor.
According to the town’s website, “The Town of Mount Desert needs your voice! Get involved in the Town of Mount Desert comprehensive plan update at this first public workshop. Learn more about the plan process, the community survey results, initial data analysis and key findings. Participate in activities to craft the vision for the future, set priorities, and help inform goals and future land use. Limited childcare available upon request. Please RSVP to compplan@mtdesert.org if you need childcare by November 7.”
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
For more information visit, https://www.mtdesert.org/1238/Comprehensive-Plan-Committee
Town of Mount Desert Comprehensive Plan website to access more information about the project.
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