Town planning efforts concerning sustainability, short-term rentals and other topics move forward as officials also provide an update on a firefighter injured in December blaze.

Shaun Farrar

Dec 30, 2025

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by The Witham Family Hotels Charitable Fund.

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TRENTON—The small town of Trenton has historically been a gateway community which visitors pass through on their way to and from Mount Desert Island. Some of the local businesses and community benefit from the needs of those pass-through consumers while the town maintains its quiet rural affect.

As Acadia National Park visitation numbers grow, however, there is concern amongst many in the area regarding the effects of tourism and tourism related industry on the long standing way of life in town. Some residents are beginning to wonder how long they will be able to continue to leave for the day to earn a living, often in tourism related jobs, and return home to the rural quite or even afford to live there at all.

There are currently at least two facilities being constructed in Trenton that will rent cabins to visitors and a common thread of discussion at recent town governance meetings is the uptick in short-term rentals, be they new purpose built structures or conversions of existing dwellings.

At its November 25 meeting, the Trenton Select Board moved forward with two different undertakings that are related to the future of the town.

The select board approved a steering committee for the initial steps towards the creation of a new town comprehensive plan. That steering committee, made up of Christina Heiniger, Ann Luther, Rachel Nobel, Jarod Rollins, and Judy Sproule will “undertake the following tasks and deliver a formal proposal to the select board.”

• “Identify local resources for funding and support.
• “Propose an action plan.
• “Recommend the structure of an official comprehensive plan committee.”

At its December 9 meeting, the select board approved the final structure of the town’s community resilience team.

Trenton has been awarded a grant through the state’s Community Resilience Partnership to work with the Hancock County Planning Commission (HCPC) to apply for other larger grants. These larger grants would be used for specific goals related to the town’s climate mitigation and adaptation activities.

According to Select Board Chair Fred Ehrlenbach, the HCPC will do the grant proposal writing, assist in an inventory of the town, and most other associated tasks related to grant applications.

The town must come up with a committee to handle the town’s responsibilities. That committee will consist of the fire chief, the town’s emergency management director, one member from the board of selectmen, and four members of the public.

The community resilience team that was approved by the select board is made up of the following people:

• Fire Chief Steve Heckman,
• EMA Director Lisa Winger ,
• Select board member Judy Sproule,
• Community member Greg Askins,
• Community member Maddison Cole,
• Community member Jarod Rollins,
• Community memberJames Turner,

The select board was also going to vote on an alternate planning board member. Sarita Pfahl had applied for the position but the question of whether or not Pfahl was a resident of Trenton was brought up.

Member Sproule said Trenton does not have a requirement of town residency to be on the planning board, but Chair Ehrlenbach said that the town has always required a declaration of primary residency to serve on a committee.

Pfahl owns property in Trenton and Bar Harbor but is not a registered voter in Trenton.

The vote was tabled for a later meeting to investigate if Pfahl is a resident (claiming primary residency) of Trenton. Ehrlenbach asked Town Administrator Carol Walsh to check and see where Pfahl is registered to vote.

At the end of the select board meeting, Planning Board Chair Brant Viner told the select board that the planning board would be examining some land use amendments concerning the availability of water to fight fires during large construction projects.

These potential amendments were brought forth by Chief Heckman and if approved by the planning board would be sent to the select board for possible approval to be put on the warrant for town meeting.

Viner also said that the planning board was going to discuss whether or not it wanted to try and address land use amendments regarding resident concerns for short-term rentals in town.

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PLANNING BOARD MEETING OF DECEMBER 10

The planning board met the evening after the select board meeting, December 10. Chief Heckman was present as the newest member of the board but had not been sworn in to that position yet by Walsh, so he could not vote.

The board first looked at, and conditionally approved, an application by Northeast Plumbing and Heating to build a satellite facility on the Bar Harbor Road. The site is located on town map 33 and is lot 018-001. There is no street number associated with the property yet.

According to Walsh, the property is almost directly across from the Great Maine Lumberjack Show location.

The one condition of the approval was that the building be equipped with a Knox box for fire department access in an emergency.

The planning board then looked at the potential land use amendments.

The planning board approved both potential changes to be sent to the select board for possible approval to move forward to the warrant for town meeting.

The next discussion item was whether or not the planning board wanted to undertake the task of trying to come up with an ordinance to help regulate the expansion of short-term rentals in Trenton.

Viner began the discussion by saying that Ehrlenbach had suggested that the ordinance not be in the land use section but a separate ordinance. Viner also stated that it is understood that this would be a long and arduous task if undertaken.

Member Steve Eddy asked Viner if the potential ordinance was not going to be in land use was the task even within the purview of the planning board.

Viner responded that Ehrlenbach said that it was.

Following a long discussion regarding the vast amount of variables in potentially regulating short-term rentals the planning board did not take an official vote but came to a consensus that it would take on the task of attempting to create regulation for short-term rental properties.

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INJURED FIREFIGHTER UPDATE

Ed Lyon’s Pressey Lane home was destroyed during a December 22 evening fire. A local firefighter was injured during the blaze, which had multiple structural collapses.

According to Fire Chief Heckman, he’s been in regular contact with the firefighter who was injured during the December 22 home fire.

“I have informed him of the out pouring of support and well wishes he has received for his speedy recovery,” Chief Heckman said. “He tells me, he feels like he is getting better every day but, is still experiencing some minor issues to which he will be monitoring closely and following up, with his doctors. Currently, he has expressed that he is not in need of anything but, does appreciate the kindness and support from community.”

The fire began close to 6:31 p.m. Initial reports were of visible smoke and fire. It is likely to have started from wood stove embers that caught a couch near the wood stove on fire.

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