Planning Board finds application complete. Special election is March 24.
Feb 19, 2026
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SOUTHWEST HARBOR—The Southwest Harbor Planning Board gave a preliminary review of the town’s new public works garage on February 17 and found the project’s application complete. The garage is expected to cost approximately $2,455,890.
Voters have already approved the garage.
“The town has received approval for Congressionally Directed Funding (CDS) in the amount of $2,415,000,” Town Manager Karen Reddersen explained in January to her select board.
Reddersen further explained via email this week, that the town is looking to bond the balance of its grant match, which is $618,000.
The town has clear reasons for needing a replacement.
The current public works garage facility is not insurable any longer.
“We need a new facility to protect our public works vehicles and equipment, as well as our school buses,” Reddersen said.
The town is also hoping to finish and fully fund a shoreland repair project. The damage was from the winter storms in 2024.
“We received FEMA funding for the shoreland repair project from the 2024 storms, and the balance needed to complete the shoreline project is $197,000, which includes some mitigation work to make the impacted areas more resilient to storm damage,” Reddersen said.
Southwest Harbor scheduled two public hearings on both of these projects.
One was held on February 10, and the other is scheduled for March 10.
“Both projects have been competitively bid and awards are pending the town vote for bonding the balance needed for each project,” Reddersen said. “CDS funding and FEMA funding are allowing the Town the opportunity to complete these needed infrastructure upgrades with a significant amount of funding being provided through grants.”
The special election for the town to vote to bond the balance of funding to complete these projects is March 24, 2026.
The planning board has two meetings to review and approve the public works garage.
The first one was this week where few questions came up. The final approval is likely to occur at the planning board’s March 17 meeting.
“These projects are critical infrastructure for Southwest Harbor and the support for these projects is needed from our community,” Reddersen said.
The plans began being developed in 2006. Soil remediation and other issues have occurred since that time. In 2020, Southwest Harbor residents rejected an Olver Associates’ $1.9 million plan by nine votes.
The current garage was built more than 45 years ago.
During this week’s planning board meeting in Southwest Harbor, one board member wondered if the town could save money in relation to the ditching of the propane lines and putting the propane tank above ground.
Planning Board Vice Chair Lee Worcester asked if they’d be required to comply with the new soil standards requirements passed by voters 554-187 this November.
The town’s planning board had a split recommendation over the soil standards referendum.
Within Southwest Harbor, the only site considered “uncontrolled” by the state is the Worcester Associates landfill property, which is in-between Long Pond and the Marshall Brook Road and began in the 1930s with an open burning dump that was used by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and then the town. It has polluted ground water in the area.
The public works garage site is .54 miles away from the uncontrolled site and outside of the new soil test radius, according to Code Enforcement Officer Jarrod Kushla.
The new rules are for sites within .5 miles away from that landfill property.
March 23 is a deadline that things need to be hammered down by then.
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