Feb 25, 2026
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Edward Jones Financial Advisor: Elise N. Frank.
BAR HARBOR—Bar Harbor firefighters are about to be a little safer.
While water budgets rise and some citizens’ call for an ordinance to prohibit law enforcement officers from interacting with federal ICE agents (except for some exceptions), the Bar Harbor Town Council also heard updates and moved forward with other town business last week and some of it will make a huge difference for firefighters.
That’s because the council authorized the town’s fire department’s purchase of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
The fire department’s current units are approximately 18 years old. They are failing. Five have stress fractures in the frames. Others, according to the council order, are “experiencing increased maintenance costs and diminished reliability.”
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has previously urged fire departments to upgrade to SCBAs certified to the 2013 or newer.
For firefighters to stay safe, they need reliable SCBA. The purchase is one year earlier than originally scheduled, but there is money in the town’s budget to cover the $151,800 (SCBA-Air and Cascade System) purchase this year.
CONSERVATION WORK
During his comments, Town Manager James Smith mentioned that the town is continuing work on the Northeast Creek Watershed, studying it, making sure it will be resilient.
Later, the council authorized the application for and acceptance of a state Community Action Grant for septic analysis and climate resiliency planning.
This would be for “an inventory and evaluation of septic systems to allow appropriate rural development while protecting water and sensitive resources” and “support a community-wide septic analysis and related infrastructure resiliency planning.”
The town’s planning staff as well as some of its committees (conservation committee, marine resources committee) have worked on the creek’s health and/or monitoring it for years. Some of that work captures the public’s attention, but not always.
FINANCE REPORT
The councilors also conducted routine business during the meeting, hearing reports, approving the warrant to pay bills, and having their own comments at the end of the meeting.
During the finance report, they learned that the town is seven months into the fiscal year. The bench mark for revenues and expenditures is 58%.
For general fund revenues except for tax, the town is at 60.4%, which has been typical for the last four years, said Finance Director Sarah Gilbert.
It is, however, down a bit from last year.
“Last year was a bit of an outlier for building permits,” Gilbert said.
Last year fees included the school’s building permits (approximately $100k) and there was more payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) revenue, which she attributed to timing to the nonprofits that voluntarily do that. Cable franchise fees are also a bit lower.
Parking fund revenue right now is focusing on citation collections. The bench mark is 73% on the revenue side.
The general fund expenditures is right where the town needs to be, she said.
Property tax revenue is also trending at the normal amount.
MANAGER’S REPORT
Water and sewer capital projects continue to advance, Smith said. These include the water main replacement on Cromwell Harbor Road and West Street pump station planning process, Harbor Lane utility design work, and the up-island storage tank.
The ferry terminal plan will hopefully return to the town council next month as will potential amendments concerning the use of Hadley Beach.
The Town Hill housing initiative work is continuing as well.
Glen Mary Park pool work cost estimates and alternative design options are still underway. He said that the town is looking for a practical replacement for the pool with its broken pipes that is consistent with the current footprint and layout.
“We’re hoping to have something back to council in the next thirty days,” he said.
The town is also exploring opportunities with the park to create more safe bicycle and pedestrian access to the park.
The council also authorized the application and acceptance of a Housing Opportunity Program grant. The grant would be for $15,000 and meant to support Land Use Ordinance updates, community education, and related housing implementation work related to both recent state law and the town’s own comprehensive plan.
PUBLIC HEARINGS.
The council scheduled public hearings on amendments that will go before the voters on June 9. Those include: Holy Redeemer Church zone change; Design Review changes; campgrounds and private campsites changes; minimum area per family changes; and changes to the town’s lodging regulations.
COUNCIL COMMENTS.
Not all councilors had comments during the end of the meeting. Councilor Steven Boucher spoke about the difficulties of the water rate changes. Vice Chair Maya Caines agreed.
Councilor Randell Sprague asked about the process to address the public’s request for an ICE-related ordinance.
Council Chair Val Peacock spoke to all the work in the budget process that was happening. She also said she’d been thinking about how work was done in the town. She thanked the people who were coming to meetings and being respectful and engaging in the democratic process.
“Just calling a little bit out the tone … Sometimes it’s hard to be in the details and weeds of these things and feel the intensity of people sort of questioning the integrity of the work of what’s happening. That is a challenging thing to feel. It’s a right in a democracy to want transparency and want to understand, but it is also a really challenging thing to be in these positions—as a staff member or elected official—having the public questioning the work in such a way that it’s undermining the integrity or questioning the integrity,” Peacock said.
It’s challenging to deal with that “over and over again” she said. She thanked the staff and people who asked questions in respectful ways and tried to work to be better together.
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