Board supports Dane Farm property transition to Acadia National Park.
Mar 17, 2026
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MOUNT DESERT—Selectboard member Rodney King told his fellow board members, March 16, that he was worried about illegal parking in Mount Desert and he wanted people to have a chance to express their concerns.
He suggested an open forum to let people come in and talk about the parking situation in Mount Desert.
“Something really does have to be done, with a lot of people talking about it. I don’t know where to go at this point,” King said.
The biggest issue, he said, is the corner going out of town by the Harbourside Inn; in Seal Harbor by the post office; and Steamboat Wharf. Of those three, he is the least worried about Steamboat Wharf. He feels the public might have insight that the board members have not thought of.
“Everywhere, everywhere, in general you see parking on the sidewalk,” King said. “We’ve spent a million or so dollars to put a new sidewalk in and you still can’t use it.”
“I think we’ve got to get the police involved with something like this, too,” Vice Chair Wendy Littlefield said.
That way, the board can get the police input about what they’ve seen.
“I’ve brought this up year after year,” Secretary Geoff Wood said.
There’s a moped parked in the bike lane for the whole summer, he said.
King wondered about the town rules for parking as well and if they might need to be revamped.
Selectboard member Martha Dudman said they should start with inviting police to come to a meeting.
Gilpatrick Cove was once a problem, she said, and that’s been cleaned up. In June 2025, King had also brought up concerns about construction parking by the Asticou Inn. That was also resolved.
“We have illegal parking going on and nothing . . . nothing’s happening,” Wood said. “There’s a third spot out here that every meeting I’ve been to for two years (a car) has been parked and there’s not a spot there, it’s no parking. Sorry to say, it bothers me. Either make it a parking spot or give them a ticket.”
Dudman mentioned a spot where a car often parks backward at a local bank.
“We could go on all day,” King said.
“If parking on the sidewalk is illegal, why are we not addressing that?” Wood said.
It was decided that the board would and the first step would be to put it on the agenda at an upcoming board meeting and invite the police department as well. If there is a large crowd, the board can hold a second meeting at a bigger forum.
“Something has to be done,” King said.
“Before someone gets hurt,” Littlefield agreed.
Island Readers & Writers
Also on March 16, the Selectboard approved letting Island Readers & Writers put in a public space application so that the organization can station “under the tree” near the farmers’ market in the village green when the market is in session so that it can fulfill the obligations of a grant.
The grant would allow them to read at story time to young children and model effective practices and each family participating receives a free book that’s being featured along with a storytime guide to extend the learning at home and a tote bag.
“Our goal is to strengthen early literacy skills in three to five year olds and families and help prepare children for kindergarten,” Celine Martin said at a March 2 Selectboard meeting. “We realize parents are a child’s first teacher and we want to reach families where they already gather to provide engaging interactive story times and help families and caregivers feel confident using these strategies that we model at home.”
The official application will be forthcoming.
The town’s Sustainability Committee would also likely use that space beneath the tree, Town Clerk Claire Woolfolk said.
The board members also approved a public space special event application for October 3 on the Seal Harbor Village Green for the Thomas Reilly Wedding.
In reviewing the policy, Manager Alex Kimball had suggested at an earlier meeting, a single upfront application fee of $25.00 for the first event date, with multiple-date events being charged $25.00 per date up to $250.00. The board unanimously amended its public space policy fees.
DANE FARM SUPPORT
The board quickly approved Town Manager Alex Kimball’s letter to Acadia National Park Superintendent Kevin Schneider in support of the Dane Farm project.
The letter supports the 4.5 acre parcel’s transfer from Friends of Acadia to Acadia National Park, which means that the town will not receive property taxes for it.
The site hosts new seasonal employee housing for Acadia National Park and had its ribbon cutting in October 2024.
“This is a parcel that Friends of Acadia acquired in 2023 and built. It’s an inholding within the boundary of Acadia National Park. FOA built a five-bedroom housing unit, a three-bedroom housing unit on the site, for our employee housing and we’ve used it successfully,” Schneider told the Selectboard at its March 2 meeting. “The construction was completed last spring. We used it this past year for employee housing. We had eight critical seasonal employees living there, folks like custodians, search and rescue rangers, equipment operators, interpreters that work in our visitor center, education, and maintenance.”
The site is along the Jordan Pond Road across from the cemetery.
OTHER BUSINESS
The town accepted $138,500 in donations for its ice rink and wrote off five uncollectable personal property accounts for a total of $3,927.03.
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