Southwest Harbor officials say they may have to wait until May to amend requirements adopted after concerns about contamination near an old landfill. Town hires new CEO and new police officer.
Sep 15, 2026
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SOUTHWEST HARBOR—If the town wants to amend its citizen-approved soil standards, it’s likely going to have to have a special election or wait until next May.
That’s the determination from the town’s legal counsel, Town Manager Karen Reddersen told her Select Board, September 8.
Reddersen had been asked to look into the process by the Board during its August 25 meeting.
“I was disappointed,” Vice Chair Natasha Johnson said when she heard the news.
Southwest Harbor’s task force on its land use ordinance will prioritize amending the town’s new soil-testing rule for an eventual May 2027 vote, using the formal process to ensure a durable solution.
The changes were originally overwhelmingly adopted by voters in November 2025 and in reaction to a specific risk near the Worcester Landfill, which is considered an uncontrolled site by the state due to toxins in the ground water. Those worries for some increased prior to the vote last year as a subdivision was applied for—and eventually approved—adjacent to that landfill.
Since then, there have been concerns that due to the wording of the ordinance and other sites that had once been considered uncontrolled by the state that the half-mile radius stipulated in the new rules would impact 850 parcels, creating a significant cost for soil testing in areas not originally intended and a significant administrative cost to the town.
The straightest and quickest line to remedy the unintended consequence by changing the ordinance, said Jim Vallette one of the key opponents and information gatherers about the site and the town’s representative to the Acadia Disposal District, is a citizen petition.
That process, according to Town Clerk Jennifer LaHaye, would have to be from a citizen and not have any involvement from the town.
For the town to create an amendment, it would have had to go through a mandated procedure with multiple steps—including public hearings—to get something on the fast-approaching November 2026 election.
“That time has kind of come and gone for the Select Board,” LaHaye said of the process.
Reddersen said that Noel Musson, of the Musson Group, was hired as a consultant by the town.
“We’ve hired him to work with our citizen task force that represents a cross-section of all of our community to identify those issues,” within the land use ordinance and work with the task force, Reddersen said.
“I would encourage that,” outgoing Select Board member Kalie Hess said. “I know there’s urgency and I know Noel’s helping us to do this right.”
Lee “Ben” Worcester, who had been a Planning Board member and who shepherded the subdivision through its approval and whose family owns the landfill, said during the Select Board meeting that he believes the town would be served best by going through the soil amendment process with Musson as he looks at the intent of the changes and the other town ordinances that need tweaking.
“I think the difficulty with a citizen’s initiative is if it isn’t right, it isn’t right,” Worcester said.
“If we didn’t have an uncontrolled landfill this wouldn’t be an issue,” former Select Board member Carolyn Ball said. “Can we fix that?”
At that September 8 meeting, Worcester said that he was currently working with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
Later in the week, Worcester released a press release to the Mount Desert Islander.
In that press release, he said that the Worcester landfill’s permanent closure will begin this week. The landfill had been a disposal site for solid waste until the 1980s before transitioning to accept construction debris in the 1990s.
“The closure of the three-acre site has been about 10 years in the making,” Worcester said.
The release continues that Worcester said he now “has the design, engineering and financing in place to complete the project. All aspects of the closure have been approved by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.”
It says that Joel Butler of JE Butler LLC of Brewer was awarded the contract.
“The project includes ‘reshaping and grading of the CDD landfill,’ as well as the installation of gas vents at the site. Two 9-inch lifts of barrier soil will be applied to the surface, and 6 inches of topsoil will be added as cover, to be seeded and mulched,” it continues and says that the expectation is that the project will take a year.
In a February 2026, a memo by Danielle Obrey, project supervisor of Maine DEP’s Landfill Closure and Remediation Program, called the situation an active enforcement case.
“A formal designation of an Uncontrolled Hazardous Substance Site pursuant to 38 M.R.S. § 1361 gives the DEP the authority to investigate and remediate sites that pose a potential or known threat to public health or safety or to the environment. A designation also gives the Department the authority to use state funds for necessary work and to seek recovery of costs expended at a site from a responsible party. Without this designation, the DEP would not have the ability to seek cost recovery for the sampling conducted and filter systems installed at impacted drinking water wells. In the case of the Worcester Associates Landfill, the designation doesn’t necessarily relate to the significance of any impacts but relates to the DEP’s ability to use state funding and seek cost recovery for the funds expended,” Deputy DEP Commissioner David Madore said in an emailed response to questions on Monday.
The most recent signed decision from the state back in 2018 indicates that public water for residents on the Marshall Brook Road as well as a landfill cover were part of that remedy at the time. Worcester has discussed extending a town waterline to the subdivision site so that they would be served by public water.
On Monday afternoon, during public comment, Vallette asked the Acadia National Park Commissioners to put an item on its February 2027 agenda concerning Marshall Brook, the initial use for a park-owned Town Hill property that was once meant to be an islandwide transfer station, and the earmarked $350k for the development of that property toward that end.
The property is now being developed by the Town of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park for housing.
Vallette reasoned that the park’s land abuts Marshall Brook Road and the homes there, and it could potentially put a waterline through its property to serve those home owners.
The Marshall Brook tributary, he said, feeds into the national park.
HESS RESIGNATION UPDATE
At that same Select Board meeting last week, member Kalie Hess who was elected to a three-year-term in May resigned. This means that her seat is open.
According to LaHaye, “The Town of Southwest Harbor does not have a charter or ordinance that outlines a specific process; therefore we refer directly to State statute.”
State statute says that there are two options.
The first is for the Select Board to call a special municipal election to fill the vacant seat. The second would be to wait until the next annual town meeting election.
“This would all be voted on by secret ballot,” LaHaye explained via email.
NEW CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND POLICE OFFICER
On Monday, the town issued a press release that it has hired a new police officer and code enforcement officer.
Stacey Gatcomb’s first day as a code enforcement officer was September 14, 2026.
“We thank the Town of Tremont for their continued support of their work related to code enforcement for Southwest Harbor and appreciate their continued efforts on our behalf. We are excited to have Stacey as a member of our administrative team!” Reddersen said in the release.
Gatcomb said, “I am excited to step into the role of code enforcement officer for the Town of Southwest Harbor. With over a decade of operational leadership and regulatory experience right here on Mount Desert Island, I bring a strong background in public communication, fiscal oversight, and meticulous record-keeping to our local municipal team. Throughout my career managing prominent establishments in Bar Harbor, I’ve always placed a high priority on safety, clear communication, and community collaboration. My background includes managing strict local and state health, safety, and labor codes, and collaborating with external inspectors, business owners, and the public to ensure smooth, fully compliant operations.
“Behind the scenes, I love bringing clarity and structure to complex processes. Whether reviewing permit applications, investigating code complaints, or working alongside the Select Board and Planning Board, my goal is to help make the code enforcement process as transparent, efficient, and approachable as possible. I pride myself on maintaining a calm, friendly, and solution-oriented approach, even in tense situations.
“I am deeply committed to preserving the unique character, safety, and vibrant spirit of Southwest Harbor. I look forward to working closely with our residents, local business owners, and town boards, and I welcome anyone with questions about local land use or permits to stop by the Town Office for a chat!”
Abigail Armistead was also sworn in for her duties as a Southwest Harbor police officer.
She was last employed at the San Juan County Sheriffs’ Office in Silverton, Colorado.
“We are happy to have her serve in this role and be a part of the Southwest Harbor community,” Reddersen said.
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