News tagged: Government

Parent tag for categories associated with Town government.


Blue Hill Wharves Meeting Presentation

A public engagement meeting was held on Tuesday, September 16 to review conceptual designs for protecting Blue Hill’s town wharves from sea level rise and damage from increased storm intensity. Roughly 20 Blue Hill residents, including ~8 commercial fishermen, attended.

Attached is the presentation, prepared by GEI Consultants, that was reviewed as part of the meeting; a document describing some of the audience questions, comments, and discussion is in the process of being prepared and will be posted at a later date.

Toddy Pond Dam Cost Calculator

With the legislation to authorize formation of a Toddy Pond Watershed Management District complete and the question and appropriation to be on Blue Hill’s November town meeting ballot, many people have asked what the cost would be for them personally–whether they own waterfront property on Toddy Pond or not.

The Watershed Management Districts

Under legislation passed earlier this year, voters in the four towns abutting Toddy Pond and Alamoosook Lake will vote in November on whether to form two Districts, the Toddy Pond Watershed Management District and the Alamoosook Lake Watershed Management District, and to appropriate taxpayer funds for the Districts’ first fiscal year.

Estimated Costs of Ownership

Everyone involved recognizes that most property owners and voters want to understand what the likely costs of assuming ownership of the dams creating those water bodies will be. To assist waterfront property owners and other town voters in understanding these costs, and putting them into perspective, volunteers have prepared two “Dam Ownership Cost Estimators” — one for the Towns of Blue Hill, Penobscot, and Surry and another for Orland. (Orland is more complicated because it has properties abutting both Toddy Pond and Alamoosook Lake.)

You can access the cost estimators here:

Before the Town vote…

There will be a public hearing on the referendum question scheduled during the second half of October. Watch for the announcement.

Blue Hill Wharf Meeting: Tuesday 6:00pm

There will be a public meeting to review conceptual designs for providing long-term protection of Blue Hill’s Village and South Blue Hill wharves against damage from increased storm intensity and for enhanced access for commercial fishermen and recreational users.

This is the Town’s opportunity to understand the alternatives for this potential project and to comment on design, timing, and next steps for the town’s future investment in the wharves. The work reviewed in this meeting will likely guide the Town’s investment in its wharves over the next decade–an investment that could represent several million dollars. So taxpayers are encouraged to educate themselves, regardless of whether they use the wharves.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 16 at 6:00pm in the Town Hall Auditorium. Presenting their research and designs will be GEI Consultants, a Portland-based engineering firm retained to help the town assess the risks to our waterfront infrastructure and to apply their expertise to assisting the town in evaluating strategies for protection of these assets.

Village Wharf during “king” tide
South Blue Hill Wharf with “king” tide and strong winds