March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Proposed new road to sewage plant rejected > Mount Desert’s improvement society balks

MOUNT DESERT — A proposal by the town manager to construct an alternate access road to the Seal Harbor sewage treatment plant was halted by residents who turned out for a public hearing Monday evening.

Several members of the community’s Village Improvement Society said they strongly opposed the construction of the road along the society’s road located behind the Village Green. They disputed Town Manager Dick Vander Zanden’s claim last week that their association had approved the proposal.

Tye Smith, a member of the improvement society, said his group had never voted on the proposal and wondered why the town manager had attempted to “ramrod” the plan through the board of selectmen two weeks ago.

Vander Zanden disputed that interpretation, saying he had been working on plans for a new access to the plant since July. “I talked to (VIS president) Ron Bechtle several times and was given the impression it would be okay, ” said Vanderr Zanden, who indicated that Bechtle had subsequently informed him by letter this week that the VIS did not approve the construction plan.

VIS treasurer Tory Burch said the society’s directors had not discussed the matter and claimed the group would lose a number of valuable contributions if their road was used by trucks.

The town manager said an alternate entry point was needed for the treatment plant after a new inlet pipe from Main Street had restricted turnaround space for large trucks at the plant. He said the VIS road was on town property, thus providing an access point on town-owned land.

Selectman Jeff Smith proposed and the board approved a proposal to find a solution for the turnaround space closer to the sewer plant, rather than constructing an alternative access road.


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