Searsport, DOT seek agreement on Sears Island

State Transportation Commissioner David Cole says his department’s position on Sears Island is summarized in the most recent draft of a memorandum of agreement between the state and the town of Searsport.

The Department of Transportation and the town “agree that plans for 280 acres of the island should best be deferred to future years through future documents and agreements,” the draft states.

The DOT would consider transferring some of Sears Island to the town or other entities, he said, and would allow trails to go through its reserved 280 acres, so long as it was clear a future transportation need – high-speed ferries, cruise ships or commercial shipping – could supplant those trails.

Deepwater port access is shrinking, Cole said, and must be preserved.

Muddying the waters recently was a bill, LD 277, submitted by Rep. Terrence McKenney, R-Cumberland, that would authorize DOT to manage Sears Island for industrial and commercial uses.

Cole denied the claims by some in Searsport that DOT was behind the bill. He said McKenney was motivated by concerns that the entire island would be turned over to the state Department of Conservation.

Searsport businesswoman Astrig Tanguay and others believe the DOT should concentrate its port efforts on Mack Point, on the adjacent mainland.

The DOT and private firms have spent about $20 million rebuilding one pier and improving another there.

Cole agreed. “Our plan is to maximize the potential of Mack Point,” he said.

– Tom Groening