BREAKING NEWS: Divided board approves FOA's party on Northeast Harbor green

NORTHEAST HARBOR, Oct. 3, 2023 - In a rare break from its usual comity, the select board approved 3-2 Monday night the application from Friends of Acadia to hold its annual fund-raising gala at the the town marina which will render the town green unavailing to much public activity for a week in August 2024.

Member Martha Dudman said, “ I've had a number of people approach me who were not in favor of having the Friends of Acadia event in the marina next summer. Some of the the objections were it was tying up the Marina at the height of the season for a week, which seemed difficult for people.

“Also, some people were concerned that this would open the floodgates to other organizations who would then want to use the green in that way when it's really intended as a place for everybody.

“I know that we've made exceptions in the past when there was alcohol but generally, alcohol is not allowed in public spaces.”

Select chair John Macauley also voted against the application, saying such a large event was inappropriate for the harbor area.

Member Geoff Wood told FOA director Eric Stiles, “I sincerely hope I don’t regret that (his approval).”

Members Wendy Littlefield and Rick Mooers also voted in favor. Mooers said he thought the publicity would help village merchants.

Video of the discussion may be viewed on Youtube starting at Minute 7:28.

Jim Bright, who is a member of both the harbor committee and a new member of the FOA board, said he has expressed “real reservations” about the event.

“I’ve been on the FOA aboard for only two months and I may not be on it for much longer,” he joked to laughter from the audience.

“My biggest concern is noise. You're gonna have a hotel full of people to listen to that, starting at nine o'clock at night.

“And I'm also concerned about the working people that are going to be bothered by this. It’s inappropriate to put a huge event in the middle of a quiet town in the middle of summer.”

Former select member Matt Hart, who runs the Neighborhood House, said this will set a bad precedent to allow such an event in the town’s tight public space.

He reminded members that the New York Yacht Club held a similar event and that the town adopted a policy in 2015 restricting use of the green “that was partially as a result of that New York Yacht Club event.”

“I think the nice thing about a policy is it's not an ordinance. It does give you some wiggle room maybe should be applauded for trying to accommodate different groups. I think that's a good thing. But I think that at a certain point, when you make certain accommodations, you sort of cross the line and ignore the intent of the policy.

“And I think the main point of the policy is that space belongs to the residents. I was on the other side of that table and saw dozens of applications. And we would always say you need to, even if it's just a small 10-person wedding, remember the space has to remain open to the public.

“And I think that's between setup and the event itself, people are really going to feel like they don't have access to that space.” FOA is planning to occupy the green from Aug. 5 to 12, 2024. The party is expected to draw 400 to 450 persons.

At a previous meeting Stiles mentioned how the community would enjoy FOA entertainment such as fireworks, kinda like how the Romans allowed peasants into the colosseum to witness the mayhem.