BREAKING NEWS: SWH town manager reaches agreement with state for immediate repair of Seawall Road
SOUTHWEST HARBOR, July 16, 2024 - Town Manager Marilyn Lowell is hoping the select board will authorize her to sign the temporary work agreement with the state which would allow private contractors to begin repairing Seawall Road as early as this week.
She has called a special emergency meeting of the board for tomorrow at 5:30 p.m.
The contractors who volunteered are John Goodwin, BFP Trucking and Doug Gott and Sons. Lowell said they could complete the work in two or three days, and that the remainder of the current season would be salvaged.
Lowell has been shepherding the project since a public meeting June 27 when almost 200 area residents sounded off at DOT Deputy Commissioner Dale Doughty to urge the state to repair the road which was closed after three winter storms ravaged the main access way to two popular Acadia National Park trails and the Seawall Campground.
Many Tremont and Southwest Harbor residents also use the road to commute to work.
Lowell was frustrated by the lack of response from Doughty after she tried all last week to get him to return her calls seeking guidance on environmental and safety requirements for the contractors.
(The state receives almost $65 million from SWH and Tremont in sales tax revenues, with SWH accounting for $43 million).
On Monday, Doughty announced the state would cooperate with SWH and Tremont for the temporary repair, and Lowell followed up Tuesday to firm the details in the letter of agreement.
It was not clear who would pay for the asphalt needed for the repair. Lowell could not be reached in time for publication.
Doughty also announced on Monday the state will provide a full repair of the road but not until next year when it will add “resiliency features … to prepare for the likelihood that this road will be damaged again, over the 2024-2025 winter.
“MaineDOT will enter into an agreement with the Town of Southwest Harbor and the National Park Service that will confirm a joint partnership to address damage from future storm events beyond the 2025 repair.
“If the Town of Southwest Harbor, along with its local contracting partners, would like to make a temporary repair for the remaining summer of 2024, MaineDOT would work with the Town to develop an agreement,” Doughty stated. “Southwest Harbor would be responsible for contractor oversight, environmental compliance and safety. MaineDOT could assist with signage.”
In her memo to the select board, Lowell stated,
“There are information pages in your packet for the temporary work to be done on Seawall Road. I am requesting authorization to sign the agreement to allow work to start immediately. I respectfully suggest passage of a motion to authorize the Town Manager to sign the agreement with DOT for SW Harbor to oversee the work consistent with the scope outlined in the Seawall Road (Route 102A) - Temporary Work Letter.”