Of all places to have additional traffic in Bar Harbor, that has got to be one of the very worst! It's difficult getting out of that driveway now, let alone with many dozens more entrances and exits from the property if it were to be permitted as a "B&B". It boggles the mind.
I am 74 years old. I walked to school alone through pastures that did not belong to my family and down a busy public road to get to my school. Kids were safe in rural areas then. Parents didn't need to give a thought toward child safety in the 1950s. I don't know about how safe children are in a town where tourism greed has taken over a peaceful village, but I will tell you this: If parents are concerned about the safety of their children, for Heaven's sake, listen to the parents and for once make a decision that benefits the families of Bar Harbor. Bar Harbor does not have to add to it's supply of tourist accommodations, but we all need to keep local families feeling safe. Thanks for reading.
The day the planning board (with at least one self dealing member) allowed the perversion of the B and B rules to turn into giant hotels was the day the ship sailed for the town. So much self dealing - it’s not the “come from-aways” who are destroying what used to be a lovely town and doing so to enrich themselves. They keep building and building until the entire island will be nothing but a Maine Disney land.
My dad owned an engineering company and I spent the first decade of my working life immersed in subdivisions, planning board meetings, and town planning. If I had a buck for every hour I spent listening to greedy developers trying to "get something past" a planning board made up of well meaning but technically unqualified volunteers I would be nearly as rich as this "nothingburger" St. Germain/Coston development duo. In all that time I do not believe I have ever encountered town officials seemingly more eager to be made fools of as those idly sitting by while these two Trump wannabes do their level best to destroy what is left of this once beautiful little coastal town. I keep waiting for some Bar Harbor official to say, "Enough is enough!" and the near total silence is deafening. To quote a previous commenter, "Poor sad Bar Harbor."
Nothingburger…was Steven Coston actually describing himself? A person’ s character is revealed through his actions and words. When the actions and words are in sync, the character is pretty clear to others. The character of Steven Coston being revealed in full 3 D is pretty dramatic in that it reveals a person who cares about himself only. He does not care about the community he exploits for his own profits, he does not care about the safety of our youngest children walking or riding their bikes to school, he does not care about a looming monstrosity of a hotel above children playing and doing sports outside. He may well lack the normal psychological development to understand why so many residents and now worried parents are appalled and opposed to this four story monstrosity. And don’t forget about his sidekick Tom St. Germain.
It is time for the Town of Bar Harbor, both the tepid Town Council and its Boards and Committees including those of the school, and residents to firmly and loudly oppose this Hotel Horrorburger.
The potential I see here is some whack job wanting his/her chance at sensationalism, noticing while vacationing in Bar Harbor, that a hotel balcony next to a school looks a mighty lot like an easy place to blast off a few dozen rounds fron an AR-15. Maybe the thought is over the top, maybe not. Ask BH parents what they think. Ask folks in Lewiston what they think. Hopefully the developer duo will reconsider before they endanger families.
Well said! Particularly the part about Coston unwittingly revealing his true identity as one of a "nothingburgher!" Speaking of burghers reminds me of another glass fronted downtown monstrosity formerly named "Midtown Burghers." How that particular building was ever permitted defies imagination. Back in the 1970s I worked at the Norumbega Mountain Shop at the corner of Main and Mount Desert Streets. The owner Dick Rhinehart wanted to make some tiny changes to the exterior but was turned down because it "didn't fit with the character of a small coastal Maine town." Next time you pass through that intersection take look at the massive and distasteful changes recent town boards have allowed. To quote the old Virginia Slims ad, "You've come a long way Bar Harbor Design Review & Planning Boards...too bad it's all been in the wrong direction!
When siting a school, Maine state law requires consideration of "the impact on student transportation, vehicular traffic and student safety." 05-071 C.M.R. ch. 60, § 3F - Considerations. It would be counter- intuitive, and a strong basis for a legal challenge, not to take those factors into consideration in making a land use decision for development around an existing school. And, given the substantial public investment in renovating an existing school, it would be a gross dereliction of fiscal responsibility not to weigh the impact of new, proximate development on that investment. So this application merits close review from both the land use and fiscal management perspective.
I hate to bring this up, but sadly death by guns is the leading cause of death for children. Giving access to a school to people whose backgrounds cannot be checked is asking for a school shooting.
Useful points, Jill Constantine and Mary Dudzik. I do know the school staff is very aware of making sure the new school has critical systems to be able to protect everyone from the grim possibility of a shooting , etc. It adds to the cost of the new school. Sadly, Stephen Coston’s donation will probably not even cover the security features. And no donation of any size will ever cover the loss of lives or limbs. Reducing risk is very important, and giving someone the opportunity to easily assault rifle down large groups of students and staff on open grounds is a terrifying possibility.
This is one of those issues that is easier halted before the particular risk is in place rather than try to play catch up after a horrifying event. I hope never to learn details from the local news that a mass-shooting of school children and staff has befallen Bar Harbor from a balcony or window of the Nothingburger Hotel located adjacent to the school.
When will it be enough for them? Serious question, when?
Of all places to have additional traffic in Bar Harbor, that has got to be one of the very worst! It's difficult getting out of that driveway now, let alone with many dozens more entrances and exits from the property if it were to be permitted as a "B&B". It boggles the mind.
What a potential nightmare for the crossing guards! Like it isn't challenging enough as is.
I am 74 years old. I walked to school alone through pastures that did not belong to my family and down a busy public road to get to my school. Kids were safe in rural areas then. Parents didn't need to give a thought toward child safety in the 1950s. I don't know about how safe children are in a town where tourism greed has taken over a peaceful village, but I will tell you this: If parents are concerned about the safety of their children, for Heaven's sake, listen to the parents and for once make a decision that benefits the families of Bar Harbor. Bar Harbor does not have to add to it's supply of tourist accommodations, but we all need to keep local families feeling safe. Thanks for reading.
The day the planning board (with at least one self dealing member) allowed the perversion of the B and B rules to turn into giant hotels was the day the ship sailed for the town. So much self dealing - it’s not the “come from-aways” who are destroying what used to be a lovely town and doing so to enrich themselves. They keep building and building until the entire island will be nothing but a Maine Disney land.
My dad owned an engineering company and I spent the first decade of my working life immersed in subdivisions, planning board meetings, and town planning. If I had a buck for every hour I spent listening to greedy developers trying to "get something past" a planning board made up of well meaning but technically unqualified volunteers I would be nearly as rich as this "nothingburger" St. Germain/Coston development duo. In all that time I do not believe I have ever encountered town officials seemingly more eager to be made fools of as those idly sitting by while these two Trump wannabes do their level best to destroy what is left of this once beautiful little coastal town. I keep waiting for some Bar Harbor official to say, "Enough is enough!" and the near total silence is deafening. To quote a previous commenter, "Poor sad Bar Harbor."
Nothingburger…was Steven Coston actually describing himself? A person’ s character is revealed through his actions and words. When the actions and words are in sync, the character is pretty clear to others. The character of Steven Coston being revealed in full 3 D is pretty dramatic in that it reveals a person who cares about himself only. He does not care about the community he exploits for his own profits, he does not care about the safety of our youngest children walking or riding their bikes to school, he does not care about a looming monstrosity of a hotel above children playing and doing sports outside. He may well lack the normal psychological development to understand why so many residents and now worried parents are appalled and opposed to this four story monstrosity. And don’t forget about his sidekick Tom St. Germain.
It is time for the Town of Bar Harbor, both the tepid Town Council and its Boards and Committees including those of the school, and residents to firmly and loudly oppose this Hotel Horrorburger.
The potential I see here is some whack job wanting his/her chance at sensationalism, noticing while vacationing in Bar Harbor, that a hotel balcony next to a school looks a mighty lot like an easy place to blast off a few dozen rounds fron an AR-15. Maybe the thought is over the top, maybe not. Ask BH parents what they think. Ask folks in Lewiston what they think. Hopefully the developer duo will reconsider before they endanger families.
Well said! Particularly the part about Coston unwittingly revealing his true identity as one of a "nothingburgher!" Speaking of burghers reminds me of another glass fronted downtown monstrosity formerly named "Midtown Burghers." How that particular building was ever permitted defies imagination. Back in the 1970s I worked at the Norumbega Mountain Shop at the corner of Main and Mount Desert Streets. The owner Dick Rhinehart wanted to make some tiny changes to the exterior but was turned down because it "didn't fit with the character of a small coastal Maine town." Next time you pass through that intersection take look at the massive and distasteful changes recent town boards have allowed. To quote the old Virginia Slims ad, "You've come a long way Bar Harbor Design Review & Planning Boards...too bad it's all been in the wrong direction!
This guy is a menace.
We don’t want anymore hotels, ESPECIALLY next to our school. Enough is enough.
When siting a school, Maine state law requires consideration of "the impact on student transportation, vehicular traffic and student safety." 05-071 C.M.R. ch. 60, § 3F - Considerations. It would be counter- intuitive, and a strong basis for a legal challenge, not to take those factors into consideration in making a land use decision for development around an existing school. And, given the substantial public investment in renovating an existing school, it would be a gross dereliction of fiscal responsibility not to weigh the impact of new, proximate development on that investment. So this application merits close review from both the land use and fiscal management perspective.
Poor sad Bar Harbor.
I hate to bring this up, but sadly death by guns is the leading cause of death for children. Giving access to a school to people whose backgrounds cannot be checked is asking for a school shooting.
Well, not bringing this issue to the forefront would be remiss. Safety of children trumps greed aany day.
Useful points, Jill Constantine and Mary Dudzik. I do know the school staff is very aware of making sure the new school has critical systems to be able to protect everyone from the grim possibility of a shooting , etc. It adds to the cost of the new school. Sadly, Stephen Coston’s donation will probably not even cover the security features. And no donation of any size will ever cover the loss of lives or limbs. Reducing risk is very important, and giving someone the opportunity to easily assault rifle down large groups of students and staff on open grounds is a terrifying possibility.
This is one of those issues that is easier halted before the particular risk is in place rather than try to play catch up after a horrifying event. I hope never to learn details from the local news that a mass-shooting of school children and staff has befallen Bar Harbor from a balcony or window of the Nothingburger Hotel located adjacent to the school.