Initiative Status
Each card tracks current resolution status, the most recent milestone, key findings, and source documents for verification.
Short-Term Rentals in Southwest Harbor
Southwest Harbor has no ordinance covering short-term rentals — no registration, no licence, no cap. Roughly a quarter of the town's dwellings are in tourist or short-term use, and the Select Board asked staff on Aug 11, 2026 to study whether a registration program requires an ordinance or can be adopted as policy, plus a resident survey. A November 2026 ballot question has been floated.
- Housing subcommittee position (May 19, 2026): advised the Select Board that “we do not see registration as a prelude to regulation, nor do we recommend regulation of short-term rentals at this time,” with a dwelling-use inventory covering ~90% of dwellings
- Land Use Ordinance rewrite (May 26, 2026): ad hoc LUO advisory committee approved; town contracted with Musson Group — any future STR rule would likely arrive through this process
- Dwelling-use inventory: ~50% year-round homes, ~25% summer residences, ~25% tourist or short-term use
- Turnover finding (Oct 2024 workgroup report): of 59 homes sold Sep 2022–Sep 2024, only 29% are now year-round homes; roughly 15 became short-term rentals
- Platform listings estimate (2024): ~403 in Southwest Harbor (commercial tracker; not a registration count)
- What already applies statewide: Maine's 9% sales tax on rental of living quarters and Maine Revenue Services retailer registration — ordinance or not
- Island context: Bar Harbor is the only MDI town regulating (annual registration since 2021, 9% cap on non-owner-occupied); Mt. Desert & Tremont rejected ordinances in May 2024; Tremont & Trenton reopened the question in Aug 2026
Sustainability Committee Recommendations
A permanent town committee advising the Select Board on environment, health, infrastructure, waterfront, and safety. Organized into three working groups: solid waste, environmental vulnerability, and housing.
- Chair: Nancy Weingarten · Secretary: Kenneth Rozsahegyi (12 appointees)
- Meets: Twice monthly, Town Office & Zoom
- Recent agendas: Jan 8, 2026 · Nov 13, 2025 · Oct 9, 2025 (minutes)
- Key asks: DEP enforcement on transfer station; fair-share solid-waste cost allocation for businesses; housing data review
Worcester Landfill Soil-Testing Ordinance
Citizen-led ordinance (approved Nov 2025, 554–187) requiring soil testing for Planning-Board projects within 0.5 mi of state-designated "uncontrolled" contamination sites. The only such site is the Worcester Associates landfill (1930s open-burning dump; polluted groundwater).
- Subdivision dispute: Trundy Farm Subdivision approval — appealed by Jim Vallette (Acadia Disposal District); Appeals Board hearing Apr 1, 2026
- Open question: whether the rule should apply town-wide vs. only near uncontrolled sites
- Unresolved: whether/when the Worcester landfill itself will be capped & closed
EMR Transfer Station Remediation
Maine DEP inspected the Eastern Maine Recycling transfer station (47 Long Pond Rd) after a summer of odor/vector complaints. The site was "generally in good operational order" but required facility repairs and operational changes.
- Inspection: May 4, 2026 · Report issued May 14, 2026
- Findings: rats & seagulls; nuisance odors from red MSW building; doors left open; holes in walls; inert pile encroaching wetland
- Select Board (May 26): town will liaise with DEP but cannot enforce state rules via CEO; town currently without a CEO (using Tremont's)
Smuggler's Den Campground Expansion
Lee Worcester filed a DEP wastewater management plan application for a ~50-site expansion (~50% increase, from 93–106 to ~145–156 sites) at 20 Main Street / Route 102. Once DEP deems the application complete, a 20-day public window opens to request a hearing.
- Drinking water nexus: campground sits in a 1,000+ acre watershed draining to Long Pond — the town's sole drinking water source
- Wastewater risks: nitrate, pathogen, PFAS (from RV holding tanks), and phosphorus loading into the same corridor as the Worcester landfill
- Compounding PFAS: landfill already discharging PFAS toward Marshall Brook & Long Pond — expansion adds a second concurrent source
- Compliance: Maine Drinking Water Program cited 3 violations; Worcester says resolved — committee should verify independently
- Pattern: third Worcester-owned property (landfill, EMR, Smuggler's Den) in the Long Pond corridor
Climate Resilience Planning Goals
Southwest Harbor is building a Community Resilience Plan with A Climate To Thrive, addressing sea-level rise and increased storms. Fully grant-funded at no cost to taxpayers; Gulf of Maine Research Institute completed the climate vulnerability assessment.
- 2023: Comprehensive Plan updated with "Climate Change & Adaptation" section; enrolled in ME Community Resilience Partnership
- 2024: First $50,000 Community Action Grant; Dec 2024 grant fully funds the Resilience Plan
- Partner: A Climate To Thrive · Funder: Governor's Office of Policy Innovation & the Future
Lyme Disease Prevention & Education
Public-health outreach on tick-borne illness and personal protection. Maine CDC reports an elevated 2026 tick season with county-level Lyme surveillance ongoing.
- Personal protection: EPA-approved repellents (20%+ DEET), permethrin-treated clothing, full-body tick checks within 2 hrs indoors
- Submit-A-Tick: UMaine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab — free ID, fee-based disease testing
- County Lyme trends: Maine CDC tracking network publishes county-level data
- Reduce tick habitat: mow regularly, clear leaf litter & tall grass at woodland edges
SWH Water & Sewer District Reports
A quasi-municipal district created by act of the Maine Legislature, supplying water and sewer service. Tracked here to monitor water-quality reporting and any links between landfill/transfer-station activity and public water supply.
- Watch item: Worcester landfill has polluted area groundwater — track District CCR for any related monitoring notes
- Available forms: new-service permit, abatement request, curb-box turn on/shut off
- Governance: created by Maine Legislature (P&S Law, Ch. 11)
Wastewater Treatment Plant Discharge Compliance
The SWH Water & Sewer District's secondary-treatment plant discharges up to 0.375 MGD to the tidewaters of Southwest Harbor (Atlantic Ocean, Class SB) under MEPDES permit ME0100641. Tracked here for effluent compliance, the pending permit renewal, and the infiltration-and-inflow upgrade project.
- Permit renewal: 2014 MEPDES permit in administrative continuation; renewal accepted 2019; draft issued Sept 2021 — final reissuance pending
- Wet-weather I&I: daily-max flow hit 0.632 MGD (Mar 2026) — 1.7× the 0.375 MGD monthly-avg capacity; driver of the upgrade project
- Upgrade project: EPA issued EA/FONSI (Feb 19, 2026) for WWTF upgrades; funded by USDA $4.25M grant + $5M loan (2023)
- PFAS gap: not in MEPDES limits; sampled separately under Maine P.L. 2021 ch. 641 (results in DEP EGAD)
Energy & Grid Resilience
Hancock County is among Maine's hardest-hit counties for both short and multi-hour power outages, and Southwest Harbor depends on a single Mount Desert Island transmission corridor. This card tracks community-hub backup power, microgrid and distributed-generation options, and coordination with Central Maine Power and neighboring MDI towns.
- Single point of failure: MDI is served through one transmission corridor; a storm-driven break can isolate SWH for multiple days
- Community resilience hub: designate a hardened site (library, school, or fire station) with backup generation, cellular repeater, and warming/cooling capacity
- Microgrid & distributed generation: evaluate solar-plus-storage for critical municipal facilities; coordinate with Efficiency Maine and the Governor's Energy Office
- Regulatory context: Maine PUC opened a formal 2024 inquiry into grid resilience and rising storm restoration costs
- Next step: scope a hub-siting study within the Community Resilience Partnership Community Action Grant cycle
Wildfire Preparedness & Defensible Space
Southwest Harbor's own Climate Vulnerability Assessment flags wildfire risk given dense fuel loads adjacent to Acadia National Park and clustered wooden downtown structures. This card tracks defensible-space guidance, mutual-aid coordination with Acadia and neighboring towns, and forest-health inputs (hemlock woolly adelgid, drought weeks).
- Downtown fuel risk: tightly spaced wooden structures with limited defensible space between buildings
- Fuels reduction: pursue a joint MDI municipal fuels-reduction and defensible-space program with Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, and Tremont
- Mutual aid: formalize a wildfire mutual-aid MOU with Acadia National Park fire staff and neighboring town fire departments
- Public education: Firewise USA resident materials tailored to MDI conditions; publish annually before fire season
- Watch: Maine Forest Service HWA overview and NPS Acadia HWA monitoring for spread trajectory
Private Wells & Groundwater
Consolidated card for the three private-well and groundwater risks that recur across the tracker: saltwater intrusion in coastal wells, VOC contamination near the Worcester Associates Landfill footprint, and forthcoming PFAS monitoring obligations under federal drinking-water rules. Aligned with the Water & Sewer District card but focused on private, unregulated household wells.
- Recommended tests: PFAS (Maine 6-compound sum), VOCs near the landfill footprint, salinity/chloride near the coast
- Subsidy path: scope a testing-subsidy tier for the lowest-income households through the Community Resilience Partnership
- Guidance page: publish a plain-language private-well guidance page and cross-reference it from the Water & Sewer District card
- Data integration: extend the Maine DEP / EPA ECHO monitor to include SDWIS PFAS data for the district (public water ID ME0091490) starting 2027
Community Listening Sessions & Engagement
Resilience planning is shaped by community input. The first listening session launched the public phase; more community conversations are planned throughout the multi-year process.
- Stay informed: email [email protected] to be notified of upcoming sessions
- Engagement channels: polls outreach, online survey, one-on-one conversations, stakeholder meetings
- Watch: upcoming Sustainability Committee & Select Board agendas for listening-session scheduling
Sustainability Committee
The permanent town body charged with developing programs and policies for Southwest Harbor's resilience across environment, health, and infrastructure.
Meets the 2nd Thursday of each month, 5:00 PM, Town Office · Minutes & documentsMission
“The Sustainability Committee is a permanent body of the Town of Southwest Harbor, helping the Select Board develop programs and policies that strengthen the town's resilience in environment, health, and infrastructure.”
Committee charge · Bylaws adopted June 2026
Members
Nine appointees serving staggered terms under bylaws adopted June 2026 (Bar Harbor Story, Jun 24, 2026).
Working Groups
Organized into three working groups addressing the town's most pressing resilience challenges.
Solid Waste
Inventorying the town's solid waste stream (over $500,000/year in disposal costs) and developing recommendations for reduction, recycling, and transfer-station contract optimization. Coordinates with EMR / Acadia Disposal District.
Active · Inventory phaseEnvironmental Vulnerability
Assessing climate-driven risks: coastal flooding, water quality, heavy weather, and wildfire. Coordinates with A Climate To Thrive and the Maine Community Resilience Partnership on the town's resilience plan.
Active · Assessment & planningHousing
Inventorying dwellings and year-round occupancy to understand affordability and availability. Delivered an interim report to the Select Board (Oct 2025); short-term rental study ongoing.
Active · Inventory & reportingAccomplishments & News Coverage
- Jun 24, 2026 Bylaws adopted; all members reappointed to staggered 3-, 2-, and 1-year terms aligned with the new governance framework. Bar Harbor Story
- May 26, 2026 Voted unanimously to ask the Select Board to engage DEP on EMR transfer station corrective actions, with the DEP inspection report in hand. Bar Harbor Story
- Oct 14, 2025 Housing Working Group delivered an interim report to the Select Board: only about half of Southwest Harbor homes are occupied year-round, and prices remain out of reach for many. Bangor Daily News
- Jul 6, 2026 Committee continuing its dwelling inventory to inform housing needs and next steps, cited in regional building-permit analysis. Bar Harbor Story
- 2025–2026 Solid Waste working group inventorying the town's $500K+/year solid waste stream to establish reduction parameters and present recommendations to the Select Board.
Resolution Timeline
Chronological view of key decisions, inspections, and votes across all tracked initiatives.
ResilienceClimate Change & Adaptation section added
Town updated its Comprehensive Plan and enrolled in the Maine Community Resilience Partnership.
ResilienceFirst $50,000 Community Action Grant awarded
December 2024 grant fully funds creation of the Community Resilience Plan at no cost to taxpayers.
WastewaterBacteria daily-max exceedances (TNTC)
Fecal coliform & enterococci daily-max hit 2,420 #/100mL vs limits of 31/54 — single-day spikes with monthly geo-means within limits. June 2026 DMR returned to full compliance.
CommunityFirst Community Resilience Listening Session
Held at Southwest Harbor Public Library; reviewed the Gulf of Maine Research Institute vulnerability assessment.
Soil ordinanceCitizen soil-testing ordinance adopted 554–187
Requires soil testing for Planning-Board projects within 0.5 mi of "uncontrolled" contamination sites.
Soil ordinancePlanning Board reworks the ordinance
CEO Jarrod Kushla and the board reconsider scope, triggers, and exemptions; revisions targeted for June (worst case November) ballot.
Soil ordinanceTrundy Farm Subdivision appeal hearing
Appeal of the subdivision approval near the Worcester landfill, filed by Acadia Disposal District representative Jim Vallette.
Transfer stationDEP inspects EMR; report issued
Findings: odors, rats, seagulls, building holes, wetland encroachment. Corrective actions required by June 1, 2026.
Smuggler's Den50-site expansion wastewater application filed
~50% capacity increase at 20 Main St / Route 102; 20-day public hearing-request window opens once DEP deems the application complete.
Transfer stationSelect Board addresses DEP report
At the Sustainability Committee's unanimous request; town will liaise with DEP but cannot enforce state rules via a (currently vacant) CEO.
Transfer stationCorrective-action deadline
Owner expected completion in June; formal DEP close-out not yet confirmed — ongoing monitoring item.
ResilienceHarbor Management Plan Update funded
NOAA-supported Coastal Community Grant (MOCA/MPAP) to integrate climate considerations into harbor planning; work begins late spring 2026.
LymeFirst Powassan case of 2026 confirmed
Maine CDC reports elevated tick activity; county-level Lyme trends available on the Maine CDC tracking network.
GovernanceLee Worcester not reappointed to Planning Board
David Lloyd appointed unanimously; Worcester then appointed 4–1 to the Land Use Ordinance Review Taskforce despite a public conflict-of-interest challenge.
WastewaterDischarge compliance data pulled
EPA ECHO shows ME0100641 not in Significant Noncompliance; June 2026 DMR clean. Permit effective, expires Nov 30, 2026 — renewal pending since 2019.
Resources & Meeting Records
Direct links to meeting minutes, official reports, and the organizations behind each initiative.
Meeting Minutes & Agendas
Community Listening Sessions
- SWH Community Resilience Planning hub
- Email to be notified of upcoming sessions
- Oct 27, 2025 — first listening session (held, SWH Library)
- Nov 4 polls outreach & online survey
- More community conversations planned (2026–2027)
Public Health & Ticks
Official Reports
- EMR transfer station — DEP inspection (May 2026)
- Lee Worcester Planning Board decision (Jun 2026)
- SWH Water & Sewer — 2024 Water Quality Report (CCR)
- SWH Water & Sewer District — downloads
- EPA ECHO — WWTF discharge & compliance (ME0100641)
- MEPDES draft permit & effluent limits (2021)
- Coastal Planning Grants (Jun 2026)
- EMR / Acadia Disposal District info