Acadia Scenic Byway Committee
1/22/2008
Minutes

Attending: Jodi Jacobs, Anne Krieg, John Kelly, Stephanie Clement, Duane Scott, Peter Lord, Jim Fisher, Karen Baksa

Introductions

Trenton Extension Update – Jim Fisher

• Committee will be meeting in early March
• Working on beautification along the byway
• Jim Fisher distributed several draft pages from the plan – primarily relating to strategic goals and objectives

Acadia Gateway Center

Design stage

• Friends of Acadia – purchased the AGC property, sold 150 front acres to MaineDOT. MaineDOT has a one year option on the back half.
• Preliminary design of the infrastructure and the bus maintenance facility moving ahead
• Public meeting is likely to occur in late February or March (now looking like April)

Night Sky Initiative – Peter Lord

• Submitted a successful proposal to the Maine Technology Center for seed money
• Three sources
• Byway
• National Park Service
• Friends of Acadia
• Maine Technology Center
• These sources provide about ½ of what is needed, but it’s enough to get started
• Two surveys will be carried out off-byway
• AGC
• Schoodic Head
• Have completed three measurements
• Thompson Island
• Ocean Drive – turnout prior to Thunder Hole
• Ocean Drive – Egg Rock Overlook
• Looking at other locations
• 47 Fire Overlook between the visitor center and Eagle Lake Road on Park Loop – street lighting most visible from here
• Route 3 - head of the island – areas likely to see future development
• Crooked Road
• Lamoine
• Federal Highway – delayed RFP indefinitely
• Publications and Presentations
• VISTA
• NNECAPA

Town of Bar Harbor

• Wireless Communication Ordinance
• John Kelly is working with Chris on language
• Visual impact of towers
• Concerns about visual impacts
• Local concerns about radiation – public health impacts

• NEPA process with FCC
• Verizon is looking at three locations
• Birch Bay
• Ireson Hill
• Salisbury Cove
• Town Hill

MaineDOT News

Head of the Island

• Jim will contact Janice Piper about progress
• We subsequently learned that Janice has left MaineDOT.  Jim is following up with Dennis Lovely.

Municipal Survey

• A week or two a municipal survey will be sent
• Information will be processed by HCPC and sent on to MaineDOT

Geo-tourism Project www.DowneastExplorer.Org

Business and Trails Conference

• Jim will send announcements to the Acadia Byway List