LINCOLNVILLE — The ad hoc Lincolnville Energy Committee, which spearheaded the successful project to bring solar energy to the community to provide power to a handful of municipal properties, offered the Lincolnville Board of Selectmen on Monday night an update on the effort and some next steps. Those include some site work and continued adjustment of power allocations, but also a request to celebrate the project.

Also that night, the Route 1 Advisory Committee provided an update on their work, which resulted in a request to support seeking designation of Route 1 in Lincolnville as a Scenic Highway

There is power, let’s celebrate!

Speaking for the Committee at the Board's regular meeting on Feb. 27 was chairwoman Cindy Dunham.

"First, thanks to the Board of Selectmen and Jodi [Hanson, acting town administrator] for your leadership and supporting challenging times, and to David [Kinney] and his support in the beginning to get launched and go ahead with the project," said Dunham.

The job was awarded late in 2016 to ReVision Energy. Dunham said that the solar panels have been installed, the municipal electricity infrastructure is installed and feeding power as planned.

The solar energy-generating facility is sited on about a one-quarter-acre piece of the 16 acres of town land adjacent to the fire station on Route 52, near Drakes Corner. Power feeds that fire station, and buildings around Lincolnville Center such as the town office, the sand/salt storage building and the Breezemere Park bandstand. Also included are town buildings along Route 1 at the beach, including the fire station there, as well as lighting at the beach, the harbor and the town pier.

There is hope that one day, the school building could be added to the list of buildings benefiting from the solar power station.

"No maintenance has been needed so far, as the snow has been sliding off by itself," said Dunham.

She said that the site work around the solar panels is currently weather dependent, with work needing to be done after the ground thaws, but not while its mud season.

For anyone interested, there is a website provided by ReVision Energy that allows detailed tracking of a variety of data relating to Lincolnville's solar power project. Visit: revisionenergy.solarlog-web.net/lincolnvillefd/.

"The town has seven Central Maine Power electricity meters, being offset by the solar panels," said Dunham. "We have worked carefully to make sure billing is accurate, and allocations are accurate. We are here today asking for guidance as we think it would be great to share the success of the project with the town."

Dunham said because of the location of the solar panels and that the adjacent fire station is the beginning of the connection to the power grid, it seemed the right place to hold an open house.

"We could have educational displays, tours of the panels and invertors, and maybe even do a wire splicing instead of the traditional ribbon cutting," said Dunham. "Plus, refreshments."

She said the Committee wanted to celebrate the Town of Lincolnville making electricity from the sun.

She also proposed holding the event around the summer solstice, June 25.

Dunham also said that she had been in touch with the fire department, and felt the open house would be an opportunity for the community to meet the new fire chief and the firefighters too.

"Since you were instrumental in making this possible, we want to partner with you to put this together, and to concur on the date and time and other details," said Dunham to the Board of Selectmen.

With the full support of the Board, chairman Ladleah Dunn said she would the board, herself and the town administrator to draft a letter to invite dignitaries to the event.

Select Board member Rosey Gerry said it would also be a good opportunity to invite North East Mobile Health Services to bring an ambulance and some crew, and that they should extend an invitation to LifeFlight of Maine as well.

"I think it's a really good idea," Select Board member Keryn Laite Jr. "I feel so proud we did it, and now the other towns are doing it. I want to do something with curbing the costs at the school next, but this is huge and the town should celebrate it."

The Board voted unanimously to have Dunn and Dunham work together on a plan for the Open House.

One step closer

On hand Monday night to talk about the latest news on Route 1 project was Chris Osgodd, chair of the Lincolnville Route 1 Advisory Committee; Richard Bernhard, member of the Camden Route 1 Committee; Dorothy Havey, special assistant to Senate President Michael Thibodeau (R); and Fred Michaud, policy development specialist with the Maine Department of Transportation.

Michaud began by telling the Select Board that early in Maine, roads were not considered a tourist interest. Later, he said, the Federal Government decided to designate certain stretches of road either Scenic Byways or Scenic Highways.

He said that a National Scenic Byway is a stretch of road recognized by the U.S. DOT for one or more of six intrinsic qualities, including:
• Archeological
• Cultural
• Historic
• Natural
• Recreational
• Scenic

The be designated an All-American Road, the road must meet two out of the six intrinsic qualities. An All-American Road has features that do not exist elsewhere in the U.S., and are unique enough to be tourist destinations themselves, according to the National Scenic Byways Program.

Of the 150 Scenic Byways, which includes just 30 All-American Roads in the U.S. as of 2006, four Byways are in Maine. They include the Acadia All-American Road, Old Canada Road (Route 201) Scenic Byway, Rangeley Lakes Scenic Byway and Schoodic Scenic Byway.

Michaud said that the work to designate a Scenic Byway is quite expensive, and quite expansive, and in 2012, the money to fund Scenic Byway programs was cut at the federal level.

"There was no more money for state projects," said Michaud. "Rangeley Lakes Trust was the big winner, and pulled in a lot of money before the funding ceased. It's in various stages of completion there, and some private groups have stepped forward to help move it along."

Today, they have plenty of time to work on projects, but not a lot of money. And with towns already stretched thin financially, now is not the time to approach them for more money on a Scenic Byway project.

He said that designation as a Scenic Highway creates a name for a place. "There is no planning assistance, and if there is a website or Facebook page for the Scenic Highway, that's up to the town or the Chamber of Commerce or whoever wants to so designate it," said Michaud.

He said that with all the signs in Acadia National Park and on MDI about the various tourist attractions, their Scenic Byways get lost in the shuffle of what's already there.

"A place like Millinocket needs it more than Acadia," said Mchaud. "It does have cache though, and it will draw people for that reason alone."

Durity told the group that it was the Camden group's belief that Lincolnville was a perfect stretch of Route 1 to be designated a Scenic Highway. He cited the expansive views of Penobscot Bay, the ferry passage to Islesboro, the beach and "other things that make it a strong presentation."

"We also have a vision to start at Pascal Avenue in Rockport and work the Scenic Highway all the way the coast," said Bernhard. "And we are suggesting it be called the Coastal Mountains Scenic Highway."

Select Board member Arthur Durity asked if the designation came with regulations or rules that the town must adhere to once in place.

"There has never been an ordinance made to accommodate a Byway. We [DOT] do not force towns to do any type of regulations around a Scenic Highway. It's a name only. Now, if you have a Comprehensive Plan and want to enforce your own rules, that's your business. We don't want to get involved in that, and Camden and Lincolnville have their own ordinances and can do whatever they want."

Durity also asked if any economic studies had been done before and after Scenic Highway designations.

Michaud said that traffic going across Maine's Scenic Highways and Byways has been "phenomenal." He said that yes, there is anecdotal evidence, including on the Bold Coast where they were able to bring Bike Maine to the community and drop $16,000 in one week.

Havey provided early evidence showing just simple a Scenic Highway is worded, when she read the Arroostook Scenic Highway's that simply said it started at Route 11 in Hershet and ended at the Canada boundary.

"So designated, that's all it said," said Havey. "By reading this, you can see there is nothing in the designation that binds you to any restrictions."

Select Board chairman Ladleah Dunn asked if it was the board's or the committee's desire to draft a similar legislation of the Quoddy Loop, which Havey also read, and include Camden or have them be separate.

Osgood said, "My idea would be to have them contiguous, and that's what the Senator is willing to support."

Michaud added that whether the towns seek a Byway or Higway designation, neither is regulatory for the town or the DOT.

"I just want to be clear that the DOT has its own process evaluation it goes through. We do the best we can through Maine Historic Preservation, working with scientists, local communication, etc. It's not a regulatory consideration for us, just like you. If it were, we would probably not be so willing to come forward and support this, to work with you on this. Unless the community adopts ordinances that regulate around the Byway, then we have to abide by those regulations."

Havey told the Select Board that Sen. Thibodeau did not want to move forward without a letter from both towns.

"It would be good to draft a letter to Sen. Thibodeau and Sen. [Dave] Miramant from the two towns, stating that you want them to move forward with the legislation," said Havey.

Instead of moving forward on the draft letter, Dunn sent it back to the committee to determine who it should go to and what it should say, including paring it down in length so it was more succinct.

Michaud cautioned that the DOT was simply looking for a point-to-point Scenic designation request, not something with additional strings and requests attached to it.

"It's a name only thing. We don't want to have to oppose it. We want it written point to point, that's all. We are trying to do projects and not be contentious. We do know about contact sensitivities. We are not here as a wrecking ball, we want to get something done, but not in such a way that we are restricted. We are concerned about hidden agendas," said Michaud.

Dunn told Osgood that the first step was to draft the letter stating the town's desire to achieve the designation, plain and simple. And despite Camden being slightly ahead in the process, as Osgood relayed, Dunn said it did not affect what they needed to do now.

Other news:
- Harbor User Fees are due Friday, March 10
- The board voted unanimously to to give Gartley & Dorsky the go-ahead of begin the Harbor Survey at a cost not to exceed $1,000.
- The Board reviewed the draft Harbor Maintenance Service RFP, but took no action.

Reach Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6655.