EASTPORT, Maine — A community development consulting team that began working this fall with Eastport community leaders submitted a report Tuesday that outlines community strengths and needs, as well as “suggested next steps.”
Three Smart Growth America consultants met in late September with city officials and other interested community leaders in a two-day workshop that facilitated an exchange of ideas for mapping the historic port community’s social and economic future.
Through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Eastport is one of 15 cities and towns nationwide selected by the EPA to work with the Washington, D.C.-based firm, which advocates for comprehensive planning that can help communities such as Eastport maintain and sustain its small-town charm in economically viable and eco-friendly ways.
Communities as large as New Orleans were selected for the program, as was the Northern Maine Development Commission, which is based in Caribou.
The 15-page report outlines both perceived strengths and weaknesses and suggests strategies for working through both. Among the key issues facing the community is the high cost of energy, the report says.
“It was clear from the workshop that energy use is a key issue in Eastport,” the report said. “Many homes and businesses in Eastport are dependent on oil use.
Environmental considerations aside, oil use has become an affordability problem for many households and property owners. As such, energy has become an issue that is hampering community vitality and local economic development. Businesses and residents struggle to heat their businesses and homes in the winter.”
The report notes that, as the consultants have seen in other communities with which they work, there’s a divergence of opinion as to how best to move forward.
“Folks are split about how to approach the problem — or even about how to acknowledge that a problem exists,” the report said. “The progressives want to change and don’t need to be convinced to do so. The traditional ‘business’ folks don’t want to burden or scare off future economic development opportunities, and much of the community feels powerless to make change, accepting the status quo as the only option. The only way to get beyond this is to have an open, transparent and engaging process that involves all interests and finds common ground for the community’s future.”
High unemployment also is identified as an issue, but the report sees opportunities on Eastport’s economic horizon.
“Comments at the workshop suggested that the unemployment rate in Eastport is 15-20 percent, and average incomes are low compared to national averages,” it said. “Investing in change will be difficult given these circumstances. That said, the opportunity for change is great.’
A list of what the report terms Eastport’s “strong assets includes emerging, strong community leadership, the city’s port and terminal facilities, its array of architectural styles and a growing sense of community pride and local investment.
“The Eastport community has been experiencing some recent redevelopment activity and local investment in existing and new businesses, including projects at the Port, local food production and delivery services, the Tides Institute, and enhanced and rehabilitated local buildings and businesses.”
As for recommended “next steps,” the consulting team suggests the community build on the momentum of recent redevelopment activity and private investment.
“There will be more growth and more changes in the community as new residents and businesses come to the area,” the report predicted. “Now is the time to prepare for this growth and change.”
Much of the report addressed the challenges presented by the high cost of energy in the region and points to potential strategies for retrofitting old residential and commercial buildings to be more energy efficient and finding alternatives to reliance on heating oil as the predominant fuel source.
“Reducing the use of heating oil in Eastport would generate significant environmental benefits through the reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions. Maine has one of the highest GHG footprints per capita of any other state in the country because of its use of heating oil. Converting to low-emission and/or renewable fuel sources is a huge opportunity for Eastport.”
What happens next in this community self-review effort is up to Eastport, said Roger Millar, a civil engineer, Smart Growth vice president and one of three consultants who ran the September workshop in Eastport.
“That’s a question for the town to answer,” he said Tuesday. “We expect they will make some recommendations about how best to go forward.”
City Manager Jonathan Southern had not yet seen the report Tuesday morning and was not available to comment in the afternoon. Other local leaders also had not yet seen the report or had an opportunity to review it for comment Tuesday.
I think, based on the article above, that Eastport got screwed.
Here was a chance to get an objective review of challenges and opportunities in the area and identify some of the key issues and controversies that need to be addressed forthright to move forward. How can industrial development coexist with tourism, housing, retail and other types of development? What are the primary demographics that will drive the future of the area? Etc., etc, …
What they came up with some fluff for everyone that would apply to any town.
On the bright side for Eastport: Peacock was ousted in the election and Southern is now on very shaky ground. Progress comes slowly sometimes, but it does come.
I agree with downandeast, these recommendations could have been done by junior high school students as a class project. Since the EPA funded the study, is it any surprise that their advice is to stop burning oil? Do they really think that with almost a quarter of the population unemployed that greenhouse gasses are Eastport’s biggest concern? They should be careful what they wish for, with oil so expensive, and electricity too costly to be a viable alternative, many of us are switching to coal and wood this winter. They produce more greenhouse gasses than oil.
I wonder how many hundreds of thousands of dollars were wasted on this? Your right. Give someone at the high school a pack of cigarettes or a few dollars and they could have written a more comprehensive report.
Well, I didn’t know that we used oil and that it was expensive or that employment was a concern or Eastport needed industry/commerce besides art galleries. Talk about obvious! Our tax dollars hard at work. On the other hand, they did drive into town and buy gas for those SUVs and ate at local establishments.
The most interesting item in the report refers to the possible construction and operation of a large biomass facility at the port authority. But the port is designed to send out pellets or wood chips and not consume resources. Will they be able to reverse the conveyor belt and receive product to burn for the generation of electricity and heat? How is this consistent with the reduction of green house gases and the establishment of a fancy resort town? The consultants need to defend their vision for whatever effort was placed in their plan.
Yes, the conveyor will go in reverse. It is also able to roduce some of its own energy to run which will cut on electric/fuel costs. The Port brings quite a bit of the economy (such as it is) into town. Damn good director.
Chris- are you writing this?
More healthcare (assisted living facilities) are what we need in this area. This will add more jobs and allow the elderly to stay in their hometowns or nearby rather than being shipped out. All this focus on the schools and the taxes required to keep them going is outrageous. Combine the 2 facilities (elem and HS) into one building and seek funding to turn one of the buildings into an assisted living / nursing home. we keep beating a dead horse with the school. Now that Calais is puling out of the AOS , how will that affect Eastport and their AOS costs?
Regarding the study, duh?
Eastport is a gateway to the world; if we Pleasant Point and Eastport market ourselves, we can be a huge trading destination.