BAR HARBOR, Maine — Marina. Museum. Commercial fishing dry dock. Cruise ship pier.
A Town Council committee that toured the former Bay Ferries Ltd. dock on Wednesday had plenty of ideas about possible uses for the state-owned facility it is considering buying.
The Maine Department of Transportation, which took ownership of the dock after Bay Ferries ended its Bar Harbor service in 2009, would prefer that the property serve the area’s transportation needs, Town Manager Cornell Knight said.
It will sell it to the town for $2 million if an investor is involved, $2.5 million if the town pledges transportation use for it and $3.5 million without those obligations, Knight said.
If converted into a marina, the dock could alleviate “tight” conditions in Bar Harbor, said Councilor Matthew Hochman, who took the tour.
“I’m sure that [recreational boaters] wouldn’t mind having a facility separate from cruise ships,” he said.
The committee has until early November to advise the council whether to buy the facility. The state’s deadline for the council’s decision is Nov. 30.