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Mall owner says private water trunk breaks left businesses paying emergency repair costs
Summary
A Main Coast Mall owner told the Finance Committee that repeated breaks on a privately owned water trunk forced the owner to pay emergency repair bills totalling about $36,000; council members said city practice is to treat mains on private property as the owner's responsibility.
A representative of Union River Associates told the Finance Committee that two breaks in a private water trunk serving Main Coast Mall forced the owner to hire contractors and pay emergency costs of roughly $36,000.
"We had to go meet EJ Prescott in Bangor to get the pipes that that we needed to fix this," said Jared Wilbur, identifying himself as a resident and representing Union River Associates. Wilbur said the first break occurred in 2022 and the trunk failed again the following year; on both occasions the service line crosses private property, and the city declined to perform the repairs because the trunk is privately owned.
Wilbur said the trunk feeds multiple pad sites and 13 other businesses and that emergency night-time repairs and special equipment raised the cost. "Between the two breaks, we have over $36,000 wrapped up into this that came out of our pocket," he said.
Council members asked clarifying questions during the public comment period. One councilmember confirmed Wilbur’s description that the trunk was constructed by a developer in 1972 and that pad sites are not directly served by the city main; instead a private trunk ties into the municipal main and distributes water to private lots. A councilmember summarized the town’s consistent practice: when a pipe break occurs on private property or a private main, the property owner bears responsibility for repair costs.
Wilbur and council members also discussed billing and previous negotiated refunds related to assessments tied to the Main Coast Mall connection. Wilbur said the parties involved had resolved final payments and that the last payment had been made; the council member who questioned him confirmed that the account was current at the meeting.
City staff and other council members praised the municipal water crew’s response when emergencies arise, and Wilbur acknowledged the water department staff had assisted on-site. "Reggie and his crew were a 1. They did everything they could to help us," Wilbur said, adding he did not fault the water department for the decision about private vs. public responsibility.
The discussion did not produce a new directive or vote. Instead, council members and the speaker reiterated the current practice that mains located on private property are the property owner’s responsibility; owners may seek other remedies through agreements or future negotiations with the city if they want to change that arrangement.
