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Council authorizes $750,000 municipal share for Bayside Road MPI project
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Summary
The council authorized the city manager to secure financing (bond anticipation note and subsequent bonding) for the city's $750,000 share of a $1.5 million municipal partnership initiative with MaineDOT to rebuild Bayside Road, funding to be repaid from the Beckwith Hill TIF.
Ellsworth officials voted to commit the city's share to a municipal partnership initiative (MPI) with the Maine Department of Transportation to upgrade Bayside Road.
Deputy city manager explained the MPI would pair $750,000 from the city with $750,000 from MaineDOT — a $1.5 million phase focused on engineering and initial construction along the corridor from Washington Street toward Beachland. If the work proceeds as outlined, Bayside Road would be upgraded to an "built" priority 3 road, putting it on the state's routine maintenance schedule.
Funding and process: Staff recommended financing the municipal share through a bond anticipation note and subsequent bonding with debt service paid from the Beckwith Hill tax increment financing (TIF) revenues. Council discussed prior experiences with High Street work and asked that the city hire outside engineering oversight to verify state designs; staff confirmed the initial phase includes hiring an engineer and municipal project administration under MaineDOT rules.
The council approved a motion authorizing the city manager to secure the $750,000 financing through a bond anticipation note and subsequent bonding, with repayment from the Beckwith Hill TIF. Staff noted the city intends to pursue follow‑up MPI rounds to complete additional stretches of Bayside Road.
Ending: Council action moves the Bayside Road project into the engineering and funding stage; staff will return with detailed bid documents, costs and project schedule as design work progresses.
