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Mount Desert committee approves limited summer commuter ferry run with new operator
Summary
The committee approved a temporary summer arrangement for a single morning commuter ferry run operated by Down East Windjammers, contingent on a formal lease and town-legal review; one member opposed the motion. The change follows the previous operator’s withdrawal and prompted debate over ordinance compliance and advertising the slot.
The Mount Desert committee voted to allow a different operator to run a limited summer morning commuter ferry service, approving a motion that requires a formal lease agreement and review by town legal counsel.
Jim Fortune explained the change, saying the previous operator declined to run the morning commuter boat this summer and the town contracted Down East Windjammers — the operator that runs winter ferry service — to provide one morning commuter run Monday through Friday during the summer season. "They only do one run a day, just a single run first thing in the morning," Fortune said, describing a route that will start on Great Cranberry Island, stop in Dialsford, drop passengers at Northeast Harbor and then incorporate Manset into its morning circuit.
Fortune told the committee the operator will initially use the vessel Senica and that a newly purchased vessel is expected to be overhauled and certified in early June; he said the operator has or will provide Coast Guard certificates and insurance documentation. The committee heard that the summer window the operator intends to serve runs from May 1 through Oct. 14.
Committee members pressed for a formal lease and public notice so the arrangement does not set an unadvertised precedent. "It goes against what the ordinance says," a committee member said, arguing the change should be reviewed for compliance with the town ordinance governing scheduled operators. Other members said the proposal was effectively a direct replacement for the operator who withdrew and that they saw no practical impact to daily pier use.
A motion to approve the proposal "with proper lease agreement approved by town legal advice to operate from 6:15 to 7, Monday through Friday, May 1 to Oct. 14" was made, seconded and carried, with one member recorded in opposition. Gary was recorded as opposing the motion. The motion language and comments in the discussion included two different references to morning times: the operator described arrival "between 6:50 and 7," while the motion specified a 6:15–7:00 a.m. window; the committee set the motion’s operating window but required the lease and legal review before operations proceed.
Next steps are procedural: staff will work with the selected operator to finalize a lease agreement that satisfies town legal counsel and clarify any ordinance or public-notice requirements. The committee did not specify precise vote tallies beyond noting a single opposition during the recorded voice vote.
