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Presque Isle Planning Board approves Aroostook State Park site design and shoreland permit
Summary
At its Aug. 15 meeting the Presque Isle Planning Board unanimously approved site design plans and a shoreland zoning application for improvements at Aroostook State Park (87 State Park Road), including a warming pavilion, ADA‑accessible shower units and expanded utility hookups; construction is targeted for spring 2025.
The Presque Isle Planning Board unanimously approved site design plans and a shoreland zoning application for improvements at Aroostook State Park, 87 State Park Road, at its Aug. 15 meeting.
Patric Santerre, a licensed architect with Arcadia Design Works, and Ryan Kerr, senior planner with Maine Parks & Historic Sites, presented the plan. Santerre said the project would replace the existing shower building and the entrance booth, construct a warming pavilion, and replace the shower building with individual ADA‑accessible units. The proposal also calls for utility upgrades to bring services to roughly 25 additional campsites (currently five or six sites have utilities). The plan includes an RV dumping station; the project team has contracted Sarah Ashby to design a leach field sized to handle up to 30 vehicles.
Vice‑Chairman Ward Gerow asked about the proposed dumping station location; Santerre said it would be sited near the existing shower house on the opposite side of the road and could use part of the current sewer system. Board member Tim Vernon asked whether the existing lower bathroom would be next to the warming pavilion; Santerre confirmed it would. The existing entrance booth will be removed and replaced with a larger booth as part of the work.
Ryan Kerr told the board the improvements are tied to federal funding and that the contract must be secured by Dec. 31, 2024. He said the project team hopes to finish engineering and advertise for bids by Oct. 1, 2024, expects plan approval about three weeks after final submission, and aims to begin construction in spring 2025.
A motion to approve the site design plans was made by Ward Gerow and seconded by Dave Perry and passed unanimously. The board recessed briefly so members could sign the approved plans and reconvened later in the meeting. Separately, the board approved the shoreland zoning application for the warming pavilion (within 250 feet of Echo Lake) on a motion by Richard Engels, seconded by Tim Vernon; that motion also passed unanimously.
The approvals allow the project team to move forward with bidding and permit submittals under the stated federal funding timeline. The Planning Board adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
