Town shows interactive floodplain 'story map' based on Stantec study; public tool to illustrate sea-level scenarios

Mary Anne Nave, chair of the Resiliency and Sustainability Committee, introduced a grant-funded flood-risk study performed with Stantec Engineering and presented an interactive "story map" designed to show sea-level-rise and storm-surge scenarios for properties and neighborhoods across town.

Katcher Kemmerer, the Bowdoin Fellow who helped build the maps, demonstrated the online tool and described nine scenario maps — including a "10-year storm" view and 4‑foot and 8‑foot sea-level‑rise scenarios — and said users will be able to search for properties, toggle map layers, and use a slider to compare current FEMA maps with the new scenarios. "It is gonna give information... if they're considering changes to perhaps, their road association, if they're considering updating their roads," Kemmerer said, noting the tool is intended for both planning staff and residents.

Town planner Margaret McIntyre thanked the presenter and said the project will expand on Harpswell’s 2024 Letter of Map Revision from FEMA; the story map will be accompanied by a more detailed final report and future workshops. Officials said they received the final maps from Stantec on Monday and expect to publish the interactive site on the town website by the end of the week, with minor text revisions to follow.

Next steps: staff will post the story map publicly when ready, host workshops to explain the tool and consider public suggestions for additional functionality, and publish a final technical memo later.