BAR ISLAND HOME TO FERRY TERMINAL

CANADIAN FERRY TERMINAL ON BAR ISLAND
Bar Harbor Times
May 21, 1953

COUNCIL VOTES TO TRANSFER STOTESBURY SITE TO STATE FOR LOCATION OF TERMINAL
Deed Being Prepared Following Definite Choice Of Eden Street Property When Planning Board Qualified The Recommendation For Bar Island.
An Ellsworth Lawyer has been instructed to prepare a deed to the Stotesbury property for the purpose of transfer to the Maine Port Authority who will build the American terminal of the Yarmouth Bar Harbor Ferry, it was announced at Tuesday night's meeting of the Bar Harbor Council.
At the same time the council released a statement concerning its action and included the complete copy of the planning board's report to them on the subject.
The Bar Harbor Town Council at a meeting held Saturday afternoon voted to turn over the Stotesbury property as authorized by the vote of the town at the annual town meeting to the Maine Port Authority for the location of an International Ferry Terminal between Bar Harbor and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.  Recently two locations have been given consideration, (1) the Stotesbury property on Eden Street, which was purchased by the town in December 1950 at a price of $10,000 plus taxes from the year 1950;  and (2) Bar Island in the harbor at Bar Harbor which was proposed by those who objected to the use of the Stotesbury property.
The planning board had previously been requested to make a recommendation to the council as to which location would the establishment of the ferry terminal result in the maximum benefit to the town of Bar Harbor from a long range point of view.  The recommendation of the planning board was received by the town council and given serious consideration.
The council considers an opinion by the attorney for the Maine Port Authority expressing the view that legally speaking the selection of the Stotesbury property would be ferry much safer than choosing a site outside the town limits of Bar Harbor.
After reviewing the problems involved in both sites which were pointed out in the report of the Planning Board it was decided to settle on the Stotesbury property.
The report of the Planning Board follows;
TOWN OF BAR HARBOR
Office of Planning Board
Bar Harbor, Maine
May 14, 1953
Mr, Joseph T. Edgar
Chairman Bar Harbor
Ferry Committee
Bar Harbor, Maine
Dear Mr. Edgar,
This will acknowledge your letter on May 8th in which you state that a decision must be made as to the exact location of terminal faculties at this end of Bar Harbor-Yarmouth car ferry.  You state that there are only two locations for this terminal meeting the requirements of the Canadaian authorities, one being on the Stotesbury property and the other on Bar Island.  You ask for our answer on this question;  "At which location would the establishment of a ferry terminal result in the maximum benefit to the Town of Bar Harbor from a long range planning board point of view?"
We call your attention to the fact that there are factors outside of town planning that will effect or have a bearing on the selection of the site.  Those include the cost of acquisition and construction, availability, and the status of negotiations with the State and Canadian authorities.  The evaluation of these is outside the province of the Planning board as is the final selection of the site and for this reason these factors have been given no consideration in our deliberations.
In the opinion of the board, the establishment of the terminal on Bar Island would be a wiser use of land and for that reason, in the long run, of more benefit to the town, provided;
a.)  That all property on Bar Island is placed in control of either Acadia National Park of the Town of Bar Harbor.
b.)  That adequate parking space within the terminal be provided on Bar Island.
c.)  That the entrance to the Bar Island causeway be located directly opposite Rodick Street.
A complete list of data assembled for this study is attached.  Our reasoning in arriving at this opinion can be summarized as follows;

Bar Island and Sand Bar - Acadia National Park

Traffic
Information as to the method by which cars will be handled on and off the ferry indicates very little likelihood of a serious concentration of traffic caused by the ferry itself.  The volume of spectator traffic is not easily judged but in our opinion it would not be a serious problem, provided that adequate parking is provided near the ferry terminal.
While traffic on West Street presents more of a problem than on Eden Street, we believe that adequate control measures can be taken and that Rodick Street can eventually be widened as provided for by set-back requirements in the existing zoning ordinance, and that in connection with Mt. Desert Street can be improved.  Such street improvements would be of long range benefit to the town.
Harbor Improvement
It is our understanding that the Army Engineers have stated that a causeway to Bar Island would reduce the tide and wave action in the harbor and provide a small boat anchorage west of the causeway.
Land Use And Protections
The present character of land on West Street between Main and Rodick Streets in such that the entrance to the ferry terminal would have no adverse effect upon it.  The location on the Stotesbury property of a commercial establishment of even the highest type would, in the opinion of the board, have an adverse effect on property values in the immediate vicinity.
The use and appearance of the Porcupine Island is very important from a planning point of view.  We believe it would be poor planning to provide a motor road to Bar Island without first getting complete control over the use of the land.  The establishment of such control would be in the interests of the town and we assume that the installations and approaches could be designed so that the aesthetic value of the island would not be destroyed.
Taxation
We assume that if the ferry terminal were to be located on Bar Island, the Stotesbury property would return to taxation.  The town than presumably would collect taxes on it indefinitely.  If the ferry terminal were to be located on the Stotesbury property there would be no tax revenue for 30 years and the amount payable at the end of 30 years would be a matter of conjecture.  We therefore do not believe the tax problem is an important consideration.
Yours very truly,
Bar Harbor Planning Board
Dale J. Foley
Chairman

BAR ISLAND - Acadia National Park

DJF; inp
Enc.
BAR HARBOR FERRY
(information complied for Bar Harbor Planning Board, May 11, 1953.)
Ferry, Terminus, and General Operations;
1.  The Canadian authorities have said that both the Stotesbury property and the northerly shore of Bar Island are acceptable to them as sites for the Bar Harbor ferry terminus.
2.  They have refused to consider any site which is further from Yarmouth than the Stotesbury Property.
3.  The present plan is that the ferry will leave Bar Harbor about 7 A.M. daily and will reach Bar Harbor again about 9 P.M.
4.  The schedule could be changed at any time so that the ferry would arrive at and leave Bar Harbor in the middle of the day.
5.  A second ferry might be added at some future date so that Bar Harbor would than have two arrivals and two departures daily.
6.  The ferry now being built will carry 150 cars and 10 trucks.  It will accommodate trucks as large as any permitted on Maine roads.
7.  Cars and trucks must make ferry reservations in advance, and only vehicles holding ferry tickets will be allowed within the boundaries of the ferry terminus.
8.  Pedestrians without ferry tickets will be allowed on the terminus but the terminus proper will not include parking facilities for the cars of such Pedestrians.
(next several items can't be read.)
Data On Bar Island
1.  Western end - about 1/3 the island - is part of Acadia National Park.  About 1 acre owned by Martha Rodick Horner.  Remainder (48 acres) owned by Edgar Higgins, et al.
2.  Island is in Gouldsboro according to Maine Supreme Court decision of 1911.
3.  It has been said that Edgar Higgins would sell all his holdings on Bar Island, or would sell just enough acreage for the ferry terminus and the approach road.
4.  The National Park Service has no plan for the use of its Bar Island Holdings.  A right of way across the easterly part of the park land could probably be obtained within a few months.  A use permit might be obtained, allowing construction of the ferry terminus on Park Land.  This would probably take longer to get than the right of way.  The Park Service could give up its holdings only by an act of Congress.  Much time would be needed and results would be uncertain.
5.  The Canadian authorities have agreed to accept Bar Island as the site for the terminus, provided construction can be completed in time.
6.  It is said that the ferry pier on the island would need to be somewhat less than half as long as the pier at the Stotesbury property.
7.  Page Johnson, Division Engineer of the State Highway  Commission, has submitted to the town manager a preliminary estimate, dated February 5, 1953, of the cost of completing a causeway and road from the "present Coal Company wharf - to the point on the north side of the Island where the bridges to the slip would begin."  The causeway would be 1700 feet long and would meet Bar Island at a point east of the Park Property.  From here a road on the present Higgins land would run 1250 feet to the north side of the island, where there would be a fill about 200 feet long with parking for 300 cars.  A six foot sidewalk is included, and a 22 foot pavement with a maximum grade of 5%.  Johnson's plan calls for a cut on the island with a maximum depth of about 60 feet.  Excavation from the cut would make the causeway and the north side fill.  Johnson's total estimated cost for this work is $692, 600.  He points out that the estimate is a rough one.
8.  The Clark Coal Company property can be bought.
9.  The causeway as planned by Johnson is said to be about 100 feet shorter than the distance from Bridge Street across the bar to Bar Island.
10.  There are no utilities on Bar Island.
11.  There is no zoning ordinance in Gouldsboro.
12,  Regarding of who might have title to the land on Bar Island, the island will remain a part of the town of Gouldsboro.
(next three paragraphs unreadable.)

3.  The bill appropriating money for the ferry terminus is for an amount "not to exceed $1,000,000.", to be expended by the Maine Port Authority for plans and construction of the terminus, "and to pay other proper expenses incidental to said planning and construction."
4.  No figures are available as to the daily number of cars entering Bar Harbor in the summer.  The island information Bureau reports that a seasonal average of 63 cars per day stay at the bureau, the average rising to 87 daily in August.  There is a very small part of the cars crossing the bridge.  T he chamber of Commerce (Harold Loring) says that about 350 cars per day stop for information on the Bar Harbor pier information bureau.
5.  Parking areas in Bar Harbor have the following approximate capacities;
Pier,  70 cars
West Street, opposite the Boating Company,  25 cars
Tpown Parking lot, 100 cars
6.  Present assessed value on properties adjourning Stotesbury. and on Clark Coal Company;
Agnes Miles Carpenter, land (4.35 acres), $29,580;  Buildings, $25,770;  TZZotal. $55,350.
Lady Oakes, land (7 acres,) $43,540;  buildings, $40,010, total;  $83,550.
Clark Coal Company, land (165,000 sq. ft,), $39,600;  buildings, $10,380;  total. $49,980.