A wind port for Searsport?

Maine needs a new 100-acre port where enormous floating wind turbines can be built, launched, and towed to a new wind farm proposed for the Gulf of Maine, as part of the State’s plan to develop new sources of renewable energy. Searsport’s Mack Point and Sears Island are under consideration to serve as this new “marshalling” port. An open meeting will be held on Saturday, May 20, at the Searsport Community Center, 42 Prospect St., Searsport, to share the latest information available about the proposed plan, and to hear questions and concerns from the public. Doors will open at 9:30am for free coffee, tea, baked goods and socialization, and presentations will be from 10:00am to noon.

Audience members will learn more about how this proposed new port will affect not only Searsport, but the entire midcoast region and beyond. See an outline of topics to be covered and speakers’ names below. Scott Dickerson  This event is free and open to all, presented by Friends of Sears Island with support from Islesboro Islands Trust, Sierra Club Maine, and other interested individuals.

PROGRAM OUTLINE

9:30     Doors open, free coffee, tea, and baked goods by Friends of Sears Island

10:00   Scott Dickerson, Moderator

Topics & Speakers:

30,000-Foot Overview: Maine’s Response to Climate Change & Offshore Wind Roadmap

Rolf Olsen: vice president of Friends of Sears Island; Searsport resident; serves on the Offshore Wind Port Advisory Group, a committee of stakeholders convened by the State of Maine to advise on the best location for a proposed Offshore Wind Port

MaineDOT/Maine Port Authority: Wind port alternatives, current planning

Matt Burns: Executive Director, Maine Port Authority
Note: Maine Department of Transportation and Maine Port Authority were invited on April 17 to present information about the alternative port plans. Instead of making the presentation in person, they have chosen to offer a recorded presentation.

Town of Searsport: Perspective of Searsport’s Select Board and Town Management

James Gillway: Searsport Town Manager, co-chair of the Offshore Wind Port Advisory Group; member of Governor Baldacci’s Sears Island Planning Initiative and Joint Use Planning Committee.

Permitting Requirements & Project Timeline

Becky Bartovics: Resident of North Haven, former Chair of the Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club, currently serving on its Executive Committee and Legislative and Conservation Teams; member of Governor Baldacci’s Sears Island Planning Initiative and Joint Use Planning Commission.

Conservation, recreation, tourism, education & ecological values of Sears Island

Susan White: former associate director of the Maine Sea Grant College Program at the University of Maine, where she worked for over 20 years. She has been the president of Friends of Sears Island for the last nine years and was the vice president for two years before that. In past years, Susan has had leadership positions in several other environmental organizations.

More than 50 years of industrial development proposals for Sears Island & Why Mack Point is the best choice for the wind port

Rolf Olsen

Public Questions and Comments

We will leave time for at least 30 minutes of questions from the audience

12:00 Noon Adjourn