Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I N O. I V F E B R UA R Y 2 4 , 2 0 2 0 6 Homes sales continue to sizzle As Maine's real estate market contin- ues to boil with energy, the 2019 list of "Maine's Hottest Towns" for home sales, compiled by Maine Life Real Estate, looks much different than last year's. is year's list released by the Scarborough firm has an entirely new top 10, with Hampden leading the way. Meanwhile, many towns and cities in last year's top 10 aren't even in the year's top 20. Hampden's increase in homes sold last year from 2019 was 17.6%. In second place, making a big entrance in its top 10 debut, is Augusta, where home sales increased 17.03%. Overall, Maine had a record-breaking 2019, with sales for the year up 1.55%, to 18,140 from 17,864, the highest number ever sold in a year and the state. Overall median sales price also hit a record, rising 4.65%, to $225,000 from $215,000. e biggest increases were in rural and Downeast counties. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E The Housing Appropriations Sub- committee awarded 19 Housing Authorities in Maine a total of $9.5 million through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Public Housing Capital Fund Program. Recipients were Portland Housing Au- thority, $2.5 million; Housing Author- ity City of Bangor, $1.5 million; Lew- iston Housing Authority, $982,254; South Portland Housing Authority, $715,001; Waterville Housing Au- thority, $528,890; Presque Isle Hous- ing Authority, $502,270; Brunswick Housing Authority, $438,463; Auburn Housing Authority, $373,273; Brewer Housing Authority, $328,834; San- ford Housing Authority, $279,990; Bar Harbor Housing Authority, $262,459; Van Buren Housing Au- thority, $239,767; Bath Housing Au- thority, $232,353; Old Town Housing Authority, $184,020; Fort Fairfield Housing Authority, $181,715; Ells- worth Housing Authority, $115,643; Southwest Harbor Housing Authority, $110,004; Tremont Housing Author- ity, $47,281; and Mount Desert Housing Authority, $38,513. Jetport gets $4.5M for new taxiway Portland International Jetport has been awarded $4.5 million to construct a 1,225-foot taxiway that will better connect its two run- ways. e funding comes from the latest round of grants in the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program. Construction of the taxiway is prioritized in the jetport's master plan for capital improvements. It's expected to reduce the need for runway crossings, shorten taxi times and reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Most of the jet- port's capital projects are related to enhancing safety and sustainability. Others include the construction of a plane holding, overnight park- ing and de-icing area, additional taxiway work and reconfiguration of service roads around the jetport. e improvements come as passenger traffic again rose to record levels at PWM, from 2.13 million passengers in 2018 to 2.17 million N O T E W O R T H Y S O U T H E R N Kennebunk Savings reported that its employees volunteered 10,500 hours to charities in its communities in 2019 as part of its Community Promise program. Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, announced it will make char- itable donations totaling $25,000 to five southern Maine nonprofits as a part of the firm's annual client-select- ed charitable initiative. Recipients were the Maine Homeless Veterans Alliance, the Immigrant Welcome Center of Greater Portland, Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine, Ruth's B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E When it comes to cruise ship visits, one town asks, 'How much is too much?' B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r Bar Harbor — Nearly 200 cruise ships with a total capac- ity of almost 300,000 passengers are booked for visits to this Mount Desert Island port this year. With the number of ships — and visitors — increasing, Bar Harbor Town Council is debating the impact on down- town traffic and congestion, particularly along the waterfront, where tenders bring passengers to shore and tour buses line up to meet them. "One thing I've heard from people is the town pier and West Street are inaccessible to them on cruise ship days and that it can be difficult for fishermen to access the pier and for local residents to access that part of town when cruise ships are in," Councilor Gary Friedmann said at the Feb. 4 Town Council meeting. "I've heard the same comments: 'When the cruise ships are in, I don't get to enjoy the amenities the town has to offer because we basically sold ourselves to the industry on those days,'" said Councilor Joe Minutolo. But some said they've heard from downtown businesses that are happy to have the trade. "I think a lot of businesses have come to count on cruise ship business, especially in the shoulder season," said Councilor Matthew Hochman. Rising numbers In 2019, 177 ships with a total capacity of 275,198 passen- gers reserved visits to Bar Harbor. Numbers have increased more than tenfold over the past two decades. In 1999, Bar Harbor hosted 39 ships and 25,485 passengers. The 2020 season has 197 ships booked with a total capacity of 296,046 passengers. The first arrival will be April 25; the last will be Nov. 3. Congestion along the waterfront includes day-trippers' cars, large motor coaches, and minibuses, vans and other vehicles that provide shoreside tours for cruise ship pas- sengers, as well as the Island Explorer shuttle bus. Last July, the council received a report, commissioned by the Cruise Line Industry Association at the council's request, on the traffic congestion and recommendations to alleviate it. That resulted in strategies implemented in September and October by the Bar Harbor Police Department on a trial basis, such as controlled vehicle entry to the wharf area and reconfigured traffic flow along the narrow streets that lead to the area. That process is just getting started, Cruise Ship Committee Chairman Eben Salvatore told the council. He added that he met with Police Chief James Willis earlier this month with the goal of fine-tuning some of the trial measures for implementation in 2020. "I think the changes made at the pier, and making it so the people were dispersed better, made that area of town feel better on cruise ship days," said Councilor Erin Cough. "It isn't necessarily the number of ships or the number of people, but how they're being dispersed." B R I E F P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R It isn't necessarily the number of ships or the number of people, but how they're being dispersed. — Erin Cough Bar Harbor Town Council S O U T H E R N In 2019, 177 ships with a total capacity of 275,198 passengers reserved visits to Bar Harbor. Numbers have increased more than tenfold over the past two decades. In 1999, Bar Harbor hosted 39 ships and 25,485 passengers.

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