In 2022 the town of St. George, through a state grant, contracted with Sebago Technics to undertake an assessment of nine locations in town that are vulnerable to sea-level rise. All of the locations selected for analysis are governed by the town (in other words, Routes 131 and 73 were omitted from this study, being State roads), since the town would have the jurisdiction to address issues that were identified.
In February 2024, Sebago Technics submitted its report, showing the anticipated effects of varying levels of rising tides and storm surge in those locations. Sebago Technics used sophisticated LIDAR and bathymetric measurement tools, and software, allowing computerized projections for a wide range of sea-rise scenarios.
The report makes a number of recommendations regarding the infrastructure and decisions that will face the community in the coming decades.
In addition, in January 2024, the Midcoast Council of Governments submitted its report on the vulnerability of St. George’s working waterfront to sea-level rise and the possible effects on the local economy.
Both of these reports were shared with the community at public meetings, and remain available on the town website, and both serve as critical guidance to the town’s Resilience Committee, the Select Board, and the community, as we consider how best to address anticipated changes to our coastline and infrastructure.
In January 2024, the Resilience Committee submitted its recommendations to the Select Board for proceeding to obtain funding for planning for the future. The Select Board approved the Committee’s request to pursue funding opportunities to identify the areas that should be tackled first, and to begin to determine the costs of remediation.
The intention has been for the Resilience Committee and Select Board to prepare a Climate Action Plan for the voters’ consideration, and once approved, to proceed with projects as funds can be raised, in order of priority.
However, the January 2024 storms made it clear that some areas in town cannot wait for a holistic analysis and ranking of all vulnerable locations and require immediate attention.
For example, the Drift Inn Road is currently limited to one lane due to subsidence at the shoreline. The decision facing the Select Board was to leave the road as it is (at considerable risk of further erosion and damage) or proceed with a repair that will buy us some time, while deferring long-term decisions (such as raising the road 2 – 6 feet or abandoning the piece that is most low-lying) to be made in context of a holistic analysis and Climate Action Plan.
Accordingly, on September 23, the Select Board voted to replace the existing culvert and conduct repairs that would allow for raising the road two feet (although not making a decision about raising the road at this time), understanding that this may be an inadequate long-term solution. The Board did so because unlike other areas in town which are critical access points or where greater numbers of residents and businesses are located, access to and from private properties and the beach could continue in a worst-case scenario of having to abandon that section of the road.
In addition, the town has recently obtained grant funding of $75,000 for an engineering study and plan addressing challenges in the Cold Storage Road and Factory Road areas of Port Clyde.
On December 2, the Select Board authorized the Resilience Committee to apply for a grant to assist the town in preparing a holistic Climate Action Plan to present to the voters, including the necessary engineering and information to prioritize and budget for infrastructure improvements.
Our town does not currently employ a planner, and we are therefore dependent on dedicated community volunteers on the Resilience Committee, the Select Board and the Town Manager to pursue funding opportunities and develop proposals. We are extremely fortunate to have knowledgeable and committed members of our community working on these very challenging problems, in collaboration with regional partners like the Midcoast Council of Governments and neighboring towns.
Rest assured that it is the voters who will determine the consequential long-term decisions regarding how this community wishes to plan for, and pay for, infrastructure costs related to sea-level rise. While the Sebago Technics study and the report of the Midcoast Council of Governments make a number of recommendations, no decisions as to major infrastructure improvements or road closures will be made without significant community discussion at public meetings, and a public vote.