Bridgton Select Board notes
This draft will be completed with data collected from site visits, interviews with the town departments, and review of past planning documents, reports, regional/state plans, and latest census surveys. It is important to note that this draft is based on the most recent available data and will be updated as new data sets are published. Bridgton’s Inventory and Analysis section is divided into seven Key Findings which are:
Demographics: Bridgton’s population of 5,643 increased by 4.2% from 2020 to 2022 but is expected to have natural population decline (more deaths than births) over the next decade. This mirrors the projected regional population which is expected to decline from 2020 to 2030. Nearly 40% of the town’s population is over the age of 60. Only 8.5% of the population is under 20 years old, compared to 21.1% for the state. The 2023 public school enrollment is 9.4% lower than in 2018. Median income increased 73% from 2010 to $73,250 in 2021.
Natural Environment: Bridgton’s lakes, rivers, and streams are healthy and meet standards for water supply, fishery habitat, and recreation. Over half of Bridgton’s land area is forested, 56 acres (approximately 0.15% of total land area) are farmed, and approximately 15% of Bridgton’s land area is in conservation. Bridgton has a wide range of habitats that include rare plant and animal species.
Housing: The town has issued permits for 392 new housing units since 2020. Of the total housing units (4,593), approximately 91% are detached single-family homes or mobile homes. Owner occupied housing units account for 85% of the total number of housing units. The median home price in Bridgton, $327,500, increased 107% from 2012 to 2022. In 2022, 77% of Bridgton households were unable to afford the median home price.
Economy: Healthcare and social assistance is the town’s largest industry with 543 people employed in Bridgton, followed by retail trade (413), and accommodation and food services (291). Taxable sales ($136,807,472) increased 105% from 2013 to 2022 although employment during the pandemic declined in 2020 and has not fully returned to pre-pandemic levels. Bridgton’s total employment of 2,300 is lower than the rate of employment for the county and the state. The average weekly wages ($844) for most industries are lower in Bridgton than the Maine average. Arts, Culture, and Recreation: Bridgton has 11 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places with 18 properties identified by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission as eligible for listing. The town owns 150 acres of parkland, including beaches, parks, nature preserves, and over 90 miles of multiuse trails reside in Bridgton (managed by multiple entities). Bridgton’s beaches, parks, recreation facilities and programs, and private recreation facilities attract users from across the region.
Transportation, Infrastructure, and Services: The Public Services Department maintains 75 miles of town roads and manages snow removal for 220 miles of local and regional roads. Traffic has increased since 2016 with the highest traffic volumes along Route 302 from Main Street to Willett Road. The Lakes Region Explorer ridership has more than doubled since it began operation in 2013. The town added sidewalks and improved pedestrian connectivity in the downtown area over the past few years. Expansion of the wastewater system includes 23,000 linear feet of gravity sewer and 7,500 linear feet of force main piping. Library visits are increasing but have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Visioning is the next phase in the Comprehensive Plan process. This will be accomplished with the involvement of the community with the use of surveys, focus group discussions, and outreach at community events. All meetings are open to the public and are posted online. Visit https://berrydunn.mysocialpinpoint.com/bridgton/home to share your thoughts on Bridgton and review the final draft of the Inventory and Analysis (to be posted in January).
Update on Comp Plan. BerryDunn consultants Keri Ouellette and Alison Tobey provided a snapshot on work to update Bridgton’s Comprehensive Plan at the last Bridgton Select Board meeting. Via Zoom, the consultants outlined “community engagement,” “inventory analysis” as well as census data and future estimates (see sidebar story).
Phase 2 of the project is “visioning” — what do citizens see as values and priorities. Public input is sought through an interactive website, which people can comment and answer questions.
The consultants are also meeting with community and focus groups, business leaders and service providers to get their perspectives. A community survey will be launched in January (scan the QR code included here, which will take you to the website).
Consultants also talked to town department heads about challenges and existing conditions.
“This is a long process. We want to keep people informed and engaged,” the consultants said. “Through this process, we’ve started to hear how the community values natural resources, as well as the downtown. So, balancing growth with the preservation of natural and rural landscape and maintaining infrastructure and facilities as costs continue to rise and enhancing the town recreation opportunities are priorities.”
Consultants will continue to review public feedback to “vision statements” and “refine these statements” as they move forward in developing a Comp Plan.
Select Board member Paul Tworog encouraged consultants to keep the “focus” on Bridgton — not state and county — when reviewing a wide range of data.
“Really make sure your focus is on Bridgton first and foremost since it is the Bridgton Comprehensive Plan,” he said.
Selectman Bob McHatton asked the consultants how much of the current Comp Plan is used in developing a newer version?
“We have looked at the past comprehensive plan, and as we move forward, we’ll look at what was done and what hasn’t been done — to understand what the goals were and what the priorities were for that time and see how that shifted, how the data shifted, how the graphics have changed and how the economic conditions of that time have changed, as well,” the consultants said.
The goal is to wrap up the project in about a year, moving a new Comp Plan document for voter acceptance.
EV charging proposal moves ahead. Although no formal agreement has been signed between the town and ReVision Energy to develop a fast-charging EV station on Depot Street or some other local spot, officials want to keep the negotiation ball rolling.
“I think Bridgton will be seriously missing the boat if we don’t do something about EV chargers,” Board chair Carmen Lone said. “I do think this is an opportunity for businesses who are interested in having people stop in their parking lots. I can think of several that I think would be great.”
Town Manager Bob Peabody had legal counsel review ReVision’s exclusivity agreement. The attorney made “some comments” and “red lined” some aspects of the proposed agreement.
Lone pointed out that a “time element” does exist to make a decision regarding municipality involvement with the project since ReVision is seeking a state grant to do the construction of fast-charging units.
Selectman Bob McHatton felt if the project is pro-business, he would support it.
Selectman Ken Murphy spoke with Chamber Executive Director Angie Cook about surveying the thoughts of membership (which over 13 communities total over 300 members).
Select Board member Carrye Castleman-Ross pointed out that Depot Street could become a “transportation hub,” where motorists could stop and charge while they shop or eat out. She noted that Comp Plan consultants found Lake Region Explorer ridership is up. The Explorer bus stops at the Community Center.
Peabody pointed out that ReVision was also looking at other potential Bridgton sites. He suggested that the town send the attorney’s “red-lines” back to ReVision for their review.
One suggestion was a yearly charge of $3,000 for exclusivity privilege, as well as some amount for granting a 20-year license. And, the town would be interested in an escrow account ($5,000 paid by ReVision) to cover the town’s legal fees and administrative costs associated with the charging stations.
Added to Committee. When word went out that the town needed volunteers to serve on the Open Space Committee, officials were pleasantly surprised that several citizens stepped forward to join. In fact, the Select Board had a tough decision since there were more applicants than spots.
One appointment automatically went to Loon Echo Land Trust executive director Matt Markot. Six others applied for five seats.
“They are all very impressive,” Select Board chair Carmen Lone said. Markot endorsed all of the candidates, saying to Lone they were all “well qualified.”
The board selected Lauren Pickford, Peter Lowell, June Sleeper, Brian Mayhew and Glen Jukkula.
“These are all high-quality people. I feel like our Open Space Committee is in good hands,” Lone noted.
Open Space Committee meetings are open to the public.
Affordable Housing adjustments. After receiving some questions and input at a public hearing regarding the town revamping its ordinance to address the state’s new Affordable Housing legislation, Planning Board chair Deb Brusini said revisions will be made.
“They’re more or less fine tuning. A few things that we found that we didn’t like was it was a little unclear in the interpretation,” she told the Select Board. “We’re going to make adjustments and hold another public hearing in January.”
She suggested a Select Board and Planning Board workshop to go over changes instead of “dumping it your lap.”
Good look. When a money donation is made to the Bridgton Fire Department, it is placed into a BFD Donation Account. Fire Chief Glen Garland requested that $1,900 be used to purchase each department member a navy-blue golf shirt with their name and an embroidered BFD patch. The request was approved.
Next meeting of the Bridgton Select Board is Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 5 p.m.
