Searsport residents Thursday raised concerns about plans to potentially welcome a cruise ship this year to their small midcoast town, calling for more time and discussion with town officials.
More than 80 people attended a Thursday town meeting led by Town Manager James Gillway and Sarah Flink, executive director of Cruise Maine. The pair fielded dozens of questions about a vessel carrying more than 900 passengers that requested to dock in Searsport in October.
The Searsport Select Board approved a proposal in May to pursue the security clearance necessary to allow international ships to come to port. But some residents Thursday said they didn’t even know about the plan until after it was approved.
“The community wants dialogue around this, they want a process that looks at all the potential implications of this pretty large decision,” said Searsport resident Wes Norton, who was the driving force behind the public meeting.
Others agreed, pressing officials to pause before making a decision on accepting the ship, regardless of whether the port receives its security certification.
“The town needs to have input on this decision, even about that one vessel,” said Betty Schopmeyer, who lives in downtown Searsport. “Just because they asked doesn’t mean Searsport is obligated in any way to say yes.”
However, Gillway said that nothing is set in stone yet and the town hasn’t even received the security certification.
The ship that’s requested to port in October was originally scheduled to dock in Bar Harbor, but wanted to change plans in light of rising concerns about the potential restrictions there. The company instead wants to schedule a day trip from Searsport to Bar Harbor and Acadia.
Norton wants the town to implement a 180 day moratorium on any cruise ship arrival to allow for more conversations between town officials and residents, which received a hearty applause from attendees.
Some residents, like Schopmeyer, don’t see a future where cruise ships coming to port would ever be a good idea for the town.
“Searsport is up and coming right now, there’s a number of new businesses,” Schopmeyer said. “That’s the future of Searsport, not bringing in giant ships or sending buses through our town.”
Although many residents spoke against the ship coming to port at all, some residents were interested in learning what opportunities a cruise ship might bring to the town.
“What’s in it for Searsport?” Compton Maddux asked.
Another resident said a one day visit might be worth it to see if the town could handle such a large influx of visitors.
Maddux jokingly compared the potential cruise ship arrival to the town “being invaded by a bunch of Vikings,” but ultimately said any plan to bring in an influx of cruise passengers should primarily benefit Searsport and its local businesses.
If approved, Searsport would be the fifth harbor in the state able to process international ships, which make up the majority of cruise ships traveling along Maine’s coast. Even if residents end up rejecting the October arrival, the town manager said he wants more conversations about how Searsport could find its niche and benefit from cruise industry business.
“I want to find the right thing for our community, that promotes it and supports it,” Gillway said
