After Bar Harbor, Maine, residents narrowly voted to take care of the city’s strict restrict on cruise ship arrivals, rejecting a proposal that will have raised the every day cap from 1,000 to three,200 passengers, one native resident is rallying assist for a recount.
The choice, made within the November 5, 2024, election, handed by a slim margin of simply 63 votes, with 1,776 in favor of conserving the present cap and 1,713 opposed.
The rejected proposal aimed to repeal the present cap, permitting the city council to set a brand new, extra versatile restrict. The plan had proposed a 3,200-passenger every day cap, month-to-month restrictions, and a sequence of “cruise-free” days to alleviate peak season strain.
Nonetheless, the city’s longstanding concern in regards to the impression of excessive vacationer quantity from cruise ships led to an in depth vote in opposition to the proposed improve.
Amid the slim consequence, native restaurateur Kevin DesVeaux has begun accumulating signatures from registered voters to fulfill the requirement for a proper recount request.
“The vote on Query 4, the Chapter 50 cruise ship proposal, was a digital tie and mirrored robust citizen on this vital challenge,” DesVeaux advised Bangor Every day Information.
DesVeaux is now encouraging supporters to signal the petition at his West Avenue Café to make sure “voter intent for each poll is taken into account.”
With a purpose to recount the ballots, 100 registered voters should signal the petition by the tip of the enterprise day on November 20, 2024.
“We all know how vital it’s to seek out the appropriate resolution,” DesVeaux stated. “As soon as we have now collected sufficient signatures, we’ll file this request with the city clerk.”
Tens of millions of {Dollars} at Stake
The coastal city of Bar Harbor, the gateway to Acadia Nationwide Park, is a well-liked vacation spot for cruise ships, with a season that runs from Might to October.
In 2018, the city of simply over 5,000 welcomed a record-breaking 154 cruise ship visits bringing over 222,000 passengers to its Mount Desert Island location. Though the pandemic paused cruise visitors to the city, by 2022, greater than 150 ships had returned.
Rising native discontent resulted within the 2022 enactment of the 1,000-passenger every day restrict, though the cap was partially waived by way of 2024 for ships that had scheduled calls earlier than the regulation was modified.
Learn Additionally: 10 Causes To not Keep on the Cruise Ship When in Port
Since 2022, the every day cap has confronted challenges, together with a federal lawsuit by the Affiliation to Shield and Protect Native Livelihoods (APPLL), which argued the restrictions harmed native companies. Nonetheless, a US District Courtroom dominated in favor of the city earlier this yr.
The rejected November 2024 proposal, backed by the city council, would have set a cap of 55,000 month-to-month arrivals in September and October, 20,000 for Might by way of August, and 5,000 in early and late seasons, with further “cruise-free” days for native aid.
At present, a number of large-vessel ships have Bar Harbor on repeat itineraries for 2025, together with Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Getaway, and Norwegian Gem, with 2,376, 3,963, and a pair of,394 visitors, respectively.
Whereas Oceania Cruises’ Insignia will arrive with simply 670 passengers, its Allura carries as much as 1,200.
If the city retains its cap, cruise traces might change their itineraries for extra welcoming ports like Rockland and Portland to supply all visitors the chance to disembark.
Bar Harbor companies stand to lose out on the tens of millions of {dollars} cruise visitors spend in port whereas town will lose over 1,000,000 in port and passenger charges.
