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The cutting of a thin orange tape with household scissors marked the opening of the long-awaited Mitchell Field boat launch on the sunny afternoon of June 11.
After the ribbon-cutting, attendees watched the harbormaster’s boat descend the ramp, helmed by Harbormaster Darcie Couture. The audience of about 20 people clapped as the boat sped into Middle Bay.
Members of the Harpswell Select Board, as well as Mitchell Field Steward Don Miskill and project consultant Mark Eyerman, made a few short remarks. They expressed gratitude for the general contractor, Wyman & Simpson Inc., and the engineering firm, GEI Consultants.
Miskill, the longtime volunteer steward of the town park and chair of the Mitchell Field Committee, has been a part of the planning process from the beginning, since the town conducted the first study to see if a launch was possible at the location.
Eyerman, Harpswell’s former town planner who stayed on as a consultant to see the project to completion, said the town first planned for a boat launch almost 20 years ago, proposing the facility in a 2007 master plan for Mitchell Field.
“There were lots of highs and lots of lows in the process. … There were times I really questioned whether it was going to happen or not,” Eyerman said.
“And through it all, Mark and I have almost been joined at the hip while we did this,” Miskill said.
The price of the project grew with time, rising sharply amid pandemic-driven inflation from a 2023 estimate of $850,000 to a 2025 estimate of $1.7 million.
Town Administrator Kristi Eiane said the cost for construction was $1,576,762. The town is waiting for invoices to calculate the overall cost of the project, including engineering, project management and miscellaneous expenses.
The Maine Department of Transportation kicked in $357,250 for the project and the town set aside $492,250. Voters authorized the town to borrow the balance in November 2024.
“Despite all the obstacles, we knew, looking down the road, it was the right thing to do,” Select Board Chair Kevin Johnson said.
Town officials and supporters have said the launch fills a gap in Harpswell’s waterfront infrastructure. Unlike many of the town’s existing landings, the Mitchell Field facility was designed as a full-service, all-tide launch with a double-wide ramp.
Supporters have said the facility can accommodate small recreational boats as well as larger fishing boats, and could provide an important emergency haul-out before major storms.
Johnson noted that the location includes ample parking, unlike town boat ramps at Garrison Cove, Lookout Point and elsewhere.
“From what I’ve been hearing, it’s been quite busy,” he said.
Johnson hopes to see future additions to Mitchell Field, including a recreational area and playground.
