J. Craig Anderson

"Affordable housing" might be a pejorative term to some, but members of a working group appointed by the town of Harpswell say the community's lack of it could lead to a host of future problems, including economic stagnation.

Maine School Administrative District 75 has chosen its director of special education, Heidi O’Leary, to serve as its interim superintendent of schools for the coming academic year.

Central Maine Power is nearly finished with a project to upgrade more than three miles of power infrastructure leading to the Harpswell Town Office and surrounding facilities, according to the utility. The town needs the upgrade to make planned improvements such as a new office HVAC system and recycling center enhancements.

Completing the first major update to Harpswell’s comprehensive plan in nearly two decades will require input from a wide variety of local interests, said officials at an open house on Wednesday, May 24, designed to explain individual components of the plan and gather residents’ feedback and suggestions.

Nearly 150 residents of Harpswell, Topsham, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham have endorsed the $52.8 million Maine School Administrative District 75 budget for the upcoming academic year.

A top official at Harpswell Coastal Academy said a local resident has come forward to purchase the dissolving charter school's campus on Ash Point Road in Harpswell after a recent auction to sell the property ended in uncertainty. The new buyer's identity had not been made public as of Friday, May 19.

Harpswell Heritage Land Trust has decided not to take ownership of the Harpswell Coastal Academy campus on Ash Point Road in Harpswell, despite pledged donations from a Portland philanthropist and several area residents that would have covered the acquisition costs.

An auction to determine the new owner of Harpswell Coastal Academy's campus ended in a cliffhanger, with the leading bidder offering to donate his bid to the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust if it agrees to raise additional funds to meet the seller's minimum price for the property.

With the Harpswell Coastal Academy campus set to go up for auction on Wednesday, May 10, more than 100 local residents have signed a letter outlining their concerns about the potential impact of the site being transferred to new ownership.