Town of Northport, Maine

Incorporated in 1796

Announcements

Proposed Solar Array

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The Town is proposing a 42 kilowatt solar array on Town property at 216 Beech Hill Road (the old sand/salt shed). The proposed array would not block access to the sand shed; residents would still be able to get winter sand from the shed.

The Town is holding a Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 6pm, at the Edna Drinkwater School, to vote on the proposal. The warrant is available here.

Here are some frequently asked questions about the project —

Where would the panels be located?

72 ground-based panels would be in front of the old sand/salt shed on the Town’s 1.2-acre lot at 216 Beech Hill Rd.

What will the installation look like?

The installation will consist of three rows of panels, facing Beech Hill Road, and to the right of the driveway accessing the sand shed, as shown in this diagram:

How would solar panels benefit the Town?

The panels will generate approximately 60,000 kWh/year of electricity, which will fully offset electricity used by the Town’s four CMP accounts each month.  Before the new town building is completed, the balance will partially offset electricity for the Drinkwater School. The Town currently pays around $7,000 a year for about 24,000 kWh of electricity for Town accounts, and around $25,000 per year for the School’s CMP account (~150,000 kWh). With the anticipated solar generation, the Town would save around $15,000 per year for electricity over the next 30 years at current rates, and even more as CMP rates continue to increase. The total savings over the expected 30-year lifespan of the panels is $450,000.

How would the installation be paid for?

The panels will cost $117,500 to install. We expect the cost to be covered entirely through contributions and grants. Residents have contributed $10,000 to cover an initial (refundable) deposit. A second installment of $23,500 will be due in mid-March. The Town is applying for grants to pay for the remaining $82,250. Once the panels are installed, we will receive a 30% rebate ($35,250), so the total cost of the array will be around $82,100, all at no additional cost to taxpayers. 

Why did plans for a solar array come up so quickly – couldn’t it wait until next year?

To qualify for the 30% federal rebate, the Town had to sign a contract and place an initial deposit by December 31, 2025. Waiting would have cost the Town more. Our contract with Sundog Solar is contingent on voter approval at a Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, January 21, at 6:00 pm at the Drinkwater School. The contract is also contingent on finding funding.

Do solar panels contain toxic materials? When installed, do they present any environmental concerns?

In addition to the major components noted above, panels can contain small amounts of tin, tellurium, antimony, gallium and small amounts of toxic metals like lead and cadmium. The backsheets contain PFAS which can be released if the panels are burned, which is why Maine law requires panels to be recycled when decommissioned. Panel materials are enclosed in a way that prevents any release of toxic materials to the environment. There is no evidence of toxic material leaching out of solar panels. Decommissioned solar panels are not classified as hazardous waste. Panels past their useful life (at least 30 years) must be recycled, and not landfilled or incinerated.

SEIA PV Toxicity Factsheet (pdf): https://seia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/PV-Toxicity-Factsheet_5-2025.pdf

Advanced Power Alliance: https://poweralliance.org/2024/11/16/are-solar-panels-are-filled-with-toxic-chemicals-that-leach-into-our-water-supply/

Can solar panels be recycled?

Maine law requires solar panels to be recycled. Solar panels are made primarily of glass (77%), aluminum (10%), silicon (3%),  copper wire, polymer layers, a back sheet, and a plastic junction box. Specialized recycling facilities can recover up to 95% of panel materials. Today’s cost to pick up, transport, and recycle panels is typically around $20-25 per panel. At those rates, 72 panels would cost approximately $1,800 to recycle. (The panels are expected to last at least 30 years.) Some panels qualify for manufacturer take-back programs. 

Currently there are dozens of SEIA-certified PV panel recycling collection sites and nine SEIA-certified recycling facilities around the US. The two collection sites nearest to Maine (today) are in Massachusetts. Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) approves recycling vendors in the US. 

For more information:

US EPA   https://www.epa.gov/hw/solar-panel-recycling

What other towns have installed solar panels?

Hope, Monroe, Searsmont, Camden, Lincolnville, Belfast, Boothbay, Waldoboro, Damariscotta, Oakland, Tremont, Bucksport Wastewater Treatment facility…and others.

What are the risks?

In the event we are unable to raise sufficient funding through contributions and grants, we would have to either abandon the project, or borrow funds to cover the portion we are unable to raise. Unspent funds from our initial deposit are refundable.

How long will it take to build and start generating electricity for the Town?

If the Town can raise the money this spring and summer, construction is expected to be complete and the system generating electricity for the Town by the end of September, 2026.

What are the technical specifications of the array?

The contract includes all the technical specifications.

What are the contract terms?

The contract is available here.

NORTHPORT CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY 2025

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From Patsy Littlefield, Northport VFW Post #6131 Auxiliary —

We were invited by principal Todd Martin to come into the Edna Drinkwater School on December 22nd to present a Christmas bag to each student (all 120 students!). We had Santa, the Grinch, an Elf and 4 other Santa assistants present for this activity. We also provided each school staff member with a bag of goodies (32 in all) as they are the ones in charge of the students’ education and safety. We are blessed with a very caring team in our school.

Each student received a goodie bag from Santa which included:

Bag was plastic, two handled, with Christmas theme, and contained:

  • Card making kit: Quart sized Ziploc baggie containing:
    • 2 envelopes
    • 2 folded cardstock pages for creation of cards
    • 2 sticker sheets (one each of build-your-own Christmas Tree and Snowman)
    • Info taped to bag to encouraging sharing and caring
  • 2 Holiday or winter themed pencils
  • 2 pkgs microwave popcorn
  • 2 pkgs hot chocolate mix
  • Bag of holiday candy (3 Hersey Kisses, 3 mini assorted candy bars, chocolate Santa)
  • 1 Holiday bendable character
  • Christmas card signed by Santa
  • 1 Reindeer candy cane nestled in tissue paper

Santa also handed each child a candy cane when presenting the goodie bag.

The middle school grade of 6, 7 and 8 also had a small box of crayons and small box of colored pencils included in their goodie bags. All staff members received a similar goodie bag, minus the bendable character.

Santa’s Elf was there and offered stuffed animals to each of the students, either for themselves or someone they know.

This Santa time was overwhelmingly happily received by students and staff alike.

A big THANK YOU to Todd Martin for inviting us into the school; Toupie Rooney for creating the adorable Reindeer and being such a generous Elf; Katherine the Grinch; and the volunteers from the Fire Department and the VFW Post #6131 Auxiliary. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and Northport has proven that they are fully in support of the children in our town. THANK YOU to all who donated during our bake sale on voting day – this is where your support went, to a very worthy cause.

Special Town Meeting / Property Revaluation Informational Session / Town Office Project Update

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The Town will be holding a Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 6:00pm at the Drinkwater School to vote on a proposed Town-owned solar array on Town property at 216 Beech Hill Road (the old sand/salt shed). The warrant is posted here and at the Town Office.

Immediately following the Special Town Meeting, there will be an informational session with a representative from Maine Revenue Services, who will explain the property revaluation process that is currently underway in Town. He will be able to answer general questions about the process, why it is important, what sort of tax impacts people can generally expect, and property tax-relief programs offered by the State.

There will also be a brief update on the status of the Town Office and Community Center project, now that the Town has received federal funding and is beginning the next steps to get ready to put the project out to bid and start construction.

The event will be recorded and the video posted on the Town’s website.

Contact James Kossuth at 338-3819×6 with any questions.

2026 Waldo County Budget

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The Waldo County Commissioners are holding the public hearing for the 2026 Waldo County budget at 6pm on Friday, December 12, at the County Commissioners Courtroom (39B Spring Street, Belfast) and online via Zoom.

A copy of the proposed budget, which proposes a 36% annual increase, is available here.

A bit of context from Breanna Pinkham Bebb, Northport Select Board Chair and member of the County Budget Committee:

“The proposed county budget increase means a huge hit for taxpayers. It is painful to all of us. As a committee, we spent over 30 hours in meetings drilling through line by line with department heads over the last 2.5 months. The biggest contributor to this is health insurance for county employees. I.T. was another hit. It’s incredible what it costs to run tech for a modern, dependable, compliant Sheriff’s department for example. 

“And we’re all being buried under rising costs in our own lives too. Every committee member feels that and takes it seriously. The proposed budget at the beginning of our work was much higher and we were able to cut about 9% off that to get to this budget. 

“Now, some good things… This budget represents a more realistic (i.e., not pulling from reserve accounts) and financially sound approach. The County is getting caught up on financial audits (ask any school or municipality – there aren’t enough auditors to do this work and it takes longer than it used to), and we have a dedicated and skilled finance director who has stuck with us after several staff turnovers in just a few years. We also have a new Commissioner with decades of experience in the big business side of healthcare who is trying to get the County out of ‘self-insuring’ for employee healthcare, which could mean some savings in next year’s cycle.

“If you’ve been paying attention to the news of other counties (Washington, Knox…) it’s pretty grim out there. I was skeptical when I first joined the committee. But, I’ve seen a lot of transparency and accountability from the Commissioners and department heads during this process. As well as thoughtful collaboration among the committee as we did our darnedest to wrestle with the tax burden.

“I welcome questions and ideas at breanna@northportmaine.org. I learned a ton about the services the County provides and the ‘why’ behind all of the costs, and I am happy to share what I know with residents.

“As a Town we will be doing our best during our own budget planning this Spring to account for the County increase and try to keep our overall Mil rate under control. In the meantime, the Public Hearing for the County Budget is this Friday at 6pm at the Probate building at 39B Spring Street, Belfast. All are welcome in person or via Zoom.”