Welcome to the Town of Machiasport official website. This site gives an opportunity to become acquainted with Machiasport local government and to be informed of upcoming meetings and events. As this site evolves over time our hope is that it will become a primary source of information about our Town. We will continue to add new information as it becomes available that will allow town members to stay informed about town occurrences. Citizens will also be able to download information. We hope this initial offering will encourage residents’ curiosity to explore what Machiasport offers.
Local Economy
The Town of Machiasport is a rural, coastal community with a heavy dependence upon the ocean and other natural resources such as blueberries, glacial moraine (gravel), timber, etc. The majority of businesses in town rely upon these resources and one in six workers is employed directly by a natural resource industry. The two major employers in the Town are Cooke Aquaculture and Down East Correctional Facility.
Fisheries
Commercial fishing in Machiasport is of tremendous significance to the local economy. In 2003 Machiasport was 1st in Washington County communities in the number of clam licenses and 5th in the number of all commercial state fishing licenses. Fisheries currently landed in Machiasport take in soft-shell clam, lobster, crab, scallop, urchin quahog, mussel, and marine worm in descending order of significance. In 2012 there were 93 lobster fishermen fishing out of Machiasport.
Municipal Complex
The Municipal Complex, constructed in the 1990s, consists of two buildings: the Town Office/ Fire Station and the U.S. Post Office. The Complex is located at 8 Unity Square. Also located in the Complex is the Veterans’ Memorial Park located on the lawn in front of the Town Office/ Fire Station. Inside the Town Office/Fire Station is a large Common Room shared by both entities, used especially for Board of Selectmen’s meetings and other Town Committee meetings, as well as other town functions which may call for the use of the attached kitchen facilities.
Sealing the Time Capsule
Town Office
The Town Office is located in the Municipal Complex at 8 Unity Square in Machiasport. It is located in the right side of the building which houses the Fire Station and Common Room. The Town Office provides a central point for all the general services of town government. The Town Office/Staff are committed to providing quality services in a supportive environment and work cooperatively with the citizens to provide helpful information. All citizens are welcome at the Town Office to learn more about the Community. Located in the Town Offices are the offices of the assessor, the clerk and the assistant clerk. On Election Day the Common Room shared with the Fire Department is set up for voting.
Veteran’s Memorial
In Veterans Memorial Park stands a monument dedicated in 2006, to all Veterans from Machiasport. It was designed by Tina Davis, a Machiasport resident and owner of Butler and Berry Monuments in Machias. It was erected by Jeff Huntley and electrified by Doug Coffin, both Machiasport residents. The bench, used for quiet retrospection of those who served, was donated by Cole’s Transportation Company. The lawn is mowed by the inmates at DECF and Richard Longfellow, a Machiasport resident, shows his town pride by maintaining the flowers and shrubs.
Fire Department
The Fire Department is located in the Municipal Complex in Unity Square in Machiasport. It is the part of the building to the left of the Town Office and Common Room. The Department maintains a three-bay garage as well as a professional grade kitchen, bathrooms with showers, laundry facilities, generators, and limited office space. In the event of an emergency, it is anticipated that emergency services, including limited mass care, could be provided from the fire department. The Department is seeking volunteers. If you would like to know more about how to become a volunteer firefighter, please contact Dave Nielson, Fire Chief at 263-6099, Mike Hinerman, 263-5990.
Washington County Emergency Management Agency
The Washington County Emergency Management Agency operates under the Maine and Federal Emergency Management Agencies—MEMA and FEMA. Emergency Management is also under the authority of the Washington County Commissioners. The agency offers Washington County communities a central source for emergency preparedness information and training. They can be reached at (207) 255-3931.
U.S. Post Office
The Machiasport Branch of the US Post Office is located in Unity Square in Machiasport. The US Postal Service leases the property from the Town. Phone number there is 255-3531.
Public Works/Roads
Road Commissioner: Rob Boynton
CITIZENS NOTE: Voted at Town Meeting in 1908… that autos are not allowed to drive over eight miles per hour within town limits from Palmer’s Corner to Sanborn’s Hill.
The Town Garage is a one-story wood structure located on Port Road (Route 92) in Machiasport.
According to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan Machiasport has 24 miles of roadway, made up of 12 miles of collector roads, 12 miles of local roads. There are no arterial roadways in Machiasport. In addition, there are approximately 16 miles of private roads with no public maintenance. The MDOT is responsible for 12 miles of road, which include the Port Road (Route 92) from the town line to Base Rd, Cutler Road (Route 191) and the Rim Road. MDOT’s jurisdiction includes permitting of curb cuts, summer and winter maintenance, and traffic flow and safety decisions such as traffic signals, signs, reconstruction and widening.
Of the two state highways in Machiasport, one is listed in fair conditions (Cutler Rd / Route 191); the Port Rd /Route 92/ Port road is overall in poor condition. The Town anticipates that Port Road will need substantial maintenance, drainage work and/or reconstruction in the next 5 to 10 years.
Of the 12 miles of locally maintained roads there are approximately 11 miles of paved roads and 1 mile of unpaved roads. In an effort to reduce maintenance costs, the Town anticipates that all remaining roads will be paved during the planning period. Most of the remaining segments of unpaved roads are relatively short; and funds for paving are limited. Decisions on spending are made at the Annual Town meeting held in June. Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) Local Roads Assistance Program has assisted the Town in improving these roads to meet state and national safety design standards. Road are divided into three classifications by function:
- Arterial roads are roadways that serve long distance, high-speed through-traffic between communities, and are maintained by the state. The most important travel routes in the state, state highways, are arterials. Interstate highways may function as arterials. Arterials are major roadways which serve long distance through-traffic. Access to adjacent land is often provided.
- Collector roads gather and distribute traffic to and from arterials and generally provide access to abutting properties. Collectors serve places with smaller population densities, are often some distance from main travel routes, and often are maintained in part by the state. Collector roads are roadways which connect local streets to arterials, and generally provide access to adjacent land.
- Local roads are all roads not in the arterial or collector classification. Local roads are maintained by municipalities, provide access to adjacent land areas and usually carry low volumes of traffic.