On the sunny afternoon of June 11, someone cut a thin orange tape with household scissors, and the Mitchell Field boat launch was open. Harbormaster Darcie Couture took the harbormaster's boat down the new ramp, and about 20 people clapped as it ran out into Middle Bay. That small, quiet ceremony ended a project the town first proposed in a 2007 master plan for the field.
Four months later, the launch is heading into its first fall. In September the town made a decision that gives this season more weight than a normal shoulder season. It will wait to rewrite the field's long-range plan until it has seen how the launch works through a full year. The Harpswell Select Board already has its October partly organized around this ground, too.
Nearly twenty years, and a pause on purpose
The cost went up while the project waited. A 2023 estimate of $850,000 rose to $1.7 million by 2025, a jump the Harpswell Anchor tied to pandemic-era inflation. Town Administrator Kristi Eiane put the final construction cost at $1,576,762. Engineering, project management and other costs are still to be added. The Maine Department of Transportation paid $357,250, the town set aside $492,250, and voters approved borrowing the balance in November 2024.
Mark Eyerman, the former town planner who stayed on as a consultant to finish the job, spoke frankly at the ribbon-cutting. "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," he said. He shared the ribbon with Don Miskill, the longtime volunteer steward of Mitchell Field and chair of the Mitchell Field Committee. Miskill has been part of the planning since the first study of whether a launch could work there.
The next step came on September 10. Miskill told the Select Board the launch had been working well and getting regular public use, with good reports from boaters and from people walking the waterfront. He also said the Mitchell Field Master Plan update would wait until 2027. The committee had decided that more time running the new launch would lead to better planning decisions. Members also raised questions about public engagement and whether a consultant should help with the next round. The board voted unanimously to suspend the process and keep all materials for later. The same recommendation put off planning for the former administration building site for this year. The board also agreed that the town should pursue hazardous-material remediation in the Sentry Building and keep studying parking needs.
So fall and winter traffic at the launch now feeds into that planning. The board wants to see how the field gets used before it decides what comes next.
What the off-season rules say so far
The town's launch page is brief. It says the ramp works at all tides, public trailer parking is near the Bandstand, and the gate to Mitchell Field "is now open at all hours on a trial basis." Several other decisions show how the town has been adjusting since spring:
- The all-hours gate. In May, Select Board member David Chipman moved to put off a proposed overnight-parking plan for launch users and start the open-gate trial when the launch opened. The other two members agreed. The town's launch page says nothing about overnight trailer parking. A separate town recreation listing still gives sunrise-to-sunset hours for Mitchell Field.
- Traffic flow. On June 4, the board approved a trial one-way loop to keep launch traffic separate from other people using the field, with two-way access kept on Mitchell Field Drive.
- Early summer. At its July 6 meeting, the Mitchell Field Committee said the field was busy without significant problems, while people were still learning the route to the launch. Members called for "No Parking" striping so trailers would not get blocked in.
- End-of-season storage. On September 10, the board approved Couture's request for a fenced storage area near the old water tower site for harbor equipment, navigational aids and floats. Members called it necessary before the boating season ends. The minutes do not say whether those are the launch floats, and the town has not published a date for winterizing the ramp.
The committee's next meeting, listed in its July minutes, is Monday, October 5, at 5 p.m. Anyone planning a late-season haul-out from the field can email Parks, Recreation & Community Services at [email protected] with questions.
The field after dark
The first big fall event at Mitchell Field takes place after sunset. On Saturday, October 10, Harpswell Recreation and the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust are hosting the Southern Maine Astronomers for "Harpswell's Dark Skies," a guided tour of the October night sky. Arrival starts at 6 p.m., and the program runs 6:30 to 8 p.m. at 1410 Harpswell Neck Road. Registration goes through the town's recreation site.
The summer schedule stayed closer to the Bandstand. Bandstand by the Sea ran ten weekly concerts from June 25 to September 3. On September 23, Harpswell Aging at Home and the Harpswell 250th Committee hosted a bean-and-pie bake-off lunch at the same Bandstand. That committee's work marks the United States' 250th birthday, not the town's. The October stargazing night moves the field's community calendar into the off-season.
The land trust's new weekly standing date
The Harpswell Heritage Land Trust is adding to the same pattern from the trail side. Its new "Meet Us Outside" series is hosted by staff and runs weekly, with the activity, location, day and time changing each week. The trust describes it as a chance to get outdoors, explore Harpswell and meet the people behind the land trust.
| Date | Program | Place | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Oct. 8 | Meet Us Outside paddle | Lookout Point Landing, 135 Lookout Point Road | 7:30–9 a.m. |
| Thu., Oct. 15 | Meet Us Outside walk | Widgeon Cove Trail | 10–11 a.m. |
| Wed., Oct. 21 | "Fall in the Woods" naturalist walk | Hackett Trail | 4:30–6 p.m. |
| Thu., Oct. 22 | Meet Us Outside walk and coffee | Hackett & Minot | 8–10 a.m. |
| Tue., Oct. 27 | Meet Us Outside walk | Skolfield Shores Preserve | 3–4 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 8 | Mindful hike | Wilson's Cove Trail | 9–10 a.m. |
The October 21 walk on the Hackett Trail looks at how local plants and wildlife get ready for winter. The series opens on the water at Lookout Point Landing, the same week the new town launch starts its first October.
The rest of the Neck's October
Several other dates line up along Harpswell Neck Road this month. On Saturday, October 17, from 2 to 4 p.m., Harpswell Heritage Apples is holding an Apple Talk & Tasting at 900 Harpswell Neck Road, with apple identification available. Harpswell Aging at Home has free community produce tables on Wednesdays, October 7, 14 and 21, run with partners including the Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program, Merrymeeting Gleaners and the Harpswell Community Garden. The same group's Repair Café on Saturday, October 24, is free and open to anyone, whatever their age or income.
For a look at the working harbor, Cooking at 43° North has a wharf tour on October 8. Participants watch lobsterman Matt Gilley come in with his catch and can choose to board his boat.
In Cundy's Harbor, the Holbrook Community Garden started in 2025 and got a spigot and hose this year. Its September update described a strong harvest, with neighbors sharing produce and flowers.
Who is still serving as the season turns
Dining hours are getting shorter. Harborside Grill at Holbrook's, run by Alison Hawkes at 984 Cundy's Harbor Road, closed for the season on September 27. On Bailey Island, Cook's Lobster & Ale House has its fall menu out and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed Monday and Tuesday. At its September 10 meeting, the Select Board renewed Cook's liquor license after staff reported no concerns. Dolphin Marina & Restaurant has a 2026 fall menu and says it is open seasonally from April through November. It has not posted a last day for this year.
Bailey Island will also have a new institution down the road. Earlier this year, the Harpswell Islands Genealogy and History Center bought the former Katie's Ketch B&B at 10 Oceanside Road. The group hopes to make it an island-history resource and public center but has not announced an opening date. Like the field on Harpswell Neck, the building is waiting while its owners decide what it will become.
On opening day, Select Board Chair Kevin Johnson said of the launch, "Despite all the obstacles, we knew, looking down the road, it was the right thing to do." As of early October, the town's launch page still lists the gate as open at all hours on a trial basis, the new fenced storage yard has been approved for floats and harbor gear, and the master plan is on hold until 2027.
On the Maine coast, a property's value is tied to how it connects to the water, from the nearest all-tide ramp to the preserve trail at the end of the road. If you own on Harpswell Neck, Orr's Island, Bailey Island or Great Island and want to know how changes like Mitchell Field affect your own shoreline and plans, the agents at Legacy Sotheby's Intl Realty follow these local decisions closely and would be glad to talk. Work With Us.
