​ An aerial view of Blue Hill village.

Working Waterfront

Blue Hill grows a second downtown

PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN An aerial view of the South Street commercial district, just west of Blue Hill village. By Laurie Schreiber The Blue Hill Co-op is on track to move from cramped quarters on a complicated downtown corner to a much larger and custom-designed space a mile to the east,… SEE MORE
Mixed use or conflicting uses? An early winter scene in Boothbay Harbor captures the fishing industry’s presence along with nearby tourism-related buildings.

Working Waterfront

The last fisherman?

Analysis by Edgar Allen Beem When it comes to the working waterfront, there always seems to be someone with a big idea that doesn’t quite fit with existing ordinances and practices. Recently, a pair of hotel proposals had residents of Boothbay Harbor and Portland wrestling with the endless challenge of… SEE MORE
A cruise ship at Eastport's breakwater pier.

Working Waterfront

And there are cruise ships, too, in Eastport

By Tom Walsh Cruise ship traffic can be both a blessing and a curse for Maine ports. Visitors who come ashore—at times thousands of passengers and crew—represent millions of dollars in local seasonal revenues. The same visitors can also overwhelm a small community, as has happened in Bar Harbor. Eastport’s… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Remembering Kristin Rohrbach-Westra

Editor’s note: Kristin Rohrbach-Westra, who had taught at the Chebeague Island School, died Oct. 1. Police reported it was a suicide. The following remembrance was written by Ruth Kermish-Allen, executive director of the Maine Math and Science Alliance and a former education director at the Island Institute, publisher of The Working… SEE MORE