Wiscasset owns White’s Island. Now what? In August, selectmen and Maine Coast Heritage Trust finalized an agreement giving the town possession of the small island off Fore Street.

Selectmen must decide what to do about the two rotting footbridges that once provided access. The bridges were closed almost six years ago following concerns about their safety, although nothing’s been done since to address the issue.

Even if the bridges had reopened, access to the island would have been cut off this past week. A tidal surge surrounded one end of the longer bridge, flooding the causeway.

Before being purchased by MCHT, the island had been privately owned for 150 years, although for decades the town maintained a right-of-way across it that includes a dirt causeway and the wooden footbridges. For years, the island was open to public use.

The vote accepting the island from MCHT was 4-1; Chairman Judy Colby dissented. Colby had expressed reservations about the railroad tracks separating the two footbridges. The Maine Department of Transportation owns and maintains the rail line that runs from Brunswick to Rockland. It’s currently leased to the Central Maine & Quebec Railway that ships freight across the line.

During discussions with selectmen Aug. 16, Steve Walker, MCHT regional project manager, said MDOT had expressed a willingness to renew an easement over the railroad tracks. Colby wanted to see the agreement in writing. She is still waiting.

“I haven’t seen anything yet as far as clarifying what the town’s responsibility is regarding the railroad crossing. Until I do, I can’t really comment further on it,” she told the Wiscasset Newspaper on Dec. 1.

Walker also told selectmen grant monies were available to help pay for replacing the bridges and he offered to assist the town in seeking the funding.

Colby thinks pursuing the grants would be beneficial but added the board hasn’t had any further discussion on the footbridges. White’s Island may or may not be discussed when the board takes up  work on the 2017-18 budget, she added.

In response to an email, Selectman Jeff Slack said he’d forgotten about White’s Island. “I so want to see it brought back to where the people of Wiscasset can get out there and enjoy it,” he wrote.

Selectman Ben Rines Jr. said he too wants to see White’s Island reopened. “Unless we get grant money or donations, I honestly can’t see those bridges ever being replaced. It would of course be up to the townspeople. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

Selectman David Cherry told the newspaper finding the money to address the footbridges and causeway would be challenging but not impossible.

“As far as I’m aware, the offer made by Maine Coast Heritage Trust to assist in finding grant monies is still on the table. We as a board haven’t taken it up because we’ve had so much other pressing town business to deal with,” he said.

“I don’t foresee anytime in the near future where we’ll be able to do too much,” continued Cherry. “It might be the footbridges might have to wait a year or two,” he added.

Cherry said he personally would like to see something done about the bridges so people could once again walk out and enjoy the island. “I remember walking out there myself. It’s really a wonderful asset for the community.”

The most recent estimate for replacing the footbridges was done in 2004 when Oest Associates, Inc. of Gorham evaluated the bridges. Oest provided a number of options, including the footbridges’ removal, estimated at $75,232. The cost of building new timber-pile footbridges similar to what’s there now was estimated to be between $389,610 and $432,081. Estimates weren’t done for replacing the footbridges with metal walkways.

Nothing in the MCHT agreement requires the town to replace the footbridges. Stipulations within the deed require the island be kept in its natural state and open to the public for daytime, low-impact recreational use.

Selectmen closed and posted the footbridges in autumn 2011. The action was taken to protect the town from liability until the bridges could be either replaced or made safe for pedestrian use. At around the same time, the public works department shored up the worst of the timber pilings in an effort to stabilize the longer bridge, the one closet to the shore.

Both footbridges were built and maintained at the town’s expense. The last time they underwent any significant repairs was in 1992 when $13,700 was raised at town meeting to replace the railings and decking, according to town reports.