The state’s plans for the Johnston Hill Fire Tower, a Bremen landmark, remain unclear as a potential demolition date – Thurs., Sept. 15 – fast approaches.
The Bremen Conservation Commission recently made a last-ditch effort to resume talks with Marc and Barbara Adams, the owners of the Johnston Hill Fire Tower property.
According to an Aug. 30 letter from Bremen Conservation Commission Chairman Dennis Prior to the property owners, the Maine Forest Service, which owns the tower, plans to begin demolition “on or after” Thurs., Sept. 15.
Prior, in the letter, proposes the creation of a “Friends of Johnston Hill” organization to “serve as stewards of the tower and trail and as a liaison between [the Adams] family and the public.”
The tower “remains of… interest and importance to Bremen residents, local conservation organizations and local and national historians for several reasons,” Prior wrote.
“It is the highest point on the Pemaquid Peninsula, it is one of a dwindling number of historic fire towers of its kind in the northeast and a popular destination for day recreationists seeking majestic views from Monhegan to the Camden Hills and Mt. Washington,” Prior wrote.
Prior declined to discuss the tower with The Lincoln County News.
The possibility of relocating the tower has also been discussed, although the commission’s desire is to maintain the tower at its present site.
“Once you move it, it loses some of its historical value,” Commission member Diane O’Connor said.
Jeff Courier, the Maine Forest Service employee identified as the town’s contact on the matter, said he didn’t know the demolition schedule for the tower.
The Maine Forest Service plans to demolish the tower because it’s “no longer of any value” to the agency and because the agency lacks the necessary funds to maintain and repair the structure, Courier said.
According to a Nov. 15, 2010 letter from Prior to Marc and Barbara Adams, the agency earlier offered the tower to Bremen for $1. Courier said he didn’t know the status of the offer.
A spokesman for the town declined comment, framing the issue as between the property owners and the state.
Marc and Barbara Adams, the property owners, could not be reached for comment. The pair, according to town records, lives in Mars, Penn. A phone listing for Barbara Adams was disconnected.
According to O’Connor, the Maine Forest Service built the tower in 1948 and staffed it until 1991, when it switched to aerial lookouts.
(Kim Fletcher contributed reporting to this article.)
