Casey Prentice, a Developer of Portland Foreside on the Waterfront a Few Years Ago.
“The cogeneration system for Portland Foreside is designed to improve overall energy efficiency compared to conventional building systems by producing electricity and capturing heat that would otherwise be wasted. District energy systems like this allow buildings to use energy more efficiently while improving reliability and resiliency and are an important part of working to meet Maine’s energy goals,” according to a statement received this afternoon from Casey Prentice, Chief Executive Officer of Portland Foreside on Munjoy Hill and the prestigious Prentice Hospitality.
Casey’s statement continues: “Much of the discussion around energy infrastructure understandably focuses on what people can see locally, but energy systems ultimately operate at a regional level. What matters environmentally is total energy use and emissions, not simpy where infrastructure is located.
Casey’s statement ends: The equipment itself will be located within a building and is not something the public will see, smell, or hear. We do plan to highlight it as part of the project’s sustainability infrastructure, similar to how institutions like Middlebury College showcase efficient district energy systems on their campuses,” Casey’s press release concluded.
The above statement was sought by this blogger following a misleading article on the front page of the “Republican Press Herald” today. In that piece by reporter Kelley Bouchard, Barbara Vestal, a real estate attorney who resides on Munjoy HIll, is quoted as saying this plant is a “deviation” from the master plan. Vestal, has been a Forever opponent of the waterfront development and was also a Rabid opponent of the Maine Narrow Gauge Museum and Railroad when it arrived from South Carver, MA back in the early 1990s. Vestal and her husband, Ned, also an attorney at that time put in lots of energy trying to detail the mini-railroad. It is now a popular fixture on the Munjoy Hill waterfront; particularly in the summer months and the holiday season with its fundraiser Polar Express. The “two-footers”, so called because the wheels are only 24 inches across, are a boon to businesses in that area. The “Herald” article does not mention Barbara Vestal’s well known activist role against the mini-railroad and Portland Foreside.
The front page article by Bouchard says that “Others have expressed concerns about emissions from the plant’s exhaust stacks.” However, Bouchard does not name these “others” in the piece. Maybe the “others” don’t want to be named because they are too embarrassed to Go Public if they exist at all. The Bouchard article also does not mention that Portland Foreside is home to the award-wirnning TWELVE restaurant.
A secondary headlilne in the “Herald” article is: “The project would be built near to Munjoy HIll, raising concerns about exhaust stacks, emissions and other enrivonmental impacts.” That appears to be a misleaading concern according to Casey’s statement above.
This almost ten acre parcel of valuable waterfront property has been under development for years now. It was purchased by Prentice from Phin Sprague, Jr., who ran Portland Yacht Services on that site. Under Sprague’s auspices, the site was home to the annual popular Boat Show for many years. Sprague greatly expanded his yacht services on West Commercial Street. This Munjoy Hill property is also home to the award winning “TWELVE ” restaurant that this blogger has written about extensively previously herein.
For more background information on the waterfront development, please visit post herein dated May 17, 2021, November 28, 2022 and September 19, 2022, Etc.