The Town Council was poised to vote Tuesday night on an intergovernmental agreement that would pave the way for Portland Metro to begin passenger bus service in Freeport, possibly by late May 2016 – a year after the original plan.

The council conducted a District 4 meeting at Maine Coast Waldorf School on Desert Road, to address concerns of residents in that part of town, at 6:30. Councilors reconvened an hour or so later for their regular meeting at the Town Hall. Both meetings were held after the Tri-Town Weekly publication deadline.

Portland Metro had planned to offer passenger bus service for residents of Freeport, Yarmouth and Falmouth this past summer. But a task force of Portland Metro officials and municipal officials from Yarmouth and Freeport decided in early May to postpone the startup because larger buses are needed. The task force had envisioned light-duty, relatively small buses. But during meetings held in Freeport and Yarmouth, the group decided to go for medium-duty buses holding 20 passengers and two wheelchairs.

Portland Metro will provide nine southbound and nine northbound trips on weekdays and six each way on Saturdays, with stops in Freeport, Yarmouth, Falmouth and Portland, for a flat fee of $3.

The Town Council agreed to spend up to $90,000 for the three-year trial run.

Town Manager Peter Joseph said last week that the town and Portland Metro came to a compromise on advertising at the bus shelters, which Portland Metro uses for revenue. Still to be addressed is the number and location of bus shelters – should any be built – in town.

The agreement between the town and Portland Metro was on the Sept. 15 Town Council agenda, but tabled.

“Advertising and the bus shelters were the issues,” Joseph said. “At the last meeting we talked about advertising, and there were a lot of questions. The Portland Metro model has advertising at the shelters to support the service. But we have a different sign ordinance here in Freeport. Off-premise signs – signs that are not on your property – are limited. We had some concerns about whether the signs would be allowed under our ordinance. Based on this new agreement, there is no advertising at the bus shelters.”

To achieve a compromise, Joseph said, the town would agree to provide cleaning at the shelters. The town also would pay the bus company the cost of maintenance at the shelters, up to $750 a year. Portland Metro has agreed to seek insurance reimbursements for repairs stemming from damage at the shelters by third parties.

“This still gives both parties the option of doing shelters or not doing them,” Joseph said.

The alternative would be unsheltered bus stops, he said.

Stops or shelters could be located on Main Street near the Freeport Community Library, on Main Street near L.L. Bean, on Main Street near Independence Drive and Lower Main Street near Shaw’s, Joseph said.

“Portland Metro will be meeting with our Traffic & Parking Committee on that,” Joseph said.

Joseph said that the town is subsidizing the bus service for residents with several uses in mind. People could use the service for transportation to and from work, shopping, doctors’ appointments and more, he said.

“It’s multi-purpose,” he said. “The beauty of this system is the frequency.”

Joseph credited Portland Metro and its general manager, Greg Jordan, for working with the town to iron out the agreement that went before the Town Council on Tuesday night.

“They have really shown that they are willing to work with us,” he said.

Jordan concurred.

“We’re very happy,” he said. “I think everybody in Freeport will be happy, too. I think we came to a good middle ground. We’re very excited to be moving forward at this point.”

Jordan said that the four potential sites for shelters or bus stops came from the task force.

“We do have to work further with the town, and if necessary with the property owners,” he said. “The bus stop agreements are subject to longer-term planning.”

The intersection of Bow and Main streets is one possible location for a Portland Metro bus shelter in Freeport. Portland Metro bus service in town could begin in late May or early June.Staff photo by Larry Grard