BRIDGTON – Organizers have abruptly terminated a five-week grassroots fundraising campaign to bring the Lakes Region Shuttle to Bridgton, following disappointing news from the director of the service that operates the bus.

Until last week, the leaders of the Bridgton Transportation Authority, the group campaigning for a Bridgton shuttle stop, thought they had arranged a clear deal with the Portland-based Regional Transportation Program: Raise $5,000, and beginning Jan. 5, the shuttle would extend its daily Portland-to-Naples route north to the Bridgton Community Center on Depot Street for six months.

After inaugurating a fundraising campaign in mid-November, and raising $3,000 toward the effort, authority organizers were confident the bus was coming to Bridgton in early January. They were in touch with Bridgton Councilor Paul Hoyt, who said the council would consider providing funds to help the authority reach the $5,000 target. The group had also successfully submitted a petition to place a warrant article on the June 10 town meeting that would raise the Bridgton tax rate 1 cent in order to finance the stop through June 2016.

On Dec. 10, Bradt sent a barrage of faxes, emails, and letters to RTP staff in an effort to ensure that the deal was still in place. Bradt did not hear back from the Portland-based nonprofit until Dec. 15, when Jack DeBeradinis, the group’s executive director, called him.

“I said, ‘Jack, we’ve got the money, hooray’” Bradt said. “He said, ‘You may have the money, honey, but I’ve got the bus.’ ”

DeBeradinis, who told Bradt in an earlier conversation that the Jan. 5 start date was feasible, said that he had pushed back the earliest potential start for the Bridgton route to July 1. The reason, DeBeradinis said, is that the nonprofit has seen its revenues decline by more than 50 percent in recent years primarily due to an overhaul of the MaineCare transportation provider system in Cumberland County. In coming months, DeBeradinis will attempt to raise $50,000 from the municipalities of Windham, Casco, Raymond, Naples and Bridgton, in order to keep the shuttle, which costs about $72,000 a year, running through June 2016.

“I know George would like the connection to start in January, and I applaud his enthusiasm and the Bridgton authority’s enthusiasm, but I’m also concerned,” DeBeradinis said. “Let’s just say we can’t raise any other money in the region. Then I wouldn’t want to start a Bridgton connection in January, and then notify the folks in Bridgton maybe the shuttle won’t continue past June 30.”

Apart from the nonprofit’s finances, the shuttle service is in a state of flux following the early December departure of RTP Community Relations Coordinator Dan Goodman, who planned and oversaw the Lakes Region Shuttle service. DeBeradinis said that just after Goodman departed, he told Bradt that the Bridgton route could start in early January.

“I really needed a week or so to think about this and look at the shuttle on a global basis,” DeBeradinis said. “So it’s possible I did, by mistake, give George the impression we could start earlier.”

RTP had initially indicated to Bridgton residents that the Bridgton route could begin as early as last summer. Bradt said he finds it ironic that DeBeradinis is concerned about disappointing Bridgtonians.

“All Jack would say is, ‘We don’t want to disappoint everybody,’” Bradt said. “The fact that he’s disappointed everybody already twice is amazing.”

On Dec. 18, Bradt began to return check donations to the Bridgton Transportation Authority. Bradt said he plans to give cash donations to the Bridgton Community Center.

“Yesterday I sent somebody a check for $500,” Bradt said Dec. 19. “It was very sad.”

One donor, Jeff Frey, said he disagrees with Bradt’s decision to cancel the fundraiser.

“I told George I don’t want it back,” Frey said. “I was quite adamant that people that gave money did so for a very specific purpose.”

“If someone is giving you an answer that you don’t want to hear, I wouldn’t accept it,” Frey added. “Keep going.”

Frey, a three-year Bridgton resident and former general manager of Portland-based Hardypond Construction, signed the authority’s petition for a tax increase to fund the bus. Frey said he was in “utter disbelief” about RTP’s decision.

“I’m just absolutely appalled that this thing is being stonewalled, when in comparison to other communities that are being served currently there’s nowhere near the need that there is in Bridgton,” Frey said. “There are far more ridership opportunities if the bus was to simply come another eight miles up the road.”

According to Bradt, the authority still supports the proposed tax increase, and hopes that the shuttle will link up to Bridgton on July 1.

DeBeradinis said that all depends on the willingness of municipalities to support the shuttle, after the initial 18-month pilot program ends in July. He plans to approach town managers in coming months to request funding assistance. DeBeradinis said that, although he has always expected to transfer much of the financial burden of the shuttle to the municipalities, he was not sure what would happen if he can’t raise $50,000 from the five towns.

“After July 1, RTP is still willing to put in a sizeable amount of grant monies to keep this service moving forward, but we don’t feel we can do it on our own after July 1,” he said. “RTP just is not in a position to continue using our, let’s say, precious grant money to fund the project 100 percent.”

The shuttle runs back and forth on Route 302 between Naples and Portland every weekday, starting in Naples at 6 a.m., and ending there at 8:20 p.m. There are stops in Naples, Casco, Raymond, Windham, Westbrook and Portland. DeBeradinis said he would not approach Westbrook and Portland for assistance because the municipalities are already contributing their fair share.

Lakes Region elected officials said it was difficult to forecast whether the nonprofit would successfully meet its fundraising target.

Grant Plummer, chairman of the Casco Board of Selectmen, said he is not surprised by the request and said he supports providing funding for the service.

“I personally think it’s an important program,” Plummer said. “Whether the town folks think it’s important enough to spend $10,000 a year, I’m not sure. I think that comes down to spreading the good word of the good work that they’re doing.”

Dave Nadeau, the chairman of the Windham Town Council, said he did not know whether he would support allocating funds toward the shuttle.

“We’ve got a lot of other things going on right now,” Nadeau said. “Our road budget’s only funded by half.”