The Swan Island pier, right, was deemed unsafe in 2024 just before Richmond Days, when tours of the island had been planned. A public hearing will be held Monday on efforts to restore public access to the island, which is home to Perkins Township, camping, hiking trails and wildlife. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file

RICHMOND — A public hearing is scheduled Monday for a legislative bill to restore public transportation to Swan Island.

Three years ago, the U.S. Coast Guard halted the ferry service connecting the island with Richmond over inspection issues. Attempts by the state Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife to comply with Coast Guard regulations ended in 2023, effectively halting public transport after six decades.

Rep. Sally Cluchey, D-Bowdoinham, is one of the sponsors of LD 976,  a bill that would direct the state to develop a plan to ensure accessible, regularly scheduled transportation to the island and report that plan to legislators no later than Dec. 3.

“It’s about getting accessible, regularly scheduled public transportation there,” Rep. Cluchey said.

The public hearing is scheduled for Monday, March 24 at 1 p.m. with the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife committee in Room 206 at the Cross Building on 111 Sewall St.

Swan Island is part of the Steve Powell Wildlife Management Area and its campgrounds and hiking trails are currently accessible only by personal boat, kayak or canoe. It sits about 350 feet off the riverbank of Richmond at the head of Merrymeeting Bay. It has a rich history, including houses in Perkins Township that date to the 1700s. Swan Island was listed as one of the state’s Most Endangered Historic Places in 2023 by Maine Preservation. 

In 2024, Jeremy and Amanda McDaniel, a couple from Richmond, decided to test their luck in reinstating a ferry service.

With help from Friends of Swan Island, a nonprofit dedicated to the island, they chartered a ferry to run a weekend route to the island. But as they were about to start offering rides, the state closed the pier the boat would have used, deeming it unsafe.

“It was kind of a gut punch,” Jeremy McDaniel said. “We are doing everything we can to restore access. (The Friends of Swan Island) have a four-pillared mission and restoring access wasn’t one, but it’s had to become the largest. We can’t do conservatory, preservation, or education if we can’t get to the island.”

The group connected with Cluchey, who represents Richmond, Bowdoinham, Bowdoin and Perkins Township.

Cluchey drafted a bill with Sen. Allison Hepler, D-Woolwich, as a co-sponsor. Rep. Bill Bridgeo, D-Augusta, and Rep. Michael Lemelin, R-Chelsea, are also co-sponsors.

“We feel with their help, it’s potentially the only option to get people back to the island,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel and Cluchey both acknowledge that restoring public transportation will take time and money, but they believe the end result will be worth it.

The pier is estimated to cost around $500,000 to repair, but efforts are already underway in Gov. Janet Mills’ upcoming budget proposal, which allocates $150,000 in state funds and $350,000 in federal grant money for the project.

A working ferry and a place to dock the boat could change the landscape of Richmond, which could become a more desirable stop for tourists.

Cluchey envisions people riding their bikes along Merrymeeting Trail and stopping in Richmond to visit the island and maybe eventually take bikes over, while at the same time contributing to Richmond’s economy through the restaurants on Main Street.

“Because Merrymeeting Bay is such a special ecosystem — it’s a freshwater estuary with six rivers flowing into it. There are only four other places like that in the world — we get incredible migratory birds. Swan Island is a place they stop over and they should be able to eat, be safe, before they take off,” she said.

Mark Latti, IF&W director of communications, said the department will not comment on the legislation until after the public hearing. Latti said the department plans to submit public testimony.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the source of the funding to repair the Swan Island pier and the number of rivers flowing into Merrymeeting Bay.