The board of the embattled Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority will host an emergency public meeting to address the Aug. 19 chemical spill at Brunswick Executive Airport, according to Brunswick Town Council.

Brunswick Council Chairperson Abby King announced Monday night that, after a discussion and some pressing earlier in the day, MRRA will host an emergency public meeting at 3 p.m. Friday, just over one month from when 1,450 gallons of firefighting foam concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons of water spilled at Hangar 4. 

At Monday’s meeting, Brunswick Fire Chief Ken Brillant said that MRRA had told the Fire Department that inspections of the fire suppression systems were fine this year, sparking skepticism from councilors and an audible reaction from the audience. He clarified with The Times Record after the meeting that after the spill occurred, that he had asked MRRA about inspections and that they had said hangars were still being inspected.

He confirmed that the Fire Department had not formally requested the reports and that emergency crews on the scene on Aug. 19 were preoccupied with getting the malfunctioning suppression system shut down.

“If you’re not doing a specific inspection for a specific reason, you usually don’t go looking for that,” Brillant said.

Deputy Chief Josh Shean also explained recently that property owners are not obligated to report inspection issues to the town. The Fire Department is also not an inspection resource for most structures — aside from some town properties — and property owners have to hire third-party sources to make sure things are in order.

The Portland Press Herald revealed last Thursday that last year’s inspection of Hangar 4, which is owned by MRRA, showed deficiencies in its system. This revelation came three weeks after Executive Director Kristine Logan said at a press conference that last year’s inspection reports for Hangar 4 were clean. 

The revelation sparked outrage among local leaders, who convened on Sept. 12 for another press conference, this time calling for Logan’s immediate resignation.

MRRA board Chairperson Herman “Nick” Nichols pushed back against the call after the press conference, stating he stood behind Logan and her team.

Nichols also said that calls for shutting down fire suppression systems at the airport is not possible. He argued that fire code makes shutting down the system illegal and that a shutdown would have immediate economic impact on the aviation tenants at the landing. 

At Monday night’s meeting, the council voted unanimously to present seven action items to MRRA. The town revisited its recently passed resolution calling for comprehensive action, accountability from MRRA and reporting from other state entities involved in the cleanup process. The resolution was sent to Gov. Janet Mills on Sept. 6.

Councilor James Ecker, who drafted some of the demands, said that the most frustrating aspect of the situation is that the town does not have oversight of MRRA.

“It has been a very tumultuous month on this matter,” Ecker said at the meeting.

Councilor Jennifer Hicks was more forceful, stating that she was not satisfied with previous conversations with MRRA. She also said that she was not sure if she could believe anything that MRRA tells the council. She said she was “furious” and thought Nichols’ response to outrage last week was inadequate. Essentially, she said, the public is only hearing from MRRA when the entity pushes back.

“We have lives at stake here,” Hicks said. “… We have a lot of people who are very angry at MRRA. … Trust has been broken.”

The Town Council’s proposed list of steps it wants MRRA to take includes the call to shut down fire suppression systems by the end of this month.

Other demands on the list included requesting MRRA hire a fire protection specialist to advise on Hangar 6, improve communications, have MRRA board meetings publicly noticed and recorded, and to work to add representatives from the Town of Brunswick on the board. 

The local decision comes on the heels of a letter calling for the Navy to help with the cleanup of last month’s disastrous firefighting foam spill at Brunswick Landing signed by Rep. Chellie Pingree, Sen. Susan Collins, Rep. Jared Golden and Sen. Angus King, who is also a Brunswick resident.

“Our constituents are deeply concerned about the short- and long-term health and environmental impacts of this spill, as well as potential future incidents, since AFFF foam remains at the site,” the Sept. 16 letter states.

The letter also expressed concern that thousands of gallons of AFFF remain in other hangars on the base, especially since the Navy had planned to remove the concentrate from Hangar 4 this month.

The MRRA board meeting location is still to be determined, but it will be held at 3 p.m. on Sept. 20.