The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority said it's looking into alternative fire protection systems after a toxic foam spill at the Brunswick Executive Airport, but it cannot turn the existing systems off.
Brunswick residents have expressed frustration with the authority's handling of the spill, and state lawmakers have said that MRRA mishandled the removal of PFAS chemicals from the former naval airbase.
At the latest emergency board meeting Tuesday night, vice-chair John Peters said the authority is sorry that the spill happened in the first place.
"This is not a quick fix. We wish it were," he said. "This is a complex, multi-layered and multi-jurisdictional challenge. It will be expensive. You have the board and staff's commitment that we will doggedly pursue the best solution."
Brunswick town councilors had called for the fire suppression systems to be shut off by the end of September.
But Kristine Logan, the authority's executive director, said it's not legally possible.
"The system that's in there is required, and we're not able to do something that's unlawful," she said. "So we are working to find other solutions."
Logan said the authority has hired contractors to inspect the existing system and address deficiencies by the end of October.
