The former longtime executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority has returned to the role on an interim basis.
Steve Levesque, who led the Brunswick Landing redevelopment group from its inception in 2006 until 2021, is helping the organization hire a permanent executive director to replace Kristine Logan, who resigned in October following a toxic foam spill at the Brunswick Executive Airport.
The authority had come under fire from community members and officials after the airport it oversees released 50,000 gallons of water mixed with 1,450 gallons of PFAS-laden firefighting foam into the surrounding environment in August.
Initially, the authority hired Levesque as a part-time consultant in October after Logan’s resignation, said Jeffrey Jordan, MRRA’s deputy director. However, board members realized Levesque was serving more as an executive director and granted him that role in the interim last week.
“I’ve been obviously observing it for the last three years since I’ve been retired and admiring all the great work that’s been done,” Levesque said. “And when Kristine elected to resign, and I got some calls. I mean, I could not say no.”
The authority is seeking applications for a permanent executive director until Sunday. Levesque said he’s helping out with the selection process and hopes to have someone hired by March.
Levesque said he’s helping MRRA with managing the PFAS release, including working with the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Since he had worked for MRRA for 16 years, he’s also acting as a resource for staff, he added.
“I was involved with MRRA and the development process from the very beginning,” Levesque said. “It’s my baby.”
After the permanent executive director is hired, Levesque said he’ll take a backseat again.
