BAR HARBOR — The idle international ferry terminal on Eden Street could be preserved for a future ferry or other maritime uses under a plan unveiled by the Maine Port Authority this week.

After months of discussion with town and state officials, the port authority board voted unanimously April 26 to pursue a lease agreement with Marine Atlantic, the Canadian owners of the ferry terminal property. The authority will seek to lease the property with an option to buy it, in order to give the town time to continue studying feasibility plans for converting the terminal into a cruise ship pier, authority director John Henshaw told town councilors April 26.

“We do indeed want to tie down the property … so that it’s not sold for another purpose,” Mr. Henshaw said. “The first thing we really want to do is make sure that this is preserved as a marine asset for the community and the state at large.”

Mr. Henshaw’s announcement came as councilors were receiving a status report on the second phase of a study being conducted by maritime consultants Bermello Ajamil & Partners about the feasibility of state or local ownership of the property and its possible future as a cruise ship pier.

While council chairman Ruth Eveland hailed Mr. Henshaw’s announcement as “a great opportunity for us,” several councilors refused to endorse the process, stating that the issue had not been vetted by the townspeople. Councilors Jane Disney, Christopher Walsh and Enoch Albert all voted against a motion made by Paul Paradis to thank the port authority and to pledge to continue to work with them to see the project through.

“I have long been asking this question, ‘When are we going to ask people what they think?’” Ms. Disney said. She said that state ownership of the terminal was not necessarily what people would want, that the move would likely bring increased cruise ship traffic.

The report on the second phase of the study is due to be completed within several weeks.

For more maritime news, pick up a copy of the Mount Desert Islander.