Wiggly Bridge Distillery expansion targeted by 'Whiskey Fungus Zone' campaign in York

YORK, Maine — Signs warning York has become a “Whiskey fungus zone” have popped up around town as residents wait for a decision by the Planning Board on Wiggly Bridge Distillery’s proposed expansion.

“Stop Wiggly Bridge Distillery from soiling your property and risking your health,” read the sign posted on York Street. It shared a link for a page called fungusfreeyork.com, which condemned approval for the proposed new rickhouses at the award-winning distillery on Route 1.

Planning Board members are poised to vote on whether the presence of Baudoinia, known as “whiskey fungus,” will prevent Wiggly Bridge from getting approval for a new barrel house and facility expansion. The board is scheduled to meet Thursday, where they will either make a ruling on the application or continue it to a future meeting.

Many abutting property owners who have followed the application process have repeatedly expressed concern for the presence of the fungus, though, and its impact on property values as well as potential health effects. A study from the University of Maine commissioned by the town this summer concluded the distillery was the most likely source of nearby fungus.

Wiggly Bridge owners have said there is no evidence the fungus has any effect on human health, and they challenged the results of the town-funded study in an August Planning Board meeting.

Residents have become more organized over the course of the year in their effort to challenge the expansion. The website fungusfreeyork.com includes an interactive map that shows the locations of Baudoinia spores and their proximity to different addresses.

A new petition started Aug. 29 called for the town to find Wiggly Bridge in violation of the town’s ordinance just for the existing fungus brought under scrutiny since the application was filed.

It seeks to have Wiggly Bridge relocate its existing barrelhouse “to a location which cannot soil or stain homes and businesses.” There were 253 signatures on the petition at Change.org addressed to town Code Enforcement Officer Harry Norton, who could not be reached for comment Monday.

“They need to put a damper on this operation,” said Roger Barzelay, a resident near the distillery who signed the petition. “It’s not fair.”

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Residents concerned about whiskey fungus

The distillery has been in business for 10 years. The Woods family who owns it say they need more storage space for barrels to age in order to grow the businesses. They also plan to expand the facility where they make the whiskey and have their tasting room.

Planning Board members are examining whether the presence of whiskey fungus will violate a section of the town’s code that refers to “dust, dirt, fly ash, fumes, vapors and gases which could endanger human health, animals, vegetation, or property, or which could soil or stain persons or property.” Those emissions are prohibited beyond the lot line of a commercial or industrial establishment creating them.

The new website www.fungusfreeyork.com, whose creator could not be identified, advertised on signs found around town acknowledges that there is little information on the actual health effects of the whiskey fungus. The site also directs people to the emails of town officials who can be contacted with concerns about the whiskey fungus, including the code enforcement officer and Town Manager Peter Joseph.

“Despite what a quick Google search may suggest, no extensive research has been done regarding the health risks associated with long-term exposure to airborne spores of Baudoinia,” the website states.

Still, the site argues whiskey fungus can damage and kill vegetation, as well as coat the siding of nearby homes. It includes a tab that reads “Is My Home Affected,” which in addition to a map includes a list of all the homes located in the “hotspot” based on the University of Maine study.

“Whiskey fungus adheres to many surfaces, accelerating aging of siding,” the website states. “It can be difficult and inconvenient to remove.”

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Wiggly Bridge has defenders, too

The distillery has not gone without support. Some have posted messages on social media that praise the Woods family as a local family looking to grow their legitimate business.

“Please support Wiggly Bridge,” wrote Jude Augusta in a Google Document he shared titled “Fungus of facts?” He praised the Woods family for their time working in the town and argued “this family would never harm the town they live in and cherish.”

Augusta said he consulted experts who distill whiskey in the south and included a diagram that showed the average barrel house at a major distiller compared to a typical Kentucky/Tennessee barrel house. It compared that facility, estimated from 20,000-45,000 square feet, with the Wiggly Bridge barrel house which is approximately 2,800 square feet.

David Woods, who co-owns the distillery with his son David Woods II, said he appreciates the support. However, the distillery has decided not to engage with opponents of the project online.

“We chose to keep our powder dry and approach this thing in a very straightforward manner,” Woods said. “I want this heard in a public forum, not on the internet. That is not where things are decided.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Wiggly Bridge Distillery expansion faces whiskey fungus foes in York