The company that lost its bid to build a liquefied natural gas terminal in Harpswell is eyeing five other locations in Maine, including a privately owned island in Casco Bay, where it might build a terminal.

TransCanada Pipelines Ltd. said one of the sites is Hope Island, an 89-acre island owned by New York developer John Cacoulidis and his wife that is part of Cumberland. TransCanada spokeswoman Hejdi Feick declined to name the other four sites.

Cumberland residents will vote June 8 on whether to authorize the Town Council to negotiate a contract zone agreement with TransCanada regarding siting a liquefied natural gas facility on Hope Island.

TransCanada approached the town of Cumberland about two weeks ago, according to officials.

After listening to TransCanada outline its plans in a closed-door session Tuesday, the council voted to hold an advisory referendum to find out where voters stand on the idea.

Town Council Chairman Jeffrey Porter stressed that the council “has taken no action. We’re not supporting it, we’re not against it. All we’re doing is turning it over to the voters.”

Benefits of an LNG terminal would include an extra $4 million to $5 million in annual tax revenues for the town, helping to reduce the tax burden on residential property. But opponents say such a terminal would have negative impacts on fishing and lobstering, and could become a target for terrorists.

The concerns residents expressed in Harpswell are the same as the ones now arising in Cumberland – how the benefits, such as added town revenues, stack up against negative affects on fishing and residents’ quality of life. Following a campaign that sharply divided the town, Harpswell voters in March rejected a referendum that would have allowed an LNG terminal there.

Cumberland Town Manager William Shane said he doesn’t believe that the issue “will be any less contentious here.”

He predicted that if voters give the Town Council the go-ahead to draw up an agreement with TransCanada, residents would petition to have a town vote on the agreement in November. Shane said he would support such a move so all residents could have a say on the terminal.

Councilor Donna Damon, whose district includes Chebeague Island, said that many residents of Chebeague, particularly its fishermen, will oppose the proposal. If located on Hope Island, the terminal and a pipeline would be in Chebeague Island’s backyard.

“There’s a complete lack of understanding of how important this is to people here,” said Damon, a lifelong island resident.

But Porter said the proposal is worth considering because it could bring $4 million to $5 million in tax benefits over the 35- to 50-year life of the $350 million terminal. He said that could help islanders and other Cumberland residents burdened by high property taxes stay in their homes.

Jack Cashman, the state’s economic development director, said state officials since the Harpswell vote have been working with TransCanada to find another site. He said he learned of the company’s interest in Hope Island earlier this week.

The state’s mission is to match a community that is interested in the project with the developer. “If that marriage is made, we would get involved in trying to get informational hearings set up,” Cashman said.

After the Harpswell vote, Gov. John Baldacci, who supports an LNG facility in the state, urged towns to get in touch with the state if they were interested in the project.

Communities that responded included Calais and Eastport, but TransCanada dismissed those locations as unsuitable, Cashman said. The company has also said Sears Island would not be an economically feasible site, he said.

John Cacoulidis and his wife Phyllis bought the Hope Island for $1.3 million in 1993.

The couple built a compound that includes a boathouse, a six-bedroom guest house, a stable with 14 stalls, a tea room, a chapel, a road network and two artificial lakes.

AP-ES-05-06-04 0216EDT