ROCKLAND – “I’m sure that your stepping down is going to leave a huge gap in the knowledge of that commission,” Councilor Valli Geiger said to Howard Edwards, Jr.

After 25 years on the Rockland Harbor Management Commission, a voluntary seat, Edwards has submitted his letter of resignation. 

“We are so lucky when people are willing to join, to stay, and become true experts on the committee or the commission that they serve,” she said during a commendation ceremony Monday, Aug. 14. “We couldn’t do it without you.”

Prior to the ceremony, which took place during the city council meeting, members of the public happened to spend about 30 minutes discussing topics involving the harbor. Dredging, pollution, working waterfronts, local recreation, and tourism. As Mayor Will Clayton pointed out, Edwards 25 years of commitment to the commission has played a vital role in one of Rockland’s most vital assets.

Just in the most recent years of Edwards’ time on the commission, Rockland has ceased dumping snow and its debris into the harbor. An ADA-compliant gangway became a fixed feature at the public landing, a walking trail has been established, cruise ship arrivals have increased, and harborside festivals have become a mainstay.

According to the website for the City of Rockland, the purpose of the Commission is to “protect its marine-historic resources and sensitive natural resource areas found along its harbor and in near-shore coastal waters; to provide growth in public opportunities for water-based recreational activities; to maintain and enhance navigational facilities for the benefit of all harbor users; and to allocate land and water resources in an economically and environmentally sound manner.”

“It is a very important responsibility being a steward of nature,” Council Amelia Magjik said. “We talk about paving roads, and it needs to be equally, if not more, important that we are protecting our water and our working waterfront, and everything that being a coastal community offers.

“Your service is integral to that functioning properly.”

City Manager Tom Luttrell has known Edwards for many years.

“How did I know that he’d be here 25 years?” Luttrell said. “It’s volunteers like Howie that make the city tick.

“Thank you very much Howie.”

Sarah Thompson can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com