Conflict of interest, mooring waiting lists, strategic plan

Tue, 07/22/2014 - 5:15pm

Lynda Clancy

Lincolnville Harbor on a calm summer afternoon. (Photo by Lynda Clancy)

LINCOLNVILLE — Selectmen in Lincolnville will sit down with the town’s Harbor Committee Wednesday evening, July 23; the first order of business, to determine whether Lincolnville’s harbor master’s work as a commercial fisherman creates a conflict of interest with his municipal appointment.

The agenda for this joint workshop is extensive, running the gamut from reviewing town record-keeping about moorings to potential harbor studies. See below for the full agenda.

Last month, the selectmen talked amongst themselves about the topics in a pre-meeting workshop, planning amongst themselves for the July 23 workshop with the Harbor Committee. Besides selectmen, Harbor Committee members and the Harbor Master also attended that June 30 workshop to get better acquainted with the issues being raised.

Topics on the list for Wednesday evening also include reviewing expense summary reports for the past several years associated with harbor operations.

The workshop begins at 6 p.m. at the Lincolnville Town Office.

Lincolnville’s Harbor is busy, with the Maine State Ferry Service operating its ferry to Islesboro from there. It is home to commercial fishermen, and other commercial entities, as well as recreational boaters, many of whom moor boats there through the summer, and some year-round. Others are registered to use the town’s pier at the harbor.

The harbor is not big, nor well protected from northerly and easterly winds. A wave screen has been constructed to help mitigate weather at the harbor.

This year, 47 mooring permits have been issued, many of them commercial in scope.

At their June 30 meeting, Selectmen Ladleah Dunn, Chair, Jason Trundy, Rosey Gerry, Cathy Hardy and Arthur Durity talked extensively about harbor operations. Meeting minutes — eight pages of them — reflect points raised by Lincolnville citizens, who have asked to expand harbor facilities to more public use and to improve the business climate at Lincolnville Beach.

Gerry suggested that the town, “work toward immediately making all mooring spaces available to people who have been on a mooring waiting list for years,” meeting minutes said.

Read the entire June 30 meeting minutes here.

Selectman Durity said, according to those minutes, that he hope to see a report generated by an independent third party about the highest and best use of the harbor, a strategic plan for the harbor area, and a supporting tactical plan.

Selectman Hardy asked questions about mooring records and the validity of the current mooring waiting list.

“Dunn agreed with Hardy that they need to look at the mooring situation and why we have a mooring waiting list,” minutes said. “The ordinance does not set limitations on how many moorings we can have in the outer harbor, which is geographically vast. Dunn said it appears to be an arbitrary waiting list. Dunn said people who are either borrowing moorings for an afternoon or putting their boat on a mooring for a week sometimes can’t find the mooring because it wasn’t labeled.”

LINCOLNVILLE SELECTMEN’S MEETING WITH HARBOR COMMITTEE

July 23, 2014

6:00 PM @ Lincolnville Town Office

Question concerning Harbor Master Conflict of Interest

Comprehensive Plan Goals

Harbor Master

Harbor Committee

Moorings

Inspection

Identification of Mooring (Labeled, color, etc.)

Construction Standards (USCG standard mooring ball, etc.)

Recordkeeping