LINCOLNVILLE — Residents concerned about a proposed 300-foot private pier appealed to the Lincolnville Select Board Dec. 13, asking the town to not approve the plans when they come before the planning board. Those plans are currently before the Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection.

Lincolnville Voices, an informal group of approximately 10 citizens, was represented at the meeting by resident John Pincince, who said neighbors were deeply concerned about the scale of the project.

“The whole thing is a massive structure for this area,” said Pincince. “It projects out into the bay and over submerged land held in public trust by the state of Maine. That belongs to everyone, not just one person.”

Randall and Krystyn Morrisey-Ward, owners of 37 Shag Rock Point, in Lincolnville, have requested the DEP approve a Natural Resources Protection Act permit for their six-foot-wide pier, as well as a 55-foot ramp and 16-foot by 30-foot float.

The area is named Shag Rock so because cormorants (shags) take advantage of the rocks on the shoreline to perch and dry their wings.

The pier would, if approved, extend from their waterfront parcel into Penobscot Bay. The landowners have a 3.25-acre parcel there, with existing stairs to the shore.

However, as noted in the DEP application, the landing and stairs do not, “provide access to the resource for watercraft from the applicant’s property.”

The “Ward Recreation Dock”, as it is referenced in state plans, would be supported by four granite cribs and secured by cross chais and mooring blocks. 

The DEP received a Natural Resources Protection Act permit application for the pier October 20 and it was accepted for processing on November 10, 2021.  The department’s deadline for issuing a decision is March 10, 2022. 

“We have received comments about the project and requests for a public hearing, as well as for board jurisdiction,” said DEP spokesman David Madore, Dec. 16. “The two requests are currently under review by the Commissioner [Melanie Loyzim] for a decision.”

An application has yet to be submitted to the Town of Lincolnville, but Lincolnville Voices plan to be back before the Select Board when it next convenes Dec. 27, said Pincince.

“If the town feels it goes against the quality of the shoreline, the town has the right to say this is really out of scale for the area,” he said.

The group of residents will be presenting more information, said Pincince, and said they hope to have a petition, and a statement about the pier.

The Wards did, according to the application, consider a temporary dock to reach navigable waters, but it would need to span boulders and rockweed in the intertidal area, providing a less safe and secure option than the granite crib/pier plan, according to their engineers,  the Woolwich-based environmental consultants Atlantic Environmental LLC.

According to the project application, placement of the granite cribs will result in approximately 268 feet of direct impacts to the coastal wetland.

In addition to tying their boat – with a draft of four feet — to the float, the Wards also want to fish and swim from the dock, as well as kayak and paddle board.

“The dock will provide season recreational water access to Penobscot Bay and adjacent waters,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is responsible for identifying threatened and endangered species in the area. (The Service subsequently found that the project may affect the northern long-eared bat, but was not prohibiting construction.)

Pincince said he understands the reason for the lengthy pier given the shallow section of shoreline at low tide.

And he understands that Lincolnville Harbor, at Lincolnville Beach, currently has a waiting list of 16 individuals hoping to lease a mooring there.

Nonetheless, he said, the 300-foot-pier would be an intrusion on the landscape, aesthetically and biologically.

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657