There was agreement at last Tuesday’s meeting of State and local officials at the Old Orchard Town Hall that the State owns the waters and submerged lands in the Saco Bay; left unresolved was whether Saco has any jurisdiction over the area starting 1,000 feet from Old Orchard’s beach. The attached article is a good summary of the situation at the end of last week.
Yesterday in Augusta there was a hearing before the Committee on State and Local Government on George Hogan’s bill to give jurisdiction over the disputed waters to Old Orchard Beach. Old Orchard and Scarborough representatives (including OOB Planning Board Chairman and OPA Vice President Win Winch) spoke in favor of the bill; Saco Mayor Michaud and City Solicitor Tim Murphy spoke against the bill. State Senator Barry Hobbins spoke neither for nor against the bill but said, “Saco pulled a fast one.” There will be a Committee work session on the bill next Monday at which there is expected to be a State Attorney General ruling which might resolve the jurisdiction question.
The proposed change to prohibit amphibious vehicles from using town beaches and waters will come up for a vote at the next OOB Council meeting on March 4 (7pm at the Town Hall). We need as many people as possible to attend the Council meeting and speak for the change. If you can’t attend the meeting, you can write or email Council members with your opinion on prohibiting amphibious vehicles from using town beaches and waters. Contact information for Council members is also below.
Thanks.
Ed Rea
Executive Director
Ocean Park Association
...more than a day at the beach
207-934-9068 x201
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Read the full article by clicking here:
http://www.keepmecurrent.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=49818
Contact OOB Councilmembers here:
E. O'Neill, Vice Chair,
1 Oakcrest Drive, 934-5714 ext.226, soneill1@maine.rr.com
Sharri MacDonald, Councilor,
171 Portland Ave., 590-4201, smacdonald@maine.rr.com
James F. Long, Council Chair,
6 Long Cove Drive, 934-2238, jlong@maine.rr.com
Roxanne V. Frenette, Councilor,
102 Ross Road, 934-5083, rfrenett@maine.rr.com
Robin Dayton, Councilor,
59 Fern Ave, 807-1017 (cell), RDayton001@maine.rr.com
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
A Busy Week for the Marina Project...
It has been a busy week for the Saco Bay marina proposal.
Tonight (Thursday, February 21) at 7pm in the Old Orchard Town Council chamber in Town Hall there will be a public meeting at which the Maine Attorney General's Office and the State Planning Office will explain that the lease option agreement between Saco and developer Bill Danton is invalid (see article below).
On Tuesday night the Old Orchard Beach Town Council voted unanimously to support State Representative George Hogan’s bill to extend Old Orchard Beach’s seaward boundary from 1000 feet off the beach to 3 miles.
The Council also took public comment on a proposed change to the Town Ordinances to explicitly prohibit the use of the town beach or adjacent waters by amphibious vehicles. This change is aimed at preventing shuttle vehicles from a marina from landing on town beaches. Only 4 people spoke. Bill Danton and his cousin George Kurr spoke against the change; OPA Treasurer Phil Denison and another citizen spoke for the change. The Council appeared to be split on the proposal.
The proposed change to prohibit amphibious vehicles from using town beaches and waters may come up for a vote at the next Council meeting on March 4. If so it will be good for people who favor the change and can attend the Council meeting to come and speak for the change. If you can’t attend the meeting, you can write or email Council members with your opinion on prohibiting amphibious vehicles from using town beaches and waters. Contact information for Council members is also below.
Ed Rea
Executive Director
Ocean Park Association
...more than a day at the beach
207-934-9068 x201
……………………………………………………………………………..
Portland Press-Herald, Thursday, February 21
Meeting today aims to clarify claims to waters off beach
State officials have called a meeting at 7 p.m. today to discuss a lease option signed by the city of Saco last fall for waters off Old Orchard Beach, officials said.
Old Orchard Beach Town Council Chairman Jim Long said the Maine Attorney General's Office and the State Planning Office requested the meeting to explain that the lease option agreement between Saco and developer Bill Danton is invalid.
Danton sought the lease from Saco for a proposed offshore marina because Saco retained title to waters off Old Orchard Beach when the two communities split 125 years ago.
The state also has a claim to the waters. By state law, Maine controls coastal waters out to three miles from shore.
The Saco City Council did not consult with Old Orchard town officials before making the decision. State Rep. George Hogan, D-Old Orchard Beach, recently introduced a bill that would give the town control of the coastal waters off its shore.
………………………………………………………………………………………
E. O'Neill, Vice Chair, 1 Oakcrest Drive
934-5714 ext.226 soneill1@maine.rr.com
Sharri MacDonald, 171 Portland Ave.
590-4201 smacdonald@maine.rr.com
James F. Long, Council Chair, 6 Long Cove Drive
934-2238 jlong@maine.rr.com
Roxanne V. Frenette, Councilor, 102 Ross Road
934-5083 rfrenett@maine.rr.com
Robin Dayton, Councilor, 59 Fern Ave.
807-1017 (cell) RDayton001@maine.rr.com
Tonight (Thursday, February 21) at 7pm in the Old Orchard Town Council chamber in Town Hall there will be a public meeting at which the Maine Attorney General's Office and the State Planning Office will explain that the lease option agreement between Saco and developer Bill Danton is invalid (see article below).
On Tuesday night the Old Orchard Beach Town Council voted unanimously to support State Representative George Hogan’s bill to extend Old Orchard Beach’s seaward boundary from 1000 feet off the beach to 3 miles.
The Council also took public comment on a proposed change to the Town Ordinances to explicitly prohibit the use of the town beach or adjacent waters by amphibious vehicles. This change is aimed at preventing shuttle vehicles from a marina from landing on town beaches. Only 4 people spoke. Bill Danton and his cousin George Kurr spoke against the change; OPA Treasurer Phil Denison and another citizen spoke for the change. The Council appeared to be split on the proposal.
The proposed change to prohibit amphibious vehicles from using town beaches and waters may come up for a vote at the next Council meeting on March 4. If so it will be good for people who favor the change and can attend the Council meeting to come and speak for the change. If you can’t attend the meeting, you can write or email Council members with your opinion on prohibiting amphibious vehicles from using town beaches and waters. Contact information for Council members is also below.
Ed Rea
Executive Director
Ocean Park Association
...more than a day at the beach
207-934-9068 x201
……………………………………………………………………………..
Portland Press-Herald, Thursday, February 21
Meeting today aims to clarify claims to waters off beach
State officials have called a meeting at 7 p.m. today to discuss a lease option signed by the city of Saco last fall for waters off Old Orchard Beach, officials said.
Old Orchard Beach Town Council Chairman Jim Long said the Maine Attorney General's Office and the State Planning Office requested the meeting to explain that the lease option agreement between Saco and developer Bill Danton is invalid.
Danton sought the lease from Saco for a proposed offshore marina because Saco retained title to waters off Old Orchard Beach when the two communities split 125 years ago.
The state also has a claim to the waters. By state law, Maine controls coastal waters out to three miles from shore.
The Saco City Council did not consult with Old Orchard town officials before making the decision. State Rep. George Hogan, D-Old Orchard Beach, recently introduced a bill that would give the town control of the coastal waters off its shore.
………………………………………………………………………………………
E. O'Neill, Vice Chair, 1 Oakcrest Drive
934-5714 ext.226 soneill1@maine.rr.com
Sharri MacDonald, 171 Portland Ave.
590-4201 smacdonald@maine.rr.com
James F. Long, Council Chair, 6 Long Cove Drive
934-2238 jlong@maine.rr.com
Roxanne V. Frenette, Councilor, 102 Ross Road
934-5083 rfrenett@maine.rr.com
Robin Dayton, Councilor, 59 Fern Ave.
807-1017 (cell) RDayton001@maine.rr.com
Monday, February 11, 2008
Looking for a Few Good Men (and Women!)
...to volunteer for OPA mailings, etc. Our next big mailing to go out is the Ocean Park Association Membership letter. We'll need volunteers to help label, stuff and seal envelopes on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of next week (that's February 20, 21, and 22,) beginning at 9:00 AM. If you can make it one or all of those days for a few hours - we'd love to have you! Call the OPA office at: (207) 934.9068, or email opa@oceanpark.org / subject: Membership Mailing if you'd like to help out!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
OOB Town Council Meeting - Follow-up
Many thanks to those of you who were able to attend last night’s Old Orchard Beach Town Council Meeting. State Representative George Hogan presented his bill to extend OOB jurisdiction 3 miles out from the shore. The bill has been referred to the State and Local Government Committee of the state House. Hogan noted that State Senator Barry Hobbins opposes the bill, perhaps because his district includes Saco as well as Old Orchard. Hogan said that the bill would have no impact on Saco’s lease of water rights to Bill Danton’s Sparta Bay Marina corporation. All of the Town Councilors appear to support the bill and a resolution to that effect will probably be on the Council’s February 19th agenda. In the meantime, while Danton says that he is moving forward to obtain the many permits and approvals needed to construct a marina, we have no evidence that he has actually filed any applications; the Army Corps of Engineers, for example, has heard nothing from him.
The links below will take you to two articles regarding the Marina and the Council Meeting, published in the Saco Sun Chronicle.
> http://www.keepmecurrent.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=48907
> http://www.keepmecurrent.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=48903
The links below will take you to two articles regarding the Marina and the Council Meeting, published in the Saco Sun Chronicle.
> http://www.keepmecurrent.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=48907
> http://www.keepmecurrent.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=48903
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