Edgecomb petitioners for a special town meeting article for public water access off Cross Point Road faced a crossfire of opposition from selectmen and other residents at the board’s meeting Monday night. Opponents cited safety, liability, and cost issues as main reasons for the town to turn down prospective purchase of two pieces of land for that purpose.
A main proponent, Tom Boudin, sought board approval for its petitioned article, but got turned down following a legal opinion chairman Stuart Smith obtained from the Maine Municipal Association deeming it convoluted and contradictory.
In deference to Boudin, Smith said the board would help him in submitting an article that would be acceptable for a May town meeting warrant, but denied his request for the board to write one suitable, since the board previously voted against the proposal. The proposal would entail purchasing 330 feet of shore frontage and another piece of property across the road as a future public parking site, which petitioners said owners Fred and Delight Murray have offered. The total 1.2-acre parcel is offered for $230,000 and was appraised at $240,000 last fall.
The petition, which 85 residents signed, instructs the town to apply for Land for Maine’s Future for grant funds to supplement money from the town’s Woods Ends boat fund set up to acquire land for public water access. Boudin said there was no way of knowing how much the town should appropriate for the proposed purchase until a grant has been obtained.
In support of the measure, resident Ray Shadis said, “For the past 38 years I’ve lived in town and I personally question when we are going to establish public water access in Edgecomb without necessitating driving to other towns.”
Selectmen raised the cost involved as a legitimate issue at this time. For one, selectman John Johnson said, “It’s hard to ask people to spend that kind of money the way the economy is.”
Selectman Jack Sarmanian brought up another issue. “Is it a priority of timing?” he asked. Instead, he shifted the focus on the need for a new fire station, which he considers more of a priority item than the public access.
Among residents stating their objections to the proposal, Ed Hamilton expressed his concern about safety issues in light of an auto accident he witnessed a few years ago. He cited the difficulty people have crossing the road from the parking lot while possibly carrying kayaks and canoes and/or with small children out of the line of sight on the road, which has a 35 mph speed limit that often ignored.
Hamilton also cited the steep embankment that boaters would have to descend to get to the water.
“Safety is a major overriding concern,” said resident Stott Carleton, waterfront committee member for years. “The current there is strong enough to sink a mooring ball.”
Carleton also expressed concern about “saddling” the town with liability in the future. “We should go into this with our eyes wide open,” he said.
