A vendor on the Wiscasset waterfront and a local business owner on Rt. 1 appeared at the Wiscasset Board of Selectmen’s meeting Tuesday night and lodged complaints during the citizen comment period.
Mike Maney, owner of the motorcycle apparel shop, Naked Leather on Rt. 1 in Wiscasset said he does not want people to think he is against other business owners, but feels his shop has been subjected to “selective harassment” by town officials. Maney mentioned specific difficulties with Wiscasset Code Enforcement Officer Rick Lang, who was not present at the meeting.
Before addressing the board with his difficulties re-establishing his shop in Wiscasset, Maney handed out several packets of photographs depicting business signs and businesses around town. The photographs were used to illustrate several points regarding the unfair treatment he feels his business has received.
Maney said he moved his shop to its current location about a month ago, across the road from the Maine Heritage Village. He said he was told he could not have a business and residence in the same building, even though he and his wife operated the same business in another location just down the road while living on site for a year.
Maney said he was also told just hours after moving to a new property, it was not permitted for two businesses.
“I’m still fascinated by the fact that somebody in the city knew exactly where I was moving, when I found out only about eight hours earlier,” Maney said, referring to a conversation he had in the town office “And having the time to pull up every violation that they could possibly find.”
Maney said he was “loaded” with paperwork when he went to the town office. Town office staff allowed Maney to operate his business with a “home occupancy” permit, which Interim Town Manager Don Gerrish later confirmed.
The problem with this permit, Maney said, was it prevented him from hanging a larger sign. According to Maney, the ordinance states a home occupancy can only post a two- foot by three-foot sign advertising its business.
Maney listed a number of contradictions with regard to what he was told he could not do, and then later, told he could. He said he was told he could not post products by the edge of the road, which other home occupancy businesses in town do. Maney said they were trying to install plumbing in the building when the plumbing permit was withheld until their sign was taken down.
Added to the confusion was the way in which Maney said he received his information. He said he received messages about what he could and could not do through his landlord, Dan Chapman. He also said Lang gave him messages to give to Chapman.
“It’s absolutely selective harassment,” Maney said, adding there are other businesses in town in violation of the same ordinance.
He mentioned a woman down the road selling flowers who has six signs out. He also commented on several banners displayed at the high school. Businesses are not allowed to advertise on someone else’s property, he said.
Maney said the Maine Heritage Village most likely has quadruple the maximum allowable square footage of sign advertising. There are signs on posts, as well as signage on a stationary boat moored to the land. Maney said he was forced to letter his truck and after he did so, sales increased dramatically.
“I don’t want anyone to have to remove their signs. I think it’s ridiculous,” he said. “It just goes to show you, you have to change the ordinance.”
The photographs he gave to selectmen showed several home occupancy businesses Maney said were in violation of town ordinances. Some of the photos showed property that looked abandoned, with overgrown grass and buildings in disrepair. Maney suggested town officials pursue the owners to fix up these properties.
In response to Maney’s comments, Gerrish said the matter is the responsibility of the town manager and the selectmen’s meeting is not the right venue for resolving the conflict. He said he would speak with Maney and Lang in an effort to resolve the issue.
“I don’t write the rules. They may be terrible rules,” Gerrish said, “If there are other people violating them, then that will be our next step.”
Gerrish said the process to change an ordinance does not happen overnight and requires many more meetings and discussions before a resolution. In response to an inquiry from Selectman Pamela Dunning, Gerrish said he asked the town planner and code enforcement officer to set up a meeting with all of the businesses, developers and other interested parties to open up communication on the issue.
“It does sound to me,” Dunning said, basing her comments on what she heard in the meeting, “We are not in compliance with our own ordinance and that the ordinance is affecting properties that should probably not be affected by it.”
She suggested the Ordinance Review Committee compare the ordinance with the town plan and see what changes could be made.
“We have a reputation of being a business unfriendly town,” select chair Bob Blagden said. “It would be really nice if we could start to move towards being more business friendly.”
He said his experience thus far has been positive, but said the buildings that are currently on the pier are not placed according to a blueprint provided to vendors and selectmen during the last board meeting, when vendors were approved for the summer season.
The blueprint shows buildings placed on the outside perimeter of the pier, to allow free roaming space in the center. While he appreciated selectmen opting to allow the vendors to set up two weeks early this year, Huggins said the way some of the vendors closer to the road have set up their buildings blocks the view of other businesses on the pier.
After contacting the town clerk, Huggins said he was told he should call the harbormaster regarding placement. When he called the number given to him, Huggins said the harbormaster was “extremely rude.”
According to Huggins the harbormaster asked him if he had paid his vending fee and that if he did not like his spot on the pier he could take his business somewhere else.
“I was thrown back – flabbergasted – and I do not know why I was treated that way,” Huggins said.
He asked selectmen if they could address the way the buildings are currently situated on the pier. Some of the buildings are blocking potential customers’ view of his business.
“I’m not asking for any special treatment,” he said. “I just want a fair shake [of being seen].”
Selectmen recalled the blueprint showed buildings were placed on the perimeter. Gerrish said the process is not working. The process that determines where vendors go and who is approved for locations is not clearly defined, he said.
Gerrish suggested town officials hold a meeting to straighten out the matter with the vendors.
“I apologize for the way you were treated,” Blagden said to Huggins. “I value your business there and I’d like to see it remain there and I hope that we will be able to work something out.”
