South Bristol will soon have a public boat landing, dock and park if voters approve a plan to buy waterfront property on Thompson Inn Road.
The South Bristol Board of Selectmen has a purchase-and-sale agreement in place with Damariscotta Bank and Trust Company, which owns the 29 Thompson Inn Rd. property formerly home to Eugley’s Wharf.
A special town meeting will take place at the South Bristol town office Thursday, July 25 at 6 p.m.
The two questions before voters would authorize the selectmen to spend $400,000 to purchase the property and deposit $200,000 in a reserve account for future improvements.
The town would withdraw the funds from earnings on its investments. The balance of the town portfolio stands at $10.87 million as of the end of June.
“We’re very hopeful the voters come out and vote this through,” Selectman Ken Lincoln said. “It will be a great thing for the town.”
South Bristol has been “fairly aggressive” in its search for a waterfront property suitable for a boat landing and park for about 8-10 years, Lincoln said.
The town has seriously considered 3-4 properties, but each deal fell through, often because of resistance from neighbors. “I was within one hour of signing a purchase-and-sale agreement on one of them,” said Chairman Chester Rice.
“It’s hard to find a piece of land they want the public on,” Lincoln said. “It’s always a great idea to everybody, but it’s ‘not in my backyard.'”
A neighbor would always purchase the property or the owner would bow to pressure from neighbors and refuse to sell to the town.
The town anticipates widespread support this time around, partly because of the location of the property next to the South Bristol Fisherman’s Co-op. “It’s in a commercial area,” Lincoln said. “There’s already traffic and trucks on that road.”
“I’m getting 99 1/2 percent positive feedback,” Lincoln said.
The selectmen envision the property as a place for all residents, not just boaters.
“This way, the elderly people that can’t get in a boat and get out, if they want to go down to the shore and have a picnic on the shore, they can,” Lincoln said. “Everybody should find a way to use this.”
The selectmen plan to bring in picnic tables and build a small public restroom, as well as a parking area and a wharf with a float where people can tie up boats.
“We need to take ownership of it and then take our time to develop a plan,” Lincoln said.
A 1943 three-bedroom house and at least two outbuildings currently stand on the property, as well as a large pier and several floats. The property also has a septic system and a well. The town-assessed value of the buildings and land is $527,800.
The selectmen plan to remove the existing structures and might offer the house to a local nonprofit. “We want to be cautious of any hazards,” Lincoln said.
Eugley’s Wharf was a lobster and seafood dealer until about 2010. Damariscotta Bank and Trust Company owns the property as the result of a 2011 foreclosure.
The purchase-and-sale agreement will hold the property until the vote. A town vote some years ago authorized the selectmen to enter such an agreement.
The town’s multimillion-dollar investment fund exists as the result of a 2004 bequest of approximately $9 million from the late philanthropist, social worker and South Bristol resident Ann Wilder Stratton.
The selectmen work with a team of advisers to manage the fund, which continues to grow. The town reinvests the majority of the earnings and uses the rest to offset property taxes.
