Posted on July 5, 2021
Safe Harbor Marinas hopes to have the expansion completed within a year.
ROCKLAND — A company that owns around 100 marinas across the country unveiled July 1 its plans to expand a marina in Rockland Harbor.
Safe Harbor Marinas hopes to have the expansion completed within a year, with dredging to be done during the winter.
Professional engineer Michael Sabatini along with Bill Morong of Safe Harbor showed a handful of city officials and neighbors drawings for the proposed expansion, and answered questions in the Safe Harbor gazebo overlooking the harbor.
The public informational meeting is a requirement of the DEP application process.
Safe Harbor purchased Yachting Solutions Dec. 30, 2020, along with nearly five acres that Yachting Solutions was leasing from Rockland Harbor Park LLC.
The original marina expansion was controversial when it was first unveiled in 2018. The federal government announced in July 2018 that Yachting Solutions would receive a $1 million Boating Infrastructure Grant. Funded through taxes and fees on motorboat fuel and related equipment, the grants are administered by the National Park Service.
“Maine marinas are a critical part of our state’s working waterfront. In serving vessels that are traveling along the coast, they directly support hundreds of jobs and help connect thousands of customers to local economies,” U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree said at the time of the grant award.
The concerns voiced by the public at early meetings in 2018 and 2019 were that the expanded marina would extend to the southern channel, and would block views from Harbor Park. The new plan is a scaled back one, and there is a buffer between the southern channel and the closest floats.
Morong said at the public informational meeting that he was listening to the public, even though people may not have thought he was.
Christos Calivas, who has been a spokesman for a citizen group Sensible Harbor Infrastructure Plan, said the new plan is better, but he reserves judgment until he receives more information.
An application was submitted to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, where the issue of submerged land lease will be considered by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
If state approvals are received, dredging would be done between Nov. 1 and March 31.
The project also calls for extending the pier that runs toward the public landing by 250 feet. Overall, the expanded marina will be able to accommodate an additional eight large boats, a dozen 40-foot boats, and a dozen 30-foot boats.
Mayor Ed Glaser and Councilor Louise MacLellan-Ruf attended the gathering.
MacLellan-Ruf said she heard rumors that Safe Harbor would limit access to the section of the Boardwalk that it owns, but Morong said that was not the case.
“Safe Harbor has no intention to limit access to the Boardwalk,” Morong said.
Morong also said Safe Harbor has no intention to build large structures on the land side of the property it owns. He said Safe Harbor operates marinas and not hotels.
Archer’s on the Pier will remain. Morong said Lynn Archer runs a great restaurant and is a great tenant.
The additional boats that will be served will be transient boaters who will arrive by boat and will not require additional on land parking spaces for cars.
