Citizens hound hot dog stand in Pike’s Park

CALAIS — The Calais City Council did not change its mind Thursday night on the right of Calais residents to buy a hot dog at Pike’s Park.

About 50 residents were at the Calais City Council meeting Thursday night to oppose an earlier council decision to permit Pacileo’s Restaurant to operate a concession stand at Pike’s Park.

In May, the council voted to permit the concession with the understanding that the decision would be reviewed in six weeks.

Restaurant owners Donald and Janice Holmes moved their wagon to the park, and within hours, City Manager Byron Burke received complaints from residents who opposed a commercial venture on the recently improved river walkway.

In his notes to the council on Thursday night, Burke recommended that the council reconsider its decision.

“I have been inundated with complaints from citizens, the (Calais) Waterfront Committee and others, that this facility detracts from the (appearance) of the area. Further, it is precedent setting. The city is providing free what other businesses must pay dearly for, and the city is receiving no benefit for the use of its property,” Burke wrote.

The city manager said he also had received complaints that the concession stand took valuable parking space and competed with residents who wished to use the park without the intrusion of commercial activity.

Burke also questioned whether the stand needed a state license to operate and whether adequate sanitary conditions could be maintained in the absence of hot and cold running water and sewer hookups.

The Holmeses, who were at the meeting Thursday night, said they would continue to maintain a high standard of cleanliness. To compensate for the benefit they received, they offered to add a 10-cent charge to each hot dog and donate that money to the Calais Waterfront Committee.

The Holmeses said they planned to invite senior citizens from Barnard’s Nursing Home for a once-a-week evening in the park with folk music free of charge.

Several members of the Waterfront Committee at the meeting expressed opposition to the concession stand.

Jean Kelley, chairman of the committee, delivered a letter to the councilors that summarized the history of the waterfront project. She recounted how the project was financed through a $40,000 state matching grant, supplemented by $25,000 in municipal funds and $15,000 in local contributions from organizations, businesses and the general public. She said about $8,000 was used to repair and improve the parking area at Pike’s Park.

She urged the council to reverse its earlier decision to allow the concession stand at the park.

Mayor Vinton Cassidy said the councilors had realized too late, that when the restaurant owners tendered their request, the issue should have been referred to the Waterfront Committee. Although, Calais resident Mary Lou McGraw spoke in favor of the stand, most who were at the meeting expressed opposition.

Louis Bernardini, a member of the Waterfront Committee, said the committee had hoped to raise more money to continue the improvements in the area, but he feared residents would be reluctant to donate because of the commercial use of the park.

Councilor David Fletcher reminded opponents that the stand was a temporary facility that would be reviewed in a few weeks. He said the concession could test the feasibility of someday having something more permanent in the area. He said that concession stands were common in parks located in other cities.

” … We weren’t trying to have 40 different stands there and turn it into a yard sale or something like that. We were just trying to see if there would be more use of it and something to draw people into the area,” he said.

If the stand were successful, Fletcher said, someone might explore the feasibility of locating a permanent business near the park.

When Cassidy asked the councilors if they wished to rescind the original motion that approved the venture, no one spoke. The council will review the matter again at the end of six weeks.