March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Bucksport marina lease signing expected soon> Facility slated to be open this summer

BUCKSPORT — Town officials are expected any day to sign the lease agreement needed for a new marina to open here this July.

The 20-year lease with Port Harbor Marine of Brewer and South Portland was approved after a public hearing at the Town Council’s meeting last Thursday. Terms of the lease agreement were negotiated during three recent executive sessions with the company.

Town Manager Roger Raymond said Monday that both the town and developer’s priorities had been incorporated into the agreement. He said the best part for Bucksport was the decision by Port Harbor owner Robert Soucy to allow public access to virtually the entire marina site.

“That was something that really made a big difference to the Town Council,” said Raymond. “We get to use the property, and we get a marina.”

The lease calls for Port Harbor Marine to provide 36 slips, gas, water and electricity. Ten slips are to be in place by June 1, a month before the marina will open. The rest would be added during the following year.

The town-owned Marina Point property will be leased to Port Harbor, which must pay real estate taxes on improvements. The company also must pay the town $1 annually for the first 36 slips, and $20 for each slip added in the future, with that rate increasing 2.5 percent each year to cover inflation.

A 20-by-24-foot structure to be built will house an attendant and possibly a small marine supply store. The town also has received grant funds to buy pump-out equipment for the marina and may seek funds for developing laundry and shower facilities, Raymond said.

Since Port Harbor Marine is not seeking exclusive rights to the point property, the town is installing benches and planting shrubs there, said Raymond. The site will be accessible from a walkway connecting with Main Steet.

Only three of the nine spaces in the parking area will be reserved for the company, leaving the rest open for visitors.

Raymond said the major concern expressed at the recent hearing was from a Coast Guard official worried that the development might impede boat traffic. Harbor Master Mike Ormsby reportedly said it would not interfere.

According to the lease, the developer is responsible legally for any environmental damage the marina might cause. The lease also provides for arbitration of any dispute arising between the developer and the town.


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