I would like to share more information on the Board of Environmental Protection’s decision to overturn the department’s granting of the Uliano pier. The BEP had to specify the issues they were voting on. These three were scenic and aesthetics, cumulative impact and alternatives. The board chairman referred to Salisbury Cove as a community set apart from other communities. They questioned, if one pier goes up now, how many more will follow. The board remembered that one neighbor said he definitely would put one up if the Uliano pier were granted.

The issue I want to expand on is alternatives. The board also determined that the department erred when they reported there were no practical alternatives, referring to the Salisbury Cove shoreline as exposed and rocky. The wide beach of small pebbles that belongs to the Sand Point Association and that abuts the Uliano property is probably one of the nicest beaches in Salisbury Cove. When the BEP members visited the site they didn’t see new evidence, they saw the truth. They saw areas where dinghies, inflatables and other watercraft could be stored along the shorefront. They saw an unspoiled shoreline. They saw vast ocean frontage. They saw Eastern Bay. They also remembered seeing photos of boats moored in Eastern Bay.

For years residents of Salisbury Cove have moored boats in the bay using practical alternatives instead of piers to reach their boats. One of the results of this practice is one of the most pristine shorelines on the island. What better legacy for both the present and future generations.

Mary B. Opdyke

Salisbury Cove