King postpones salmon meeting in East Machias Governor thought talks on weir would take place in Augusta

EAST MACHIAS – Citing miscommunication between his office and East Machias officials, Gov. Angus King has postponed a meeting Thursday to discuss a controversial proposal to construct a salmon weir on the East Machias River.

The delay came after a selectman said the board expected the governor to visit East Machias.

The governor’s office expected the selectmen to visit Augusta.

The governor requested the meeting in a May 24 letter to First Selectman Kenneth Davis Jr., saying that he had been asked by the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission to use his statutory authority to override the East Machias planning board decision to deny the salmon commission a permit for the weir.

The proposed weir is part of the Maine Atlantic salmon conservation plan, a state effort to protect the salmon in eight Maine rivers that are listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.

King spokesman Tony Sprague said Tuesday that there was a misunderstanding about where the meeting was to take place.

The governor’s staff believed the meeting was to be in Augusta. East Machias selectmen believed the governor was coming to East Machias, he said.

“The meeting will be rescheduled,” Sprague said.

Sprague said there was no change in Friday’s deadline for public comments on the proposal that King waive the use restrictions in the local ordinance that the East Machias planning board used to deny a permit for the project.

Davis said Tuesday that he had called King’s office to schedule the meeting after he received the governor’s May 24 letter, but that it never occurred to him that King wanted the selectmen to travel to Augusta for a meeting to discuss the weir.

King’s staffers never mentioned Augusta and if that was their idea, Davis said, he doesn’t understand why King’s staff didn’t tell him where in Augusta he and town officials were supposed to go.

“I don’t understand how the governor could make a decision without seeing the site,” Davis said. “The townspeople aren’t opposed to a salmon weir per se. We’re opposed to that site, which is right in the middle of the village.”

Five of the eight rivers are in Washington County, and there are salmon farms near the mouths of all five of those rivers. The proposed weir in East Machias and two existing weirs – on the Dennys and Pleasant rivers – are to prevent escaping farmed salmon from entering the rivers and mating with wild fish or exposing them to disease.

A fish trap already exists on the Narraguagus River and one is planned for the Machias.

The miscommunication about Thursday’s meeting – which East Machias town officials had publicized – is the latest chapter in a controversy that began last June when contractors for the salmon commission began constructing the weir on the banks of the East Machias.

The salmon commission maintains that certified letters were sent to town officials and neighboring landowners in October 2000, advising them of the plan and asking for any objections or requests for a public hearing. There was no response to the notices and the commission proceeded with the project with the understanding that there was no opposition.

Town officials and landowners maintain they never received those letters. Townspeople came to town officials shortly after construction began and the town code enforcement officer issued a stop-work order, telling the commission it needed a permit from the town planning board.

The planning board turned down the permit request Aug. 14, 2001. The board cited concerns that the weir would harm fish, aquatic life and other wildlife habitat; damage the visual and natural beauty of the area; and would be a safety issue because of its proximity to a town park and two schools.

The salmon commission appealed and the East Machias appeals board affirmed the planning board decision Oct. 29.

Fred Kircheis, executive director of the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission, said Tuesday that he asked the governor to exercise his statutory powers because he believes the weir is important to the salmon conservation program and that the proposed site is the only feasible location.

Residents who want to comment to King on the proposal that he override the local ordinances may put their concerns in writing and send them to: East Machias River Weir, c/o Gov. Angus King Jr., 1 State House Station, Augusta 04333-0001.