Shoreline commission, Save Our Shores urge Saco to resume beach management planning and pursue resilience grant

SACO, Maine — The city’s Shoreline Commission and local conservation advocates urged Saco City Council to restart a comprehensive beach management plan and to apply for a $75,000 resilience grant before the state deadline, noting imminent federal dredging and Corps projects that will deliver new sand to Camp Ellis.

David Plavin, chairman of the Saco Shoreline Commission, told the council the commission voted unanimously at its June 11 meeting to ask the council to place comprehensive beach management on the agenda within 30 days and to seek the state resilience grant. “It was never intended that the county plan replace local plans,” Plavin said, urging a local plan that can support grant applications and collaborative work with partners including UNE, Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission, Maine Geological Survey and the Wells Reserve.

Why it matters: Federal and county efforts to work on engineered beaches and dredging are underway; public speakers said the city needs a local plan to protect habitat, manage public access, and prepare to accept federally delivered sand and jetty work at Camp Ellis.

Public and advocacy comments: Kevin Roche, president of Save Our Shores Saco Bay, said approximately $45 million in federal funds for Camp Ellis has been allocated and that the Army Corps dredge and jetty work could return sand next season; he urged better coordination, permitting readiness and more proactive zoning to capture economic opportunities. Roche said a local plan need not rely on costly consultants and pointed to existing documents that could be adapted for Saco.

Next steps requested: The Shoreline Commission will provide the council with a written vision and reference documents, and asked the council to authorize staff to pursue the state resilience grant open until Aug. 31. No formal council action on the grant application was recorded during the meeting.