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Planning board recommends Sawmill Marina seek building permit for steel siding and roof
Summary
Wolfeboro Planning Board voted March 4 to recommend that Sawmill Marina apply for a building permit — including NHDES approvals — to replace deteriorated vinyl siding and asphalt roofing with steel, after hearing about long‑standing water damage and recent drainage repairs.
On March 4, 2025, the Wolfeboro Planning Board recommended that the Sawmill Marina Boating Club submit a building permit application that includes its New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) approvals to replace the marina’s vinyl siding and asphalt roof with steel.
The recommendation follows a preliminary consultation in which Mary Pinkham Langer, a Sawmill Marina Boating Club board member and treasurer, described decades of water infiltration from a minimal roof overhang that she said has rotted plywood, warped siding and caused mold behind the building. “The Sawmill Marina was built back in 1988,” Langer said, “it consists of 53 units in the boat storage building and then 5 units in the boathouse building,” and the original installation lacked underlayment under the vinyl siding.
Board members said the change appears to be primarily a building‑permit-level repair rather than a site‑plan project because the marina does not plan to change the footprint, height or use. Board member Brad Harriman said he did not see a planning‑board obstacle and that a building permit would likely be sufficient. Peter Goodwin and Roger Murray focused on the drainage improvements the marina has already undertaken; Murray noted the applicant had obtained the NHDES permit for drainage work and said he was comfortable that recent repairs had improved the situation.
The marina said the structure’s interior is a dirt/stone floor and that replacing the siding and roof will be costly: the applicant supplied a contractor estimate of more than $225,000 to remove the existing siding and roof and install steel. The marina also said it may take up to three years to raise funds to complete the work.
During the discussion, applicants described proposed details: vertical steel siding, steel roofing, modest additional soffit/overhang at the rear to create a proper drip edge, flashing at the building base, and no change to the storage building footprint or its open, dirt/stone interior. Board members suggested incorporating the NHDES approval number on the building‑permit submission and encouraged the applicant to consider architectural trim or shutters so the building will blend with neighborhood character.
The board then moved to “recommend a building permit application that includes all DES approvals.” The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; the board recorded the vote as “Aye.” The recommendation means the marina may proceed with a building permit application rather than a site‑plan submission, subject to the town building‑permit process and the applicant’s inclusion of the NHDES permit details.
The marina representatives reiterated they will obtain additional contractor estimates, pursue fundraising and return when ready with a complete building‑permit application that references the NHDES approvals. The board advised the applicants to include the DES permit numbers and any drainage details in the permit package.
