Selectboard approves Castine lighthouse lease for Tracy Lameyer and Mark Hurvitt pending proof of residency

The Castine Selectboard voted to approve a lease for the town-owned Lighthouse to tenants Tracy Lameyer and Mark Hurvitt, but agreed the lease will not be signed until Hurvitt submits proof that he meets Castine’s residency requirements.

The vote, taken during the Sept. 15 meeting at Emerson Hall, was 3-0 after an extended debate over whether the lease should name only Lameyer or the married couple jointly. Selectboard Chair Roberta Boczkiewicz said the board’s priority is that the Lighthouse be rented to a year-round Castine resident so “someone is present there in case of an emergency.”

Attorney Andy Hamilton, representing Lameyer and Hurvitt on Zoom, urged the board to allow only Tracy to be named on the lease; he said that approach "makes the most sense" and that including both names raised concerns for Mr. Hurvitt. Selectboard members pressed the issue of residency and homestead exemptions: Dan Leader said the matter "is not personal" but that affordable, town-owned housing should go to a Castine resident and that the exemption status raised questions about whether the board had been fully informed. Amy Gutow said she was uncomfortable with the implication that listing Mr. Hurvitt on the lease would require him to "give up" his Blue Hill property; she noted a homestead exemption does not mean someone loses a property.

Mark Hurvitt told the board he would be willing to waive his Blue Hill homestead exemption and to appear on the lease. After discussion about the lease language and an earlier provision (identified by counsel as potentially weak if legally challenged), Chair Boczkiewicz withdrew an initial motion and then moved to approve the lease "as written with the understanding the lease will not be signed until Mark Hurvitt provides proof of residency." Amy Gutow seconded; the motion passed 3-0.

Town officials stressed the Lighthouse is a historic town-owned asset intended for year-round, workforce-type housing — not necessarily income-restricted housing — and that the tenant must be able to act as caretakers to the property. Town staff also noted the lease requires two proofs of residency (two of four forms) before execution.

Next steps: Mr. Hurvitt must provide the required proof of residency to town staff before the lease is executed. The board did not schedule further hearings on the matter and gave no timetable beyond that requirement.