Planning Board says no approval needed for NECEC anchor relocation

The Starks Planning Board on March 5 concluded that NECEC, LLC does not need Planning Board approval to relocate a guy anchor about 20 feet from its present position on structure 258. Vice‑Chair Ken Lust sent a written response to NECEC’s permitting director, Gerry J. Mirabile, and the letter is attached to the board minutes.

"In my judgment as Vice‑Chair of the Planning Board this request does not require Planning Board approval," Kenneth Lust wrote, explaining that the most recent formal approval had expired and the work being done is governed by a Final Decision Document dated Oct. 16, 2024. Lust added that moving a guy anchor 20 feet—"not the pole itself"—is "insignificant given the totality of the 6 mile project through the Town of Starks," and concluded, "the Planning Board has no objection to this de minimis relocation."

Board minutes record that members agreed with Lust’s judgment and that a copy of his response was attached to the record. The board’s discussion as recorded did not list any additional conditions or a motion to require further review. The correspondence clarifies that the determination pertains to the guy anchor’s relocation rather than movement of the tower or pole itself.

The decision reflects the board’s view that the change is minor and that re‑opening the matter under the town’s Site Plan Review and Shoreland Zoning Ordinances would be disproportionate to the alteration described by NECEC. The minutes do not identify subsequent enforcement steps or requests for further study; they record only the written response sent by Vice‑Chair Lust to NECEC’s director of permitting.