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Selectmen face lawsuit over Fish Pier platform amid heated public debate about access and safety
Summary
Stonington officials recorded a lawsuit from Sunshine Seafood over the removal of a platform at the Fish Pier; the dispute prompted public debate about access, commercial priorities and safety, and the board increased its legal budget to respond while considering options including refunds, mediation or defense.
A dispute over a platform at Stonington’s Fish Pier escalated into litigation and sustained public comment in early 2021, prompting the Board of Selectmen to budget for increased legal costs and to field competing commercial and public-access arguments.
Multiple fishermen, dealers and residents spoke at hearings and selectmen meetings about the platform’s role and effect. Supporters of retaining the platform said it facilitates loading and benefits dealers and users who rely on it. Opponents, including some regular pier users and the Harbor Committee, said the platform and personal property stored on it blocked hoists and created safety and access problems for other users.
Town Manager Billings told the board that the town had been served with a lawsuit from Sunshine Seafood alleging the board’s actions to remove the platform were improper. “We just got served a lawsuit from Sunshine Seafood about the recent votes from the HC and the Selectboard on removing the platform at the end of the Fish Pier,” Billings said during a budget review. Board members discussed the difficulty of reaching a negotiated solution; one option discussed was returning Sunshine Seafood’s $11,000 payment so the company could relocate, while others urged defending the town’s safety and operational decisions.
The dispute has led the selectmen to increase the legal line in the draft budget to cover potential costs related to the lawsuit and related counsel work. The board did not immediately change the pier policy at the meeting where many users testified; instead, members said they would continue ordinance work with input from the Harbor Committee and staff.
Town officials also noted they were coordinating with state agencies on shoreland and harbor rule updates and that a clearer, codified pier policy might help prevent similar disputes. The selectmen said they will continue working with counsel and the Harbor Committee to seek a durable resolution; the litigation status and any mediated outcome were not publicized at the meeting.
