Sebago committee discusses dredging permit, consultant visit and multi-year plan for milfoil cleanup

Committee members discussed plans to move forward on dredging and long-term milfoil control at the Sebago town beach, after an update on a scheduled site visit with Mainland Development Consultants.

A member said the site meeting with Jamie Garland of Mainland Development Consultants will be on Wednesday the 17th to review the jetty and the site; the committee discussed whether to expand the consultant scope to include the parking-lot area so engineering proposals would be ready if state funding becomes available. The member asked whether the consultant does design work as well as surveying; participants said Mainland can do designs and the town would then seek bids from local contractors for construction.

Committee members reported that Charlie completed a pre-application meeting for dredging with state regulators. The group debated whether Charlie should continue his application under his own permit or whether the town should secure the permit in its own name so the town retains long-term control. "We should probably get the dredge permit in the town name," a committee member said, noting that town-held permits would allow the town to subcontract work in the future if Charlie is unavailable. Members agreed to follow up with town staff (John) to determine who will file the town application while allowing Charlie to continue his pre-application work.

Members also discussed equipment ownership and whether the town might purchase Charlie’s barge to gain capacity and contracting flexibility; one member cautioned that restarting the full MELs permitting process could be lengthy and suggested pursuing both tracks (town permit and contractor permit) in parallel.

Milfoil removal and funding dominated the discussion. Committee members described hand harvesting as a safe, labor-intensive method currently used by regional contractors, and raised environmental concerns about benthic barriers and herbicides. A member urged focusing removal on the ramp and the stretch between the dock and the back of the beach where access is most affected. "Hand harvesting is a safe method," a participant said, "but it's labor intensive and comes down to money."

The committee reviewed recent grant and budget figures: members said a previous state grant for removal was $2,000 matched by a small town contribution (reported as $130), which yielded limited days of work; another figure of about $11,000 discussed in the meeting was associated with a separate grant for a courtesy boat inspector rather than removal services. Members proposed pooling resources with the Northwest River Association, Frye Island and neighboring towns and applying for larger grants to fund multiple days of removal and possibly a town-owned boat. Ballpark estimates discussed ranged from tens of thousands of dollars (committee members suggested pooled budgets of $16,000–$20,000 or more) and a multi-year management horizon (several members suggested it could take three to 10 years to bring milfoil under consistent control).

Next steps noted on the record: the committee will follow up with the town manager/John about filing a town dredge permit, continue coordination with Charlie while he completes his application, reach out to the Lake Region/LEA and the Northwest River Association about pooling funds, and explore grant opportunities for longer-term removal and possibly town-owned equipment. The committee did not approve a dredging contract or adopt any formal spending in this meeting.