Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Dock Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Select Board reverts Libby barge fee to $3,000 per company after public debate
Summary
After a lengthy public hearing on proposed changes to Chapter 36 (Docks and Wharves), the Wolfeboro Select Board voted to revert the Libby barge fee to $3,000 per barge company per year and scheduled a mid-summer work session to refine ordinance language.
The Wolfeboro Select Board voted April 1 to revert the Libby barge commercial fee to $3,000 per barge company per year, following a lengthy public hearing on proposed changes to Chapter 36 (Docks and Wharves).
The decision came after dock operators, nonprofit vessel representatives and residents gave competing accounts of operating costs and maintenance needs at Libby dock. Brian Deshaies moved "to revert the Libby barge fee to $3000 per barge company per year," and the motion was approved by roll call: Senecal YES, Deshaies YES, Thurston abstain, O'Brien YES; Mrs. Murray did not vote because she had recused herself from Libby ramp matters. The motion passed 3-0-1.
Why it mattered: operators and town staff described significant dock repair needs and differing views on how fees should be charged. Luke Freudenberg and Sean Coop, representing commercial operators, said company-level fees allow maintenance funds to accumulate; Freudenberg said the Libby crib and pilings have required work and that the Libby dock would need roughly $40,000–$50,000 to rebuild or repair. Several residents and representatives of nonprofit boats argued for lower or different fee structures for small nonprofit operators.
Board context and next steps: Town Manager James Pineo said the ordinance draft had been worked on for about a year and that if the board amends the draft a second public hearing will be required. The Select Board agreed to schedule a mid-summer work session to clarify fee structure for Town Docks and to prepare for the required second public hearing on ordinance changes. The board also discussed that there are funds in a Libby dock account (board members referenced approximately $42,000) that could contribute to repairs.
Votes and procedural notes: Mrs. Murray recused from Libby ramp discussions because her son operates a barge business. The Select Board formally recorded the roll-call vote and the recusal in meeting minutes. No ordinance amendments were finalized that night; the board’s action reverted the fee level pending additional work and a second hearing.
What was not decided: The Select Board did not adopt the full ordinance language that had proposed higher per-vessel fees; that draft remains subject to revision and a second hearing. The board did not set a final schedule for work-session deliverables beyond agreeing on a mid-summer session.
