Selectmen narrowly approve LIDAR and on-the-ground survey to settle shoreland zoning dispute

The Cushing Board of Selectmen voted 3-2 on July 13 to hire Gartley & Dorsky Engineering & Surveying Inc. to perform LIDAR mapping and on-the-ground verification to resolve whether a private studio falls inside the town's shoreland Resource Protection district.

CEO Scott Bickford told the board Attorney Robert Stoltz, representing the property owner, has already commissioned new surveys and asked the town to pursue formal verification because the town's original mapping used older surveying technology. Bickford said combining LIDAR with ground checks will provide a definitive determination of whether the studio is within the steep slopes that trigger Resource Protection restrictions.

Chairman Alton Grover moved to engage Gartley & Dorsky; Selectman Laurie Haynes seconded. Selectmen Daniel Staples and Martha Marchut opposed the motion, saying the Planning Board was scheduled to receive the LIDAR report at its next meeting and that the selectmen should wait for that public review. The motion passed 3-2.

According to board remarks, pursuing both LIDAR and feet-on-the-ground verification will ensure the town has final proof and avoid duplicate charges if the Planning Board's work does not fully address on-site specifics. The board did not set a completion date or contract amount in the meeting minutes; the decision was limited to engaging Gartley & Dorsky for the work.

The Planning Board was expected to review the LIDAR report at its next meeting; the selectmen's action directs staff to secure the surveyor and arrange a presentation of findings to the town.