Pease board adopts vessel‑storage and launching fee increases, tables short‑term parking changes for further study

The Pease Development Authority board approved changes to launching and vessel storage fees to take effect May 1, 2025, but tabled the broader parking fee schedule to let staff refine short‑term parking options for tour operators and short visits.

Operations staff presented a draft fee schedule for Hampton and Rye Harbors. Public commenters and several directors urged modifications to short‑term parking rules so short tour operators and patrons are not charged the full daily rate for two‑hour excursions. Craig Shrek, a Hampton Beach boat operator, told the board he considered a proposed $10 daily parking fee “high” for customers on short cruises and asked the authority to consider 15‑minute or other short‑stay signage and differentiated pricing.

Directors agreed to amend the motion: the board voted to adopt the launching and vessel storage portions of the schedule and to table the parking portion for further staff study and a return to the board next month. Staff noted timing constraints for sending letters to vessel storage permit holders and said some storage fees (winter/summer distinctions) had been adjusted; staff provided example figures during the discussion indicating a summer rate for a 40‑foot vessel near $1,200 and a winter rate near $800, which staff said had been previously increased in prior years; staff committed to clarify and publish definitive rates in the follow‑up report.

The board also instructed staff to consult with the city of Portsmouth on short‑term parking signage options and to return with an approach that addresses equitable enforcement concerns raised by directors and operators. The tabling decision split the single proposed schedule: launching and vessel storage changes were adopted, short‑term and day parking adjustments were deferred for additional policy work.