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Select Board discusses commercial use and permit enforcement at Painted Point boat ramp
Summary
The Phippsburg Select Board spent much of the meeting reviewing complaints that commercial operators are using the Painted Point boat launch without proper town permits, discussed enforcement steps including tickets, fines up to $500, and potential towing, and asked the landings committee to consider ordinance clarifications.
The Phippsburg Select Board opened a sustained discussion of complaints that commercial operators have been using the Painted Point boat ramp and adjacent landings without required permits.
"Eric went down there and ticketed somebody yesterday," said a committee member (Speaker 1), who described multiple incidents in which commercial trucks and trailers took up significant parking and left gear on the ramp. Staff (Speaker 7) said he had warned crews previously and issued a ticket after repeated violations.
Board members restated the town ordinance that prohibits leaving gear on ramps and noted the fine range in the ordinance is "anywhere from $50 to $500," as discussed by Speaker 8. Several members said repeat offenders appear willing to pay fines rather than change behavior, and they floated tougher responses including certified written warnings, temporary or permanent trespass notices, towing and escalating fines for repeat violations.
Speakers also debated how permits are issued: staff said taxpayers must request or authorize contractor day permits (Speaker 1), while some members argued the ordinance's wording leaves room for differing interpretations about whether a nonresident contractor can obtain a permit on their own. One member urged clearer, written wording so enforcement is unambiguous going forward.
The board asked staff to attempt outreach to the company identified by staff, and the landings committee was encouraged to draft ordinance clarifications and operational conditions for commercial use. No formal motion to change the ordinance was made; the next step is outreach and, if noncompliance continues, escalated enforcement.
