Category: Conflict of Interest

Town Targets Citizen Petitions

The Citizen Petitions you voted to adopt are under fire again by the Rockport Select Board in their October 11 meeting. After spending your tax dollars to fight applicability of the revised Land Use Ordinance the Select Board has chosen to simply remove the language you approved.

The Citizen Petitions you voted to include in the Land Use Ordinance are in the cross hairs of the Select Board again. Today’s PenBay Pilot reports that tonight’s Select Board meeting at 6PM in the Geoffrey C. Parker Meeting Room (basement of Opera House) will begin the process to remove the language you approved during the height of Covid-19. We encourage you to participate online through the town’s video feed or in person at the Opera House.

They give no reason for the proposal to eliminate a parking, traffic and safety study for proposed off-site or shared parking or waiver of parking requirements by the Planning Board or Planning Department. Remember, the Superior Court upheld these Citizen Petitions. Nor is any reason given for striking the language limiting the size of hotels in the harbor area. One might think that the Rockport Harbor Hotel has plans to regain their monopoly lost through the successful citizen petitions process. Whether that means reverting to their original plan at 20 Central Street, using the copious vacant space in the Shepherd Block or more construction at 14 and 16 Central Street remains to be seen.

It is absolutely worth the time to ask the Select Board why they are continuing to fight the will of the voters. After spending your tax dollars to fight against the Citizen Petitions in court, they now want you to again eliminate third party oversight of the planning process by eliminating the reasonable traffic, parking and safety study requirement. Speak up tonight.

Select Board’s New Parking Lot

Do you want the Select Board to use your money to fund a new parking lot, looming above Rockport harbor, just steps away from the proposed hotel?

You may not have noticed, but the Town and Select Board are now considering constructing a new parking lot adjacent to the sewer pump station along Main Street in Rockport village. Conveniently located for the new hotel, the proposed new parking lot will contain 17 or 28 spaces and loom over our scenic harbor with new retaining walls akin to those behind the opera house. The preliminary design was created by the town retained Gartley & Dorsey Engineering & Surveying (that’s right, the hotel developer’s engineering firm).

You should exercise your right to comment on this new initiative now. The Select Board is discussing the proposed designs on Monday, September 28, at 5:30PM. You can participate via the livestream here http://livestream.com/Rockportmaine and comment during the discussion of the proposed parking. We encourage all to share your thoughts in advance of the meeting, too. Address your comments for the meeting to the Rockport Select Board and email to town manager Bill Post before 3PM on Monday, September 28.

Do you think it is incumbent upon the taxpayers to deliver parking for the new hotel? Do you think a new retaining wall and parking lot hanging above the Goose River will enhance the beauty of Rockport’s harbor? If not, log on to the meeting and share your thoughts.

Learn more in the PenBay Pilot article and send your comments now.