Harpswell is seeking new tenants for two small wharf spaces on town land next to the Orr’s Island Bridge, with new selection criteria that favor commercial fishermen and marine businesses from Harpswell.
At its April 9 meeting, the Select Board discussed the wharf spaces — the first to come available via the lottery process — and how best to assign them to new tenants. The town owns the strip of working waterfront alongside Route 24, but the tenants own the wharves that extend out from the land.
A town policy from 2023 lays out a procedure for selecting tenants by lottery, but there will be a few changes this year. Under the 2023 policy, only commercial fishing and other marine-related businesses may apply for a lease. Existing lease holders and their children have first right of refusal for annual renewal.
Those rules still apply, but the Select Board added new selection criteria on April 23 that give preference to applicants with the strongest ties to Harpswell.
Under the new criteria, current taxpayers and residents of at least five years will get top priority, followed by nonresident applicants who have had strong ties to the town for at least five years. Ties include long-term employment in the community. Nonresidents with weaker Harpswell connections, or none, would be considered last.
Applications for the one-year leases are usually due each spring by April 30, but this year’s deadline has been extended until May 31. Applicants must submit a letter of intent to the town explaining why they are eligible and how they would use the wharf.
In a March 25 memo to the Select Board, interim Harbormaster Darcie Couture said one lease holder, Harpswell resident Jack Dunning, had notified the town that he didn’t plan to renew his lease this year. Another lease holder, Harpswell resident Harold Maney Sr., did not renew his lease in 2024 or 2025. Both wharf spaces will be available for lease this year, Couture said.
The town is using the lottery process for the first time after a change in policy years ago, according to Town Administrator Kristi Eiane. Town officials said the current leases have been in place for at least 20 years, although some have been transferred between family members.
Couture noted that the criteria favoring current and former residents is similar to those the town uses in the allotment of licenses for commercial shellfish harvesters. The town leases out a total of six wharf spaces near the bridge.
In an interview, Dunning said his wharf was built on land he has leased from the town for the past 30 years. Dunning said Harpswell only charged him $100 a year for the lease.
“I kind of liked it, especially the price — a hundred bucks a year to have something that easy,” he said. “I just used it for pleasure; I didn’t have any commercial use for it at all.”
Dunning said he began leasing the spot long before Harpswell implemented its commercial use requirement. Still, he thinks the requirement is a positive change.
“I think it’s a great idea,” he said. “My fear was that as soon as I let go of it, some highlander from Massachusetts was going to come up and start giving everyone a hard time.”
Dunning, who lives on Great Island, said having a spot on the bridge meant he was only five minutes away from his boat. However, he has since sold the vessel.
Maney, the lessee who didn’t renew in 2024 or 2025, did not respond to an interview request.
Dunning built the wharf that stands on his leased plot. He hopes to sell it to the next lease holder, even if they only pay him modestly for the materials.
“The wharf itself is mine,” he said. “All I’m leasing is the spot. The town doesn’t own the wharf.”
Dunning said it’s his understanding that the winning lease applicant would contact him about the wharf, at which time he would have the option to sell it, give it away or tear it down, depending on what they decide.
“It’s mine to do with as I please, but it would be nice to get compensated a little bit,” he said. “I’m not looking for a ton of money. … Make me an offer I can’t refuse.”
