The wharf, located on the New Meadows River in the village of Sebasco, was built in 1989. Its small size, 70 feet by 10 feet 6 inches, and tidal restrictions practically make it necessary for fishermen to stand in line and pick a number to use it. Only one person at a time can put a boatload of traps on the wharf and only one boat at a time can tie up there, from about three hours before to three hours after high tide. As Arthur (Sparky) Pierce, Jr., Chairman of the Town Landing Committee, said, “There could have been a lot better places, but that’s all the town had.”
Presently, 26 of the town’s approximately 80 fishermen holding lobster licenses use the wharf to put in and take out gear and sometimes land their catch. It is also available for local recreational boaters — Phippsburg residents, taxpayers and their guests.
Under the new plan, drawn up without cost by Prock Marine Company of Rockland, the wharf will be twice as long and will contain a 24- by 60-foot L-shaped head at the outboard end. Prock’s plan says the town will have a minimum of 7.0 feet of water at mean low water at the outer face and a minimum 6.0 feet of water, same tide, inside the L. It could be possible to berth six 12- by 36-foot boats at the same time at the pier. There will be five ladders, two gallows-type take-out stations and PVC conduits for future electrical installation. Stephen Durrell, Project Manager at Prock Marine, estimated that if the permitting process goes smoothly, the pier could be completed by December 2005.
As is true now, pickup trucks will be permitted on the wharf, but the present 70-foot section would have to be reinforced for it to be safe for larger vehicles like a bait truck.
The new L will have a wave fence on its outer face, the west side, to give protection from prevailing southwest winds. It could be possible in the future to put in a float on the inner side of the L so fishermen could tie up skiffs they use to reach their boats. Presently, fishermen who use the wharf depend on private property owners and commercial business wharves for space to tie up skiffs or have a haul-off. (Only a handful of Phippsburg fishermen still live on the water; a mere five percent of Phippsburg’s coastal property is owned by year-round residents.)
Pierce, who has been chairman of the Town Landing Committee for several years and a member since it was formed, explained that because of the continuing escalation of coastal property values and its purchase by non-marine interests, the committee felt it was vital to improve available town access.
“The shore is being bought up,” he said. “We just don’t know how long people will be able to hang on to their property.” Also, he noted, a natural disaster could close a commercial fishing business or temporarily disrupt it, eliminating that access.
Pierce explained that there is only one other town wharf, located at Popham Beach. The town leases it from the state and makes it available to anyone. Last year, the town invested $30,000 to repair that wharf.
About 10 of the fishermen who use the Acre Lot Wharf store gear on Malaga Island, directly across from the wharf. The island has been acquired by the Phippsburg Land Trust, which has assured fishermen they will be able to continue their traditional use, but, Pierce said, that could change. The Town Landing Committee is aware that the day could come when the Acre Lot Wharf would be the only place these fishermen and others could have full access. Eventually, the committee hopes there will be a way to increase the limited parking space at the Acre Lot, especially if the wharf becomes primary access for many fishermen.
Leaving gear or a boat unattended at either of the town wharves is against Town Landing Committee rules, but instances have occurred where a fisherman put his gear on the Acre Wharf during low tide and was unable to get it off at the next high tide because the weather turned for the worse. In these cases, regulations have been stretched, creating some bad feeling among fishermen about unfair treatment when the rules were enforced. Expanding the wharf, Pierce said, would make it possible to enforce the rules. “There would be no reason to leave gear on unless the weather is totally extreme,” he said.
The town scheduled a special Town Meeting on June 22 to ask for approval of the Maine Bond Fund’s interest rate and payment schedule for the wharf loan. The Bond Fund requires that these specific figures be incorporated in the Town Meeting article. Mike Young, Town Administrator, said if in the unlikely event this was voted down, the town would turn to C.E.I, which has a slightly higher rate but does not require any further town approval.
Pierce said the Town Landing Committee has been working on the plan to expand the Acre Wharf since last fall. He was gratified that townspeople validated the committee’s work by supporting the plan almost without exception. “When I stand at the wharf,” he said, “and look across to Malaga Island, I see all those hands up at the meeting.”