PERU – Residents and camp owners expressed concerns Tuesday about the state’s plan to build a boat launch on Worthley Pond.
The public’s concerns centered on safety, at the site and also for swimmers and nearby camp owners.
Some residents also questioned the need for a boat launch, wanted to know who would maintain the area, and expressed worries that more boaters would mean more trash and debris.
Resident Bob Redman took a different view, saying that having a boat launch would cut down on the number of places that boats may be put into the pond and therefore reduce the amount of dirt and sludge getting into the water.
The proposed boat launch would be built on state-owned land on East Shore Road, according to officials with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, who answered questions during Tuesday’s public hearing at the Rockemeka Grange Hall.
Under the proposal, the launch would extend 75 feet into the water from the shoreline, which would require 66 concrete planks.
Each plank would measure 12 feet in width and six inches in depth. The site would include a dozen boat trailer parking spaces, including a separate area closer to the water for handicapped parking.
Many residents asked fisheries and wildlife department personnel why Worthley Pond was chosen for the project. They were told the pond is on a list of sites in the state that need safe public boat access.
James Pellerin of the fisheries and wildlife department said the areas that are now being used to launch boats on the pond are “not safe and not adequate.” Those areas include Honey Run Campground, the Snowshoe Club, the beach area near the Pond Store, as well as many sites where camp owners put in on their property.
Another concern of the public is how safe it would be for the nearby camps and swimmers, who frequently occupy the proposed site.
Among the possible solutions included building a fence around the boat launch or putting out buoys to mark the area.
“The site is not perfect, but wherever we put this on the lake there would be this problem” with swimmers, said Ron Taylor, fisheries and wildlife department director of engineering.
All of the ideas will be considered, he said.
The state expects to complete final plans for the launch by late August and hopes to begin construction by next summer.
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