Maine Shore and Harbor Planning Grants

The Maine Coastal Program, part of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF), recently announced awards to nine coastal municipalities. The awards will provide support for harbor management, waterfront infrastructure planning and design, and public access.

Funding for the grants comes from DACF’s federal coastal management award from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and from Maine’s Submerged Lands Program. Each grantee will provide a minimum of 25% in matching funds or services.

Grants were awarded as follows:

1. Bath – Guilford Lot Cooperative Fishing Pier: $10,000 for design and engineering services to develop a vacant lot along the Kennebec River into a cooperative fishing pier.

2. Brunswick – Brunswick Public Mooring Field Opportunities: $15,900 to assess options for creating a town mooring field for non- residents.

3. Cranberry Isles – Islesford Town Dock Repairs: $30,000 for engineering and design to repair and extend the Islesford Town Dock.

4. Cumberland – Payson Pier Replacement Project: $20,906 for engineering and design of a new pier.

5. Frenchboro – Waterfront Management Plan: $20,000 to develop a plan for managing municipal waterfront resources.

6. Ogunquit – Replacement of Existing Pedestrian Bridge: $20,000 for design and engineering of a new pedestrian bridge to provide safer access to Ogunquit Beach.

7. Portland – East End Beach Non-Motorized Boating Facility: $22,500 to design new floats and dockage for non-motorized watercraft activity on East End Beach.

8. Sedgwick – Benjamin River Harbor Design and Engineering: $15,000 for engineering of improvements or a replacement for the existing pier, as well as conceptual design of the entire municipal facility.

9. Wells – Who Owns the Beach? Access and Ownership Research: $8,900 to evaluate the applicability of local historical deeds and possible implications on public access in the community.

More information on the grant program can be found at http://www.maine.gov/dacf/mcp/grants/shore-and-harbor-planning-grants.html.