STANDISH – Residents of Standish have long fantasized about the day when the town would offer a public beach on the shores of Sebago for all to enjoy. On Tuesday night, the first step was taken to make that fantasy a reality.

The Standish Town Council voted to execute a Memorandum of Understanding with the Portland Water District for a public beach on the lake’s western shore, just outside the 2-mile no-bodily-contact limit.

The memorandum states that the town has decided on property located on what is known as the Cargill lot with access from Harmon’s Beach Road for the “purpose of swimming and related recreational activities.” The area under Standish control would also include the sandbar beach area, which is already allowed for use by the district and is a popular boating destination.

The board of trustees for the water district, which owns the land, would need to vote in favor of the proposal to make it a reality. While district spokeswoman Michelle Clements said a few trustees have concerns about water quality, she sees the process with the town moving forward in a positive direction.

“I think a lot of the trustees are interested in providing a beach outside the 2-mile limit and it’s just a matter of agreeing upon the fine details,” Clements said Wednesday. “They acknowledge that we are in the community, in Standish, and they acknowledge our part, our involvement, and want to be part of the community.

“And it’s been something that a lot of residents, over the years, and the Town Council, have been interested in, and we’ve been working with them. I can’t say that all the trustees expressed positive interest. There are still some concerns. Water quality is still our No. 1 concern, making sure that water quality is protected.”

The memorandum also states that the district would allow Standish to sign a 25-year lease and allow the town to construct, at its own expense, a parking area and sanitary facilities. If the district terminates the lease before the 25 years are up, it would compensate the town for any incurred development expenses. Standish voters would need to approve the beach in a referendum, a process that in the past decade has failed twice, and only Standish residents would be able to use the beach.

“By acceptance of the memorandum tonight, we can take the next step, which will be the first of many,” said Councilor Karen Tompson, who served on the Beach Ad-hoc Committee.

Approved unanimously by the council, the memorandum will now go to the district’s board of trustees for approval.

“We have been working with PWD representatives during this entire process,” said beach committee member Steve Nesbitt. “We’ve done a nice job together and the water district has been very supportive. We see no reason the memo will not be accepted by the district’s board.”

If accepted, the next steps will include negotiating easements from property owners, completing an engineering design study, and sending the idea in various stages to the voters.

“It’s not a big rush to get this done,” said Tania Adriance, a member of the beach committee. “There will not be a beach this summer, and maybe not even next summer. This is the beginning.”

Still, the promise of a public beach is exciting.

“The committee did such an excellent job on this,” said Town Council Chairwoman Lynn Olsen. “To give us the option of a public beach, finally. It is just a lovely thought.”

Although the Cargill lot has long been discussed as a possible location for the beach, the site on the western side of the Lower Bay is a minor miracle given the water district’s past preference for a beach on the eastern shore. The water moves counter-clockwise through Lower Bay, so any pollution caused by a beach on the western shore, namely in the form of fecal coliform bacteria, would only have to travel a short distance before reaching the intake pipes.

Clements said, “Moving forward is going to be the challenging aspect as far as negotiating a lease and a management plan.”

Clements said Standish reached out to the district “wanting to bring this back again.” She said another item needing further discussion is the tax implication “because we have that land in tree growth and we’d have to take it out, so that’s been an issue for us. We certainly don’t want any penalties. How that property would be taxed is a big concern for us. If we’re giving land to Standish for a beach, we don’t taxes and fees because of it.”

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