BIDDEFORD — Councilors from the cities of Biddeford and Saco converged Friday evening for a cruise and tour of the Saco River in an effort to discuss collaboration between the two communities.

The goal of the trip was to offer councilors a chance to continue to build ties with one another as the two cities persevere in seeking money to fund a $3.2 million dredging operation of the river they say is desperately needed.

Craig Pendleton, executive director of the Biddeford + Saco Chamber of Commerce + Industry, who helped plan the gathering, said some fishing vessels are not able to flow down the river because there is too much sediment at the bottom that prevents boats with deep hulls from passing through.

At low tide, he said, the problem is even worse.

“One of the most important things is all these elected officials have lived in the area or moved to the area, but they’ve never seen the cities from this point of view,” Pendleton said. “And with the river dredging needed really badly, this gives them a bird’s eye view of what it really is.”

“You can sit up at City Hall and think it, but when we get up the river and you see the sandbars and things like that, it gives them a better idea,” he said.

In February, the cities were denied $6 million in federal money to fund dredging of the Saco River and another dredging operation for Biddeford Pool. The cities are waiting to hear if they’ll be approved for funding for the 2018 work year.

If the dredging operation is completed, the two cities could see an economic boost from increased marine activity, Pendleton said. More boatyards and marinas could open along the river, and educational research currently being performed on the marine areas can be bolstered.

Pendleton said the University of New England is using Ram Island in Saco Bay as a research station, and is experimenting with growing kelp for human consumption in the waters off Camp Ellis.

The dredging operation would also open up the two cities to increased economic development, said Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant.

“We’ve been working hand-in-hand with Mayor (Ron) Michaud and the Saco Council to try and look at the vision of the Twin Cities as it was like 40 or 50 years ago,” Casavant said. “To come out here and recognize the possibilities that dredging could create and to see the problems, yet seeing the beauty of the river is cool.”

Pendleton said the river’s health is crucial to future downtown development because of its proximity to the cities’ mills, which are the defining characteristics of the two communities.

“The renaissance and rejuvenation of the mill district to me really represents the heart of the two cities. It’s why the two cities formed in the first place,” he said. “You have all this focus on Main Street. God bless Main Street – it’s a really important street – but what’s really going to decide what’s happening on Main Street is what’s happening in the mills.”

Saco Mayor Ron Michaud agreed that the trip – a 2.5-hour tour up and down the river from Camp Ellis in Saco to the bridge between the two cities’ downtown districts – was an excellent way to share ideas and further bridge the divide between the two cities.

“It’s an opportunity for us to sit down and realize the value of what we have here,” Michaud said. “It’s a good opportunity for all of us to come in and see how important (the Saco River) is to our community and realize that this is ours – not theirs or mine – it’s ours.”

Pendleton said the Biddeford and Saco councilors meet jointly twice a year to discuss opportunities for collaboration. Last month, Biddeford and Saco hosted a joint mayoral ball to kick off the annual River Jam Festival and raise money for local food pantries.

Biddeford City Manager Jim Bennett said events like the cruise further the two communities’ combined visions. By continuing to collaborate with each other, he said, both cities can make bigger names for themselves as economic engines in the state.

“Communication is important,” Bennett said, relating his experience in Biddeford to his previous role as Lewiston city manager and collaborating with neighboring Auburn. “The two can really always gain to work together when the effect is a relationship. Having the opportunity to do something like this, it’s all a part of the process to build the relationship.”

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].