PHIPPSBURG

It will likely be another few weeks before the Maine Department of Environmental Protection makes a determination on a permit to remove pilings in Phippsburg according to Director of Communications David Madore.

“The parties have asked for a draft order, so that’s going to extend the approval time frame out slightly by about three to four weeks, most likely,” said Madore.

The permit to remove the pilings was first submitted by Jack and Susan Parker, who own a summer home overlooking the pilings, in September 2016. At a public meeting in Phippsburg in November, Jack Parker explained that he was motivated to remove the pilings out of environmental concerns, claiming erosion of the beach as a major factor.

Parker, the CEO and President of Reed & Reed Construction in Woolwich, stated at the meeting that he would pay for the removal of the pilings himself.

The draft order allows the parties involved to look at what the department is planning to do with the permit and gives them an opportunity to provide feedback prior to the permit being issued. Without the request for a draft order, the deadline for a determination on the permit would have been this week.

The Maine DEP was not able to immediately confirm who had requested the draft order.

nstrout@timesrecord.com

The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu