WATERBORO — Should the town employ a harbormaster to deal with activity around the community’s popular lakes and ponds?

That conversation was begun by selectmen on Tuesday and will likely continue for some time as the board begins budget planning for the next fiscal year that begins July 1.

Little Ossipee Pond is a popular locale for summer visitors with camps, year-round residents and day trippers who bring their boats or jet skis for an afternoon of fun.

Some say it is time the town began thinking about a harbormaster for Little Ossipee Pond, Lake Arrowhead and other popular town lakes and ponds.

“We’ve talked about it at goal-setting and it’s becoming more and more of an issue — control of docks and different things in water bodies,” said selectmen’s board Chairman Dennis Abbott. “We’re limited in what we can do now because we don’t have a harbormaster.”

Most, but not all, harbormasters in Maine are employed in coastal locales. But some inland communities hire them as well, like Naples where, Waterboro Town Administrator Gary Lamb said, a harbormaster has been employed seasonally for the past 15 years. The harbormaster is paid a stipend to work about 10 hours a week.

“They have up to 700 moorings scattered over four bodies of water in town,” said Lamb in a report to selectmen. “The setup seems to work well for the harbormaster with him doing the locations and field dispute mediation on moorings and town hall staff doing all the paperwork and handling of funds.”

Lamb said Naples officials told him that the arrangement works well there.

Under state law, a harbormaster must undergo a mandatory three-day training. A harbormaster may be armed, under state law, but if a municipality chooses that option, the harbormaster must undergo a 100-hour training for reserve law enforcement officers.

In Waterboro, the discussion is just beginning.

Abbott pointed out that erosion around Little Ossipee Pond is in part due to the large boats there, and wondered aloud if a harbormaster could help solve that issue.

Selectman Dwayne Woodsome said the town hires two deputy sheriffs, contracted to work 40 hours each per week.

“That might be the way to go,” said Woodsome. “The officers are already working. There’s no sense in adding cost to the taxpayer.”

“We’d have to negotiate that with the sheriff’s office,” said Abbott. 

Abbott suggested the idea be brought to the board that will be appointed, as a result of the recent passage of a lake levels ordinance, to handle complaints that arise due to lake levels.

Selectman Tim Neill said the job could be made “as simple or as complex as we want.”

“It’s home rule,” said Neill, pointing out the harbormaster duties could start by dealing with moorings.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].