Cost of Permanent Dock

[Sue Doe-Nym]

Originally Posted by jmen24

I don't have doubts, I am fully aware of when the approval was given for this project. I am really just splitting hairs on "more than 10 years", that should read literally as just over the 10 year mark, by months.

It is quite common for towns to have "tighter" zoning regs than the state, New London is one such town in regard to shoreland zoning, but to flat deny the ability to conform to the state prescribed regulations of an approved structure on state controlled waters, seems bold!

Do you know the reasoning behind that decision?

I attended most of the Planning Board meetings when the ordinance was proposed. Basically, the Squam Lake powers to be put together a well oiled presentation to towns surrounding Squam, insisting that boathouses were the worst thing to ever happen to a lake. Tom Curren, then the Executive Director of the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, and the head of the Squam Lakes Association both made strong arguments concerning all sorts of environmental issues. They had obviously had prior discussions with the PB Chair Mark Tempkin and before anyone knew it, the proposed ordinance was approved to be put on the ballot for approval at town meeting. I believe that Center Harbor had already approved such a measure.

To the best of my knowledge, no towns that did not have Squam frontage were pressured to ban boathouses. Personally, I always thought that boathouses were fine and thought the ordinance was not necessary. In fact, hasn't it been proven that boathouses built over the water rather than dug into the land cause no ecological/environmental problems?