Saturday, March 5, 2011

Dolphin Marina and Basin Point: dredging up the “helpers” in the bureaucratic muck

I glanced at a copy of the March edition of the Harpswell Anchor as we had breakfast this morning.

While we haven’t been out there in some years, it was interesting to see that the Dolphin Marina and Restaurant on the tip of Basin Point is undergoing major improvements in just about every regard.

The article had this informative passage:

As with any development, the permitting process has been a challenge,the Saxtons (the owners) say.  They have passed through an alphabet’s soup worth of acronymed agencies: Maine DEP, US EPA, US Army Corps, ME DMR, ME Fire Marshall’s Office, ME Department of Conservation, Harpswell planning office, Harpswell codes office, and FEMA.  (that’s right, FEMA!)

“The most challenging process was dealing with FEMA on our flood zone,” says Chris.  “This process alone took over a year and the expense we paid to an environmental engineer was unexpected.”

So the next time anyone tells you the Government isn’t here to help you when you want to grow your business, you can tell them you know better.  Look at all the help the Saxtons got, and are probably still getting.

Here at Side we feel pretty good about all of this, because the article points out the new restaurant will have ‘waterless urinals.’  I believe this is intended to remedy the fishy smell that often afflicts waterfront locations.  Here’s hoping they don’t have waterless dishwashing, too.

Or even worse, waterless boating.

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