Working Waterfront
The working waterfront is an essential part of the economic base of Washington County. The WCCOG has worked with coastal communities and partners from around the State of several initiatives to support the culture and economy of the working waterfront with particular emphasis on securing permanent access to the water.
Downeast Institute — Beals Island Boat Ramp & Wave Attenuation RFP
WCCOG is working with the Downeast Institute on Beals Island to upgrade their working waterfront facilities serving commercial, research, and recreational users of the marine resource.
The Washington County Council of Governments sought proposals from qualified firms to design and study two pieces of infrastructure that will enhance existing working waterfront amenities on the campus of the Downeast Institute in Beals, Maine. Both projects, a boat ramp and wave attenuator, are needed to increase the usability of, and access to, 2000 feet of deep-water working waterfront and a 100 ft. concrete and fiber composite pier. The deadline for submission was November 15, 2019 and GEI Consultants were chosen through an open RFP process.
Milbridge Pier — Siltation Analysis and Economic Significance 2019
The Town of Milbridge, Maine obtained Shore and Harbor Management funding from the Maine Coastal Program to prepare an analysis of the sources and causes of rapid and excessive sedimentation at its public boat launch and pier. The results of the Municipal Dock and Boat Launch Assessment Summary Report, completed by CES Inc, are available here. Shore and Harbor Management funds also allowed WCCOG to make use of the Economics: National Ocean Watch or ENOW framework to document the socio-economic significance of these working waterfront facilities to the local and regional economy. The primary conclusions of that analysis include:
- The ENOW analysis provides a vivid description of the significance of the working waterfront to the Milbridge area economy. The relative importance of the two sectors of Living Resources and Ship and Boat Building are far more significant in the area served by the Milbridge pier than they are in the rest of the Maine coast.
- With the addition of the insights provided by the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP.org) data and the Milbridge Marine Committee, the ENOW analysis may only capture less than 5% of the actual working waterfront economy. The ENOW zip code patterns often represent half (50%) of the economic activity at the national level but in the area around the Milbridge pier the ENOW analysis only represents about 3-5% of the economic activity contributed by the Living Resources and Marine Transportation sectors.
The full Economic Significance Analysis can be downloaded here.
Financing Opportunities
In 2011, the Sunrise County Economic Council announced the Down East Commercial Fisheries Fund, a Washington County-based loan fund for fisheries and related marine businesses. Loans range from $1000 - $10,000 and can be used for boat and gear acquisition, creation or expansion of value added products, marketing, energy efficiency, training and others. Contact SCEC directly 255-0983 or online at www.sunrisecounty.org
Communicating What it Means to Live in and with a Working Waterfront
In an innovative approach to addressing community concerns about the loss of working waterfront, WCCOG worked with the towns of Jonesport and Beals to develop Moosebec: The Downeast Fishing Community of Beals and Jonesport (PDF, 648 KB), an informational brochure designed to better inform new and prospective residents about the realities of life in a fishing community.
WCCOG incorporates working waterfront access considerations into Comprehensive Plans and Comprehensive Plan Updates. WCCOG has also helped communities in Washington County development Harbor Management Plans and has worked with communities to secure working waterfront access through participation in Maine’s Working Waterfront Access Pilot Program and other grant program, including Maine DOT Small Harbor Improvement Program (SHIP) and CDBG Public Facilities Grants.
For more information, please contact the Calais (207-454-0465) or Milbridge (207-546-3600) office.