To the editor

I applaud councilors D’Andrea and Rancourt who wanted to table the issue of giving away Depot Street to a private business without a thorough study and a design of the final outcome. There were a lot of people who spoke against the swap. That should have been a wake up call, instead it was voted down. The councilors represent the people who elect them but only two of them followed through and wanted more information. Councilor Roy voted against the proposal the first time but then voted for it. Sullivan said he would not vote for it but went along with the others. Please, Councilor Sullivan, reverse this decision if there is any doubt when you first stated you would not go along with the proposal. Several hundred signatures were submitted but Coucil Chairman Wood said a lot were not from voters. Well, Mr. Wood, a lot of people own property who pay taxes to the town but live in other towns and states. Do you mean to say they can’t use a public street to go down to the beach just because they are not voters? Public means public – shame on the councilors who against tabling this and reverse this decision.

Karen Lothrop

Scarborough

To the editor

The citizens of Scarborough do not need a lecture about how our form of government works. We learned that in sixth grade. What Mr. Messer forgot to mention is the Town Charter, ordinances and state law all grant and limit powers of elected officials. It also provides many mechanisms for the public to play an active role in how they are governed. When in the course of three council meetings more than 50 citizens approached the podium to express concerns; when a valid and legitimate petition with 370 citizens is presented to make the council aware of the intense interest in an issue; when more than 35 letters appear in the various papers’ editorial sections (Messer’s was the only one defending the land swap plan, by the way), then perhaps that should give elected officials some pause. Tabling a very controversial decision is so easy. That’s essentially all the public wanted; for the council to take time before doing anything permanent and irreversible. 

We also learned in sixth grade that government is a process. These are facts: the land swap deal was negotiated privately without a public process. Disposing of public land is public business. Citizens were denied all details until five days before a council majority voted for it. No public hearing was scheduled prior to that first vote. New information was presented that very evening with no time to verify or reflect. This has become as much about the process of government as it is a land swap. All one has to do is watch the meetings to see how citizens have been treated.

Mr. Messer found it necessary to try to discredit people without any facts to support his statement. Councilor Babine made the same attempt July 15 when he revealed the town has done other discontinuances. I researched the three mentioned and while it was implied they benefited three established Pine Point families, there is absolutely no relationship to those and this land swap plan. This plan literally gives the motel owners 6,700 square-feet of oceanfront public land for free. Do you know what that land is worth, Mr. Messer?

Feud. What a popular term to use. A feud involves two parties. If everyone believes there is a feud, why is the town siding with one party? No, the feud is an invention to discredit ordinary citizens. The real feud has become the people vs. a few members of the council who’ve decided it’s their role to condemn, (to use your words Mr. Messer) “well-meaning” residents, for speaking out.

Sue Perrino

Scarborough

To the editor

This letter is just one of the many answers that can be given to those who question why the Pine Point Association continues to fight the town council on the land swap at the Light House Inn Motel.

All they have to do is go down three blocks to Dunefield Avenue and your answer is staring you in the face. There, attached to the street pole is a sign. The sign reads that the Dunefield Residents Association made their street a private road and that you cannot walk down the public road to get to the public beach access path. The town council approved it. Just like they approved the ridiculous land swap and told all of us at the meeting that historic street is not worth more money than the little strip of parking spaces.

You see, the street comes with much more dune property. So, when will The Light House Inn’s new $5 million condo complex and the Beach Walk Association’s multi million dollar homes have the same type of sign posted on the public access beach path? That’s why we are fighting for this.

The handwriting is all over the sign at Dunefield Avenue, and we have known it all along. How many other public streets will want to do the exact same thing and how many times will the town council approve it? The council has done an excellent job of creating a class society in Pine Point and it is going to be coming to your neighborhood soon. Then, where will all the “other” people go to enjoy a day at the beach?

Pammela and Robert Rovner

Scarborough

To the editor

If you watch the Scarborough Town Council Meeting of July 15 on the town Web site, you will begin to understand how people of Pine Point feel and realize that there was rush to judgment when the town voted to swap and close Depot Street. There was prior secrecy about the swap. The local folks only learned about the proposed swap in June although negotiations have been in progress during the winter.

I have a serious concern. How was the town manager authorized to enter into negotiations to do the property swap? During the July meeting, one of the councilors mentioned that the town manager had been instructed to keep negotiations confidential.  If the manager was not properly authorized at a meeting to negotiate, was he acting beyond the scope of his position? If he was authorized at a regular meeting, are there minutes to support his actions? If there was no authorization by vote of the council in session was the negotiation legal? Where is the public record?

It is time for the council to do what is right. They should vote to rescind the swap and road closure. Do an environmental impact study for shore land and view issues. The center of the current view will be used to park cars and vans many of which are taller than the pedestrians and others on King Street. Preserve the last remaining vestige of view. Respond to concerns of area residents. Perhaps, accommodate the needs of the Lighthouse Inn. But most importantly, preserve the character and charm of Pine Point, one of Scarborough’s best treasures.

Richard Welch

Farmington, N.H.