By David Harry
Staff Writer

Lobsterman John Gilman has been hauling his bait and catch to and from the Pine Point Pier for 38 years.
“The way we do it is right from the dinosaur age,” Gilman said Monday as he and his helper Rick Googins lugged totes of lobsters from a small boat called a punt to the back of his truck.
By next spring, Marine Resource Officer Dave Corbeau hopes Gilman and other watermen will be able to give their punts the boot and load and unload directly from boat to truck at a new Pine Point Pier.
On Monday, Planning Board members endorsed the plan, but withheld their approval pending a decision from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
The DEP decision will come after a public meeting for the state permit at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Pine Point Fire Station at 12 King St.
Board Chairman Allen Paul said an endorsement by the board was sought by the DEP before it decides to grant its permit.
Corbeau said a new 15-foot wide pier extending from the rear of the Pine Point Fisherman’s Co-op will open to a 70-foot wide working area, allowing about 30 commercial lobster fisherman and 35 clammers to be less dependent on tides to work.
The new pier will be set about 2 1/2 feet away from the existing one and the two will be linked, Corbeau said.
Beyond the working area will be a network of floats incorporating ones already in use at the existing pier. Those floats will provide a fenced in area to berth the boat used for emergency services, Corbeau said.
Watermen, including Gilman and Googins, typically handle 100-pound totes of bait or lobsters three or four times between the boat and shore. Although they would not be able to berth their boats at the new pier, pulling up to unload could cut their labor in half, Gilman said.
The loading and unloading will be helped by the installation of two cranes equipped with winches that can lift up to one ton, Corbeau said.
The new pier, which Corbeau said he hopes will not cost more than $750,000, will provide 24-access and be sturdy enough to support lighter emergency vehicles. The plan also includes better lighting to reduce glare off the water.
Corbeau said the town allotted $400,000 three years ago with the condition that at least as much be raised through grants.
According to Town Manager Tom Hall, a grant of $318,000 from the Land for Maine’s Future Fund has been approved for the project.
Corbeau told Planning Board members Monday grants of about $120,000 from the Maine Department of Transportation have helped pay for planning and engineering costs.
The existing pier, built in 1972, may become a spot for picnickers, Corbeau said.
If approval from the state and town comes quickly, Corbeau said he would like to get bids on the project to be ready for November construction. Should the DEP approve the plans, the Planning Board signaled its intentions by moving to make the application a consent item that will not require discussion at a future meeting.
“I’d like to slide this through rather quickly,” Paul said.

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219