Staff Writer

Clammers, fishermen and lobstermen who use Pine Point Pier are one step closer to a new structure where they can unload their day’s catch.

However, the $800,000 project approved April 5 by the Planning Board will not begin for at least six months.

“I really wanted it done this year, the fishermen really needed it,” said Marine Resource Officer Dave Corbeau of the project he has championed for almost a decade. Corbeau said getting needed state and federal permits took longer than anticipated. He initially presented plans for review last September.

Construction will be delayed because dredging and pile-driving work must be done between Nov. 1 and April 1, said Robert Green, Maine Department of Environmental Protection manager for the project.

The restriction was added to the construction permit because driving piles for pier supports and dredging about 100 cubic yards could harm fish and bird populations, Green said.

Town Manager Tom Hall said summer construction of the pier also could disrupt work of fishermen, clammers and lobstermen the new pier ultimately will help.

The new pier is funded with grants from Land for Maine’s Future and $400,000 of town money. It will extend into the Scarborough River from a point between the harbormaster’s office and the Pine Point Fisherman’s Co-op.

The new pier will extend parallel and be linked to the existing structure, which will be kept and maintained for pedestrians. The new pier will be 14 feet wide with a potential 72-foot-wide working area over the river, and is designed to allow light truck traffic and direct unloading of boats, Corbeau said.

Corbeau said he intends to keep the pier construction cost at around $700,000, and has created plans for variations of working areas over the water. The most ambitious plan also calls for electric winches to help watermen unload their catches.

“I’m a penny-pincher. I shop and look very hard to see what we are paying for,” Corbeau said.

The permitting process from the DEP and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is completed, and Green said input from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife was also sought because of the potential effect on birds.

Before construction can begin, a property easement is needed from Tim Staples and Gary Johnson, owners of Pine Point Fisherman’s Co-op, Hall said.

Hall said town land was sold to the co-op in the 1970s. He described the transaction as an exchange of easements that has not been completed because Staples and Johnson are seeking more dedicated parking spaces in the town-owned lot.

The co-op sells shellfish, lobsters and seafood brought to the pier in a store and adjacent restaurant.

Staples and Johnson declined comment on the easements except in an e-mail from Staples that said they approve of the project and Corbeau’s work.

“Our property is very small and we cannot afford to lose the use of any additional portions. Our recent proposal will give the town what they need with no out-of -pocket cost to them,” Staples said.

Staples also said he is “in hopes of having the matter settled soon.”

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