For Immediate Release
August 12, 2005

State Board Approves IFW application for Mere Point Boat Launch

PORTLAND, Maine -- A Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife 
application
to build an all-tide public boat launch on Mere Point in Brunswick was 
given
unanimous approval by the Board of Environmental Protection yesterday 
at a
public hearing in Portland.  

"The board thoroughly reviewed all the issues, and they have affirmed 
the
need for public access while ensuring that this project is done in an
environmentally responsible manner," said Ken Elowe, Director of 
Resources
for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. "This project 
benefited
from the intense scrutiny of the board, and will be a facility that 
will
meet the needs of the public while minimizing the impact to the
environment."

The approval by the Board of Environmental Protection ensures the Mere 
Point
Boat Launch meets or exceeds all state environmental standards. The 
board
voted to permit the project 7-0.  

The all tide access ramp would give boaters, kayakers, canoers and
pedestrians access to northern Casco Bay. It would be the only all-tide 
boat
launch in upper Casco Bay, and the only public boat launching facility
between Yarmouth and the New Meadows River. 

"We look forward to working to meet all local requirements, partnering 
with
the town of Brunswick as the Mere Point boat launch is constructed and
managed to meet the present demands for access, as well as ensure that
future generations will have access to the ocean," said Elowe.

The all-tide access point would be situated on a 7.47-acre parcel 
located
between a marina with over 140 moorings and private boat ramp for an 
island
community. The proposed lot has approximately 400 feet of shoreline.

The proposed all tide access ramp addresses a long-standing desire by 
both
the Town of Brunswick and the State of Maine for all tide access to 
northern
Casco Bay. This need was reaffirmed by by a poll of registered boaters
conducted by Command Research and Kleinschmidt Associates.  

According to a report by the Army Corp of Engineers, the proposed boat
launch site has been determined to be the least environmentally 
damaging but
practical alternative of 15 sites in Northern Casco Bay. This finding 
came
in mid-January after the Army Corp of Engineers reviewed the list of
alternative sites. The project currently meets or exceeds all state
environmental statutes.

With the help of a Brunswick Citizens Advisory Committee that included
proponents, opponents, and officials from the town of Brunswick, the 
boat
launch has been redesigned to better fit the needs of the town of 
Brunswick
and state. The committee has also worked on issues such as non-boating 
uses,
parking, site size, signage, safety, sanitary facilities, traffic, 
security,
lighting, noise, trash management, boat sizes, and others. 

Multiple designs were examined for the site, including over 20 
different
layouts for parking and traffic circulation, and since its first 
proposal,
the number of parking spaces has been reduced from 84 (with the 
possibility
to increase to 100) to 55. The access road to the launch was moved 
further
south to minimize traffic and environmental impacts. 
The ramp is in the narrowest intertidal zone on the property, lessening 
the
environmental and scenic impacts. 

New road access from Mere Point Road responds to concerns of neighbors 
and
opponents that the ramp would increase noise and traffic on the 
existing
Birch Island Road. It eliminates the widening of the Birch Island Road 
Which
would have had more of an impact to freshwater wetlands in the area.

The all-tide launch site is protected by the neck of Mere Point on the 
west
and the Birch Island on the east, offering a sheltered area for 
launching
and retrieving boats.

The proposed boat launch will consist of a floating dock system, with a 
ramp
on either side of the floats, one ramp for launching and the other for
retrieving boats. The launch site will be in an area that is already 
used
for moorings by the private Birch Island community.

The Brunswick Town Council has voted in favor of the project several 
times,
as it satisfies the town's desire for an all tide boat launch to 
northern
Casco Bay. The Department purchased the lot in January of 2002, after
receiving approval from the Brunswick Town Council to go forward with 
plans
to develop the site into a public all-tide launch site for all 
recreational
boaters such as anglers, kayakers, sail boaters and others.

The Board of Environmental Protection is a citizen board, which by 
statute
is to make informed, independent and timely decisions on the 
interpretation,
administration, and enforcement of the laws relating to environmental
protection and to provide for credible, fair, and responsible public
participation in Department of Environmental Protection decisions The 
Board
shall fulfill its purpose through rulemaking decisions, decisions on
selected permit applications, review of the Commissioner's licensing 
and
enforcement actions and recommending changes in the law to the 
Legislature".


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