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This letter was
sent to the BOS on Thursday, August 22nd.
To
the Board of Selectmen,
The newly formed Webster Lake Association is asking that the dock
and mooring registration process be amended. We applaud your
consideration by putting a hold on the current system.
It is our intention to help the BOS arrive at a simple, cost
effective, non-invasive way to have all the lake residents in
compliance, supportive and involved in maintaining Webster's
greatest asset, the lake.
This group has formed, met, and are enthusiastically discussing the
benefits and downfalls of registering docks through the system
used presently. We are addressing town versus the state process.
We feel that the registration should be done on a local level,
with input from the lake residents. Perhaps a Dock & Mooring
Commission can be established with an accounting method that would
allow this? We don’t have a coastal harbor or municipal moorings.
This is only a lake with private residences and a few commercial
waterfront areas.
The funds generated from this registration are being treated like
another tax and this issue needs to be addressed. There must be a
way that the money collected can go back to the lake for weed
control, shallow markings, education, etc. and not just be
absorbed into a general fund.
The Police handling the registration process can be intimidating
to some residents. Their dock inspections are taking time away
from the patrolling duties, which is detrimental to the rest of
the town. Additionally, some people who have registered months ago
still have not received their numbers, although their checks have
been cashed. Others have been found non-compliant and have not
been informed as to the reason. While their intention is good,
with cooperation we would hope we could eliminate the resistance
and confusion that is evident with this current process.
We
are willing to sponsor articles for the town meeting to accomplish
this but we will need some guidance. As soon as we have an outline
of our proposed process we will bring it to you for your review,
comments and suggestions.
Respectfully,
The Webster Lake Association
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