Trustees stall proposal to rotate float at 26 East Beach Drive over pier-line, depth and engineering questions

John Petrillo, owner of a property at 26 East Beach Drive on Woolly (Woolly) Pond, sought trustee approval to replace aging float modules with a more stable 20-by-5-foot floating dock and to rotate the float’s orientation to make boat access easier. Petrillo said the existing plastic floats are about 35 years old and waterlogged and that a newer, slightly smaller floating module would be more stable for walking and docking.

Trustees and staff questioned whether rotating the float would extend the structure past the authorized pier line in that channel. Staff cited permit language that limits protrusion (previous permit references and the trustees’ rule of a 46-foot maximum from the fixed bulkhead and a one-third-channel consideration). Trustees emphasized the need for stamped engineered plans and accurate soundings showing the float’s interior would sit over approximately 2.5 feet of water at low tide, or else the applicant may need to shorten the float or employ chocks to prevent the float from resting on the bottom at extreme low tide.

Petrillo offered to shorten the floating module or slide it closer to shore by a few feet to keep engines in deeper water if needed. Trustees also asked whether the applicant would use pilings (which would require separate review) and reminded Petrillo that the municipal file needs an accurate summary, a completed application box, soundings, and engineered stamped plans before the trustees can make a permit determination. “We would almost certainly have to reapply or modify the permit if the structure exceeds the 46-foot pier line,” a trustee said, urging Petrillo to obtain an engineered package and to coordinate with dock builders or engineers familiar with local standards.

Outcome: trustees held the application and directed the applicant to return with stamped engineering plans, verified soundings showing the requisite depth, an updated application summary box and clarification on pilings. No permit decision was made at the work session.