Stonington Selectmen grapple with Fish Pier platform dispute as Sunshine Seafood files suit

The Town of Stonington Selectmen spent multiple meetings this winter and spring addressing a contested platform at the Fish Pier used by some seafood dealers, a dispute that culminated in a lawsuit filed by Sunshine Seafood and prompted the town to raise legal-budget estimates.

Selectmen and harbor users described sharply different views of the platform’s purpose. Dealers who use the pier — including Hilton Turner and Jim Eaton — told the board the platform supports unloading, hoisting and day-to-day shellfish operations and urged the town to preserve it for operational reasons. Town officials and other waterfront users said personal property stored on the pier — trailers, totes and other items — obstructed access, interfered with safety and unfairly occupied scarce space reserved for general pier use.

Town Manager Billings told the board she had been served with a complaint from Sunshine Seafood and said the town is preparing to respond. Selectmen discussed increasing the legal budget to cover expected costs; one board member identified a current legal-estimate range of about $25,000 to $30,000, which the town has provisionally added to budgeting discussions.

At public meetings, residents and business owners offered competing practical suggestions: some urged keeping the platform with agreed-upon rules, others proposed removing personal property to free handling space, and several requested clearer Harbor Committee rules and greater transparency on how pier privileges are assigned.

The Selectmen and Harbor Committee have been asked to produce recommendations to clarify dinghy and docking procedures, manage private property on town docks and develop a long-term plan for pier use. The Selectmen noted that resolving the dispute may require legal review and that any changes affecting private rights will follow normal legal and permitting processes. The town has not reported a final decision; the lawsuit remains the principal formal development to date.

The Selectmen did not take an immediate, final vote on removing the platform at the meetings summarized in the record; board members instructed staff to continue coordination with the Harbor Committee and counsel on next steps.