Selectmen approve two Fish Pier buyer permits over Harbor Committee objections in 3–2 vote

The Stonington Board of Selectmen approved the sale of two buyer permits for the town’s Fish Pier in a contentious, 3–2 vote that split the board and prompted residents to demand the question be returned to the Harbor Committee for further review.

The vote followed lengthy discussion about the Pier’s capacity and safety. Selectman Evelyn Duncan and others said existing congestion, parking limits and skiff traffic make adding buyers risky. Still, Selectmen John Robbins and two colleagues supported selling the permits to local buyers who sought access.

At the meeting, commercial buyer Bill Damon told the board he considered the decision through the lens of his year-round business. He said the change would affect his employees and the boats that sell to him and urged officials to weigh operational impacts. Harbor user Dick Larrabee Jr. asked rhetorically, “What is the point of having the Harbor Committee anymore if you aren’t going to listen to them,” urging the board to heed committee recommendations.

Audience members voiced anger after the vote and called for the board to send the decision back to the Harbor Committee for a fuller capacity study. Selectmen later lost a separate motion to postpone or stay the decision for a month, a motion that failed 3–2.

In addition to the buyer-permit dispute, selectmen and harbor officials discussed maintenance and safety upgrades at the Pier, including hoist repairs and decking work. Selectmen approved smaller, immediate repairs and one-time purchases—such as a safety cage for a forklift and parts for hoist maintenance—while acknowledging that larger repairs or replacement of aging hoists and floats will carry higher price tags.

The selectmen’s action preserves the permits for the two buyers but leaves unresolved broader questions about managed capacity, ordinance changes and whether the Harbor Committee or the selectmen should take the lead on long-term Pier policy. The board directed further review of harbor ordinances and recommended follow-up with the Harbor Committee on congestion mitigation and hoist safety.