Fish Pier platform dispute spurs lawsuit and prompts legal-budget bump

A dispute over a loading platform at Stonington’s Fish Pier prompted public testimony from dealers and residents and has resulted in a lawsuit that the town said it recently received.

Town Manager TM Billings told the Selectmen that the town had been served with a lawsuit from Sunshine Seafood concerning prior votes on the platform; the board discussed increasing the legal budget to cover anticipated costs. John Steed said the town had tried outreach to the business without success, but board members still asserted a duty to ensure pier safety and public access.

The dispute surfaced at multiple Selectmen meetings. Dealers and pier users including Hilton Turner, Darrell Williams and others urged the board to retain the platform, saying it helps load trucks and supports local dealers. “When I need the platform, people move out of the way,” one dealer told the board, stressing the platform’s operational value to waterfront businesses. Supporters also noted the revenue dealers generate for the waterfront, with one participant saying Sunshine Seafood contributes roughly $10,000–$12,000 in annual payments to the town/library of dealer receipts (figure discussed in public testimony).

Selectmen including Donna Brewer and other residents raised concerns that the platform and associated trailers or totes were blocking access to hoists, creating safety and operational conflicts for other pier users. At one meeting Brewer said the platform impeded loading access and that personal property left on town property complicates pier operations. The Harbor Committee’s prior votes and minutes were discussed but have not resolved the dispute.

On the contested night the board did not take a formal vote to restore or remove the platform; no motion was offered. Separately, during budget work selectmen discussed adding to the town’s legal expense line after being served the suit, with board members and TM estimating potential legal costs in the $25,000–$30,000 range and noting limits in certainties.

The Selectmen also approved other pier-related actions in the same meetings, including a 50% matching commitment from the Fish Pier reserve to support a MDOT parking expansion grant for the Pier.

Next steps: the town will address the Sunshine Seafood litigation through its attorney and may consider further Harbor Committee recommendations and administrative steps to reconcile access, safety and private property stored on town pier areas. No final resolution was recorded in the meetings covered by the transcript.