Lubec will explore short-term rental ordinance

Lubec will create a committee tasked with crafting an ordinance to manage short-term rentals, a step officials say is necessary to help manage the impact of rentals on the housing crisis in the area.

Towns across the state, including in Washington County, are facing a housing crisis, with low- and middle-income Mainers often priced out of their communities.

At their meeting late last month, the Lubec Select Board discussed the impact that short-term rentals have on the housing crisis in Lubec, ranging from driving up rents for working people to increased burdens on town services like parking.

At that meeting, Selectman Dan Daley, who owns rental properties himself, floated the idea of implementing some sort of a moratorium on short-term rentals to give the town time to come up with a plan to address the issue, and this week the town’s code enforcement officer, Alex Henry, came back to the board with a short presentation about potential next steps.

After consulting with the Maine Municipal Association, Henry recommended the town form a committee to work on crafting an ordinance similar to one the town of Stonington passed in 2023. 

The Stonington ordinance defines short-term rentals as any rental contracts under 12 months, and requires that owners register and pay yearly registration fees to the town. The Stonington ordinance differentiates between owner-occupied rentals held by Stonington residents and those owned by out-of-state residents, with different fees for each category. 

The Lubec board voted to approve Henry’s proposal, and the “Ad-Hoc Short-Term Rental Ordinance Committee” will consist of two members from the planning board, two members of the public, two members of the selectboard, and Henry. 

Later in the meeting, during public comment, Lubec residents Birgitte and John Delaney brought the town an update on the Ocean Provider incident from last month. They said they had contacted the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit in Belfast and learned that the Coast Guard had opened an investigation into the incident. 

Reached by phone, the Coast Guard confirmed that they have opened an investigation. Petty Officer Ethan Hull explained that the incident falls under the Code of Federal Regulations, which requires any collision that happens at sea be reported to the Coast Guard.

Hull said such investigations can take weeks or months, depending on the complications involved, and said that the resulting report will be used to determine whether any laws or regulations were broken.

On the morning of Feb. 10, the Ocean Provider, a Canadian-owned, approximately 80 foot steel-hulled vessel operated by a Cooke subcontractor, collided with Lubec’s recently-repaired commercial pier, cracking three pilings. The Provider did not report the collision at the time, and the incident only came to light when a local fisherman noticed the damaged pier and reported it to harbormaster Ralph Dennison, who then contacted Cooke and confirmed their responsibility.

Reached by phone after the meeting, John and Birgitte said they were pleased with the board’s response, but that they remained upset over the incident. “Damaging a commercial pier and leaving without reporting the crime, even 17 days after the fact, is not acting like a good neighbor,” John said. Brigitte worried about a precedent being set for a double standard. “If a local lobster boat did the same thing, what would happen to them?” 

On Thursday, Cooke Aquaculture compliance officer Jennifer Robinson told Selectman Dan Daley that repairs for the pier will cost $40,000 and will take about four weeks. 

Devin Prock of Prock Marine Company, who Cooke hired to make the repairs, said he hopes to start work in the second half of April. The new pressure-treated pilings are being shipped from Maryland, and their installation will require a boom truck, work boats, and divers. 

Based in Rockland, Prock Marine Company did the last round of repairs to the pier, work that was funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a resiliency grant from the Maine Department of Marine Resources. That round of repairs finished late this past January, just two weeks before the collision.

Smokehouse relocation, marathon discussed

Two members of Lubec Landmarks made a short presentation about a project to relocate the McCurdy Smokehouse to land currently occupied by the Peacock warehouse complex on the southern end of Water Street.

Sandra Teran, Lubec Landmarks’ secretary, explained the proposal and asked the board to sign a letter of support for the project that Lubec Landmarks plans to use in their application for federal funding. Teran said they will submit the letter, along with their application and many other letters of support they have received, to Sen. Susan Collins’s office next week as part of pursuing funding from the federal office of Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development.

Teran said that, if approved, the project will ultimately take about three years from start to finish, with spring 2027 as the earliest potential start date. Teran described the THUD Economic Development Initiative as a very competitive grant process, with thousands of applications coming in from all over the country, but said that the McCurdy Smokehouse is one of only three buildings of its type remaining nationwide, and the last remaining building of Lubec’s once-vibrant sardine processing history. 

Teran and the board discussed potential benefits, including the new building’s potential as a tourist attraction and an opportunity to reduce blight and improve parking downtown.

The board also heard a presentation this week from Dan DeLuca about the plans underway for this year’s Bay of Fundy International Marathon. DeLuca said registrations this year are at 574 participants, already exceeding last year’s figures.

He said that the Maine Sports Commission and the University of Maine are conducting an economic impact survey on the event, but shared that the marathon raised $19,200 last year for local non-profits.