The Wiscasset Waterfront Committee agreed Tuesday to ask the Select Board to examine several issues in early June.

The first is a series of pier policy changes which were not in a final form in time for the 2017 season. The committee wanted to let vendors begin working on the pier before Memorial Day, depending on weather and visitors. Other rules in the policy, however, required vendors to be on site five days per week. That was not what committee members intended for the early start. They just wanted to give vendors the option. The policy did not differ among the piers, but the committee was considering increasing the fees for the Main Street pier, where water and electricity are available, and leaving the recreational pier fees as is. That was not clear from earlier edits of the policy.  If selectmen approve the revised policy, it would take effect in 2018.

Another issue is if Wiscasset should establish a pumpout station for boaters’ septic waste. Wiscasset had a small pump-out station in the past. The pump is still in storage. Town Planner Ben Averill said there are possible Department of Environmental Protection grants that could be used to either repair the older pump, or possibly purchase an entire new system. He said he would check with DEP and get more information about the grant cycle. He said he would discuss the grant options with the selectmen in June.

A third issue involves the use of the recreational pier by commercial boats during the shoulder seasons, from April 1 to Memorial Day and from the end of September through December. Few if any recreational boaters use it then, but it is easier for commercial boaters, especially fishermen and lobstermen, to use. The commercial boaters had asked for permission to use the pier for some fee, and a discussion ensued last winter about what an appropriate fee would be. The committee, in discussion with Harbor Master Preston Dunning, determined a flat fee of $100 would be reasonable. That will also be brought before the selectmen in June.