Save Goose Rocks Beach!

There is a Kennebunkport Town Meeting tomorrow and you kids better remember to set your alarms cause it's gonna be a biggin.

In case you are from out of town, or in case you live in town... but under a rock, last year a group of waterfront homeowners at Kennebunkport's Goose Rocks Beach brought a lawsuit against the town seeking to privatize the beach. If the suit wins, the homeowners (who claim their land ownership extends to the water line) would prevent public access to all but 6% of the 3 mile strand.

That means that my parents, who own a home at Goose Rocks, but not on the water, could not go sit on the beach. That means that little ol' me, who pays my taxes and lives a mere three miles from shore, could not go sit on the beach. That means that all those residents who live off renting their houses out for the summer would have to add a caveat to their real estate ads letting visitors know that the beach across the street can be looked at... but never touched.

Crazy, right?

I might feel differently about the situation if Goose Rocks was a constant party. But the beach is so tame that we boycotted it as teenagers. After all, when you're sixteen years old, tame means lame, and guess what, you have a license and can go to the beach five miles away where the cute local surfer boys hang.

With the beach's current level of activity and already limited access (i.e. parking), I maintain that the suit is crazy.

By now you may have noticed the signs all over Kennebunkport asking you to help Save Goose Rocks. If you saw one in front of a barn, well hello! You now know where I live.

The signs are out to advertise tomorrow's Town Meeting where we will vote to approve additional tax dollars to be spent fighting this suit. Because the craziest part of all is that these stubborn waterfront homeowners seem to have endless funds.

If you think you can afford an extra... fourteen? I think? Dollars per $100,000 of your property value per year to help save this beach, please come to the meeting. Better yet, if you rent, come use your resident vote at no cost to yourself! Golden.

But if you do come, come informed. Here are some resources for you to check out.
(If you find a resource from the other side, I'd love to see it!)

A grassroots group called Save Our Beaches emerged after the initial suit.

The town itself has also started a website called Preserve Goose Rocks Beach.

Official notice of this year's Town Meeting can be viewed here.

Last year over 600 people attended the Town Meeting concerning the Goose Rocks issue, with cars parked a good quarter mile in each direction. If you're like me, you know there is nothing quite like the adrenaline rush of knowing your vote counted. And the great thing about a Town Meeting is that, unlike with an anonymous ballot, you can literally see your vote get counted.

So like I said, set your alarms.

The meeting starts at 9 at Consolidated and you're gonna want a good seat.