Public forum on houseboats

houseboat forum
Event Date: 
Tuesday, September 8, 2020 - 6:30pm

What regulations -- if any -- should be enacted on liveaboard boats on Belgrade's lakes will be the topic of a public forum Sept. 8. 

The forum will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. Citizens may access the forum at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82162969587. The forum will also be streamed live on the Town's Facebook page. The gathering is meant to allow the Board of Selectpersons and its ad-hoc Moorings Committee gather citizen ideas that will allow the Town to address environmental concerns houseboats may pose while preserving the character of Belgrade's lakes. 

The Moorings Committee has been studying the issue and options for more than a year. Ideas have ranged from allowing vessels operated by their owners to stay overnight on the water for up to three days to prohibiting sleeping aboard a boat within 200 feet of the shoreline. 

If the Selectboard approves an ordinance regulating liveaboard boats, voters would have to approve the initiative for it to take effect. 

Questions about the forum and input on the issue can be addressed with Town Manager Anthony Wilson at townmanager@townofbelgrade.com or 207-495-2258.