The Spruce Head Fishermen’s Co-op has been leasing their waterfront property and wharf for 38 years. When property owner and Co-op member Dick Waldron indicated that he would like to sell the property to the Co-op, the Co-op Board and its 60 members quickly decided that now was the time. The Co-op had passed up the opportunity to purchase the property years ago but was now determined to secure their access forever. In a closing ceremony on Monday, Dick Waldron said “We’re doing the right thing. The Co-op members work hard and they deserve to own this property. I can’t imagine the property being used in any other way.”

The Co-op applied for and received an award of $166,250.00 from the State’s Working Waterfront Access Pilot Program (WWAPP) in exchange for a restrictive covenant that severely limits any future residential or recreational uses on their 0.25 acre parcel on Seal Cove in South Thomaston. The WWAPP is administered by the Land for Maine’s Future Program and the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The working waterfront covenant forever protects the site for fishermen’s use, and Co-op President Bob Baines said, “We have over 50 boats that fish from this property. We and all of our families depend on this piece of land for our livelihood. Mr. Waldron’s heart is in the right place. It’s been a long road to purchase this property and today makes it all worth it. On behalf of the Spruce Head Fishermen’s Co-op, I would like to thank the many people who have been involved in this project for over three very long years. The Land for Maine’s Future Program was essential to this success.”

With 74 feet of prime shorefront, a series of floats, a building to store bait and supplies, along with ample office space, the Co-op knows that despite its historical use for fishing access for more than 38 years, the property could have been sold to a buyer with a different agenda. “This project is the poster child of what the WWAPP program is all about.” Says Hugh Cowperthwaite who works for Coastal Enterprises Inc.

Just up the coast a few miles, the Vinalhaven Fishermen’s Co-op also closed their WWAPP project late in

December and have successfully positioned themselves within the island’s major anchorage, Carvers Harbor, to buy more lobster from more boats, and be more successful financially. In exchange for selling a protective covenant to the state that will guarantee use of the one acre property for commercial fisheries access in perpetuity, the Co-op membership invested their $178,750 award in the construction of a brand new 900 square foot bait freezer and refrigeration building.