Although South Portland’s waterfront is considered to be a valued asset and a significant contributor to both the natural beauty of the city, as well as the local economy, it’s been nearly 20 years since there has been focused oversight of waterfront activities.

That’s one reason why the City Council is considering the creation of a new Waterfront Advisory Committee that would have the primary responsibility for making recommendations regarding land use, management and preservation along the shoreline.

During a workshop on Feb. 9, the majority of councilors were supportive of creating a new group that would have oversight of the waterfront with Councilor Claude Morgan, the District 1 representative, arguing a new waterfront committee could ensure “we don’t miss opportunities.”

Prior to the workshop Mayor Linda Cohen told the Current she’s all for naming an advisory group to oversee the waterfront saying that area of the city needs more oversight than it’s getting now because “there is a lot of potential.”

During the meeting Cohen said her prime concern is that the city has “huge pieces of waterfront that are being underutilized.” She, along with several of the other councilors, would also like to see more focus put on tourism.

For Morgan, whose district includes the waterfront, the problem is that “we’ve suffered from a lack of cohesive vision (for the waterfront). The time has come for a conversation about how best to use every inch of the waterfront.”

Councilor Tom Blake agreed and said, “I firmly believe” it’s time to make this investment in the waterfront. He said South Portland has 14 miles of coastline that includes six oil terminals, the Southern Maine Community College campus, six marinas and hundreds of other businesses, along with residential property.

While both Blake and Morgan said that South Portland should continue to have a voice in the Waterfront Alliance, which mostly focuses on the Portland waterfront, they also said that the South Portland side of the harbor is unique and important enough to have its own committee dedicated to waterfront issues.

“We need to look at what’s good for South Portland, we are totally unique,” Blake said.

He was backed by Councilor Patti Smith, who said a South Portland-based waterfront committee is called for “because we have our own issues” that require attention.

Smith said it’s her hope that a new waterfront committee in the city would look at issues as diverse and as important as recommendations for dealing with sea level rise, as well as increasing tourism and reviewing issues related to new development and redevelopment.

“Change happens, and we should be part of it,” Smith said.

Councilor Melissa Linscott agreed and said, “There’s a lot of potential” in a new waterfront committee, but she also wants to make sure the group is “very inclusive and open.”

In terms of what he would like to see the waterfront committee take on, Blake said the new ordinance creating the advisory group should reference the city’s Climate Action Plan, as well as issues relating to view corridors and public health.

“What I want to see is a truly mixed-use waterfront,” he said, adding that the mission or purpose statement for the committee should be used to drive the membership of the group.

In terms of the duties of the new waterfront committee and who should be on it, Cohen told the Current prior to the Feb. 9 meeting that, “We have a lot of people who make their living on the water or who own property on the waterfront and have a unique perspective. I would value their input on the direction the waterfront should take.”

In a memo submitted to the council prior to the recent workshop, City Manager Jim Gailey said he brought forward the idea for a new Waterfront Advisory Committee because, “over the last 18 months a significant amount of conversation has been on the precious resources of Casco Bay and, more particularly, the South Portland waterfront.”

Much of this discussion was focused around the ban on the import of tar-sands oil that the City Council approved in July and which is now the subject of a lawsuit filed in federal court by the Portland Pipe Line Corp.

In his memo, Gailey said the waterfront in South Portland is “very diverse” and includes everything from residential homes to commercial properties and valuable open space, including the city-owned Bug Light Park, Willard Beach and various public boat ramps.

Gailey said that South Portland first created a waterfront committee in 1989, but by the late 1990s the group had disbanded “due to a lack of member participation and committee workload.”

He said the original committee was created by a council order, which is one reason he is recommending that if a new Waterfront Advisory Committee is created, it should be by ordinance.

The goal for the committee would be to appoint members with the “skills, knowledge and experience to contribute effectively,” and it would include residents, business owners and others “generally familiar with overall waterfront issues.”

The duties of the committee could include assisting in the creation of policies that would govern the waterfront, collaborating on waterfront activities with the harbormaster, working toward the preservation and enhancement of public access and monitoring activities that might have an adverse impact on water quality, among others.