Judging from the 12 to 1 vote by the Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee, Old Orchard Beach Rep. George Hogan’s bill, LD 1119, seems to be gaining traction.

The nearly-unanimous vote by the committee sends a message to the Legislature in general that the bill ought to pass. We agree.

Hogan’s bill proposes to move the boundary lines of the town three miles off the coast into the Atlantic Ocean beyond the low water mark. Beyond the marker, and including Bluff and Stratton islands, the city of Saco remains in control.

The bill was necessitated after Saco granted (and then not renewed) a lease to developer Bill Danton to create an offshore marina directly off of the coast in Old Orchard Beach. If Danton’s dreams would have panned out, the facility would have been a mile off of shore and the first such coastal development in York County, and perhaps Maine.

Critics of the plan were many and vocal. With fears of a permanent change in the seascape and issues regarding governmental control, a full-court press began to determine who actually owns the land under the sea.

Though Saco and Old Orchard Beach established a working group to discuss the matter (prompted by a moratorium on development, brought forth by the Legislature), a disagreement still exists over who is actually in control: Saco, Old Orchard Beach or the state itself.

Knowing the disagreement has little to no chance of being resolved locally, having the Legislature step in seems to be the only way to fix the problem.

We see all sides of the story. History might say that Saco can control the destiny of the bay, therefore, finding ways to properly develop the land could be a financial boon. Old Orchard Beach believes that, as an independent community, it should be able to control what is off the sands of the land and not suffer with the negative aspects of a development it has little or no control over.

Those fearing the environmental consequences of such a move might receive only momentary satisfaction: It might be hard to say now that Old Orchard Beach might not try to do the same that Saco did once control is rested in the community, though state oversight remains intact.

Giving the final say to the state’s Legislature, therefore, will allow the proper vetting of the situation, and hopefully an outcome everyone can live with, though much doubt remains that will be true.

— Questions? Comments? Contact Publisher Drew McMullin at 282-1535, Ext. 326 or  dmcmullin@gwi.net, or Managing Editor Nick Cowenhoven at 282-1535, Ext. 327 or cityeditor@gwi.net.