By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — The owner of the former campground property where the Bay of Naples cupola is located informed the town that if the structure is not moved a year from now, he will start charging the town a monthly storage fee.

One local selectmen put his foot down on paying a storage cost for the cupola, which the town legally owns.

This recent news starts the clock ticking for a plan to move the cupola, Selectman Bob Caron II said.

“Obviously, we aren’t going to start paying a storage fee. He is giving us a calendar year before he starts charging a fee. I don’t want to pay a fee for storage,” Caron said.

“We have a year to get a plan together,” he said.

Another issue that must be addressed immediately is insurance coverage of the cupola in case someone is injured while it is on private property.

Most likely, the property owner will get insurance and the town will reimburse him.

Naples Town Manager John Hawley brought up the topic of the cupola.

“I received a call from Mark Copeland, who owns the property where the cupola currently resides on Campfire Drive. He was asking about the plan for the structure,” Hawley said. “And, I explained to him that a committee had been formed and they were tasked with developing a plan and fundraising for the moving of the cupola to town-owned property.”

“I explained to him that, as of today, the committee has made no recommendation and that I believed fundraising has not produced any adequate funds for the project,” he said.

“Mr. Copeland said he was not opposed to the town keeping the structure there but he stated that if the structure remained there longer than a year, he was going to start to charge us monthly storage fees,” Hawley said.

Also, during the conversation, the property owner asked for a release from liability.

So, the town manager consulted the town attorney who advised against any agreement that would release the town from being liable.

Essentially, the town has immunity under the Maine Tort Claims Act.

The best solution is “for the property owner to get a rider from an insurance carrier covering possible injury or death related to the cupola building, and requiring the town to pay for such coverage,” Hawley said.

Another option is “for the town to inquire from insurance carriers whether they could insure the town for such risks related to the cupola being temporarily located on private property. The policy would probably add the property owner as an additional insured,” he said. 

Chairman Jim Grattelo said he liked the idea of the property owner getting a rider from his insurance company.

“The best avenue is to get a rider and ask how much it costs,” he said.

Jon March offered to have the town store the cupola on his property, which is located on Route 114, fairly near the Causeway.

“You could stage in on my land. You could have three or six pieces on my land,” March said.

But that still doesn’t address the cost of moving the cupola. One community member had suggested disassembling the cupola so that sections are small enough to go under the utility wires.

“You have to cut it below 11 feet— that is how high the wires are,” March said.

“The running joke is to burn it” at the campground, he said. 

However, the recent request of the landowner might have refueled the need to come up with a solution and a deadline to move the cupola for future generations.

“There are still avenues to save this town treasure,” March said.