By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — One of the marinas in town that provides launching services to noncustomers has closed its boat ramp to the public after Fourth-of-July revelers caused too much ruckus.

“The amount of intoxicated boaters that came off the lake this week has been scary. We are no longer willing to take the risk as a business to have these irresponsible boaters with us,” the owner of Moose Landing Marina Jason Allen said in a letter to the Naples Board of Selectmen.

“The crowd has changed and not for the better,” Allen wrote.

“Even with the added efforts to enforce laws it still isn’t nearly enough to keep everyone safe,” he said.

“I wanted to inform you folks that…our boat ramp will no longer be open to the public,” he said.

The letter was read by Naples Chairman Jim Grattelo, who said the closure was planned for the first of the week but instead the closure started on Saturday. The decision to close the ramp was based mostly on public safety issues, especially incidents that happened after the fireworks show on July 4, which was a Thursday.

On Monday, the Naples selectmen discussed how to handle the extra boats that will be displaced now that Moose Landing is no longer allowing the public to launch from that site. Last year, 6,500 boats — that were not rentals or owned by customers — were allowed to use the ramp at Moose Landing.

The selectmen expressed concerns about enough staff to be there for extra boat launches at Kent’s Landing and also about the lack of parking in that part of town.

“You have to be a Naples resident to use town beach. However, there is a place you can park when you launch your boat,” Grattelo said. “We are going to have to come up with a plan. They are going to take up spots on [Main Street]. Then, businesses are going to go mental because a truck and trailer is taking up two spots for eight or 10 hours.”

Selectman Bob Caron II commented that he has seen vehicles with boat trailers parked in the lot of the Naples Public Library over the weekend.

Early in the discussion, after reading the letter, Chairman Grattelo said he had a conversation with Allen at Moose Landing Marina. Grattelo conveyed some of the information that Allen shared with him.

“Boats were hitting each other. Boats crashed into a concrete barrier. People were being hauled off in handcuffs,” Grattelo said.

On July 4, “they launched more than 75 boats over and beyond their customers’ boats,” Grattelo said. “Moose Landing said he launched 6,600 boats last summer.”

“Certainly, our town beach isn’t going to be able to handle it,” he said.

“He told me when the fireworks were over, three boats without lights on went screaming through the group of boats on Brandy Pond. He said he was amazed that somebody didn’t get killed. He witnessed drug use and heavy drinking at the sandbar on Brandy Pond,” the chairman said.

It was mentioned that the state of Maine has a law, making it against the law to have open containers of alcohol while boating. It was brought up that signs should be put up letting people know this is illegal.

Board members said some boaters were not aware that drinking and boating is illegal. 

“It is very concerning that a major business in town had to make a decision like this.

Grattelo agreed that compared to the past, there are far more boats on the lakes: Long Lake, Brandy Pond and Big Sebago.

“We heard this at last year’s annual town meeting — that is why we beefed up the Marine Safety Department and quadrupled the hours” of people patrolling the lakes and ponds in Naples during the summer, he said.

Grattelo explained that the town already lined up extra support from wardens with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries as well as extra deputies from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) for the July 4 weekend. Also, the town set aside money in the budget to pay for a deputy in Naples 40 hours a week. However, a staff shortage at CCSO is the reason that did not pan out.

“It is not like the Town of Naples didn’t try to do more to resolve the issues,” Grattelo said.

There was some discussion about when to call CCSO and when contacting a warden is the answer.

In a related matter, Caron said he called the sheriff’s office this past week. 

“Kids were jumping off the bridge,” Caron said. “It stopped boat traffic. And then, the boaters were encouraging the kids to jump while the parents watched. The parents helped them out of the water. Then, the kids ran up onto the bridge, got onto the top railing and jumped into the water. It was crazy,” Caron said.