By Dawn De Busk
Staff Writer

NAPLES – On Monday, the Naples Board of Selectmen gave the go-ahead for the town manager to advertise for sale and removal of two structures located on the Kent’s Landing property.

The board’s decision was based on the recommendations of a committee charged with reviewing town-owned property and structures. The committee advised the town to retain the cabin closest to Long Lake, but to remove two other buildings — a trailer and a house — to improve the view of the waterfront parcel.

The two buildings closest to Route 302 detract from the beauty of the lot, according to the committee’s report. In addition, the house would require renovations and upgrades to function as a public building. The committee had kicked around the idea of transforming the old home into a welcome center for tourists; but in the end, the consensus was that the project would be too costly for the town to take on.

“I keep flashing back to the old town beach house that we had. When we first took it over, we had real good intentions,” Selectman Rick Paraschak said. “The configuration of the house with its small doorways” made it difficult to effectively utilize the building, he said. “The heating had problems. Then, we couldn’t have meetings there in the winter.”

Town Manager Derik Goodine said he had never been involved in the sale of a structure to be removed from its location. He questioned whether or not the house could survive intact.

If removing the structure proved to be logistically impossible, the town could turn the building over to the Naples Fire and Rescue Department for use in fire trainings.

The purchase of the Kent’s Landing parcel by the town for public use has been in the planning stages for more than a year. Recently, the sale was finalized, and the town took over ownership of Kent’s Landing.  The property is adjacent to Naples Town Beach.