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By Diana Bowley of the news staff - GREENVILLE - Mooring balls that have been popping up all over the East and West Coves of Moosehead Lake have caused concern for the Moosehead Marine Museum, which operates the Katahdin. After meeting with museum officials Wednesday, Greenville selectmen agreed to research the problem over the winter months and create an ordinance governing the bobbing balls for adoption by local residents. "It's a concern because of insurance regulation, but safety is the primary concern," Richard "Duke" McKeil, museum president, said on Wednesday. The museum's insurance carrier has registered concern, he explained. McKeil said that in certain wind situations, namely when it blows from the south, the Katahdin needs to make a wide sweep off the west shore of East Cove to approach her berth. Some mooring balls are quite far from shore on the west side, he said. If the Katahdin lost an engine, some damage could occur to the moored boats, he said. "Almost every day you notice a different mooring ball," Maynard Russell, steamboat captain, told selectmen Wednesday. Leigh Turner, co-owner of the Black Frog Restaurant in East Cove, who also spoke about the need for some regulation, said he watched the owner of a barge drop three 2,000-pound mooring balls in July directly in front of his restaurant. The mooring balls carried advertisements that they could be rented, he said. Turner told selectmen that he went out in his boat, took a knife and sent the weights to the bottom of Moosehead Lake and removed the mooring balls. He then notified the owner of the mooring balls. "There are certain reasonable regulations that can be adopted," Turner said. He said people who do not own property in the cove should not be allowed to have a mooring ball there. Greenville Town Manager John Simko agreed that a problem exists. He said there have been incidents when sailboats moored in West Cove have broken loose. Saying he did not like any moorings because they block the view and are difficult to see at night, Selectman Bruce Hanson strongly supported the move for regulation. "I do agree we should protect our coves," he said. Simko said he would seek copies of ordinances approved by other shorefront communities similar to Greenville and would develop a proposed ordinance. The board could then hold a work session on the document and involve the planning board. A public hearing would be held before the proposed ordinance is presented at a town meeting. |