UNE Vice President Alan Thibeault argued in support for the university's pier project on Wednesday. (Sydney Richelieu/Staff Writer)

SACO — The Saco Community Center was packed Wednesday night as stakeholders and community members discussed a permit extension for the University of New England’s proposed Biddeford pier project.

The extension request is being reviewed by the Saco River Corridor Commission, which approved the university’s initial permit request in 2024.

The pier would be located on the Saco River, adjacent to the Arthur P. Girard Marine Science building. It would be used for year-round research and aquaculture projects, according to the university.

QUESTIONS ARISE FROM BIDDEFORD

At Wednesday’s public hearing, UNE said that while the Biddeford Planning Board approved the proposal, the city itself has kept the project from moving forward.

“UNE has been prevented by the city from initiating the work authorized by all regulatory agencies,” UNE Vice President Alan Thibeault said. “If we had the building permit, we would be under construction and the road would be built today.”

The city’s main holdup is the question of whether or not the project would violate a 250-foot vegetative buffer zone along the Saco River. The buffer zone was established by the SRCC in 2001 and is designated as non-buildable.

Biddeford City Attorney Harry Center said the planning board and SRCC members were not aware of the buffer zone when they approved the project in 2024.

Because of the buffer zone, the city placed a moratorium early this year on all new UNE construction projects to allow the Institutional Zone Review Committee to review the city’s definition of an institutional zone, which covers the majority of UNE’s Biddeford campus.

The moratorium was set to expire in July, but was extended to allow the Institutional Zone Review Committee to complete its work, city spokesperson Danica Lamontagne said.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Center said the city is not trying to deny the university its pier, but is simply trying to clarify whether or not the project would be in violation of the buffer zone.

“The city, as well as the university, believed the buffer was very sensitive for preservation of the river,” Center said.

The city has also raised concerns about the number of mooring holders that would need to be moved if the pier was built.

UNE spokesperson Sarah Delage said Tuesday that only one mooring holder would need to be moved, but Lamontagne said it could be up to six.

Cheri Dunning, executive director of the SRCC, said Wednesday that reports vary on how many moorings would need to be moved, and did not provide an exact number.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS CONCERNED

Several community members spoke at Wednesday’s meeting, both in favor of the project and against it.

Among those concerned about the pier’s impact on the waterfront was John Schafer, a Hills Beach resident and former chair of Biddeford’s Harbor Commission.

“This is all about that 250-foot protective buffer,” Schafer said. “The university wants to remove trees and cut an access road through that protective buffer.”

The reason the buffer was established “couldn’t be more clear,” Schafer said — to protect the Saco River’s waterfront and to keep it from becoming overdeveloped.

“If you allow UNE to destroy the protective buffer, I have to ask the SRCC — where is the consistency? Would you also be willing to give any other property owner along the Saco River a similar break?” Schafer said.

SCIENTISTS STAND BEHIND UNE

Scientists employed by UNE spoke in support of the pier project on Wednesday, citing a year-round pier’s ability to offer more research opportunities for students.

Will Kochtitzky, who teaches in the School of Marine and Environmental Programs at UNE, said the university’s current, temporary pier must be removed in the winter and early spring months, leaving a gap in researchers’ key data.

“This pier is the entire community’s project. This pier is about teaching future generations,” Kochtitzky. “It’s not an exaggeration to say this pier will teach tens of thousands of students in years to come.”

Trisha Thibodeau, a plankton ecologist and assistant professor at UNE, also commented on the benefits of a year-round research pier.

A permanent pier would give Thibodeau and her students access to monitor temperature changes, collect data on changing weather and study the Saco River through all seasons, Thibodeau said.

“We want to invest in better science, education and information about the waters that are so important to Maine,” she said. “A year-round pier will help us do that. We’ve waited too long.”

WHAT’S NEXT

The SRCC is expected to consider UNE’s request for a permit extension at its next meeting, which will take place on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Dayton Town Hall.

If the permit extension is approved at that meeting, UNE would have another two years to complete work on the pier project.

The meeting is open to the public, but will not be recorded or livestreamed.