By Suzanne Hodgson

Staff Writer

A group in Kennebunkport hosted what it billed as a community event last week to unite a town divided by a lawsuit.

Kennebunkport is involved in a lawsuit brought on by more than 30 beachfront homeowners who seek to protect their Goose Rocks property. The homeowners want recognition boundaries of beachfront properties extend to the low water mark, the average height of low tide and limit the use of those areas by the general public.

Save Our Beaches, the group attempting to keep access to the entire beach open to the public, invited residents from both sides of the issue to Brandy’s on the Rocks and Goose Rocks Dairy for food and music.

“It’s hard to have irreconcilable differences over an ice cream sundae,” said Mic Harris, chairman of Save Our Beaches.

The event was billed as nonpolitical, but signs were distributed and T-shirts were sold to support the Save Our Beaches theme through the June 12 Town Meeting vote.

“It’s hard not to mix the two,” Harris said.

He said part of the reason the organization held the event was as an easy way to distribute political signs.

“We thought ‘how can we get 250 yard signs distributed to the public,’” he said.

More than 250 people turned out for the event, including Town Manager Larry Mead, but no one from the opposing side appeared to accept the invitation. 

Heather Motes, one of the executive committee members handing out political signs at the event, said there are no hard feelings between both sides.

“We’re still friends with them,” Motes said to explain the rationale for inviting both sides. “They just may not want to wear a (Save Our Beaches) T-shirt.”

Robert Almeder, one homeowner who brought the lawsuit against the town, agreed he had nothing against the Save Our Beaches organization.

“We just don’t agree with what they’re doing. We don’t recognize them as the other side. Our dispute is with the town, with selectmen who stipulated the policy what we can and cannot do with our property,” Almeder said. “Our complaint is with them at the court.”

Almeder said he did not attend the event because to him, it seemed like a celebratory party.

 “They were celebrating, I guess, their perceived success. It wasn’t a matter of simply shunning them or anything like that. The matter is in court, it isn’t a public relations activity,” Almeder said. “I didn’t go. I do not want to celebrate the triumph of public opinion when it’s not particularly well formed, in regard to the law.”

One of the families picking up political signs at the Save Our Beaches event was the Junkers. 

“We have never, ever put a political sign in our yard before,” Joan Junker said. 

Since the original lawsuit filed in November 2009, some of the original homeowners have dropped out of the suit, including two this month, Mead said.

The town counter-sued and now has 154 people on its side of the suit.

“It’s sort of saying we don’t want the town to carry the whole burden,” Harris said. 

Voters at the June 12 Town Meeting will decide whether to add $250,000 to the town’s legal budget to pursue the lawsuits.

If voters turn down the legal section of the budget, the town won’t have money to pursue the lawsuit, according to town selectmen.

“This is one issue the town doesn’t have to be neutral on,” Mead said.

Walking around the event wearing a Save Our Beaches T-shirt was Charlie Costello, the 4-year-old son of Nick Costello, owner of Goose Rocks Dairy.

“I like to go to the beach and play and collect shells,” Charlie Costello said.

Nick Costello said his family has connections to Goose Rocks Beach dating back to when Charlie’s mother was a child.

Rick Macdonald said he’s been going to the beach for 50 years and two of his daughters have spent their lives on the beach including Megan Macdonald, now 21.

“When she was 4, her favorite thing to do was to watch a video of her walking on the beach,” said Mary Ann Macdonald, Megan’s mother.

“Carrying her little pail,” Rick Macdonald said.

Elinor Melley said she supports keeping the beach public because she wants the fourth generation in her family to walk up the path they have worn over the years to the beach.

“I want to see my grandchildren enjoy what I enjoyed,” Melley said.

The June 12 Town Meeting begins at 9 a.m. at Consolidated School.

Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233.