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  • EtinerHackettDSC-smalRobert Anderson Photo

    Community collection
    A group of concerned citizens is working with the Town to protect a collection of artwork donated to the children of West Harpswell and still hanging in the West Harpswell School. David Etnier, left, and Dave Hackett recently admired one of the collection’s paintings, Hamilton Harbor, created by Etnier’s father, Stephen.

  • Murphy-Pumpkin-Patch-smallStacy Welner Photo

    Smashing pumpkin
    Mike Murphy shows off the Great Pumpkin he grew in celebration of Halloween. On September 24, Murphy’s gourd won third place, with a weight of 904 pounds, in the second annual Sanford Weigh-Off.

  • BAILY-ISLAND-BEACH-smallTom Jones Photo, Mary Ann Nafh Inset Photo

    Banned beaches
    Inset: A private property sign and fence block off access to Cedar and Robinhood beaches on Bailey Island. An aerial view shows the beaches in contention. See article on page 9.

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The Anchor Staff

Cedar Beach Parking: Part Of The Problem

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Written by Amber Skinner | 30 July 2010

While all present at the July 14 special Selectman's Meeting appeared to agree on the importance of keeping Cedar Beach open to the public, a few residents who live off Robinhood Road expressed frustration with visitors ignoring parking signs and pedestrian-only areas and blocking traffic, and they offered plenty of stories of disrespectful behavior, including late-night parties, using the nearby woods and lawns as toilets, littering, and setting off fireworks.
Most of the problems are created by people with "out-of-state plates, who account for at least half of the parked cars" on Robinhood Road, one Cedar Beach Road resident said. Locals are more respectful, she added.
Betsy Yatkins of Bailey Island suggested Harpswell residents could get decals for parking.
But "the impact on the economy (of potentially cutting off visitors from Cedar Beach) must be considered," Selectman Elinor Multer said. "Our local economy relies on visitors to a considerable extent."
Everyone seemed to believe more police presence and ticketing would help.
The parking issue is significant, with many examples of residents blocked from getting to their homes and the fear that emergency vehicles might be unable to get where they need to go.
"There are existing parking problems," Multer conceded. "Our responsibility to take care of those isn't dependent on anything else."
One elderly man, a lifelong resident of Robinhood Road, admitted to having had problems in the past with drivers using his driveway to turn around and knocking down his fence. But he offered: "I'll pick up the trash others leave behind...just don't close the beach."