It wasn't long after the July 31 Southport public meeting that the ball started rolling towards Hendricks Head Beach.

Shortly after residents gave the green light to the Southport board of selectmen to begin looking into purchasing the property, a deal was being etched.

Now, it's up to the residents.

The selectmen agreed to a $1.25 million price with the house and beach's owners, contingent on a town vote.

There will be a 6 p.m., September 18 meeting at the town hall where residents can vote for or against the purchase.

If the town approves the deal, Southport will borrow the $1.25 million to purchase the largest section of the beach, as well as Ruth Gardner's house and property.

The house was listed by Legacy Properties for $1.4 million, which includes the middle, and largest section of the beach, and the house.

Currently, Hendricks Head Beach is not public; instead Ruth Gardner allowed the public to use the beach freely. Had a private owner decided to purchase the house and property, they would have been able to turn the beach into a private spot.

The town owns and maintains the road and parking lot around the beach, and rebuilt the seawall.

The space offers several future options, and during the July meeting, several ideas, including extra parking and a park, were floated.

But, those ideas will have to wait until after the September 18 meeting, selectman Smith Climo said.

“We'll just focus on the one thing; whether or not to buy the beach,” he said. “Then, we'll go from there.”

Ben Bulkeley can be reached at 207-633-4620 or bbulkeley@boothbayregister.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BBRegisterBen.