The Boothbay Harbor Board of Selectmen accepted three bids for work on the Fish Pier and discussed the Kettle Fish lease with owner David Reingardt at the board's July 23 meeting.

Though the selectmen wished to have the discussion in executive session, Reingardt insisted the discussion be open to the public.

Reingardt expressed frustration with the entire process so far. He said that ever since the vote went to the town, the process has gotten more difficult. 

“I’m moving away from negotiating a lease with you because all I see is a big mess here and I’m not going to be the one standing here with egg on my face,” Reingardt said.

The concrete slab on the pier was a major issue for Reingardt, as the bid Rideout Marine made (and had been accepted earlier in the meeting) includes a slab that is 30 feet by 80 feet. A 96-foot concrete deck, one solid piece, is what is necessary.

Board Chairman Bill Hamblen asked why he was bringing this up as it had already been discussed by the selectmen when they accepted the bid, with the determination that a change of work order would be issued to accommodate this.

When Reingardt said that he didn’t think Town Manager Tom Woodin was for the project, and that he knew Selectman Robert Splaine was not, a brief shouting match ensued.

Reingardt accused Splaine of making inflammatory statements about him, to which Splaine replied, “I am all for business and seeing you do what you want to do; my only interest is protecting the $250,000.”

“You’ll get a formal letter. I’m not going to negotiate this lease with you,” Reingardt said. “I can’t even begin to comprehend what you’re doing with this project.”

Hamblen said he believes the security issue was still the “long pole in the tent” and needed to be decided on, whether with a bond issue or a personal guarantee, which Reingardt insists he will not sign.

Splaine suggested that perhaps Reingardt could take out an insurance policy for $250,000 that protected the town if Reingardt should default. The selectmen agreed to send Reingardt a letter outlining what this policy would need to cover that he could forward to his insurance agent.

The discussion ended with no clear decision made between Reingardt and the selectmen.

Before the discussion with Reingardt, the selectmen approved three bids for work on the fish pier: demolition and removal of the red processing building, Jordan Construction, $13,894; demolition and removal of the freezer building, E.M. Wood Construction, $13,900; and rebuilding the pier underneath the processing building, Rideout Marine, $89,951.

The Selectmen have said that should Reingardt back out of the lease, these construction projects would still go forward.

There was discussion among the selectmen that the bids from Clear Stream Construction for the remaining work seemed high, and the selectmen had no comparisons as Clear Stream was the only bidder for rebuilding both the processing ($277,180) and freezer ($162,850) buildings.