Dennis Dunbar, a director of the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT), gave a fundraising update to Westport Island selectmen Monday, Feb. 6.

KELT’s efforts to acquire the Squam Creek property have included a crowdfunding website: http://www.worthwild.com/initiatives/62. The site has raised $8,110 of a $15,000 target and will close during the week of Feb. 13.

Dunbar explained that the fundraising has now turned from acquiring the property to raising money toward stewarding the property. The project has received 54 gifts so far, from as far as the west coast, according to Dunbar. Four area families donated $10,000 each to the project.

Dunbar reported that the property was part of the Maine Great Outdoor Weekend on Saturday, Feb. 5. Thirty-four participants traversed the property by hiking or snow shoeing. Dunbar credited Archie Bonyun with helping to make the area accessible.

Dunbar also reported that some of the weekend visitors were looking for a sledding hill and he said that in the future, an area will be kept clear for that.

Selectmen heard a report from Code Enforcement Officer Gary Richardson about work underway on a West Shore road property owned by William Miller. In an October 2016 letter, Richardson informed Miller that work had begun before contractor Jeremy Whorff had received the necessary building permits.

Richardson’s letter stated the “... unpermitted work had been done creating violations of Westport’s building code and shoreland zoning ordinances.” Miller responded that he had called for all work to cease except installing erosion control.

The plan for the property includes widening the driveway and constructing a 24-foot by 20-foot storage building and a 4,200-square-foot residence. The contractor has applied for after-the-fact permits for the site work and the storage building and Miller paid $291.

The penalty for after-the fact permit applications is triple the usual fee. A building permit application was also submitted for construction of a residence prior to work commencing. As Richardson reported on Monday evening, applications have now been received for the work at the property.