Wiscasset Town Manager Dennis Simmons told ordinance review committee members Monday night, he realizes some people want to winter elsewhere and summer in a camper here, “and if they have a place to do that, that’s great. But we have a number of people who decide they want to live in them year round, and (the campers) are really not designed (for) the winter time up here, and we’re running into an enforcement issue.”

He said the allowed timeframe differs in town rules; he has consulted town counsel and was seeking clarification or other help from the ORC. Simmons’ Dec. 26 letter to Chair Karl Olson cites one rule stating a recreational vehicle (RV) can be temporarily on private property if the RV has safe access to a public way and meets state sanitary waste and sewage disposal rules; and “temporary” is not further defined there, Simmons wrote. Meanwhile, floodplain rules allow RVs in zones A and AE for fewer than 180 consecutive days; and part of the shoreland rules allows them for up to 120 days, the letter noted.

Meeting participants reviewed language and mulled potential changes to propose. Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission Executive Director Emily Rabbe will check with state shoreland and floodplain officials on the town’s options. By the next meeting, she might have a draft for the ORC to review based on the answers she gets and Monday night’s discussion; or she might have more questions for the ORC, she explained. 

The more specific the rules can be, the better for enforcement, Simmons said. He noted Maine has had a couple camper fires from people trying to stay warm in them.

“I feel like I’m kind of being the bad guy here, especially with housing being as expensive as it is,” Simmons said. “But you know if we save somebody’s life by doing (this), it’s worth it.”