Orleans Waterways Committee Adds Boat-Launch Access Review to Future Agenda

ORLEANS -- January 20, 2026, Orleans Waterways Committee takes up boat-launch access and Young's Fish Market damage at January meeting. South Orleans resident Vincent DiGiacomo urged the committee to assess boat-launch capacity across Pleasant Bay, arguing River Road is the only functional ramp for powered vessels in the 15-to-27-foot range and that summer congestion creates conflict between commercial shellfish harvesters and recreational boaters; the committee agreed to add Powwow Creek dredging to a future agenda as a starting point. On Rock Harbor, committee staff reported that Young's Fish Market owner Ron Harrison is still negotiating an insurance claim with the construction company whose crane destroyed the building in November, and has not yet met with town officials about rebuilding options; a lease expiring this spring would trigger competitive bidding under state procurement law, complicating any straightforward restoration. Staff cautioned that a new structure on the floodplain site would likely require pilings and full ADA compliance, making a like-for-like replica difficult. Shellfish closures of up to 20 days hit Pleasant Bay and Nossett Estuary in December after elevated paralytic shellfish poisoning cell counts were detected in water samples, though meat tests on quahogs and oysters came back clean.