Reading about the town of Winthrop banning moorings for boats not owned by lakefront property owners has raised my ire.

Water levels of many if not most of the lakes in the state are controlled by dams. These incredibly important structures, designed to last 100 years, are very expensive to maintain and replace. Seldom are the residents around a lake able to pay for these repairs/replacements.

One town I know of received a $750,000 state of Maine grant to replace theirs. Ultimately, that money came from taxpayers of the state. Limiting lake access of those same taxpayers is appalling.

Today Litchfield has a seeping dam that the town has spent $55,000 of taxpayer money to have studied. I wonder how much they will spend to actually fix the problem and where the money will come from.

Experiences abound of towns restricting lake or ocean access to residents or immediate property owners only either through ordnance or parking access, but they aren’t bashful about taking their tax money. As a taxpayer in the state of Maine, I am sincerely disappointed.

Because of excessive private ownership and over-regulation by towns, ocean and lake access is denied to folks living in towns without direct access. This is wrong.

I hope that when the town of Winthrop passes the hat to repair the dam, the taxpayers remember the town’s actions.

Bill Kennedy, Otisfield