After all of the meetings, after all of the testimony from so many people, the DEP has decided that the dock shown above would have no adverse impact on the environment shown above. Look at the picture. What do you think?

Words fail us.

You can read the depressing details in the story from the Hartford Courant below.

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Dock Plan Gets Nod From DEP Official
August 24, 2002
By CHARLES STANNARD, Courant Staff Writer

CHESTER -- A state Department of EnvironmentalProtection hearing officer has recommended approval of a
permit for a 104-foot dock on the Connecticut River proposed by auto dealer Arthur Schaller.

The decision by hearing officer Elaine Tata comes more than five months after a public hearing at which 100 area
residents questioned the environmental and visual impac tof the dock proposed for Schaller's 22-acre riverfront
property off Ferry Road. The property is just north of the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry Landing.

The recommendation for approval to DEP Commissioner Arthur Rocque Jr. includes only one condition, that there
be no on-site work from Dec. 31 through March 1 to protect the nesting habitat of eagles on the river. Along
with a 4-foot by 104-foot fixed timber dock, the plans also call for a boat lift at the end of the structure.
The proposed dock is 35 feet shorter and in a different location from a dock plan Schaller proposed and then
withdrew last year. The project has generated determined opposition from canoe and kayak enthusiasts and others,
who contend the scenic area in the vicinity of the ferry landing and Gillette Castle State Park is not an
appropriate location for a large dock.

Opponents, including the Connecticut River Committee for the Public Trust, Chester Land Trust, and the Hadlyme
Ferry Association, had contended a long dock would obstruct navigation on the river by small craft such as
canoes and kayaks. Tata rejected claims the dock would obstruct boaters in
canoes and kayaks. "The dock has been designed and located to minimize waterward intrusion to the absolute
minimal length necessary for the applicants to access a reasonable depth of water during the full tidal cycle," she
wrote. Tata concluded that the permit application "strikes an appropriate balance between the responsibility of the DEP
to protect the rights and interests of the public while minimizing adverse environmental impacts on coastal
resources." Schaller said Friday he is pleased with the recommendation. The hearing officer's recommendation
gives opponents 15 days to file exceptions or request oral arguments on the proposed final decision.
"It's discouraging that it takes so long and I'm sure they are going to appeal to the commissioner," Schaller said.
"I've kind of resigned myself to the fact that it's next year before I can do anything."

Schaller said he would consult his attorney to determine whether any other local permits are required for the dock.
First Selectman Martin Heft said Friday the dock, which was approved by the town's harbor management
commission last winter, may require further review by the inland-wetlands commission.
James McKay, a founder and spokesman for the Connecticut River Committee for the Public Trust group,
could not be reached Friday for comment on the hearing officer's decision. Jil Nelson, a Lyme resident who filed as
an intervenor to oppose the dock project, deferred comment until she had reviewed the decision with her attorney.