April 02, 2012
Monday PM

Summer is just around the corner and we all know what that means, time to put the boat in the water and go have fun. I have lived on the last block of the 3rd Avenue (nearest Bar Harbor) for most of my life and one thing really drives me nuts: People who launch their boat and then drive up 3rd Avenue and leave their boat trailer parked on the side of the street and then drive off.

There are a lot of people that live on this street that often have a hard time finding a parking spot next to their homes. Add in a few boat trailers that take up a lot more space than a car, and parking becomes impossible. Two years ago, someone left their trailer in front of my house for the entire summer. I called the police and they said that it has to be there a certain length of time before they can deem it abandoned property and until then, I was out of luck on parking close to my house. The other day when I got home from work, across the street, in front of my neighbor's house, there it was... the first trailer of the season. I know it is a public street and that is why it is not illegal for these cheapskates to leave their property parked in front of someone else's house, but it is a residential street and the residents shouldn't have to park in the Bar Harbor parking lot because our street is riddled with boat trailers.

I'm assuming the reason that people are not leaving their trailers parked in the Bar Harbor lot is because they don't want to have to pay the launch fees. To me, this is theft. In life, we all have to pay for the services we use. You can't just use something real quick and drive off and park the evidence somewhere else and expect not to pay. If you like to have somewhere to launch your boat, you need to pay up so the city can continue to maintain the facilities that you are stealing from. If you are really that cheap, take your trailer back to your house, don't park it in front of mine. Please.

For those of you that are honest and park your trailers where they are supposed to be parked, thank you. For those of you that don't, please remember that you are not just getting out of a small fee, but you are stealing from the city that you live in and your neighbors that live in it. Think about the elderly folks that live on this street. Think about how you would feel if someone parked their stuff in your spot for days, weeks, even months. Think about other people and not just your wallet. Please stop parking your boat trailers on 3rd Avenue.

Shari Fisher
Ketchikan, AK

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