“The guys I’ve talked to seem very supportive of it, and it’s nice to know your landlord will be one of your neighbors rather than some entity from New York or Chicago.” “I think it’s the right entity to keep the tradition the Poole family has developed, and I think that’s the intention of GMRI and their board,” said Frank Strout, a lobsterman who has docked at Union Wharf for 45 years. “Maine is incredibly well positioned compared to other places to take part in this, but if you don’t protect the infrastructure you miss the opportunity.” “The ocean is 99 percent of the biosphere and, if you look out at the arc of the 21 st century, it is an extraordinary resource that will be tapped in ways we can’t even imagine, including to feed the world,” Perkins said. It’s the same model the Pooles and other private wharf owners use today but on a bigger scale. Perkins foresees engineering or technology companies working in the marine sector occupying the upper floors of future buildings, generating revenues that help underwrite the costs of maintaining the wharf for its core uses: dock space for fishing vessels, pilot boats, and oil response teams lobster holding and bait companies truck loading and off-loading areas to move the products of the sea off the pier and needed supplies onto vessels. “Our vision is that we will sustain the working wharf for however our seafood and maritime service community’s needs evolve and, over time will build up to bring in additional ‘Blue economy’ tenants that are marine dependent or marine oriented in one way or another,” he said. GMRI president Don Perkins said his organization decided to try to purchase Union Wharf when it became clear no private maritime commercial companies or nonprofits were coming forward to take on the challenging and specialized mission of owning and operating a working commercial pier. “What could be better than to say we sold to the local bidder rather than to a whole new outlet from New York just wanting to get a foothold in Portland?” Poole said. “We wanted to pass this on to the next generation of stewards, and GMRI is a known entity and has access to grants and government funding and other sources that we just aren’t privy to.” “We felt that to sell this to the highest bidder we wouldn’t be doing our jobs,” said Poole, whose ancestors have been shareholders in the wharf continuously since 1858.
GMRI’s bid wasn’t the highest, Charlie Poole told the Press Herald, but they chose to sell to the institute because of its commitment to remain long-term stewards of the pier as the anchor of the working waterfront. Instead the Pooles – led by brothers Charlie and Malcolm – are selling to their immediate neighbor, GMRI, a marine research institution that purchased and rehabilitated Wrights Wharf just to the west and has specialized in research relevant to fisheries, aquaculture and other maritime industries. Related Historic piece of Portland waterfront goes on the market
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