HARPSWELL — Nothing says summer like ice cream at the shore.

Pammy’s Ice Cream Parlor started dishing up treats at Mitchell Field last summer and will be doing it until at least 2022, after the Board of Selectman last week unanimously granted owner Pam Douglas a three-year lease.

Also at the meeting on April 11, selectman also voted unanimously to double mooring fees for locals and nonresidents alike, to create a guest mooring category, and set late fees at $25.

According to Douglas, the ice cream shop will open for the season Thursday, May 9.

“I am just so thankful for all the community support I have gotten,” Douglas said. “It has been incredible and I love making people in this community happy.”

“Ice cream is something that makes almost everybody happy,” she said. “and that makes me happy.”

Douglas said she will be testing new flavors this year, including Heath Bar crunch and peppermint stick, and will be offering specialty flavors each week.

And, of course, Douglas said, the most popular item – Pammy’s Mud Pie parfait – is on the menu again. It features coffee ice cream, Oreo cookie crumbles and hot fudge topped with whipped cream.

Customers looking for something other than ice cream will find hot dogs on the menu for the first time this year.

“We are trying some new things and we are excited for the season,” Douglas said.

Mooring fees

The newly increased mooring fees mean residents will pay $50, up from $25. Nonresidents will now pay $250, up from $125. Rental moorings increased from $100 to $125. 

With new mooring fees and a new guest category both established through an ordinance change at Town Meeting in March, selectmen set guest mooring fees at $50, as recommended by the Harbor and Waterfront Committee.

They also set late mooring fees for residents, nonresidents, and guests at $25. Prior to this year’s ordinance change, the late fee for residents and nonresidents was double the mooring fee charged.

According to Harbormaster Paul Plummer, residential commercial fishermen pay an annual fee of $25 and nonresidential commercial fishermen pay $125. Both fees were established in November.

Additionally, there is now a service category that was established earlier in 2019, for $50. A service mooring, as defined in the ordinance, is any mooring owned by a commercial entity used in the daily operations of the business that is not intended for rental purposes. An Army Corps of Engineers permit is required for this type of mooring.

Selectman Jane Covey said with the newly increased mooring fees, she felt it was too close to boating season to set higher late fees or keep the double late fee in place. The payment deadline is quickly approaching on May 1 and she said nonresidents would have been surprised by “drastic changes” when they returned to Maine.

“If people are nonresidents, they could be surprised with a pretty steep fine,” said Covey. “I think we can be reasonable for now, as we don’t have much time with this ordinance changing at the Town Meeting and we can take a look at it next year.”

These new late fees, in contrast, are much less than surrounding communities: Falmouth charges $100, Freeport, $55 and Yarmouth, $50.

“I don’t think $25 is enough of a deterrent; maybe next year we need to implement stiffer fines,” Deputy Town Administrator Terri Sawyer said. “Selectmen said the fee was ‘reasonable for this year,’ but it isn’t final and can be increased next year when they take a look at this in the fall.”

Patti McDonald can be reached at 780-9123 or pmcdonald@theforecaster.net. Follow Patti on Twitter: @pmcdonaldme.

Pam Douglas, owner of Pammy’s Ice Cream Parlor, was granted a three-year lease to continue operating at Mitchell Field in Harpswell.

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