Life is loaded with unfairness. Much of it is predicated on realistic expectations and some is not. Getting older mostly sucks, but it tends provide to make us better at separating the three categories of expectation; Expectations-realistic, Expectations-PNBWAT (probably not, but worth a try), and Expectations- BSC (bat shit crazy).  For reasons that aren't entirely clear, the BSC category is dominated by men, unless it includes the expectation that a spouse will develop feelings of guilt while watching sports, and not helping with housework!

As a 5 year old, we mostly depend on parents to teach us. As adults we depend on ourselves, but also friends, spouses, laws and regulations. When I was 6, I wanted to have my birthday party at Gettysburg where my friends and I would re-enact the civl war! My parents shot that down, so we were forced to do our re-inactment in our apartment complex, which was great fun until, in the heat of battle, Sammy Fisher's head broke my musket in half; I began my medical career holding pressure on the wound, Sammy's forehead healed up pretty good, the musket was toast. How does this apply to the current situation, and others like it?

Environmental laws are enforced, regulations have loopholes, and adult voices are lacking.  

As a start, the only reason that anything can be done on this property is through the exploitation of a loophole that allows fails to protect tidal wetlands on properties not zoned as RC-120. This problem is recognized at both the state and local levels, but changing zoning regulations is very slow and creating laws to force townships, like Stonington, to protect tidal wetlands will take even longer. I reported the issue to the CT Council on Environmental Quality and am now working with them to identify solutions. Even with new laws, the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has a single inspector for the entire state! Not a typo. Not surprisingly, their website notes that there hasn't been a single Enforcement action in the areas of water, wetlands, or Long Island Sound in the past 24 months! Laws are only print on paper until they are enforced. Without enforcement, all the hoopla about sustainability and resiliency are a House of Cards, a hideous charade. That leaves us with Adult voices

An unfortunate side effect of wealth is that you may actually get worse advice because people may be more inclined to tell you what they think you want to hear. Crazy ideas, fueled with lots of money, translate into crazy fees for lawyers, engineers, and consultants. Sage advice carries with it the risk of loosing a lucrative contract and worse yet, getting "bad press" from an influential member of the community. 

The current Proposal is for a dock large enough to berth huge boat, 50-60 feet. There is no actual mention of boat size and the property owners team has been resolutely silent other than a mention of Sport fishermen style yacht. See picture of a 50' Sport Fisherman. Almost 60,000 lbs and two 800hp diesels. Nice boat! The fact is that any boat remotely close to this, in a small shallow cove, is BSC. This is simply unworkable, absurd, and dangerous. Even extremely skilled professionals would struggle in this situation. An adult should have told the owner, "This is simply unworkable, absurd, and dangerous! If you want a big boat, rent a slip at a marina. They have deep water, sewage facilities, and are designed to deal with large boats." 

C. Law, MD