Why SOS Saco Bay
For the past 100 years, Saco Bay (Biddeford Pool to Scarborough) has experienced catastrophic coastal erosion where over 30 homes and hundreds of feet of beach have been lost. This man-made environmental disaster has been caused by the erection of the Saco River Jetty at Camp Ellis, built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE). Inadequate relief has been offered by the ACOE to remediate or rectify this devastating loss to homeowners, the municipalities involved, and the State of Maine. Had these losses been the result of a single storm, as opposed to a hundred years of losses from a man-made structure, there would have been immediate relief offered by the federal government to make all parties whole. This has not been the case, even when the ACOE admitted guilt stating the erosion was caused by the Jetty it built (Section 111 Study 2007).
SOS Saco Bay will be working with private citizens, along with state and federal governments, to bring the plight of Saco Bay to light and ensure this issue gets the attention it deserves. We will be providing a unified message taking into account all communities involved: this is all our beach, it is our bay. Banding together will give us greater numbers and greater impact. We are striving to make all parties whole, starting with rehabilitating the beach without impacting municipal governments’ budgets.
SOS Saco Bay will also provide a single, comprehensive location where all interested parties can go for information including studies - past and present - and updates on actions designed to restore our beaches.
This problem is bigger than individuals, or just one community. We want to consolidate all interested parties and have a unified voice and message. Getting our beach back is not just a legal issue, it’s a political one as well. It is our belief that by coming together we will have a larger voice with the power of all our members behind us.
What we do
SOS Saco Bay is a non-partisan interest-based advocacy group. We are supporting efforts to remediate the damage from wave action caused by the jetty and rehabilitate the beaches. We are acting as a conduit between private citizens and public officials. We have a catalogue of documents pertaining to research and studies about the erosion issue along Saco Bay.
The main focus is to empower citizens to take action that will influence decisions. This can be accomplished by attending town meetings, initiating letter writing campaigns and acting as a watchdog over officials that drive policies that effect the shoreline and its environs. We will also host meetings to inform citizens of action being taken – or not taken – regarding the erosion issues.
We may request studies if information is lacking, but do not undertake them. We do not make policy, but we will comment on it. We do not initiate legal action, but will support and report on citizen-led lawsuits. We also do not endorse political candidates but we will call out those who support us; and be critical of those whose policies are counter to our aims.
Who we Are
SOS Saco Bay is filing to become a 501(c) 4 non-profit organization. The current officers are:
Kevin Roche, President & Treasurer
Kevin came to Saco in 1998 to manage a company in the industrial park and decided to live here based on his love of kayaking and the ocean. He started his own manufacturing company in 2005, while coaching his daughter’s soccer team and serving as the Town Councilor for Ward 4, which serves the entire Saco coastal community, from 2013 to 2017. After leaving the council and selling his company in 2018, Kevin remained on the Shoreline Commission and helped start SOS Saco Bay to see the city’s efforts for the Army Corps resolution to its completion.
David Plavin, Vice President
David is a Maine native and moved to Saco in 2016. He lives at the nexus of the crisis on Surf St. After a long career as a corporate consultant, he is currently semi-retired. David has become involved in SOS issues and has a large personal stake in the outcome of its efforts.
Anastasia Coravos, Secretary
Anastasia “Stacey” Coravos is a fourth-generation summer resident of Saco Bay. She is a licensed attorney, as well an active real estate developer in her home state of Massachusetts. In addition to her work endeavors she is an active member in her local community as a member of Lowell General Hospital’s Patient Family Advisory Council and as a participant in the Town of Dracut’s Development Oversight Committee. Saco Bay has special meaning to her, as well as her family, and she is motivated to find a workable resolution to alleviate and/or remediate the erosion/property loss experienced all along Saco Bay.
The officers manage the online content, but anyone can comment or post on Facebook and Instagram.