Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor CSD Board of Trustees member Steve Lorrain spoke to selectmen Monday about much needed upgrades to the Boothbay Region High School and Boothbay Region Elementary School buildings. The trustees recently received an energy audit with estimates in the millions of dollars.

“Before you can do the downtown, your footbridges, whatever it is you've got planned, you've got to make some decisions about your schools … I don't know any other way to say this, but it's something you've got to focus on because it's going to affect the whole area … You're probably approaching $10 million.”

The board and Lorrain agreed a meeting between the Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor select boards, the trustees and the school committee would be the best way to move forward after the school committee reviews the projects and cost estimates.

“The high school is 60 years old and the elementary school is 40 years old. It needs everything from the duct work cleaned to replaced. It needs boilers … We have to come up with money in order to do the engineering reports on the remodels themselves … I think the whole community needs to sit down and have this conversation.”

Lorrain added, the trustees have not yet begun to think about what the grounds and the buildings’ exteriors may need.

Also Monday, the board held two executive sessions, one under a state provision involving consulting with legal counsel, the other under a provision involving property or economic development.Town Manager Tom Woodin said in an email, the board came out of executive session and unanimously voted to sign over tax-acquired property at 35 Campbell St. to Habitat for Humanity 7 Rivers Maine, at no cost to Habitat because Habitat proposed building workforce housing.

Selectmen’s Chair Wendy Wolf shared updates from the JEDC. Wolf said Abbe Levin, co-chair of the JEDC, will step down  “due to other activities that are calling her attention.”

“She's served with me as co-chair from the beginning and it's a big loss for the economic development group and leadership, but we're very grateful for all of her contributions,” said Wolf.

Wolf shared that on the first Friday of every month between 7:30 and 8 a.m., the Boothbay Lights group, composed of local merchants and community leaders, meets at the Tugboat Inn to plan for the upcoming season. Plans call for adding Gardens Aglow and Boothbay Lights banners to the streetlight fixtures in Boothbay, rack cards have gone out, and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens has gotten a $50,000 Maine State Tourism grant to market outside the state. The month-long extravaganza will be featured in AAA Northern New England Magazine and Yankee Magazine.

“They expect that they are going to draw a super big crowd this year,” said Wolf.

The next JEDC meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7 in the upstairs conference room at the YMCA.

Selectman Mike Tomko thanked Karen Grindall of Boothbay Harbor for bringing up the status of plans to acquire public lands. Said Tomko, “That's how thing's get attention and I appreciate it.”

Woodin said the presentation from the footbridge workshop is now available to view online. 

Financial officer Julia Latter said the town’s revenue and expenses, year to date, total $80,883 and $531,978, respectively. The total accounts payable are $50,441.50 and the bank balance is $1,878,212.69.