Dear Editor:

What is the vision of the Boothbay Harbor (BH) community for the future of the harbor and its immediate surroundings? The Comprehensive Plan that was adopted by Boothbay Harbor in 2015 addresses those questions. It resulted from three years of effort by 16 of our fellow citizens. Is the future as outlined in the 2015 Comprehensive Plan still the one the community members want?

For example: Do we want to maintain a “working waterfront” where lobstermen, fishermen, tourist boats and operations such as Bristol Marine [formerly “Sample’s” or “The Boothbay Harbor Shipyard”] have access to the water and to the facilities needed to ply their trades?

Do we want to maintain the current level of shoreline and water access for visitors, or do we want to either increase or decrease that level of access? Do we maintain, improve or limit access for recreational power boaters, sailors and kayakers? Should the town negotiate for rights or property to increase access?

What is our vision for our hoteliers, restaurateurs and other merchants? Do we want BH to remain attractive to the middle-class families that now visit BH and whose tourist dollars support these businesses? What sorts of changes to BH would aid these businesses, and what sorts of changes would increase their difficulty of providing a living for themselves and their employees?

What is our vision for our tradespeople – our carpenters, electricians, plumbers, caretakers, etc.? What sorts of changes to BH will help to ensure the long-term viability of these people that BH residents depend on?

What sorts of employment will any proposed changes bring? Will the employment be seasonal or year-round? Will the changes bring only minimum wage jobs, or will they provide a higher standard of living for employees? Will whatever change is proposed make it easier or more difficult for the people who work in BH to live in BH?

It should be noted that Maine law requires that all zoning ordinances be consistent with a locality's Comprehensive Plan. The currently proposed zoning changes appear to be inconsistent with the 2015 Comprehensive Plan, and thus appear to violate Maine law.

Mark Skinner

Boothbay Harbor