Dear Editor:

I’m a fan of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. I admire what they have been able to create, and the boost to the local economy that they have sparked.

I am curious as to why there doesn’t seem to be any hint of compromise from them with regard to the scheduled expansion. I would think that the PR person, or Mr. Cullina, would want to at least give the appearance that they are listening to the concerns of the community about the impact of a “state-of-the-art septic system,” which would accommodate approximately 300,000 visitors per year and potentially impact Knickerbocker Lake. It is a secondary water source for the community, but a huge one. The Anthony family has completely lost the privacy of their home to a 40 acre clear cut of an adjacent forest. Why not leave a stand of trees for them to lessen the overbearing impact of the decimation of that forest? That would have been a compromise.

Mr. Cullina said that the CMBG did not want to use 10 percent of their $30 million budget on a sewer connection. The Boothbay Region Water District offered to help the CMBG apply for grants to connect to the town sewer, but to no avail. Being that the CMBG is a non-profit and pays no taxes; perhaps the money saved could fund a sewer connection? In the end, if the Boothbay region has to get its water from Bath via Wiscasset, we’ll all be paying a hefty price.

The bottom line is: Compromising and protecting what small amount of potable fresh water we have in the region would be a huge win, with the support and appreciation of the community being returned in a myriad of ways to the CMBG. It would mean that you have put down the beautiful renderings of an enormous expansion and listened to the concerns of the surrounding residents, and kept their best interests and those of the environment a top priority.

Maggie Connelly
West Boothbay Harbor