Dear Editor:

The changes and improvements made in the Boothbay region by Mr. Coulombe are more than impressive. His offer to purchase YMCA memberships for two years for all high school seniors appears to be altruism at its very best. The Cuckolds improvement project and the newly redesigned golf course and clubhouse are absolutely amazing.

The Cuckolds bed and breakfast and the new country club are excellent examples of vacation and recreational facilities designed for those who can afford such luxuries. I was a member of the Boothbay Country Club for over twenty years. I leave a lot of happy memories out there (and two holes-in-one) with many friends, who, like me, cannot afford club membership any longer. And that is okay. Change, as they say, is good. I think it is a good thing that wealthy people can enjoy a lighthouse bed and breakfast and a stunning golf course and clubhouse. Seriously.

Now, Mr. Coulombe has offered to pay for a third of the cost of a roundabout in Boothbay Center, another generous philanthropic offer.

I remember the sign on the returnables bin which we used to raise money to build the gazebo and town hall, for the common good. Over several years, our contributions truly added up. When I first drive into town, after my several months of “exile,” I look up at the clock on the town hall. It is always five minutes slow, telling me to relax, take a deep breath, I’m home. I glance at the gazebo, at the Civil War monument, all reassuring me that I am home again. I would hate to see them disappear. And perhaps the proposed highway renovations will not take all of this away. It is up to the good people of Boothbay to decide what is best.

I hope that whatever that decision is, it will be for the common good.

Danny Beal

Kansas City, Missouri and Boothbay Harbor