letter to the editor

Roundabout for safety reasons

Tue, 10/18/2016 - 3:00pm

Dear Editor:

For 40 years, we have been coming to Boothbay Harbor and it has become a special place for our family to enjoy and create wonderful memories. We have many friends who love the region and support local community organizations and activities. A town’s character is created by its people and not changes to infrastructure. All (locals and PFAs) are responsible for that. We do not know of anyone that supports /opposes the roundabout that wants to change the character of Boothbay. We all want to preserve it and make it vibrant so future generations can enjoy what we have today. With that comes some physical changes that do not impact character but add to community well-being.

We have studied the pro and con articles. This community will continue to grow as visitors gravitate to the Botanical Gardens, Boothbay Harbor Country Club, and the Chamber of Commerce offerings. Some will make this region their home. The infrastructure over time has had to be developed to keep pace with the needs of locals and visitors. This is not disruptive to our character.

We travel through Boothbay Center everyday and, frankly, it is dangerous. It needs to be fixed and the roundabout provides the solution. The roundabout will provide a safer traffic flow, better use of the Common area, a safe parking lot instead of parking on the road, easier access to the Post Office and Town Hall, improved ambulance access, improved crosswalks, cyclist lanes, and a more attractive “Welcome to the Boothbay Region” entrance.

Since 2002, this infrastructure improvement has been declared necessary by the Maine DOT and local emergency service leaders.

Many folks are working hard to make this region a place for all to work and enjoy for generations. Let’s make it easier for all of us to navigate through the community safely. This is about our safety not our character. The roundabout needs to be built!

Jim and Marie Dobens

Boothbay Harbor