Dear Editor:

My wife and I are new to the Boothbay area and have heard a lot of discussions about the building of the roundabout. Having moved from a beautiful place on the Connecticut shoreline that my family has called home since the area was first settled, I think I know a little about what first appears to be good intentions in beautiful places like the Boothbay area. As many have stated, this project will in no way improve the traffic situation or be an engine of economic development. It has had an adverse effect on the historic structures in the area and will generate higher taxes. I'm sure the roundabout is just the tip of the iceberg for what Mr. Coulombe is proposing.

This is what has happened along the shoreline of Connecticut as well as many other beautiful areas in the Northeast and the consequences have been that the historic integrity of the area has eroded and people like me can no longer afford to live there due to high taxes imposed for endless public projects. No longer are there the villages of fisherman that added so much character to the area. Gone are all the old families who also added character. Often the nouveau riche that have replaced us have no regard for the history of the area. When historic properties are restored, they no longer retain the historic charm they once had or even worse are demolished.

We escaped from the harsh reality of gentrification by the ultra rich of a beautiful area of New England and were hoping to not have to face it again. In my view, this roundabout has all the earmarks of what we left behind. If you want to destroy the physical evidence of the history of the Boothbay area, have unaffordable taxes and rich playboy neighbors who will find ways to avoid the taxes, then fine, vote for the roundabout. I have read about Mr. Coulombe's philanthropic interests in our community and I applaud him for that, but is his generosity coming from his heart or is this just a Trojan horse full of the ultra rich that want take over the community and reshape to their likes? I suspect the latter.

Edward and Nicole Banning

Boothbay