After years of variances and appeals, the Harbor Theatre will soon have a permanent sign along Route 27. Boothbay Harbor selectmen voted to approve a year-round variance on Oct. 27.

“We've had a sign up since 2002,” owner Jason Sheckley said. “It's necessary for any successful theater to have a sign with movies playing and show times.”

A temporary variance granted by the board of appeals back in July allowed Sheckley to place a sign on the road between Memorial Day and Columbus Day.

At the time, this was all the Meadow Mall’s landlord Tom Ellis would allow, according to newspaper archives.

Sheckley said at the time he would return to request an extended variance after Columbus Day. Since then, Ellis has agreed to the permanent sign and drafted a letter stating as such.

Sheckley has just signed a new, three-year lease with Ellis.

During the Oct. 27 meeting, resident Bruce Engert asked why selectmen heard the appeal, and not the board of appeals. Engert stated that he was fully in support of a sign, but was curious.

Selectman Bill Hamblen answered that since there are only three members on the board of appeals, and one member has a possible conflict of interest, the board of appeals requested that selectmen take the case.

In order to be granted a variance, an applicant needs to show that without one the situation will cause undue hardship. Sheckley hired Dan Pykett, a representative of SCORE, to analyze his business receipts from 2012, 2013 and 2014 to determine if business dropped after the road sign was removed in December 2013.

Sheckley brought in an email from Pykett stating his findings.

“I compared Jason's gross receipts for the first five months of 2012, 2013 and 2014 for both opening weekend gross and seven-day gross,” Pykett’s email states. “The results indicate an average loss per show of $199 for opening weekend gross in 2014 vs. 2013 and an average loss of $27 vs. 2012. For the average seven-day gross there is an average loss per show of $351 in 2014 vs. 2013 and an average loss of $99 per show over the seven-day gross for 2014 vs. 2012.

“The only reason I have heard that would explain this consistent loss in revenue is the removal of the sign, which occurred at the end of December 2013.”

Hamblen thanked Sheckley for bringing facts to the discussion.

“I'm very glad we got financial data to help make this decision instead of emotional arguments,” Hamblen said.

The selectmen asked why the proposed sign was elevated six feet off the ground, whether the sign would be lighted, and its location.

Sheckley responded that it would be located in the same spot as the temporary one, that yes, it would be lighted, and that it was elevated to account for winter snowdrifts.

After a very brief discussion, the selectmen unanimously approved the variance. Hamblen stated that the new sign design was much more aesthetically pleasing that the temporary one.

Related: Harbor Theatre granted sign variance