Dear Editor:

There are significant changes taking place at Boothbay Center. Paul G. Coulombe, a part-time resident of Southport, is the mastermind behind these changes. Although new to the area, Mr. Coulombe has devoted himself to improving the economic future and aesthetic appeal of Boothbay Center. His development of the Boothbay Harbor Country Club and its extended complex, still under construction on a wooded hilltop, is impressive. Coulombe believes that the world-class golf course, with high-end restaurants, will attract golfers from all over the world.

Mr. Coulombe's plans for Boothbay Center, which he is renaming the Boothbay Village Square, include public bathrooms, which would make it unnecessary for people to cross the street on the Fourth of July to use the facilities at the town office. He plans to add new businesses at the Center. The first shop to open is Boothbay Square Dry Cleaners, a drop-off site.

Because the Boothbay Region Ambulance Service occupied land that would be needed for the proposed roundabout, Coulombe negotiated a land-swap deal and donated $1.6 million to construct a new Emergency Response Center.

The plan for a roundabout came about after a study of Route 27 traffic created by Maine Department of Transportation consultant Mark Lenders of CHD Consulting in Wisconsin. Lenders' work was paid for by Mr. Coulombe and the consultant agreed with Coulombe's proposal.

Recently, an alternate plan was suggested by Frank Helman of Boothbay Harbor, which many consider to be more efficient, with provisions for future contingencies, than the $3.3 million roundabout. The roundabout will be voted on in the upcoming election in November.

Alice Larkin Larrabee

Boothbay