Letter to the Editor

What’s the big picture Mr. Coulombe?

Fri, 05/27/2016 - 7:15am

Dear Editor:

It was interesting to read Mr. Coulombe’ s commentary in the Boothbay Register online. Here are some comments in reaction to it.

Mr. Coulombe has undoubtedly done a lot for our community and I should begin by thanking him for that. But the way that he has gone about advocating for this roundabout is flawed. I think the roundabout idea may have merit (although I’m personally not in favor of it at this time). I think that much of the resistance to the idea is the uncertainty and lack of trust in the community around this idea and other activities being pushed forward by Mr. Coulombe. Residents of Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor and Southport have good reason to be suspicious. After all, this roundabout is being planned directly adjacent to property that Mr. Coulombe now owns. How could we possibly know if the roundabout is a good idea without knowing what the plans for development in the Common are really are.

In his commentary Mr. Coulombe has added some useful additional information: He now owns the Clipper Mart, and he plans a sidewalk/bicycle path. He mentions a Village which he introduces as the “biggest bonus!” What else does he have up his sleeve? What are his intentions? How will all this affect existing businesses? How will traffic change around the Common? There are a lot of questions. I know that I would be more receptive to accept the roundabout idea, even though I don’t like it now, if I knew the big picture and had an opportunity to comment on it. I’d bet that the majority of my neighbors feel the same way.

So here is what I want to say in a nutshell: Mr. Coulombe, Share your plans with us. Solicit comments. Have a conversation with us. Don’t tell us what you think is good for us. Show us your vision and ask us what we think. Let us come to a vision together. This education and feedback process will surely be messy and possibly rancorous at times, but I think it is the only way to gain the trust of the community and come to a happy conclusion to these issues.

Douglas Goldhirsch

Southport