Dear Editor:

On May 3, 2018, a full-page ad ran in the Boothbay Register announcing “Another Option” for the Captain Fish Motel property. The Craigs generously proposed to “use private monies to purchase the Captain Fish property and to donate the property to the town for use as a public waterfront park with a dual use marina (public docks and commercial fishing/working waterfront docks).”

Fast forward five years later and look what we have – a procedural and construction mess. Three sets of lawyers, incomplete permitting, a confusing array of proposed uses and a long list of issues with no resolution in sight. The motel is razed and grandfathered uses have timed out.

Let’s go back to the beginning. Everyone supports a public park, more waterfront access and green space. It’s time to revisit “Another Option” and align this project to its original intent - a public park with a dual use marina.

Eliminate the splash pad. The directed donor(s) may need to agree, but that should be easy given the impossibility of obtaining a plumbing permit to dump 17k gallons of annual grey water into the harbor. Make amends with the abutter and repurpose the existing concrete pad and stone wall into a seating/picnic area.

Minimize the waterfront parking to accommodate the marina needs and get the parking off the piers. The land across the road is for parking and ongoing pier parking enables contamination into the water which is environmentally irresponsible.

Eliminate the house on the property. Rental apartments have no business in a public park and current code doesn’t permit that use which everyone acknowledges. Build a nice public restroom in its place.

Bring respect back to the conversation. The abutters are not “from away” but have deep Maine roots, have owned property here for years, and provide financial support to many local organizations including this park. Most importantly, they fully support the “Another Option” version of the park and simply expect everyone to follow the rules.

I hope “Another Option” can become “The Option” for moving the park to completion ASAP.

Patty Minerich

Boothbay Harbor