On July 1 at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Meeting Room, 11 Howard Street, Boothbay Harbor, there will be a Boothbay Harbor Appeals Board Variance Request public hearing.

Should The Harbor Theatre be allowed to display a sign on Route 27 with movie titles? Attendance is much lower since we were required to remove our road sign December 31, 2013 or face up to $2,500 daily fines.

The allowable square footage for signage has already been maxed out at the Meadow Mall location. The theatre needs a variance to be able to  have a changeable letter sign on Route 27.

Our new digital sign can not be easily read from Route 27, 130 feet away.

We're asking for a Variance to allow us to display the 4 by 8-foot changeable letter road sign we have displayed in various forms since 2002 at this location on Route 27 through Columbus Day, while we work towards identifying a more permanent year-round solution. Without a road sign, the  theatre will probably have to close permanently later this year.