Boothbay residents may owe a million thanks to a local volunteer group that has consistently worked toward the town’s betterment for three decades. Boothbay Civic Association has donated a $12,800 gazebo for the common, $35,000 toward the purchase of Shipbuilder’s Park and $2,000 for an imaging camera for the fire department. The most recent donation is $12,000 for painting the municipal building and post office.

This donation pushes BCA’s total closer to its goal of donating $1 million. To date, BCA donations total $917,383.82. Over the years, private donations, bottle redemptions, pie sales, bake sales, lobster bakes and  public suppers have allowed the group to provide a diverse array of community projects benefiting residents for 30-plus years. 

But its largest donation was also the first. The BCA began in Selectman Chetley Rittall’s mind. In 1984, Rittall was convinced the town needed to replace its aging municipal buildings with modern ones. That belief intensified after a female fell down the steep stairway of the former town office. For a while, Boothbay allowed then Town Clerk Joan Rittall, Chetley’s wife, to work out of their Wiscasset Road home. “People loved coming to the house, and I did, too, because you didn’t have to climb those stairs,” she said. “But Chetley had another idea. He was a builder, and had a big interest in the town. It was his goal to build a new town office building.”

As a selectman, Chetley Rittall knew the town could receive matching state and federal grants to help finance the project. He believed the best course was to raise the money locally through fundraising rather than seek taxpayers’ dollars. Chetley Rittall wanted a new building accessible to young or old, big or small. So he created an early version of what would become the BCA. He and 15 friends sat around a fireplace at Kenniston Hill Inn discussing raising $250,000 to qualify for matching funds. The small group began soliciting large donations around town with Chetley Rittall, Dickie Hodgdon and Henry Rowe among others raising thousands of dollars through public contributions. Membership expanded as Chetley Rittall began seeking more community involvement. 

Resident Dawn Gilbert wasn't an original BCA member, but she joined shortly after Chetley discussed his proposal. At the time, both operated downtown Boothbay Harbor businesses. Gilbert was a hair dresser who occupied the building which now houses Boothbay Harbor Port’s Pizzeria on Union Street. Gilbert rented her salon from Chetley who spent time in his boathouse across the street in what is now Brady’s Restaurant. 

Each day, landlord and tenant discussed current events. One day, Chetley recruited Gilbert to join a team of community volunteers working towards raising $250,000 for a new municipal building. “What? You want to do what, Chetley? I thought he was crazy,” she said. “But you know what, Chetley had a lot of friends, and knew everybody, and looking back now, I’m not surprised he was successful.”

As the team grew, so did the contributions. The BCA reached its $250,000 goal which resulted in a $300,000 matching grant. On July 18, 1993, the new Boothbay municipal building opened, but the BCA’s work continued. On the first Wednesday of each month, the group meets in the building they bought for the town. The BCA’s major fundraiser now is collecting donated cans for redemption. Gilbert has remained an active member for 30 years, as has Joan Rittall who was an original member with her husband.  She is the BCA’s historian capturing various Boothbay Register articles that chronicle the group’s civic contributions. “I’m not as active as I was, but I’m still involved because the BCA continues to do so much good for the community,” she said.

Gilbert described her longtime friend, Joan Rittall, as a BCA fixture. “She loves it and would be lost without it,” Gilbert said. As the BCA nears its one millionth dollar in donations, the group continues its activities geared toward community betterment. One goal is a permanent ice rink. Joan Rittall recalled her husband dreaming of a permanent rink at Clifford Park. The BCA supports a rink currently located at the fire station. “I think either Clifford Park or the Common would be a good place for it. I think Clifford is better because there is more place to park and is safer for kids,” she said.

The BCA is developing a plan benefiting Clifford Park and another geared toward fundraising. Donation envelopes will be placed inside the town office soliciting contributions to fund more projects toward the group’s $1 million goal.