The Boothbay Harbor selectboard approved a May 27 proposal from RCAP Solutions, a non-profit community development organization, to help create an economic development plan.  

New Project Director Sarah Buck gave a proposal to include the town in RCAP's Rural Infrastructure Strengths Evaluation (RISE) program. Buck said the program aims to support actionable and inclusive economic development for and by rural communities in a collaborative approach with RCAP Solutions. The process is mostly focused on strategic planning for economic development over a year-long process. According to Buck, the work will not cost the town because it is funded through federal money. 

“I can’t see a downside to this at all,” Chair Michael Tomko said in support of the proposal.  

Buck said the project includes engaging full-time and seasonal residents to take stock of local assets and values to better understand the kinds of wealth that can be leveraged for a strategy. However, she stressed wealth isn't just monetary; it includes natural resources, local expertise and other value.  

“We've worked in hundreds of hundreds of rural communities,” Buck said. "We want to make sure you have buy-in to have things move and reach both of our goals.” 

According to Buck, the program is still in a pilot phase with three other participating towns: Orange, Massachusetts; and Barton and Lunenburg in Vermont. Buck said the other towns are similar in size and needs, but Boothbay Harbor's tourist industry makes it a unique addition. Although priorities have not yet been defined, she said she expects the process will touch on parking, transportation, business and infrastructure. She also acknowledged Boothbay Harbor is creating a comprehensive plan and said she hoped to coordinate efforts. 

The board agreed to the proposal, which would turn into a community service agreement that includes a scope of work and what roles and responsibilities need to be filled. Buck added, part of the program is to train locals such as town staff or board members to continue the work after the agreement is over. “We don't want to create a culture of dependency,” she said.  

Buck hopes Boothbay will also join the efforts to create a more regional economic development plan. She plans to present her proposal to the Boothbay selectboard in June. Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission is also collaborating with the project, and two representatives were at the meeting. 

In other business, Tomko said he attended a May 15 workshop on climate resilience hosted by the Boothbay Region Climate Action Team. The meeting included discussion on infrastructure and economic impacts. Tomko said the workshop had a great conversation about preparedness for climate change impacts and how to mitigate storm damage. “(I left with) the idea they had quite a bit of committed people working on it,” he said.  

Town Manager Julia Latter reported setbacks in plans to install chargers for electric vehicles. After a site visit with the code enforcement officer and a representative from contractor Revision Energy, she said two proposed locations didn't meet setback requirements. However, she said they found a potential site off Oak Street. She added, the change needs to be confirmed with Efficiency Maine for the project's grant, which must be spent in the next few months.