Dear Editor:

As a resident of the town of Boothbay, I’m appalled that the selectmen decided to take it upon themselves to oust two hard-working members of the Boothbay Planning Board.

Putting aside the public humiliation delivered to these two former members, it’s not up to the selectmen to determine the direction the planning board needs to go. The planning board is tasked to determine the merits of an application on a case by case basis. Its members should not be asked to review an application with a built in bias, for business or against.

As a small business owner myself, I agree that the growth of small business in the community is key to the town’s future. But it’s the zoning ordinances, not individual members of the board, that should lay the groundwork for a business friendly climate.

And as a resident of Adams Pond Road, I’m familiar with the Boothbay Craft Brewery and its new Watershed Tavern and attended a number of planning board meetings regarding this. It’s public knowledge that the planning board and area residents were told when the applicant submitted plans for a brewery that there was no intention to open a restaurant there, let alone a tavern. Apparently that was the plan all along.

In their haste to be pro-business, Selectmen Lewis and Harmon don’t seem to care that the planning board – and area residents - were misled by an applicant. Nor do they seem to care that – spelled out in section 3.7.10 of the Town of Boothbay zoning ordinances – taverns are strictly prohibited in the town. No exceptions. If the sign on the building says tavern and the website and newspaper advertisements say tavern, it’s clearly a tavern.

I imagine that these selectmen would feel differently if someone applied to build a brewery and tavern less than 50’ from their front door. Like many people, I love a good beer. But I would not want to have sit in my family home, as the abutters do, and be reminded morning, noon and night that their rights are less important to the town than a business owner’s.

Robert Conlin
Boothbay