Paul Coulombe dismissed criticism Monday that two of his Boothbay properties would be the main beneficiaries of the proposed roundabout. Coulombe, who owns the Boothbay Harbor Country Club and is developer of the proposed Boothbay Village Square, declared the roundabout would have a negligible impact on these businesses. He told a Boothbay audience of about 40 residents at the country club the proposal’s main benefactor is “people of the Boothbay region.”

“I don’t need the roundabout. This is really about the town,” he said.

Coulombe explained he’d never live long enough to recoup his investment in the country club which he purchased in 2013 for $1.4 million. It is in the midst of a $30 million expansion project. Also, the proposed roundabout is designed to improve traffic safety and revitalize the region’s economy, not enhance his properties.

“The Village Square has minimal parking so it won’t generate that much activity and the country club’s traffic problem was resolved last October with the new entrance,” he said. “This is really all about the town. It’s about the guy who works at the gas station, sells lobster or food at the grocery store. It benefits a lot of people.”

Coulombe believes the roundabout is necessary for the region’s future economic development. He used several demographic statistics showing the region’s population was simultaneously aging and diminishing.

According to Coulombe, the Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District’s student enrollment has decreased by 32 percent since 2001. The local population is also the oldest in the country, according to U.S. Census data.

“Boothbay’s median age is older than Miami Beach and Phoenix. We all have an expiration date,” Coulombe said. “The problem is people aren’t moving here and our young people leave. We need to turn this around, or this peninsula isn’t long for this world.”

Coulombe also addressed Committee Against the Roundabout member Fred Kaplan’s remarks made at the Sep. 30 public hearing. Kaplan described Coulombe as the catalyst of the roundabout proposal. Kaplan believed the roundabout plan and location are both linked to Coulombe’s business needs. Coulumbe has pledged to finance $1.15 million of the $3.3 million roundabout proposal. He also funded a DOT consultant who submitted a Route 27 Redevelopment Plan this spring which promoted a roundabout as the best means for improving traffic flow and safety.

“The opposition’s arguments don’t have merit and substantive evidence,” Coulumbe said. “This is not my plan. It comes from the DOT’s 2002 Route 27 Traffic Study. I don’t know what a traffic circle is. What I do know is I want to make the corridor safer and more inviting for everybody.”

Knickerbocker Group project manager Danielle Betts, who assisted Coulombe during the presentation, confirmed DOT officials determined the location for the proposed roundabout because it connected to Corey Lane and due to the proximity of town-owned property.

“They said the location made the most sense,” she said.

Coulombe took audience questions during the forum’s last 30 minutes. Two residents asked questions about comments raised during the Sept. 30 public hearing regarding the November referendum. One pertained to how questions 2, 3, and 4 impacted the roundabout proposal. Coulombe responded that a yes vote was required on all three for the project to proceed.

Another question asked about the redevelopment project’s construction schedule. If voters approve questions 2, 3, and 4, construction would begin in January on the Corey Lane redevelopment. The project would stop in May and resume in October. Coulombe expects completion by May 2018.

Barters Island residents Alice Schambra and Betty Torrance were two of the event attendees. Both were impressed with the presentation. Schambra has experienced the traffic congestion from Corey Lane on to Route 27 for years.

“It hasn’t been anything too bad, just some long waits, but I think this proposal will improve it,” she said. “The presentation was well done and I came to know the facts before I voted. I support the roundabout.”

Torrance found the presentation informative, but she won’t be voting for it. “I came to learn more about it even though I can’t vote. I think it will be a good thing, but I’m heading south on Oct. 12,” Torrance said.

A second “Lunch and Learn” will be held at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at the Boothbay Harbor Country Club.