Dear Editor:

I do not completely understand what is happening to Boothbay Harbor, but more importantly, I do not completely understand why.

I did not grow up here, I do not have a ‘local’ surname, I do not own a business, live on the water or have buckets of money.

I have, however, had the opportunity to live all over the world, (courtesy of the U.S. Navy) and I can say, with conviction, that Boothbay Harbor is unique.

Yes, the harbor is lovely, the restaurants are good and there is a lot to keep tourists busy but I do not think that that is what makes this place special ... lots of coastal towns worldwide can make the same claim.

The glow of Boothbay Harbor ... the charm ... the draw ... is the way it has developed as a vacation destination for the common man. It is a breath of fresh air, an old comfortable shoe, a place lost in time, a place to relax ... until now.

Now, suddenly, there is a super-sized roundabout on the peninsula. There is a gated-entry golf club. The Botanical Gardens, of all places, has “cut down the trees and put up a parking lot.”

Simple, fun, family festivals like Boatbuilder’s and Fisherman’s even the Fourth of July on Boothbay Common … have all disappeared.

Why?

Is the allure of money blinding us to other issues?

Preservation of the working waterfront is being challenged. School enrollment is down. Median age of the population is up. The hospital is gone. The school needs repairs. Year-round jobs are scarce and affordable housing is almost non-existent. Money may be flowing-in, but the real long-term needs of this community are being ignored.

Residents here are tight-lipped now. The rapid change and conflicting opinions are tearing apart the friendly fabric of this community.

I am thankful for the time we’ve spent in Boothbay Harbor. It has truly been “A Wonderful

Life.” I just hope that it doesn’t become “Pottersville.”

Margaret Racicot

Boothbay Harbor