The Offshore Wind Community Benefits group is invites residents and property owners in Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor to join our summer meeting on Thursday, July 20 from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Boothbay Region YMCA. We’ll talk about potential community projects to be funded through a benefits agreement attached to the New England Aqua Ventus demonstration project to test an experimental platform for offshore wind turbines developed by the University of Maine.

NEAV is in the process of obtaining the permits for the demonstration project to move forward. To test the experimental platform, a single wind turbine would be deployed off Monhegan Island. The cable would come ashore at the Bigelow Laboratory campus in East Boothbay. The proposed construction path for the cable on land would run along Route 96 to the electric substation at the corner of Route 96 and Route 27 in Boothbay Harbor.

NEAV has agreed to provide a community benefits package to offset community disruption during laying of the cable. The focus of proposed benefits is public health and safety. The Offshore Wind Community Benefits group is comprised of Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor residents and property owners working together to identify possible projects that would benefit the community. The Group has discussed many potential projects, including bike lanes, sidewalk and crosswalk improvements, and other options.

At this meeting, a list of community proposals will be reviewed and discussed. When the project moves forward, the Community Benefits Agreement will be between NEAV and the municipalities. The group provides updates to the Select Boards of Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor, with participation by selectmen in the meetings.

The July 20 meeting is also on Zoom. The public is welcome to attend. For more information, to request a zoom link, or to join our email list, please email bbycommunitybenefits@gmail.com.

For more information about the project go to: New England Aqua Ventus (NEAV: https://newenglandaquaventus.com); a partnership between Diamond Offshore Wind (Mitsubishi: https://www.dowind.com) to test an experimental platform for offshore wind turbines developed by the University of Maine.

This article has been updated from its original posting.