Dear Editor:

My wife and I decided to attend the Boothbay Harbor Planning Board meeting on July 8 to hear the presentations and audience discussion regarding the Eastside Waterfront Park. We do not live on the east side of the harbor, but I have followed the unfolding story for years – primarily via the Boothbay Register.

During the meeting it was clear that the planning representative from the Park wanted to only discuss a limited set of “amendments” that were before the Planning Board and nothing else. He highlighted the splash pad as the biggest issue while acknowledging that it was somewhat larger than originally approved and had been moved from its originally planned location according to a site plan from six years ago.

What was obvious to me, however, was the absence of clearly definable facts in his presentation which could have been discussed. There was no mention of the exact size and specific design of the original splash pad nor were there any references to where the splash pad was originally depicted to be built on the property as compared to where it is now. How big was the original center pad where the water would actually be? How big was any accompanying concrete apron, including any stone seating areas and any additional stone work outside of that? How does that compare to what has now been built in terms of being bigger? Where was the splash pad going to be located in the original plan and how far is that away from where it now resides? A visual depiction of the original plan for the splash pad vs. where it is now located would have been very helpful to frame the ongoing controversy.

Additionally, obvious to me was that the Park’s ongoing piecemeal approach to permits and presentations versus a fully integrated approach that the neighbors support is guaranteed to maintain maximum flexibility in their future building plans while ensuring legal bills will continue to accrue for years to come.

Mark Powell

Southport