An update on the Joint Economic Development Committee at the Oct. 9 select board meeting sparked discussion on whether or not to give the committee approval for endorsing $5,000 toward a broadband initiative.

The JEDC voted on Oct. 2 to seek more matching funds from Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor – $5,000 each – for a Maine Community Foundation grant as a show of the towns' commitment to broadband promotion. The grant does not call for more matching funds, but at a joint workshop for a broadband initiative in early September, consultants Mark Ouellette of Axiom and Larry Sterrs of UniTek suggested the move may help in applying as the grant has become highly competitive.

Because it was the last Boothbay Harbor select board meeting before the application's deadline of Oct. 15, the board had to choose whether or not to approve matching funds. Selectman Mike Tomko and Town Manager Tom Woodin said they were concerned about the prospect of awarding funds before seeing a finished application and knowing in general what the town could expect to see as a return on the investment.

“I'm a little bit hesitant only because we don't have something that's finalized … but I think it's got some good bones to it talking about inventory and literacy and education and outreach to schools and families,” Tomko said.

Tomko also pointed out, the total matching funds, $10,000, would represent 20 percent of the JEDC fund. Woodin agreed and reminded the board there will be future expenses to consider, like the footbridge, wayfinding and housing.

“So, it may be a little more difficult to get funding unless we can specifically identify what the benefits are ahead of time when asking for the funding because this application is a little vague at the moment,” said Woodin.

Selectman Denise Griffin said that though the efforts for better broadband make sense, a plan still in draft form is not enough to consider.

Selectman Wendy Wolf said she understands the apprehension with the application being in draft form. But  the confines of the application – a 200-word limit for each field – make it reasonable to foresee no significant changes from the present draft, she said. The primary author is Kristina Ford, she added.

“This is very close to final ... so any major revisions frankly is a major pain,” Wolf said. “… And we can make our approval provisional on the acceptability of the final application.”

Selectman Russ Hoffman made and Tomko seconded the motion to pass the JEDC's endorsement of up to $5,000 provisional on an acceptable final application.

Said Hoffman,“It sounds like it makes sense – for a $5,000 investment we get an opportunity to go after $15,000, we're going to share that with Boothbay … and we'll get on the path to making (broadband) happen.”

It is another opportunity for continued collaboration between Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor, said Tomko. “It's a next step out of our master plan research which we've paid for and agreed to continue pursuing.”

The board approved the motion 4-1, with Griffin opposed..

During public forum, the board was asked to consider hiring a town planner.

“I think we're at a critical point where we really need an outside professional to help plan with what we want to do with our community,” said resident Bob McKay.

Wolf said there are funds for the town to seek consultants, but not a permanent full-time planner.

“I think we are all interested in seeing what is the best use of that funding. That will require some of the participation of the planning board as well and I think that the perspective is that the planning board has been working through a lot of issues … but we'd like to get through the one issue that's on their plate before we engage in something else that takes their attention,” said Wolf.

Wolf used Lincoln County Planner Bob Faunce and the work he did with the planning board's advisory workgroup as an example of a paid consultant, but audience members maintained, the town needs help on more than a project-to-project basis.

Because the idea of a town planner has been a recurring point, Tomko said the board should take some time to seriously consider the idea rather than pay it “lip service.”

Darrell Gudroe said the town could have a problem finding someone from the region to hire as a planner.

In announcements, Lakeview Road, Reed Road and Williams Street are being prepared for paving. The work should be finished by Nov. 15, said Woodin, cautioning that some of the roads are so narrow they will likely be paved in their entirety rather than in strips to keep a lane open. Financial Officer Julia Latter said the town’s revenue and expenses, year to date, total $4,309,484 and $2,144,000, respectively. The total accounts payable are $1,330,492 and the bank balance is $4,609,311.23, she said.