For Knickerbocker Road resident Peter Branch, Boothbay’s need for addressing the Route 27 traffic problem is simple. He fears during the height of tourist season leaving for the transfer station shortly after 3 p.m. and not arriving before it closes.

“I may not make it for a couple hours. If I do, I risk dealing with trailer trucks coming through at high speeds or some crazy tourist who doesn’t know where they’re going,” said Branch during the Sept. 28 public hearing on six local referendum articles. Three articles deal with the proposed construction and financing of the roundabout on Route 27.

Branch said he supports articles 2, 3, and 4 on Boothbay’s local ballot in November. He was one of 40 people who attended the hearing, which lasted two hours and 20 minutes.

Sunny Acres Lane resident Fred Kaplan doesn’t support the roundabout. Kaplan is a member of “Committee Against the Roundabout,” a citizen’s organization campaigning against the current proposal.

During the hearing, Kaplan questioned Steve Sawyer, an engineer with Sebago Technics, a design firm hired by The Knickerbocker Group to consult on the project’s construction preparation.

“Committee Against the Roundabout” members believe local businessman and land developer Paul Coulombe is the driving force behind the roundabout and its location.

“Isn’t this the only plan being considered? Is it the case? Isn’t the reason why this is moving forward because the developer is the catalyst,” Kaplan asked.

Sawyer agreed that Coulombe was a catalyst in the project, but so are the town and MDOT. The three are each financing the $3.3 million project as part of a business partnership initiative agreement. The parties entered into an agreement this spring. The two-year-old state program invites private monies to fund transportation projects when public funds are scarce.

“When there is a developer who participates, it stretches transportation dollars further. The state’s $1 million contribution helps fund this $3 million project,” Sawyer said. We can leverage more funds this way. So yes, if the developer wasn’t here, the project wouldn’t be happening,” Sawyer said.

Kaplan believed Sawyer’s response affirmed his belief that Coulombe was the catalyst for the roundabout due its proximity to the developer’s proposed commercial development, Boothbay Village Square.

Selectman Dale Harmon took exception to Kaplan’s questions. Harmon interpreted Sawyer as saying the town, state and developer were the project’s catalyst.

“I heard that completely different,” he said. “I find everything you said in the past five minutes insulting and I’m embarrassed to be a resident of Boothbay and how you addressed Mr. Sawyer.”

Kaplan didn’t care for Harmon’s characterization, either. Kaplan told Harmon he found his statements embarrassing.

“I spoke with respect to the gentleman and I will continue to do so,” Kaplan said. “I find your remarks biased in favor of the proposal. You intercede in the discussions because of your impatience with people who oppose the roundabout.”

Harmon indicated he supported the proposal, but when the vote was taken on Nov. 8, he would sleep well regardless of the outcome.

Town Manager Dan Bryer explained the current proposal is based on a 2002 plan which preceded the country club expansion. The current plan is based on a 2002 MDOT Route 27 traffic study of Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor and Edgecomb. According to town officials, the plan went nowhere due to a lack of funding. In 2012, the plan was resurrected and residents voted on a proposal to construct a roundabout around the Civil War monument at the intersection of Route 27 and Corey Lane. Voters rejected the proposal.

“This is our (community) plan,” Bryer said. “The meat of the plan came from the 2002 study. Nobody wanted the roundabout near the monument so it was relocated.”

The hearing was also the first time DOT officials commented about the Helman plan, a proposed alternative to the Route 27 Traffic Study, which was suggested in a letter to the editor in the Boothbay Register. Mark Lenters, a professional engineer who consults on traffic issues for the DOT, described Helman’s proposal as a “circulation plan and not consistent with the project’s safety and traffic goals.” Lenters called the plan “impractical” because it would divert traffic away from the Common.

This was the only public hearing planned for the local referendum questions prior to Election Day. The selectmen will meet next at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 12 in the Boothbay municipal building.