Passive vs. active recreation was the theme at the Monday, Aug. 24, workshop to discuss what to do with the gateway area, the spot where the tennis courts used to be at the corner of Townsend Avenue and Emery Lane in Boothbay Harbor.

About 25 residents showed up at the workshop, and the Boothbay Harbor selectmen heard from many of them. While everyone was in agreement that the edges of the area should be landscaped and made more appealing, there was some disagreement about what to do with the middle.

Planning Board Chairman Mike Tomko, who presented a plan for the area created by Don Leighton to the selectmen in mid-July, brought forth a new plan which eliminated the multipurpose court.

According to Tomko, a group of residents had an informal get together on Aug. 23 to discuss what they wanted the area to be. Members of this group including Stephanie Hawke, Russell Brackett, Joe Paolillo, Richard Hallinan, Win Mitchell, Valerie Young, Leighton and Tomko.

“After discussions with members of the community, it seemed a more passive approach was preferred to keep things open and flexible,” Tomko said. “The work could be done in phases, with a reinforced turf in the center that could support whatever project the town wanted to move forward with, including Russell's idea.”

At the late July selectman’s meeting, Brackett proposed crafting a giant sculpture relevant to local industry, such as a lobster or fishing boat, to attract tourists.

“(Our) intent was to offer suggestions so that the best outcome could be developed with thoughtful planning and review,” Tomko said the next day.

Some residents were in support of creating a recreational court immediately, rather than leaving that option open for the future. Pickleball player Janet Brennan spoke about the 25-30 players in the area who were currently using the new tennis courts, but that the area was not ideal as they had been asked not to mark the courts with lines and couldn't use them when the school was using them.

“It's a great spot for it, and lots of people play pickleball that wouldn't necessarily play other sports. It's active, but easier to play,” Brennan said.

York Fisher of Boothbay suggested that instead of a full basketball court, as the current proposed designs by Danielle Betts of Knickerbocker Group showed, a half-court might be sufficient.

“Most people would want to play one-on-one or two-on-two, and you don't need a full court for that,” Fisher said. “Courts would promote athleticism and that's nice for tourists to see as well as a park. And pickleball is really big in Florida and around the country, and they would like having a place to come and play while on vacation.”

Richard Shay suggested creating a gazebo in the area and having a space for a band to play, similar to the Boothbay Common.

“We don't have a lot of land in Boothbay Harbor,” Shay said. “I'd hate to see a court back there.”

“There was a fair amount of interest in (courts) when we began this project, and I feel we have some obligation to carry that out,” Vice Chairman Bill Hamblen said.

Hamblen was referring to the May 24, 2014, selectman’s meeting where nearly all who spoke on the issue were in favor of courts. He also refereed the unofficial poll conducted by the Boothbay Register where out of 528 votes cast, 30 percent were in favor of a basketball court and four percent favored a volleyball court.

“Of course, not all those votes were from Boothbay Harbor,” Hamblen added.

Other votes included a community garden (17 percent), a dog park (14 percent), additional parking (10 percent), a community pool (17 percent) and 'do nothing' (8 percent).

Selectman Wendy Wolf cautioned people from thinking that sprucing up this one spot will make all the difference to the area.

“How do we truly make this a 'gateway' when it's only one side of the street?” Wolf said. “I'm concerned we are making this more transformative in our minds than it is. We want to make people coming into town to think it was worth driving down 27 behind that slow RV when they arrive.”

Tony Cameron, executive director of the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce, said he agreed with Wolf 100 percent.

“It's just a piece of the puzzle,” he said. “But it is an important piece. And if we put a recreational court in now it might be useful, but what about 10 years from now? I think starting with (what Tomko proposed) is a good plan.”

Annette Stormont urged the selectmen to think about how the area “would best serve the year-round community” when they made their decision.

“I drive to Augusta every day for work,” Wolf said, “When I round the bend (near Boothbay center) the head home I feel surrounded by the Boothbay region, my home. I want tourists to feel the same way.”

The selectmen thanked everyone who came and spoke at the workshop. At the most recent town meeting, $15,000 was approved for the gateway project, which will be enough to at least start the process.

“We'll need to put in more, depending on where we go with this,” Town Manager Tom Woodin said.

The selectmen seemed in agreement after the workshop that a decision was likely at their next meeting, which will take place on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at the town office.

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