It was New Year's Eve and -9 degrees Fahrenheit not counting wind chill. Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce  Executive Director Patricia Royall stepped into the building the Chamber calls home and knew something was not right.

“It was cold. There were black cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling. There was soot everywhere.”

The furnace had failed, spewing soot just about everywhere in the building, covering the walls, computers and desks, and even the insides of folders snugly tucked into secure filing cabinets.

Royall called her staff the next morning and asked them to meet her at Caper's for coffee where she would get them up to date on what she found.

Not sure what they should do, the Chamber staff got the word around that their home was all but condemned. Two hours later, they were meeting with Bob Drury of St. Andrews Village Retirement Community. By the end of the day, the Chamber was renting a two-bedroom unit at the Village.

Fast forward five months. An “open” flag waves at the entrance to what Royall said we can now resume calling the Chamber. Members wandered into the open house June 13, a new birthday for the building — a fresh start, said Royall.

“We want people, when they first come to Boothbay, to have a nice visitor's center. It's really important for me to make people feel welcome whether they're members or visitors.”

Royall pointed out that the old rolling carts for business and organization pamphlets are now gone. In their place are sleek, wall-mounted holders which open up the space much more and show off the room as welcoming and comfortable. All the art that once hung on the Chamber’s walls was carefully removed and restored to its original glory. The works now hang in their rightful places once again, among some new pieces.

Marketing and Administrative Manager Sara Moore said that as bad as the furnace issue was, if it had not happened, the improvements would also likely never have happened.

Said Moore, “It's like coming to a new and improved home. We're very spoiled.”