Town Manager Julia Latter announced March 8 the first of two phases of the Route 27 sidewalk bidding process came back with three responses and is being reviewed by Maine Department of Transportation. The project’s first phase brings the sidewalk from Boothbay Region YMCA to Pinkham’s Gourmet Market.

“But it's a start, it's phase one of two … We hope to be shovel ready by the end of June.”

Latter said the project has a 20% match with the state and both Boothbay Harbor and Boothbay still have the reserves set aside for the project.

Three draft ordinances will soon go to public review before appearing on the May 7 ballot. The first change will require reflective markers on structures extending into harbor waters, a standard selectmen have upheld in conditions to applications over the past few years; the second change reduces the budget committee from seven members to five, changes term length to three years and allows unlimited reappointments; and a third change reverts victualer license duties from the License Board back to the selectmen as previously carried out until corrected last year. Latter said the changes are mostly housekeeping and the board approved the changes to go to public review.

Latter also announced the board has only a 30-day window rather than the traditional 60 days to decide between a referendum-style vote and an in-person town meeting. The secret ballot vote is May 7 and the annual meeting is scheduled for May 8.

“I was asked the question whether we could do referendum-style voting for both the budget and the ordinances. The town of Boothbay Harbor has the authority under state statute to do so (and) we can meet those obligations, but we have to move quickly if we decide to do a referendum-style voting.

Selectman Wendy Wolf said she would be open to the idea for public safety's sake, but Selectman Denise Griffin and Vice Chair Tricia Warren said they lean more toward keeping the annual meeting. Chair Mike Tomko weighed the pros and cons, but noted that in the past 13 years of attending annual town meetings, he has never seen more than 47 people attend and, considering the lengths municipal staff went through last year to make a clean, healthy space for voters in the Boothbay Region High School gym, an in-person meeting is doable. The board agreed to revisit the subject later.

Warren volunteered to serve as the lone Boothbay Harbor selectman on the Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District building committee which will seek an architectural firm to carry out renovations and new construction on the Boothbay Region Elementary and High school buildings. Selectmen were hesitant about participation given the CSD and municipalities do not traditionally work together. Wolf said that on the flip side, the CSD would never conceivably be asked to sit in on a select board meeting for counsel and would certainly not receive voting rights or privileges. “I think the intention is more that we stay both informed in what the developments are and have opportunities to provide input … (but) we're just finishing budget season … Trish is doing the broadband initiative, you'll have two new selectmen come May who will be learning the ropes … so I'm uncertain this is the right way to ensure we have communication.”

Griffin said she thinks it is a good idea to have a member of the board accept a role on the building committee to keep communication open. “Particularly in light of the fact that we ask them to come to ours and they refuse to do so, to the extent that we can maybe provide some leadership support and input, maybe that would be helpful.”

Wolf said if meetings are recorded and available to the public, agendas are made available and meetings are accessible remotely, the board should be able to stay up-to-date with the CSD’s progress and would be able to tune in to share advice or concerns as a member of the public.

Said Warren, “I have two children in the school and I love this community. I have a lot of time invested in other things for sure, but I feel like this is important because it's an opportunity for the board to have some kind of involvement with the school which we haven't in the past. I think it's important our two municipal departments, if you will, get together. So, I'm willing to put (time in) if that is what the board thinks will work.”

Chair Mike Tomko offered to serve as an alternate when Warren is unable to make meetings.

West Harbor Pond Watershed Association member Judith Kildow expressed concerns over MDOT’s  use of herbicides for a one-mile stretch on the side of the road by West Harbor Pond, said Latter. The herbicides are an annual mitigation program aimed at removing the invasive Japanese knotweed, she said.

“The Water District has waivers on file with MDOT not to perform this along the region's water supply, but I've been asked to (fill) out a waiver with the state to stop this process."

The waiver will sever ties to the mitigation program which also provides roadside cutting, said Latter. However, Boothbay Harbor public works has been doing the cutting anyhow and the contract with the state can be renewed at any time, she said.

Latter said CruiseMaine, a subsidiary of the Maine Office of Tourism, has reached out to work on a community plan and has asked that the harbormaster and another representative work with it to prepare for summer. The board agreed Wolf and Harbormaster Jeff Lowell would serve as representatives of the town to work on the community plan.

Applications for the seasonal deputy harbormaster are due at 4 p.m. March 31. Applications are available on the town's website or can be requested by calling 633-3671.