Dear Editor:

Regarding the letter to the editor, “Another option” written by Patty Minerich; as a member of the board for the Park as well as having lived here my entire life, I read her letter with an open mind and heart. However, I was quite saddened to see that she has been misinformed in regard to the Park on several points.

The board is comprised of 13 people. Some are life residents and others are “from away.” The board has one goal: to provide a lovely, clean, safe, open space for visitors and residents alike, It is our gift to the town of Boothbay Harbor and the entire region. The Park will be free for all to enjoy.

We, as a board, have voted, vetoed and rehashed our plans for the Park.

Regarding points made in her letter:

Splashpad. Minerich’s figure of 17K gallons of water is an exaggeration. We have taken into account water usage, discharge methods and we have a plan that was approved by not only DEP but also DHHS. I can assure you that we will not dump 17K gallons of gray water into the Harbor.

Minimize parking; We have. We are going to have no parking on the North pier and limited parking on the South pier – for fisherman to load and work on their gear. I believe we have reduced the number of parking spaces to 14. Surely this demonstrates a great “minimization.”

House: We have reviewed, voted and vetoed and have eliminated all rental apartments. We will have four public restrooms, two in each of two of the buildings and I assure you that they will be ADA compliant and will be “nice.”

Respect: I attended a meeting of the board last week and asked each member of the board if they knew Patty Minerich and/or had read her letter. Each said that they had read her letter and some said that they knew who she was, but most didn't know her at all. Not one of us on the board had been contacted by her to see if the information that she was imparting was indeed correct.

I am offering to meet with her or anyone to answer any questions that they may have now or in the future regarding the Park.

Ellen Stevens Newton

Boothbay