Dear Editor:

Just read the article by Staff Reporter Katrina Clark titled “What’s being planned at the Boothbay Harbor Country Club.” All I can say is “Wow, wow, wow”!

I have never met Paul Coulombe. But having been the president of a country club that one would consider more exclusive and with much higher annual fees than the Boothbay Harbor Country Club charges, I can attest to the fact that for those thinking he has some ulterior motive of making big bucks on this total course and club remake effort — forget it.

There is no money to be made in golf country clubs.

The cost of just maintaining the course and adjunct programs of swim pools and tennis courts is mind-boggling, and certainly not covered by annual dues and golf fees.

I have to believe the guy when I read that he says this is an effort to benefit the Boothbay region and make it more attractive for not only residents, but to increase its draw as a tourist attraction as well.

As a summer resident with a cottage on Lake Knickerbocker less than a mile from the Center, who has had to negotiate the circle and merging traffics daily during the busy summer season these last 50-plus years, I can certainly appreciate the need to improve the safety of the traffic flow and crossing areas to the Common.

Yes, I'll miss the Center Cafe and I still am having trouble picturing the intersection of Country Club Road and 27 without Kenniston Hill Inn at the corner.

I'll especially miss the old country club building and pro shop when it disappears. But even at 73 years of age, I realize the importance of a vision for the future. And what Coulombe is doing with this effort is in my opinion a dream come true for the area — one that will benefit Boothbay and the entire peninsula for years and years to come.

As a retired educator who frankly cannot afford to belong to country clubs on my fixed income anymore, it doesn't mean I can't appreciate the great things it brings and asset it is to my community.

Dennis C. Brown

Villa Rica, Georgia and Boothbay