The poor condition of parts of Atlantic Avenue in Boothbay Harbor drew the ire of both selectmen and residents during a regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen on June 27. During the public forum portion, Boothbay Harbor resident Bruce Engert spoke of his frustration with the storm drains on the busy street and implored the board members to take prompt action. 

“I drive this stretch of road roughly 730 times a year,” said Engert. “We’re wiping out our front ends because the rationale has been it’s okay to have a storm drain three, four, five or six inches below the grade of the road.” 

Besides the unsettling noise the storm drains cause while driving over them, the issue is costing taxpayers an exorbitant of money to maintain their vehicles, said Engert.

“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask the board of selectmen to do something about it,” he continued. “It’s time we as a town got on board and got these things reasonably repaired.”

The onus to repair the problems is both a state and town issue, Town Manager Tom Woodin said in response to Engert. 

“This has already been in the works for a couple of weeks,” said Woodin. “A formal complaint was filed against Hagar (a Damariscotta-based construction firm that completed the work). We are fully in agreement that the whole area is terrible.”

The timetable for repair is unknown because of numerous paving projects currently under way statewide and on the peninsula, said Woodin.

“The contractor was the state’s contractor,” said Woodin. “But it is a shared responsibility.”

Based on her own experience and the out-of-whack alignment of her car, Chairman Denise Griffin agreed with Engert.

“I personally know what you’re talking about,” said Griffin. “I drive around them but my husband doesn’t.”

In other action, the board discussed a slowly developing project to turn a town-owned gateway area into a recreational park. 

In 2015, selectmen voted unanimously to authorize Woodin to begin work on the town-owned land, at the intersection of Townsend Avenue and Emery Lane, using a design proposed by Danielle Betts of Knickerbocker Group.

The work involves changes to landscaping, parking area renovations, a picnic area, and two sport courts, one for pickleball and one for basketball. The basketball court will also be striped for two additional pickleball courts.

During Monday’s meeting, Woodin discussed the project’s cost, a figure he pegged at roughly $59,000. The town has already committed approximately $30,000.

“This may have to be done in phases,” said Woodin. “We aren’t just sitting still, there is a lot being discussed and worked on.”

According to Woodin, the two biggest expenses are $10,000 to surface the courts and $29,000 for plants and installation of the plantings.

In earlier comments, Woodin informed the board of the successful installation of wayfinding signs in town.

“I’ve already seen people huddled around them, they seem to be working well,” said Woodin.