Boothbay Harbor selectmen on Feb. 12 discussed the Joint Economic Development Committee strategy and action plan and progress on efforts toward a regional wayfinding project.

Board member Mike Tomko said he and fellow JEDC member Jon Dunsford will be splitting the six goal areas outlined in the action plan matrix and processing them down to bullet points of actions, steps and who is or may be responsible for seeing those through.

Board chair Wendy Wolf said she reminded people at the roll-out meeting that all the JEDC’s members are volunteers and none – including town managers Tom Woodin and Dan Bryer of Boothbay Harbor and Boothbay, respectively – are experts in economic development.

Said board member Russ Hoffman, “There’s a lot of material in the matrix. I think some discussion of that will be really worthwhile because we will spread ourselves too thin if we try to tackle too many … I think the other message that we heard is that it’s not the business owner’s responsibility, either, to make this go, which is another argument for having somebody on board more or less dedicated full-time to establish some directive for us.”

The rest of the board agreed some type of oversight by a professional or an entity will be needed to see most of the action plan through. Vice Chair Denise Griffin said she recalled such a conversation before the JEDC even wrote its memorandum. Board member Tricia Warren agreed, saying anything involving grants will demand a lot of time from someone with great experience.

Hoffman also noted that, at the end of the action plan roll-out meeting when attendees could sign up for undertaking one of the six goal areas, he did not put his name down. Hoffman said that with all of his responsibilities on various boards, he would not have the time each category deserves for commitment.

“But I do think there ought to be a mechanism for some more community involvement beyond the people who were in the room,” said Hoffman.

Wolf shared a short presentation on the wayfinding concepts  drawn up by Gamble Design, a Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based design company the board commissioned for concept designs along with a grant from the Lincoln County Development Corporation.

“When we started talking about wayfinding, I thought we were talking about putting up the right signs, but wayfinding is actually a more comprehensive way about thinking how people put together information and use information in a way that is logical and gets them to where they want to go,” said Wolf.

The concept illustrates the peninsula as a region with four distinct towns all with their own destinations. Gamble Design did a survey with site visits to imagine a logical approach to signage and the establishment of this separate, but linked regional identity. Wolf said the process is both macro and micro with state to region to town to specific areas within towns as a framework for both identity and orientation.

“I don’t like this approach,” said Griffin. “I love it. I don’t want to wait a whole year and a half to implement it, I want to see us put some money in the budget for this year.”

Concerns were expressed from around the board about convincing the other three towns. Wolf said she felt there was mixed reaction from people in Boothbay concerned about the unique signs that already exist as well as cost-sharing. Hoffman offered that while trying to join everyone together for this type of project, the board may want to think about going ahead at the smallest starting point in Boothbay Harbor such as the visitor kiosk or vehicular level.

Wolf said she was asked by a reporter for the Maine Municipal Association’s magazine about the board’s response to the federal proposal for offshore oil and natural gas drilling. While she said she did not take it upon herself to speak for the rest of the board without consulting them first, she said she felt it is not a good idea taking into account the region and its source of economy.

“But that is my own feeling and I’d love to have a sense from the board that if I chat with this person – what are your feelings,” asked Wolf.

All board members agreed Wolf reflects the sentiments of the board.

Said Tomko, “I think you represent the thoughts and feelings of our board very well. You are certainly involved in all the important aspects so I have no problem with you talking and representing our feelings. The water is our great resource and anything we can do to protect it – we should.”

The board accepted Jay Warren’s application for the Refuse District’s Board of Directors with four votes yes and one abstention – Tricia Warren, the applicant’s niece.

Finance officer Julia Latter shared the town’s financial information. The total revenue and expenses, year to date, are $5,219,009 and $5,126,064 respectively. The total accounts payable are $466,427 and the bank balance is $2,313,322.13.

Selectmen meet next at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26 in the town office.

This meeting will be available online courtesy of Boothbay Region Television (BRTV). Tune in to Channel 1301.