UPDATE: The selectmen rescheduled the presentation for 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 9 at the Boothbay Region YMCA in Boothbay Harbor. The board chose the Y because it could accommodate a large crowd and  broadcast the event on the Internet.

The potential Route 27 traffic pattern plan presentation ended before it got started Wednesday night. The Boothbay Selectmen voted unanimously to table the discussion due to the overflow crowd in attendance. An unofficial count recorded 157 spectators at the Feb. 27 board meeting.

The crowd jammed into the meeting room, lined the hallway, and the remaining crowd watched the meeting begin in the video control room which broadcasts municipal events and records board meetings televised the next day on Boothbay Region Community Television.

The large crowd triggered concerns about violating the fire code which led selectmen to either ask dozens of people to leave or reschedule the presentation.

“I couldn’t agree any more,” said Selectmen’s Chairman Dale Harmon after a resident stated concerns about violating the fire code. “But to shuffle at this point in time, I don’t think there is another venue available.”

This left the board with either asking several spectators to leave or re-scheduling the hearing. The board consulted with State Traffic Engineer Steve Landry and Knickerbocker Group’s chief executive officer and owner Steve Malcom, who were prepared to present the new traffic plan’s first look. Both men agreed to present the plan at the next board meeting in two weeks.

The selectmen rescheduled the presentation for 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 9 at an undetermined location. The selectmen’s first choice is the Boothbay Region YMCA which can broadcast the event live on the Internet. Other favorable locations include the elementary and high schools in Boothbay Harbor.

The selectmen apologized for not holding the meeting at a larger venue. They didn’t expect a large crowd because the meeting was an informational session, not a public hearing. 

“I like to see people participate in board meetings, but there was no way for us to foresee this big a crowd,” Harmon said.

Several spectators laughed after hearing Harmon’s remark about the board’s surprise at the large turnout.

The Boothbay selectmen and the Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Joint Economic Committee have seen portions of the plan over the past two months. The Department of Transportation has worked on the plan with a private group, according to town officials. The presentation was supposed to be the plan’s first public viewing.

Boothbay Planning Board Chairman Fran McBrearty has seen parts of the proposal as a Joint Economic Committee member. The newly formed committee works on economic development issues pertaining to Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor. 

McBrearty described some of the plan’s details last week during a planning board meeting. He indicated plans include a roundabout near the municipal building, straightening out Chapel Street, and Back River Road will come into the roundabout. The proposal includes a private individual or group purchasing the ambulance property and building a new facility in a different location.