The Boothbay Board of Selectmen will negotiate with Maine Department of Transportation to construct a proposed $3.3 million roundabout on Route 27. The selectmen voted 3-0 on April 13 to begin discussing a Business Partnership Initiative (BPI) agreement which splits transportation construction costs between the state, municipality and private sources. 

The selectmen approved taking the first step in potentially working with the MDOT and Southport businessman Paul Coulombe, who owns the Boothbay Harbor Country Club and several properties along Route 27 near the Boothbay Common.

Under the BPI, the three parties would not share construction costs equally. The town and Coulombe would each contribute $1.15 million. The MDOT is limited to a maximum $1 million contribution. The selectmen authorized Town Manager Dan Bryer to begin negotiating with MDOT after a two and a half hour board meeting held at the Boothbay Region YMCA. More than 200 people attended. 

The meeting was dominated by presentations from MDOT consultant Mark Lenters of the Wisconsin-based firm GHD Consulting, Coulombe, and over a dozen Boothbay Region residents who questioned various aspects of the proposal.  Lenters began his presentation by responding to 25 questions generated from the first informational meeting held on March 9. He ended with a computer-generated video showing how traffic from the north and south would use the proposed roundabout.

Coulombe discussed why he paid for the recent Route 27 traffic pattern study and offered to pay over a third of the construction costs. Residents questioned how public safety vehicles would fare on the reconstructed roadway and whether delays in traffic warranted improvement. Other residents offered comments supporting the proposal due to potential improved safety and better traffic flow.

The selectmen believe agreeing to negotiate is a logical first step in the process.

“All this is doing is starting the ball rolling. This doesn’t require the expenditure of any funds. It just begins the process of negotiating with the state to see if this is a good thing for Boothbay,” Lewis said.

Lenters assured residents the current traffic congestion during peak summer hours warranted a better traffic flow system. He cited various engineering studies showing that a roundabout is the best device for addressing traffic flow and safety concerns.

He believed as the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens continued to expand, Route 27 traffic problems would only worsen. But Lenters wanted to keep the focus on current traffic problems, not ones 10-20 years down the road.

“Tonight, I don’t want to talk about the future. We’ve already identified existing problems on Route 27. Problems sufficient enough to the department’s attention. So just on the merits, there is enough of a problem without consideration of further problems,” Lenters said.

Summer traffic often rated an “F or E” which constituted a 60-second delay per vehicle during peak hours, according MDOT surveys. Lenters described this as “unacceptable.” The MDOT recommends delays of about 20-30 seconds.

Lenters is recommending a roundabout to improve traffic efficiency along Route 27.

Coulombe became involved in the proposal at the urging of several local businessmen. He agreed to fund the latest Route 27 traffic study which recommended constructing a roundabout and realigning Corey Lane. He explained his involvement in the traffic study and willingness to make a financial contribution.

Besides contributing $1.15 million for roundabout construction costs, he is also spending $1.65 million to build a new Boothbay Region Ambulance Service complex.

He has reached agreement with the BRAS to switch properties to facilitate the proposed roundabout’s construction. Since moving to Southport in 2006,  Coulombe has made significant financial contributions to several civic organizations. He also purchased the country club in Boothbay and built a restaurant on Southport in hopes of reviving the two landmarks. And now he believed it was his “civic duty” to become involved with a project involving economic development and importance to the region.

“We thought it was important to invest in the country club and store to save and keep it,” he said. “The roundabout project is important for safety and economic development. The Boothbay region is a great place to live and working together we can all make it better. I encourage your support and ask the selectmen to move the project forward.”

The selectmen’s meeting finished with the public asking questions and commenting about the proposal. Boothbay resident Fred Kaplan challenged the consultant’s safety statistics and reasoning behind proposing a roundabout.

“You say X number of accidents occurred within 3-5 years. Well, what is it? Is it three, four or five,” Kaplan asked. “I have little faith in your objectivity. Some of the information presented I found ludicrous.”

Kaplan also asked the selectmen, if voters rejected the proposal, could a private source finance the project. Chairman Dale Harmon replied no.

“As far as I’m concerned if the voters turn this down then that’s the end of it,” he said.

Boothbay residents Win and Lori Mitchell own Boothbay Craft Brewery. The couple support the proposal. Lori Mitchell believes the roundabout potentially could lead to additional younger families moving to the region, providing local businesses with desperately needed labor.

The Mitchells believe the roundabout would attract more millennials to live and work in the region. They hope increased population translates into more workers and allows them to operate year round.

“I’m all for keeping our roots, but we need to spread our wings to improve and better acclimate to our growing business needs,” Lori Mitchell said.

The next step in the process is the selectmen entering into a BPI agreement with the state. Residents must approve both the BPI and using Tax Increment Funds to finance a $1.15 million bond.

Also:

Boothbay selectmen consider next step on roundabout proposal

Roundabout suggested for solving Boothbay traffic problems

Selectmen re-schedule traffic plan presentation