The Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce announced at its annual business meeting that the organization can no longer sponsor the Windjammer Days festival.

The announcement was made to local businesses and Chamber members that gathered at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Bosarge Family Education Center on October 30.

The Chamber’s Board of Directors said they are going to outsource next year's Windjammer Days to another organization, and cited lack of volunteers, sponsorship and an overall loss of funding for three consecutive years that led to the decision.

The board said they would allocate a portion of the Dash Family Fund, a private fund designated specifically for Windjammer Days, to be administered at the discretion of the Chamber.

“We felt that a lot of people put a lot of time and energy into Windjammer Days ... and felt that maybe by changing this up, that we could reenergize Windjammer Days to go back to where it began 50 years ago,” said Pamela Riley, president of the Chamber's board of directors.

The Chamber has overseen Windjammer Days since its inception in 1962. But in recent years the Chamber was spending an inordinate amount of time and energy on Windjammer Days, and was not receiving the same amount of donations, sponsorship and contributions from Chamber members as it had in the past, Riley said. 

“While we appreciate everyone who has volunteered and supported Windjammer Days in the past, we did not get one one new volunteer or sponsor from this effort,” said Chamber Executive Director Catherine Wygant Fossett.

According to Wygant Fossett, Chamber membership increased from 353 to 393 last year, however overall contributions to Windjammer Days decreased from 25 percent 2012, down to 19 percent in 2013.

Membership dues make up 25 percent of the Chamber's annual income.

The board of directors said they would put out a request for proposals in the next 30 days. While changes might be made to Windjammer Days, the festival's three key events would be maintained.

Those events include the parade of sails, the antique boat parade and the Cabbage Island Clambakes for the Windjammer fleet.

Additionally, the Chamber intends to turn over the management of the fireworks fund to the town of Boothbay Harbor. If Boothbay Harbor declines, the offer will go before the towns of Boothbay or Southport. The fireworks are funded by community donations and managed by the Chamber, which handles the funds and negotiates the contracts with the fireworks company and fire marshal.

By outsourcing Windjammer Days, the Chamber said they could save money, time and energy which they could use to bolster area businesses and promote a positive economic climate through advocacy and member outreach services.

The Chamber also detailed ideas of launching a new website and generating more revenue by tapping key advertising markets.

The Chamber's announcement was met with mixed reviews from the audience.

“If your goal is to create a better economy in the Boothbay region, and we find that Windjammer Days is bringing in all of this, it's not about the Chamber having some big hefty profit from this, it's about what it's doing for the community,” the YMCA’s Meagan Hamblett said.

Boothbay Town Manager Jim Chaousis, who also serves as the board secretary for the Chamber, said it was an extremely difficult decision to make.

“I was personally torn on all of this, but we can't get rid of the fact that half of Windjammer Days is more of a community event than it is a chamber event,” Chaousis said. “We have to have a real discussion with our community ... how do we share or offset the costs of this event.”

The average cost to put on Windjammer Days is about $30,000. There is about $67,578 remaining in the fund, which would be used at the discretion of the Chamber and is designated exclusively for Windjammer Days.

Peter Ripley of Boothbay said he was concerned about handing over the responsibility of the Dash Family Fund to another company.

“This year's decision to not solicit sponsorship and just dive into the Dash fund is very scary, because you dive into that Dash fund two years in a row, for what it takes to put on Windjammer Days with no sponsorship, the Dash money is gone in just over two years, and that would be a shame,” Ripley said.

The Chamber's annual business meeting showcased both concerns and new ideas for the Chamber. While some business leaders criticized the Chamber's decision to outsource Windjammer Days, the most critical comments from the audience seemed to reinforce the idea that the Chamber needs to reassess its priorities to improve membership outreach.

Although membership increased under the new management, Fossett said she has only been able to connect face to face with  65 percent of the Chamber's 390 members. She said she wants to improve that number to 100 percent by dedicating more time and effort to the Chamber’s mission. 

Towards the end of the meeting, Dorothy Freeman of the Chamber's board of directors, stood up and asked how many people would be interested in forming a nonprofit committee to address the needs of next year's Windjammer Days.

A dozen people raised their hands.