Boothbay Harbor Selectman Denise Griffin on Feb. 8 questioned the transparency of the Community School District master planning which includes the concept for a $49 million renovation and new construction project.

Griffin said she was unable to access past school committee and board of trustees meetings’ video or audio. She said she also reviewed the bylaws of Boothbay Region Education Foundation (BREF), a nonprofit which designates donations to school programs and upkeep, and was disturbed at the lack of access to them and by one other thing: “There are only six people plus the superintendent on that board right now according to the school website. A third of the members are from Southport, a third from Boothbay and a third from Boothbay Harbor. If this non-profit organization is going to be used as the fundraising arm for the school, if a third of the voting members from that foundation are from Southport, that concerns me.”

Griffin said because BREF does not need to hold public meetings and can meet whenever members choose, there is not enough transparency especially considering the possibility of tens of millions of dollars in unfettered spending. “It's really concerning and I think we as a board need to speak up about that and improve the situation so there is more transparency and make sure people in our community are more informed … Not all the homework has been completed: The demographic study hasn't been done, the thermometer test hasn't been taken with the boards of selectmen in both towns.”

Vice Chair Tricia Warren said in addition to looking at language for a referendum, selectmen should seek a workshop with the CSD boards since one had been scheduled as the pandemic hit. All members agreed on the importance of a demographic study. Said Warren, “We should put that back on the table and lay out all the cards.”

Also Feb. 8, Town Manager Julia Latter announced contracts for police and public works employees are signed by all parties and complete.

Said Griffin, “… One of the items that slowed down the negotiations process was that the Teamster president personally threatened our town manager and indirectly threatened the police chief. That kind of behavior is a violation of Maine labor relations law and I personally have no tolerance for it and I'm pretty certain that the rest of you on the board don't have any tolerance for that kind of behavior either. I only mentioned it because the next time we have a union negotiation, I might not be here and I wanted you all to know about it. We've put it all behind us, but I thought it was important that you know … I don't think we need to respond to it, but our attorney Matt Tarasevich did put it in writing. It's in his file and I'm sure we can get a copy of that if we'd like.”

The Boothbay Register reached out to Latter, Chief Bob Hasch and Teamsters Local 340 President Brett Miller. All declined comment.

Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lisa Walby recapped Boothbay Lights for selectmen. Despite all of the unknowns and hard decisions the COVID-19 pandemic has presented, Boothbay Lights endured and businesses kept the season alive for the region’s many visitors in November and December, she said.

“We were late coming in because of the pandemic,” said Walby. “We were biting our nails at some points having to (decide to) cancel things or not, but we found ways to do that safely.”

When Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens announced it would have its first drive-through Gardens Aglow experience, Walby said she knew the season would be a success. “ And it was (with) over 22,000 vehicles that came through … the region.”

Early Bird was a success with sales on Friday and Saturday, many of them all day. Santa and Mrs. Claus read a storybook over livestream and both had so much fun, they want to do it again next year, said Walby. Walby lauded Brady’s owner Jennie Mitchell for coming up with the fire truck parade which wound through St. Andrews Village with the Clauses.

“With Harbor Lights, we usually go with all the elves and Santa and Mrs. Claus to carol and visit all the residents there, so at least it still gave them a little bit of excitement … We livestreamed that so people could watch it from home and text in to vote, so we really encouraged everyone staying in their cars or watching it from home.”

Walby said the Gardens’ lighting contest was also a success and gave locals and visitors a chance to stay in tune with the community and enjoy the region more fully.

With the Chamber gearing up for spring and summer, plans are already in the works for Boothbay Lights 2021, said Walby. The Boothbay Lights and Chamber websites will be merged, making it easier to keep information up to date.

“We depend so much on social (media) because everything was changing the week of, the day of … This year we more than doubled what we'd seen in the past as to who posts were reaching. Last year it was just over 53,000, this year almost 123,000 … Followers went up as well. Of course right now we're thinking of spring, but we definitely will go into this year a lot more prepared.”

This article has been updated from its original posting time. See “Also Feb. 8” sentence above.