Alfred Barter said he came to the Sept. 25 Boothbay Harbor selectmen’s meeting to bring them up to speed on the affordable housing development. Barter spoke during public comment with concerns about the construction and what, according to him, was poor communication from the town.  

Boothbay Region Housing Trust broke ground in January for a seven-home development off Park Street at Alexander Way. Barter represented himself and several neighbors on Kenney Field Drive who live downhill of the construction. 

According to Barter, the development changed the flow of water, significantly impacting neighboring properties. Barter said during rains or wet periods water “boiled over” the stone wall running behind the abutters’ lots, caused basement flooding and bowed the wall. He said he also owns an adjacent lot that was previously deemed buildable but is no longer viable due to related issues.  

“This place is going to be a mess in another few months but they're driving away up there, putting foundations in, and I don’t know the outcome, I don’t know what's going to happen here,” he said.  

Barter said he and his neighbors have been working with the housing trust and their contractor, Eric Wood, to find a solution. He said Wood has been working overtime to find a resolution; two neighbors at the meeting nodded in agreement.  

According to Barter, a potential solution is in a lot plan from 1989 that included drainage plans and water control measures. He said he was made aware of it “out of the blue” by Wood in September and expressed frustration that it was not brought up earlier. According to Code Enforcement Officer Geoff Smith, the public documents were from when a subdivision was approved in 1989. He said they were available when building permits were issued for the new development to anyone who requested them.

“This was not a plan that was buried somewhere, or only known about by the developer; it has had a prominent file in our subdivision records since it was approved,” Smith said in an email to the Register.  

Barter complained he has had a hard  time contacting Smith despite multiple email and phone attempts from himself and other abutters who said they had left at least 10 voicemails with no response.  

“The code enforcement officer is not doing his job,” he said. The board reminded Barter that the language violated selectboard meeting guidelines prohibiting public comment that embarrasses or attacks an individual. Smith was not at the meeting.  

“Mr. Barter’s frustration with me is valid, and regrettably, an email to update him was not sent,” Smith said to the Register. “The phone calls missed were also regrettable. It is a good opportunity to fine tune our system to ensure that doesn’t happen if possible.” 

Smith said it is his role to ensure approved plans are correctly followed, but when the site work and development are complete. He said best management practices for erosion control have been in place during site visits. He said the Department of Environmental Protection has also visited the site and is in communication with the developer who has applied for a stormwater permit, which Smith thinks will be accepted and approved. Town Manager Julia Latter said Smith is also working with the town lawyer and Boothbay Region Housing Trust’s legal team regarding the development project. 

“With respect to the issues raised at last night’s meeting, the developer is adhering to the requirements of the code,” Smith said.  

In other business, the selectboard approved a Wharves and Weirs application for the Bridge House on the harbor footbridge. The applicant, Nancy Rowe Rogers and the Revocable Living Trust of Marianne Berrigan Grant, proposed extending the piers around the structure. Earlier that day, town officials and the public met there. No concerns were brought up about the construction from officials or abutters, and the application passed unanimously.  

In addition, the selectboard passed a motion to extend the memo of understanding between Boothbay Harbor and Lincoln County Sheriff's Department until Dec. 31. According to Latter, the agreement was reduced by 20 hours because the Boothbay Harbor police force has grown. She said officer Zach Barry will be sent to the police academy in January, and the agreement may need to be revisited then. According to town officials, neither Boothbay Harbor nor the county commissioners want the arrangement to be permanent.

The board unanimously voted to sign a warrant for the Nov. 7 referendum to vote on the Community School District building renovation projects. “This does not endorse or negate our approval of this, it merely is the process to get this on the warrant for the November election,” Selectboard Chair Michael Tomko said.