Boothbay Harbor Waterfront Preservation

04/10/2026

Such a beautiful day. Summer will be here soon!

03/26/2026

Response to the March 16th Letter to the Editor

The March 16th Boothbay Register included a letter from Joe and Jill Doyle that contains several claims that require correction.

Developers

Boothbay Harbor Waterfront Preservation (BBHWP) is not a developer. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2018. Our mission has remained unchanged since our founding, to promote public access to the water and to protect working waterfront. We published our initial park design in four full-page ads in 2019—before the Doyles purchased their adjoining property. The final payment on the Cap'n Fish property was made on December 1, 2019. Plans have changed only minimally since those early public renderings; however, BBHWP has been required to attend more than 30 town hearings over 6 years.
The Doyles claim to support the Waterfront Park, yet they created a website dedicated to spreading misinformation about our project. Once we learned the full extent of their opposition, we returned their prior donations—with interest.

Delays and Legal Costs

It is inaccurate to blame BBHWP for project delays or the town's legal expenses. Ongoing legal proceedings result directly from Doyle appeals of 2021 Planning Board approvals. One proceeding remains active solely because the Doyles were not properly notified by the Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) of a 2021 Planning Board meeting. The Doyles appealed, were granted a rehearing, and now blame Preservation for the resulting town’s legal costs.
BBHWP has endured a formal six-month, stop-work order and further delays prompted by threats of additional stop work orders. These delays were triggered by letters from the Doyles to the CEO demanding action. The significant delays and attorney fees incurred by the town stem from Doyle actions, not those initiated by BBHWP.

Green Space

The Eastside Waterfront Park will dramatically increase green space on the site. Eighty-seven percent of the former Cap'n Fish property was covered by asphalt and buildings. Our approved plans will reduce that to approximately 33%, leaving two thirds of the property covered with grass and other vegetation. In addition, removal of the motel buildings not only dramatically increased green space but afforded the Doyles an unobstructive view of the harbor and park lawns.

Nonprofit Status

BBHWP is fully compliant as a nonprofit, operating as a free park and providing short-term public dockage. However, like many nonprofits, we generate limited revenue through fees and programming to help sustain operations. Our property is zoned Limited Commercial/Maritime—the same as the Doyles'—and generating revenue does not jeopardize our 501(c)(3) status. Finally, legal counsel has fully apprised us of our fiduciary responsibilities. Thus, we have no intention of deeding away development rights in a way that would undermine the value of our donors' contributions.

Sincerely,
Board of Directors
Boothbay Harbor Waterfront Preservation (BBHWP)

03/09/2026

Boothbay Harbor Waterfront Preservation – Permitting Facts

This project has now been under review for six years and has been the subject of more than 30 hearings before the Boothbay Harbor Planning Board and Board of Appeals.

Throughout this process, Waterfront Preservation has continued to follow the permitting process and respond to each request from the Town’s boards and courts.

Currently Active Proceedings

1. Maine Supreme Court – An abutter’s appeal of the Planning Board’s 2021 Shoreland Zoning approval is currently before Maine’s highest court.

2. Boothbay Harbor Planning Board – An abutter’s appeal of the Planning Board’s 2021 Site Plan Amendment approval has been returned to the Planning Board. The Superior Court determined that the Code Enforcement Officer did not properly notify the abutter of the September 2021 Planning Board meeting, requiring the matter to be reheard.

3. Planning Board – March 11 – On Wednesday, March 11, the Planning Board will decide whether Waterfront Preservation’s current application is complete so the review process can move forward.

Construction Delays

Because of these appeals and legal proceedings, new construction was halted for 41 of the 51 months between September 2021 and December 2025, when the Superior Court ruled in favor of Boothbay Harbor Waterfront Preservation.

Despite these repeated delays, Waterfront Preservation remains committed to completing a project that provides public access to the harbor and supports the working waterfront in Boothbay Harbor.

03/03/2026

It has been more than two months since Waterfront Preservation made allegations of numerous egregious land use ordinance violations by Planning Board Chair Minerich while he was acting recently as general contractor on his own home construction. Preservation requested recusal or disqualification at that time.

There has been no response to date from either Mr. Minerich or from the Code Enforcement Officer who was monitoring the project, per his own admission. To our knowledge, an inquiry into the allegations has not been made and no violations have been issued. The Boothbay Harbor Select Board has the authority to remove Mr Minerich but, thus far, has chosen not to.

A month ago, Preservation sent the letter attached below to the Select Board. It contains a conflict of interest, not previously mentioned in our recusal motion or supplement.

Please like and/or share this post if you agree that Boothbay Harbor residents are owed an explanation why it is acceptable for the Planning Board Chair to personally disregard the ordinance he is tasked with upholding.

02/16/2026

We're looking forward to longer, warmer days! Thank you for reading our Winter Newsletter.

Yes, it is 2026 and Winter, and this is our first newsletter of the year. As you can see from the above photo, our green lawn has put on its winter coat as has much of the country. But Spring will soon appear on the calendar at least, and we look forward to a return to our various Waterfront Park a...

02/15/2026

Happy Valentine’s Day!
As one of our supporters said, “who doesn’t love a park?”

01/20/2026

It seems many in our community think it is important to know if the Waterfront Preservation allegations regarding the Planning Board Chair's personal property development are true. We have received requests for a simplified summary and photos. A pictorial explanation of the allegations follows.

01/16/2026

01/14/2026

We recently received this note back from a local man who keeps his boat at one of our slips:

"I will definitely want my slip again. For me that is a lifesaver, without it I would have to give up boating."

This is why we've fought for so many years to keep this waterfront property open and accessible to everyone. Protecting public access to the waterfront matters!