With the absence of selectmen Robert Splaine and Brian Schutrumpf, the Boothbay Harbor Board of Selectmen was once again shorthanded on Monday, December 10. Consideration of additional roadblocks to the demolition of the remains of the former Paquette home on Park Street dominated the meeting.

At their November 13 meeting, the board signed a demolition order for the Paquette house, but agreed not to file the order with the court until after December 10, the date by which the Paquettes said they could accomplish demolition. Code Enforcement Officer Dabney Lewis explained that the Paquettes were back before the board to request another time extension so that a third property appraisal could be obtained. Lewis told the board that town counsel had advised the town to file the demolition order and continue with the process. Lewis explained that once the court order was recorded with the Registry of Deeds, the property owners would have 30 days to appeal the order or they could ask the court for an extension.

Rich Golden, attorney for Susan Paquette, reviewed their progress to date, and noted that it was the poor advice given by Paquette's previous lawyer that had caused the delay. Golden said that Paquette's former attorney did not advise her that she did not have to rebuild or that she should obtain her own house value estimate. Golden explained that they had now obtained an estimate by a public insurance adjuster, and this appraisal is about $100,000 greater than the insurance company's estimate. Golden is working now to have the two adjusters meet on-site and resolve the estimate differences. If the adjusters cannot reach consensus, then a third appraisal would need to be obtained. Golden said that the building needs to remain standing in case a third appraisal is needed. He also stated that it could take two to three months to obtain the third appraisal and complete the evaluation process with the insurance company.

Selectmen Louis Burnham, Tom Carbone and Bruce Engert all expressed their dissatisfaction with the amount of time it has taken to get the house demolished. Golden stated that a contractor had been hired and was prepared to demolish and remove the structure within a few days of resolving the insurance appraisal issue. Gary Paquette provided the board with documentation of the work that had been accomplished and the arrangements made with the demolition contractor. Susan Paquette has made a down payment for the demolition work, and offered to set up an escrow account with the town to cover the remaining costs of demolition/removal.

Ultimately, the board decided to grant the Paquettes another 45 days to resolve the insurance conflict and begin house removal. Paquette will provide the town with $14,000 to be put into an escrow account to cover demolition costs. The board directed Lewis to file the court order, with the understanding that it could be postponed or rescinded, if needed. They also directed Paquette to remove the camper and car from the property.

In other business, the board amended John Fish's wharves and weirs permit to allow winter dockage from October 15 to May 15. Bonnie Stone, Opera House Development Officer, informed the board that they had begun the process of trying to obtain a community development block grant to repair the Opera House roof and would be back before the board on January 14 with further details.

Town Manager Tom Woodin reported that as of December 1, the town had $835,000 in the bank. In November, the town took in $12,000 more in revenues than projected and expenses were $30,000 less than budgeted. Woodin said that the current budget is now "$55,000 to the good" and he expects the town to end the fiscal year in the black.

The December 24 selectmen's meeting has been cancelled.