A new home for Boothbay Sea and Science

Jul 05, 2023

Boothbay Sea and Science Center opens the 2023 summer season at 12 Carter Road in East Boothbay. The BSSC staff arrived June 5 and June 19 is opening day. Volunteers, staff, and donors have made the new campus (formerly the Estate of Mildred A. Carter) possible since the dinghies were put away last fall. The new waterfront campus of 1.33 acres has a boat shed, three wharves, and two residences on Linekin Bay, home to lobstering and boatbuilding for more than 200 years. BSSC will continue the working waterfront traditions with marine science education, sailing, boating, and environmental stewardship.

Safety is BSSC's number one priority. To prepare the campus for June, efforts have focused on repairing and stabilizing the boat shed, main dock, gangway, floats, shoreline, and residences for the summer staff. Charlie Poole, Scott Dyer and crew from Custom Float Services are repairing and stabilizing the main dock and building five floats. Tim Forrester of Atlantic Environmental, LLC has visited the property and has secured the necessary approval for the floats and gangway from the Army Corp of Engineers. Kip Farrin of Farrin & Sons Dirt Works is repairing and stabilizing the waterfront. The focal point of the educational zone is the boat shed and teaching spaces. With planning from architect Rob Whitten and retired engineer Bill Haney combined with the herculean efforts of Steve Berger and Robert (RC) Chance (BSSC Principal Waterfront Instructor) and tools donated by Ron and Penny Ditzel (by way of Betsy Grant) the boat shed is now an open, light-filled space.

At our April Work Day volunteers Paul and Sue Taylor, Peter and Mary Williams, Leanne Pander, Dana, Elise and Lettie Wilson, Rob and Robin Whitten, Eric Graves, Nicole Poulton and Mario Roederer, Alison Sirois, Edward Roberts, Ross Branch, Nat Wilson, Russ Sirois, and Pauline Dion brought rakes and landscape tools to further ready the campus for the summer season. A zero-turn lawn mower, leaf blower, and weedwacker donated by Mary Closson in memory of her late husband Wayne will keep our grounds and gardens in tip-top shape. Boothbay Region Garden Club delivered two window boxes filled with perky colorful petunias. Pauline's brother Philip Patry donated his time and the materials to building a new deck railing, shoreside and property line fences. Generous donations of furnishings from Sue and Paul Taylor, Hoyt Walbridge and Stephanie Sewall, and Bob and Louise Bowditch have helped ready two staff residences. Photographer Bob Crink continues to take amazing photos capturing BSSC activities and progress at 12 Carter Road.

The buildings, dock and shoreline are our education tools. The waterfront and boat shed as well as outside lawn and learning areas give youth ages 5 to 17 a secure place to board their boat, swim, fish, tie knots, do water sampling, chart a course, do weather forecasting, and so much more. The two residences, Carter House and Fuller House provide critical staff housing. The access zone offers safe vehicle arrival and limited parking on the campus. BSSC will be running a shuttle from a location in Boothbay Harbor for students this summer. BSSC is ready for the 2023 season!

Learn more about the new BSSC home at boothbayseaandscience.org

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