The Boothbay Region anxiously anticipates a taste of new local flavor in the coming months, with the grand opening of the Boothbay Craft Brewery in Boothbay, Maine.

Owner/Builder/Brew-master, Win Mitchell took time out of his overflowing schedule yesterday afternoon to give a hard hat tour of the facility that will soon be known as the peninsula’s one and only local craft brewery.The Boothbay Craft Brewery is one of about twenty breweries in the state of Maine that are members of the Maine Brewers Guild, who share a mission ‘to keep Maine in the forefront of the microbrew revolution by offering high quality and creative diversity for the customer’.The Guild, with its members and various supporting organizations, offer invaluable opportunity for the state to grow local business through their shared passion, by hosting various events and initiatives throughout the state, such as Maine Beer Week, The Maine Beer Trail, and Maine Craft Beer Comes to Boothbay, a brewers fest that was held at The Boothbay Craft Brewery last July and is scheduled to return for round two on July 14^th, 2012.

The ‘Bru Team’ has many meanings at the Boothbay Craft Brewery/Boothbay Resort, and resort hosts and brew-masters are only a couple of the hats this team might wear on any given day.The team has not only constructed the impressive facility entirely themselves, but they have done so with a conscious effort to protect the environment, using many recycled materials and eco friendly products.And through it all, they never miss an opportunity to give credit where credit is due.‘We wouldn’t be here without the help of our friends’, and by friends, they primarily mean their ‘Brew Family’. Or in their words…

‘As most of you are probably aware, a rising tide floats all boats, and in the Craft Beer world the same applies. The collaborative and altruistic nature of the brewing industry is where we all get our strength. We are proud to support all small breweries that have this same “Imperial Attitude” ’

Construction on the breweries exterior is scheduled to be complete in the next 10 days, at which time the crew will move inside to interior finish work.The 5 Barrel Steam Fired Brew House, currently being built in Prince Edward Island, is scheduled to arrive in early February.Once installation and inspections are complete, the brewing will begin.

The start to finish brewing process takes about three weeks, so brew fans should follow them on twitter, facebookor their website, if they want to be among the cool first to enjoy the breweries Signature 633 American Pale Ale.

The Breweries first major event, The 633 Hop Swap, will take place on Saturday, June 2^nd, when the Bru Team will kick off the hop growing and summer season by inviting all fans to join the Bru Team and grow along with them.For more information about this event or the Boothbay Craft Brewery, visit their website or sign up for the Bru News.

The Boothbay Resort and Boothbay Craft Brewery are local family owned and operated businesses located at 301 Adams Pond Road in Boothbay, Maine.

The Boothbay Region YMCA celebrated the completion of a milestone project this past weekend; one that will most likely become the cornerstone of families in this community for generations to come.  With the generosity, hard work and support of neighbors, family and friends, the YMCA was able to attain a goal most communities would think impossible. 

The Grand Opening of the Bosarge Family Aquatics Center was held on Saturday, October 29^th and hundreds of elated members showed up to celebrate the long awaited transformation of their beloved YMCA.  For the first time in a year, the entire community had the opportunity to witness first hand, that the construction project often referred to as ‘the new pool’, went far deeper than a new pool.

Unable to attend the Grand Opening, and anxious to see our new Y, my colleague Heather and I stopped by for an [unannounced] visit, hoping to take a look around.  We were warmly welcomed by Executive Director, Andy Hamblett, who gave us the grand tour; from sparkling fresh paint, tile and water, to nearly finished and fully equipped locker rooms for women, men and families, to balcony spectator bleachers, private party and board rooms, we soon realized it was more than one could absorb in a visit.  

We began our tour in the new Harold Gordon Lounge, a welcoming area just outside the Aquatics Center, where parents can comfortably wait for their swimmers, or spectators can watch a racquet ball game from above, while enjoying vibrant wall colors, spectacular local art work and a most impressive ‘Y Capital Campaign Wall’ with every supporter of the project listed, from start to finish.  

Next, we proceeded through glass doors into the State of the Art Bosarge Family Aquatics Center.  The jaw dropping sight left us breathless and elated, realizing for the first time, the magnitude of this incredible gift our community has been given.  The 6 lane, 25 yard pool glistened in the bright, clean space and the bells and whistles were everywhere!  Toe rails, underwater speakers, built in timing devices, competitive measuring devices…the list goes on and on.  Not to be overshadowed was the smaller but plenty impressive therapy pool, with invisible edges for easy entry and a most welcoming average temperature of 88 degrees! 

As we continued through, we saw the finishing touches being added to the sauna and three locker rooms, by what was now a skeleton construction crew.  Andy shared with us his heartfelt gratitude toward each and every crew member on the project and said ‘they have become part of the family and we really hate to see them go’.     The newly installed elevator took us upstairs to the balcony level, where spectators can watch competitions from a bird’s eye view, or even in a private room.  Pool party anyone?

Another elevator ride delivered us to the new Wellness Center, an enormous span of space, separated only by windows, offering three different exercise opportunities in an overwhelmingly open and friendly environment.  The East wall of what will be known as the Spinning Room, boasts recycled floors from the Racquet Ball Court and floor to ceiling windows with views to the great out- of- doors, which will eventually be beautifully landscaped with recycled plants from the Botanical Gardens. 

And even with all of this magnificence; the vibrant colors, art, personality, space and state of the art facilities, it was still impossible to overshadow the behind the scenes portion of the project.  The thousands of gallons of water and heat that will be saved annually, resulting in not only huge cost savings but a greatly reduced impact on our environment, the improved water, sound and air quality, the careful selection of materials used to stand the test of time in a moist environment, the consideration in design for each and every individual, and the tribute to literally thousands of people who have made it all possible in one way or another.

At the end of our tour, one thing was as crystal clear as the new 25 yard pool.  The effects of this project and the ‘shifting’ of space that resulted from it, have directly or indirectly affected every aspect of the Boothbay Region YMCA; from aesthetics and comfort, to energy efficiency and a reduced impact on our environment, to improved air and water quality.  In a nut shell, a platinum example of a healthy and socially responsible project that remained on time and on budget to the very end.

Congratulations and thank you, to the entire team that made this YMCA transformation a reality for thousands to enjoy for years to come!  Your efforts continue to make a permanent and positive difference in our community and our futures.