It was to a packed audience of nearly 40 that Jason Sheckley, owner of The Harbor Theatre in Boothbay Harbor's Meadow Mall, presented his case to the three-member board of appeals: That a road sign was needed on Townsend Avenue for the theatre to remain in business.

The board voted to grant the variance and allow a sign for the Harbor Theatre from now through Columbus Day. Members Gloria Taliana and Howard Hennigar voted in favor. Chairman Cynthia Watson did not vote.

Hennigar wanted to extend the variance to three years, but Sheckley was unable to accept as he only had permission from his landlord to request through Columbus Day.

“I lose $15-to-$20,000 staying open in the offseason. To stay open then, I need to make money now,” Sheckley said. “The current digital sign I was granted a variance for in July of 2013 cannot be seen from the road. My landlord, Tom Ellis, has allowed me to request a variance from now through Columbus Day for a sign along Townsend Avenue, but the need for roadside signage won't end there.

“I will be returning after Columbus Day, asking for another variance then.”

Terri Sirino of Boothbay, who owns property in Boothbay Harbor, said that if the theatre left the Meadow Mall location, it would cause hardships for the other businesses there and add to the vacant spaces.

Laurie Knowlton said that the board should strive to keep people on the peninsula, and that when it rains during the summer families (both from here and away) visit the theatre; but the current sign is unreadable from the road.

Margaret Perritt of Boothbay Harbor said she lived on Townsend Avenue and would be happy to have Sheckley place a sign in her yard if necessary; she felt it was that important.

“I don't want to drive to Brunswick or Rockland in the winter if I want to see a movie,” Gordon Goldsmith of Boothbay Harbor said. “And I want to be able to see what's playing by driving by.”

In order to be granted a variance, the request needed to meet four criteria: one, that the property, without the variance, is unable to yield a reasonable return; two, that the need for the variance is due to the unique nature of the property itself; three, the granting of the variance will not alter the general character of the area; and four, that the hardship being compensated for is not due to actions of the owner.

Taliana and Hennigar both said in the case of criteria one, they felt “the property” referred to the theatre alone and not the entire mall, and without a sign it could now yield a reasonable return. For criteria two, they said the distance from the digital sign to the road was a unique nature of the property that the theatre needed to be able to compensate for. For criteria three, they felt the sign wouldn't change the character of the area, as a sign has existed in some way or another showing movie times since September 2002. For criteria four, they stated they felt that the hardship was not Sheckley's doing.

Sheckley said after the meeting that he may or may not sign his new lease in August, and that “nothing is set in stone.” He is currently investigating the possibility of moving the theatre, as he wishes to expand to three screens from his current single screen at the Meadow Mall location.

Sheckley also stated that considerable troubles have cropped up with Ellis as his landlord. “I'd much rather the drama was on the screen, not at town meetings,” he said.