The first good news of the week is that the state paving project on Route 27 is a go for this summer. The bad news is that that project may begin when our summer tourist season is in full swing.

The good news is that most of the bill for the $11.5 million and change project comes from the feds, but about 20% comes from state tax money.

The bad news is that while MaineDOT says it will happen this summer, they have not sent it out to bid but hope to do so by mid-June and hope (again, the “h” word) to start in late July. 

Again, the good news is they will redo the main 10-mile or so road on and off the peninsula. Most of the paving is supposed to be done at night.

The bad news is the job won’t be finished until next summer.

Now for some more good news from our friends at MaineDOT. 

The fierce winter storms damaged the electrical guts of the elderly Southport swing bridge, inhibiting its ability to swing. But, (cheers to MaineDOT) they have found a way to get her swinging again.

As of Friday morning, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., the bridge will swing open on the hour and the half hour until Sept. 30. 

And, MaineDOT honchos say,  any boat that can sail under the span without banging into the steel beams is free to do so.

But, and you knew there would be a “but,” auto traffic on the bridge will continue to be problematic.

As year-round residents know, the bridge’s auto access is limited to one lane. Stop lights control the traffic. Summer residents and visitors to the island can expect delays.

In other Southport bridge construction good news, it appears the pair of ospreys once evicted from their old nest on the top span is on schedule to rebuild their new nest, despite the banging and clanging of the hard-working construction workers and wary drivers trying to navigate the 11-foot wide single-lane road. 

This is especially good news for fans of our intrepid Southport correspondent, Leigh Sherrill, who keeps a keen eye on those summer visitors who journey from away to join us each spring and raise their chicks on the bridge.

In other osprey nest news, it looks like the pair that nest on the electrical pole on the way south out of Brunswick on Route One is also in the rebuilding mode, much to the ire of our friends at CMP. 

Of note for this column, it is just in the last few decades that our feathered and taloned friends have returned to our shores to nest in our trees, electrical poles, and nautical navigation aids.

When I first journeyed to Boothbay in 1965, the local fishermen and other residents would lament how they missed them.

Of course, they returned due to the work of one of our beloved Southport Island summer friends, Rachel Carson. Through her, we learned that popular chemicals, like DDT, were interfering with the reproductive cycles of our birds, especially the large raptors like ospreys and eagles.

Once the nation woke up to that problem and banned those chemicals, the birds slowly began to recover and soon found our shores. Thanks again, Ms. Carson.

In other road construction headaches, a pair of Boothbay Region Water District projects on Route 96 and Country Club (Dump) Road are in full swing. I will try to get more information on that project for next week’s column as district officials were unable to get back to us by our deadline.

On a sad note, we note the passing of Paul Adams, the last living World War II veteran named on the East Boothbay war memorial. He was just 99 years young and a good guy.

Last week, I mentioned how veterans wearing caps bearing the logo of their branch of service are often greeted by strangers thanking them for their service.

In that item, I mentioned the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Marines but erred by failing to mention the Coast Guard and the Space Force. Sorry for that omission. 

The Coasties do great work. Semper Paratus. 

We sometimes forget we have a new branch of the Armed Services – the Space Force. As the world moves into a new phase of armed conflict, our satellites and other Star Wars gizmos are becoming a key component of our national defense. We hope we never have to call on them, or, for that matter, any of our friends in the Armed Services.