The Damariscotta Board of Selectmen set Wed., Nov. 18 as the date for a special town meeting to consider a proposed state mandated shoreland zoning ordinance and a second ordinance regulating local shellfish harvesting.
The special town meeting will be held at the Damariscotta municipal office beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The selectmen took the action Wednesday after holding a final public hearing on the two ordinances prior to asking the town to adopt them.
The state mandated the Shoreland standards, allowing the town to only modify them if they wished to make them more restrictive.
“We have chosen to adopt the state minimum building standards and timber harvesting standards,” said town manager Greg Zinser.
The shellfish ordinance is identical to that proposed by Newcastle. It would protect local shellfish harvesters by limiting the clam and other shellfish harvesting in town waters to those who hold local licenses..
The town issues just nine resident commercial and two recreational shellfish harvesting licenses. Most have been held by the fishermen for years, Zinser said.
Selectman Josh Pinkham asked if the half dozen land local landowners affected by the proposed regulations had been notified.
“We met with all of them and (a representative) of the DEP (Maine Department of Environmental Protection) and I believe most of them are happy,” Zinser said.
The town manager said the Church Street reconstruction project is nearly complete with paving tentatively scheduled for next week. Selectman Richard McLean praised the contractors on the project for clearing the road of equipment and debris so the estimated 300 “Trick or Treaters” on Halloween would not be impeded.
Also in the works is planning to extend sidewalks down Rt. 1 from the Damariscotta Baptist Church to the Rite Aid shopping complex, Zinser said.
The state has granted the town $360,000 for the project. The town will hold public hearing prior to soliciting contract bids to do the sidewalk project. Although the sidewalks must be constructed to state approved standards, it will be designed and administrated by local officials, Zinser said.
Police Chief Steve Drake told the board that since the voters rejected a ballot measure to slash the town’s excise tax, he would like to begin the process to hire an additional full time police officer as authorized by the town meeting.
Zinser asked Drake to meet with him to coordinate the details of the hiring.