Damariscotta Town Manager Andy Dorr swears in Phil Tessier as the town’s interim police chief on Wednesday, Aug. 6. Tessier retired in April after serving as a full-time officer for the town’s police department. (Ali Juell photo)
The Damariscotta Select Board discussed several pending projects at their Wednesday, Aug. 6 meeting.
The board’s agenda included swearing in an interim police chief, forming a police chief community board, and creating a comprehensive plan implementation committee.
Damariscotta Town Manager Andy Dorr administered the oath of office, swearing in retired police officer Phil Tessier the town’s interim police chief. Tessier succeeds Jason Warlick who stepped down as of Aug.1 to accept a position as the chief deputy with the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office. Warlick worked for Damariscotta for 14 years including the last eight as police chief.
Tessier joined the Damariscotta Police Department as a reserve officer in 2020 before moving into a full-time position in 2021. He retired as a full time officer in April, but continued to serve as a reserve patrol officer. Dorr commended him for coming out of retirement at the town’s time of need.
“Phil comes with a lot of leadership experience,” Dorr said. “He’s a good person and a good fit for our community.”
Before joining the Damariscotta Police Department, Tessier served a 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force and worked in the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in South Carolina for 22 years. Dorr said Tessier’s experience both in and outside of Damariscotta made him the right choice for interim chief.
“I appreciate the confidence this board has placed in me,” Tessier said. “I’ll try to carry out the duties to the best of my abilities.”
Tessier will lead the department while the search for a permanent police chief is underway.
On the developing search plans, the select board voted to form an evaluation committee made up of community members. The committee will assist by interviewing candidates and submitting a hiring recommendation, according to the draft hiring timeline.
Dorr came to the meeting with a list of potential committee members. He said the committee’s membership should represent various town interests, business owners, and community partner representatives.
The board approved the committee’s formation and decided board member Darryl Day would serve as the select board’s representative on the committee.
The board also gave the go-ahead for a comprehensive plan implementation committee.
The plan, which was approved by residents last December, outlines almost 200 growth and development strategies for a 10-year period. Those strategies address a range of topics like sustainability and future land use in Damariscotta.
In order to get the plan’s varying strategies into action, Damariscotta Town Planner Michael Martone said the committee will provide recommendations to the select board and find ways to measure progress on the comprehensive plan’s objectives.
According to the proposal, committee members will be a mix of interested residents, town staff, community partners, and town board members. There will likely be seven to nine committee members, which the select board will approve at a later date.
In other news, the board discussed two potential ordinances regulating noise disturbances and business licensing.
Members discussed creating a noise ordinance to specifically define a “loud, unreasonable noise” as laid out in the current loitering ordinance. The board also heard a preliminary draft for a business licensing process, which would require potential proprietors to submit a licensing application to operate in Damariscotta.
The board did not take any official action relating to either ordinance, but members said they would continue to consider both.
The next Damariscotta Select Board meeting is at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20 at the Damariscotta town office. For more information, go to damariscotta.maine.gov or call 563-5168.
