Lisa McSwain (left), advisory board chair for the Charles and Constance Schmid Preserve, asks the Edgecomb Select Board to move forward accepting a 15- acre donation of property, during the board’s meeting Tuesday, May 16. The board’s recording secretary, Barbara Brennan, is visible in the backgound. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
The three members of the Edgecomb Select Board assigned $59,200 of American Rescue Plan Act funds at their meeting on Tuesday, May 16.
Edgecomb received a total of $133,000 in ARPA money and still had approximately $130,000 remaining.
The board agreed to set aside $25,000 for broadband infrastructure. Board chair Mike Smith said the money will be available to unserved residents in $2,000 grants to help route fiber to their homes.
Broadband committee member Janet Blevins said providing money for broadband will help indicate town support and by having “skin in the game” the town will likely gain access to “many, many” additional grants that support internet access for Edgecomb residents.
The board agreed to spend $12,000 to support firefighter training. While ARPA funds cannot be used to replace payroll, they can be used for training purposes. Edgecomb Fire Department members regularly volunteer their time every Tuesday night to learn and maintain skills.
The board also allocated an additional $10,000 to go to firefighters and EMS members who worked as essential personnel during the COVID-19 emergency.
Edgecomb Fire Chief Roy Potter requested $4,200 for a repeater that will enable the fire department to amplify communications during emergency responses. Potter said dead spots in the town have impeded effective communication on the department’s radio channel.
Lastly, the board approved spending $8,000 to hire an independent planner to help with ordinance reviews.
The town still has approximately $70,800 in ARPA funds to expend. According to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, funds must be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024. Any funds not expended by Dec 31, 2026 must be returned.
Edgecomb Road Commissioner Scott Griffin reported on the status of Spring Hill Farm Road. Five residents on the road were stranded when a large culvert was lifted up and washed away by storm waters on April 30. According to Smith, Scott discovered the washout and reacted immediately. Within two days he was able to institute a temporary solution that allowed the residents a way to exit the neighborhood.
“We as a town can’t thank you enough,” Smith said.
Griffin and his crew installed two drain pipes as an emergency measure to help control the flow of water. Griffin said a new five-foot diameter culvert will be installed requiring about eight hours of disruption to traffic on the road. He hopes to install the culvert by May 19. He plans to keep the additional pipes in place to maximize the volume of water that can be drained away from the roadbed.
Repairs were also made to Cross Point Road, Dodge Road, and Mount Hunger Road, according to Griffin. Griffin said he has spent approximately $33,000 repairing storm damage so far and the projected total cost may exceed $97,000 in which case Smith said the town will request reimbursement from the state.
Lisa McSwain, advisory board chair for the Charles and Constance Schmid Preserve, asked the board to move forward with accepting a 15-acre donation of property from resident Alice Abbot. According to McSwain, the town has been trying to accept the donation for eight years. McSwain requested $5,000 to complete a survey and to cover the cost of a lawyer.
Smith said accepting this property could serve the town well since it could potentially fulfill a requirement from the state that the town acquire and preserve a designated recreation area.
As reported by The Lincoln County News in October 2021, the town is expected to replace a government-funded tennis court from the 1970s with a new recreational property.
A fire truck backs into its bay at the Edgecomb Fire Department following volunteer firefighter training on Tuesday, May 16. The town’s select board approved expending $12,000 in ARPA funds to support the training. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
In 1974, the town of Edgecomb received a $5,853 grant from the Bureau of Parks and Lands’ Land and Water Conservation Fund to create a tennis court at the former Eddy School, now the Edgecomb Green Assisted Living Facility, on Cross Point Road.
In 2004, the town sold the school property, including the 2.84 acre parcel that contains the tennis court, to Eldercare Network for $1. However, according to stipulations of the grant, the town is required to retain and maintain the tennis court for public use. Those stipulations were not met.
In 2013, the town received a letter in which it was instructed to find a replacement property for the tennis court of a value greater than or equal to it to be used for outdoor recreation.
Until the town finds a new property and begins the process of converting it as a replacement for the tennis courts, the town is not eligible for similar grants, and it will be more difficult to successfully apply for other grants from the Bureau of Parks and Lands.
According to Smith, a previous plan in conjunction with the Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust fell through and sent the issue back to the drawing board.
“We were this close,” he said.
Town Clerk Claudia Coffin said Edgecomb requires a town vote to accept property donations, therefore the question must be addressed at either a special town meeting or during the 2024 election.
In other news Smith said that the board will compose a letter in response to the last meeting’s presentation by the Maine Department of Transportation regarding upcoming work on Route 27. The state route is due for significant repairs next year, but Edgecomb plans to join with the Boothbay Select Board and State Rep. Holly Stover (D-Boothbay) in suggesting that more immediate relief is warranted.
A special town meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 30 to address the Edgecomb Eddy School’s ability to tap funds from its contingency and capital reserve funds. If approved, the articles will allow the school access to up to $50,000 for unanticipated expenses based on select board approval.
The next meeting of the Edgcomb Select Board will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30 at the Edgecomb Town Hall.
