Plans are solidifying for a potential addition to Edgecomb’s town hall and American Rescue Plan Act funds continue to finance municipal projects. The Edgecomb Select Board discussed these items and made several appointments at its meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 19.
The town’s building committee is in its final phases of design approval and should have a set of plans to put before the public in the coming months, select board Chair Mike Smith said. The committee has met several times since last summer with architect Dan Phelps to develop plans for a 1,000-square-foot addition.
The addition would move the town’s administrative offices out of the basement to the ground floor, add a lift between floors, and build an additional bathroom upstairs. As proposed, it would have its own entryway and would not involve modifying the existing hall, Smith said.
All fees so far, about $13,000, for planning have been paid from ARPA money without taxpayer impact.
Currently, building costs are about $300 a square foot, according to Smith. He said the town will have some of its major expenses paid off at the end of the decade.
“I think it’s a welcome conversation to the residents,” he said.
Board member Lynn Norgang noted the office staff would have better visibility and improved security at ground level.
The town may use some of its ARPA funds to pay for a cleaning company to clean the building “like it has never been cleaned before” as a health improvement, Smith said, adding that it has not been deep cleaned in this century.
The board will revisit the project at a future meeting when it has quotes from two companies to compare.
Edgecomb has $68,000 in uncommitted funds, according to Smith, and must spend the monies by 2026.
Members accepted a quote from Phil Haas for replacement of two doors and light carpentry work around door overhangs for $5,300.
After a recess for a public hearing, which received no comments, the board also voted unanimously to adopt updated general assistance ordinance appendices setting new maximums as part of an annual process set by the state.
General assistance administrator Dawn Murray told the board that the maximum income to receive assistance is so low – as adopted, $1,004 a month — and its requirements so restrictive that the town can only offer it to about five people each year. About twice that number must be turned away for not meeting requirements, she said.
Select board member Michael Maxim will likely replace Murray in the position by the end of the year.
Smith also reported that repairs of culverts on Spring Hill Farm Road after a May 1 storm may or may not be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The town has not yet heard from the DEP to discuss it, he said.
The site of the washout, which left residents stranded, had one 5-foot diameter culvert before the storm. It was replaced by one 5-foot, one 4-foot, and two 3-foot culverts based on materials available at the time, Smith said. The DEP prefers box culverts, according to Smith, leading to the questions about reimbursements.
In other business, members appointed Gail Willauer as deputy harbormaster. She said she and her family are all “salty people,” completing long ocean journeys by boat, and that she is eager to begin the appointment.
George Chase was reappointed as 911 addressing agent and as code enforcement officer. Jessica Mague was appointed as an assistant to Chase, a role Smith said is focused on paperwork and administration. Mague’s position was budgeted for $1,000 annually.
The Edgecomb Select Board next meets at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3 in the town hall.
