The Edgecomb Select Board has retained Portland-based law firm Jensen Baird to respond to a lawsuit filed by an Edgecomb resident during a select board meeting at the town office on Monday, Nov. 14.
Board Chair Dawn Murray said the town was served with a lawsuit on Nov. 8 for failing to fulfill Freedom of Access Act request submitted by Edgecomb resident Timothy Harrington. Harrington is seeking copies of the first page of the town’s building permits for 2022. He filed his lawsuit on Oct. 12 after not receiving the documents within 30 days of his request.
FOAA requests must be completed in a “reasonable amount of time” according to maine.gov.
Murray said the board had the documents Harrington requested, but did not send them to him because of an emergency protection order issued against him on Oct. 5. Murray sought a protection order against Harrington after receiving emails from him stating his intent to defend himself with a rifle if threatened by a neighbor.
The order prohibited Harrington from communicating with the select board. The board believed serving Harrington with the documents he requested would violate the protection order. Murray said she provided Harrington with the documents related to his FOAA request during a hearing at the Lincoln County Courthouse in Wiscasset on Nov. 2.
The hearing was held to determine whether the protection order against Harrington should remain for one year. The order of protection was extended for Murray but the other select board members were not included.
“I handed them to the bailiff and the bailiff handed them directly to Mr. Harrington,” Murray said.
Harington said during a phone call on Tuesday, Nov. 15 that he intends to continue pursuing the lawsuit with the town, stating there were still some documents he wanted as part of his FOAA request that he did not receive.
Harrington was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 9 for violating the protection order against Murray. Harrington sent certified mail to the select board, including Murray, following the hearing on Nov. 2. Harrington was prohibited from communicating directly or indirectly with Murray as part of the order.
Harrington said he sent a notice of claim to all select board members over their refusal to issue a permit to provide electricity for one of his properties, adding that he believed he had to address all select board members as part of the notice of claim.
Harrington is out on bail and has a hearing scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 1 at the Lincoln County Courthouse.
In other news, the select aboard approved issuing a letter of support in requesting Lincoln County’s American Rescue Plan funds to install fiber optic cables along the Boothbay peninsula. Edgecomb is joining the effort of Southport, Boothbay, and Boothbay Harbor to receive the county’s ARPA funds.
Select board member Ted Hugger said he and broadband committee member Janet Blevins attended a meeting hosted by Fidium, an internet service provider that is part of Consolidated Communications.
Hugger said this was his first meeting he attended that gave him confidence a business was serious about providing internet to the region.
According to Hugger, Fidium is hoping to invest $3,000,000 to bring high-speed internet to the area.
The next select board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 28 at town office located at Town Hall Road.
