The Newcastle Board of Selectmen signed a final extension to carry the town to the end of the interlocal public works agreement with Damariscotta at its meeting Monday, Aug. 10.
The extension, which had been signed by Damariscotta selectmen at their meeting Aug. 5, had included a typo when it was originally presented. However, the presentation of the corrected extension sparked a debate over whether an Oct. 31 end date was too far in the future.
“Everyone keeps saying Oct. 31; I say let’s stop dragging it out,” said Selectman Carolyn Hatch.
Complaints about the extension signed by Damariscotta included that it was too vague, and did not give a deadline for a financial reconciliation based on how much time the public works crew spent in each town.
“If it were my business, I would not sign something like this because of possible repercussions,” said Selectman Joel Lind.
The board briefly entertained the idea of not signing the agreement, leaving it to expire at midnight, Tuesday, Aug. 11. This would have brought its own set of problems, including liability issues. Projects on the public works schedule for the rest of the summer and into the fall would likely have been delayed.
Board Chairman Brian Foote said it was better to sign the extension than to see the agreement dissolve the following day.
“The sooner this is done, the better, but we need a plan, and we don’t have that,” Foote said
The extension passed 4-1 with Hatch voting against it. Hatch also did not sign the document.
“It’s difficult to not be reactionary in the face of childish behavior, but we need to do what’s best for the town,” Selectman Ben Frey said.
