The Newcastle Board of Selectmen received a mixed reaction from residents about the possibility of creating a town public works department at a public hearing Monday, Sept. 21.
Twenty-five people attended the 80-minute hearing to discuss the future of public works for the end of the fiscal year and beyond after the interlocal agreement with Damariscotta expires Oct. 31.
The interlocal public works agreement was an effort to “enhance the efficient and effective delivery of municipal services between the two towns,” according to the agreement between the towns. The Damariscotta Board of Selectmen voted July 15 to discontinue the agreement.
Chairman Brian Foote presented an outline developed by the selectmen for what a Newcastle Public Works Department would look like and a budget for the next five years. The proposed public works department would include a three-person staff of a full-time foreman, a part-time superintendent, and a seasonal laborer.
Foote said the town would need to purchase a truck equipped with a plow and sander as well as a trailer to transport the town’s mini-excavator. The trailer would not come out of the public works budget, and instead could be purchased using money from the equipment fund the town had set aside for the interlocal agreement.
The selectmen also proposed the public works department take over the custodial services of cleaning the town office and community room, which would save a total of $3,100 a year.
In addition, the public works department could also pick up the plowing of the three town buildings and save an additional $15,000 instead of contracting Hagar Enterprises Inc.
The department has a proposed operations budget of $109,534 per year and is not projected to increase for the next five years.
Foote said if the town chooses not to start its own public works department, work will be contracted out as it had been in the years prior to the interlocal agreement.
“We’re not looking to make a five-person department, and we’re not looking to increase our budget either,” Foote said.
Don Hunt suggested the rush to create a new department was an overreaction to the separation from Damariscotta and asked the selectmen to consider hiring someone to get the town through the end of the fiscal year.
“All of the other surrounding towns appoint or elect a road commissioner, and he only works when there’s work to be done,” Hunt said. “I think we have to save money. Our taxes are too high. Road maintenance is not state-mandated, and so we can cut back in this area to keep costs down, and I think we need to start doing that.”
Town Administrator Lynn Maloney said one of the benefits of having a full-time foreman would be having someone available to address problems as they arrive, something a contractor might not be able to provide.
“We have to have someone who is there not just for me, but also for the office people to rely on when someone calls and is yelling about something that needs to be fixed,” Maloney said.
Selectman Joel Lind agreed.
“The ability to take care of a problem when it arises is huge, and we had that with the interlocal crew,” Lind said. “I think that if we give that up without trying it, we’ll be throwing away all the hard work we’ve done having this agreement.”
A special town meeting will be held on Oct. 19 to determine the future of public works in Newcastle. The warrant article residents will vote on asks whether or not the town will direct the selectmen to create a public works department.
The article reads, “Shall the Town direct the Selectmen to create the Newcastle Public Works Department to maintain and improve the infrastructure of the town owned roads, ways, and buildings and lands and task the Selectmen with oversight, hiring, staffing, and providing a budget for said Department?”
