The Wiscasset Board of Selectmen met June 5 at the Municipal Meeting Room to discuss the upcoming Fourth of July activities and the town’s new fireworks ordinance, which voters approved last November.
Wiscasset Police Chief Troy Cline and Fire Chief Rob Bickford addressed the board to bring them up to date with the town’s new fireworks permitting process, and what is entailed in getting a permit.
People who wish to discharge fireworks are to go to the town office and pick up a permit, fill it out, and return it to the town office, Cline said.
The permit should be submitted at least seven days prior to the discharge or use of the fireworks. According the ordinance, at minimum the permit should include “the name and address of the applicant, date of application, dates of discharge, hours of discharge, location of discharge, written permission of the landowner if location is not on land owned by applicant, and plot plan showing area of discharge.”
There is a potential fine of $500 per occurrence if a citizen discharges fireworks without a permit, or does not otherwise follow the local or state fireworks ordinance.
Fireworks are only permitted between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. except for Christmas eve, July 4th, and the weekends immediately before and after July 4th and Dec. 31, when they are allowed between 9 a.m. and 12:30 a.m.
Cline said the police would give warnings to first time offenders.
Cline added the owner and staff at the fireworks business Pyro City in Edgecomb know the ordinance “almost verbatim” and the owner will tell all people who purchase fireworks about the rules.
Cline and Bickford also stressed the importance of people using minimum 4-inch, preferably 6-inch reflective numbers on both sides of their mailboxes, and on their houses.
“I come from the big city, where everything is marked and it’s well lit,” Cline said. “However, in this rural area, it is difficult to see at night. As such, anything the residents can do to make it easier on the Emergency Management and the police is appreciated.”
“The hardest thing is the ‘clump mailboxes’,” Bickford said, adding that not being able to find a residence when someone needs their help is extremely upsetting. The reflective numbers can save a lot of time. It is also important, Bickford said, to use a contrasting color. For instance, white on black or black on white.
In other holiday business, Wiscasset Parks and Recreation Director Todd Souza provided an overview of the festivities that have been organized for the town’s Fourth of July celebration. Water Street will be shut down for the day. A car show and open mic program will be at the pier, vendor sheets are available from the Rec Department for vendors who wish to set up a stand, Souza said. Fireworks will start at 9:15 p.m.
Town manager Laurie Smith said she investigated the moratorium on the adult entertainment, and consulted an attorney. Because it deals with First Amendment rights, she said there has to be a pressing reason for the moratorium. Otherwise it leaves the town open to a legal challenge. The selectmen voted to dispense with the idea of a moratorium, and instead will ask the Ordinance Review Committee to work on an adult entertainment ordinance to be voted on next June.
During the public comment session of the meeting Wiscasset EMS director Roland Abbott commented about how well the roads functioned during the heavy weekend rains. Abbott said, “6.4 inches of rain fell on Wiscasset between Friday and Monday, but because of the town crew’s diligent work on ditching and mitigation, there were no flooded roads in Wiscasset. Job well done!”
A representative from the Morris Farm asked the selectmen if they could graze their cows on the grassy lot behind the former school superintendent’s office. Temporary fencing could be installed very easily, he said, and the cows are right next to the property. The cows would only be there in the daytime.
After discussion, the board decided to table the decision until after June 12, when the voters will decide whether to put that property up for sale.
The board opened seven bids for road paving and authorized the town manager and road commissioner to award the bid to the lowest qualified bidder.
The board also voted to award the commercial pier bond to The First at the rate of 2.91 percent.
They approved the commercial waste hauler application for Pine Tree Waste, and had no objections to liquor store licenses at the Circle K on Bath Road, or Mike’s Log Cabin on Gardiner Road.
The winning bid for the catch basin/street cleaning was awarded to Wilson’s Commercial Sweeping of Windham, for the amount of $29.90 per basin. The striping bid was awarded to Hi-Way Safety Systems Inc. of Rockland.
The selectmen decided to continue to try to sell the Koehling property, a two-acre lot on Rt. 27, at least through the end of the summer. The asking price is $30,000.
The town manager told the selectmen that the last day to pick up an absentee ballot is Thurs., June 7, three business days before the election.
