Planning Board Slows For Second Quarter

(Lamoine) — Perhaps it's a sign that development pressure is easing a bit, but there was so little to place on the Planning Board agenda for July 5th that the meeting was canceled. One subdivision remains in process and another will ask for a renewal at the August meeting.

The Board has been busy with a number of other matters. It granted a home occupation permit to Todd Simons to build doll-houses at his Riverside Drive home. The Board finally approved an 11-unit subdivision submitted by Duane Crawford and Julie Tilden of Shore Road. A gravel pit renewal was granted to Mike Keene who purchased the former Aubrey Davis pit. Mr. Keene had been cited for failing to renew the license, but he had not been operating the pit while putting the license information together.

The lone new subdivision on the agenda is proposed off Seal Point Road. Kevin Barbee and Timothy Ring submitted a preliminary sketch of the proposal to the Planning Board in June, but not enough information was granted to be called a complete application. No new information had arrived in time for the July meeting.

A subdivision approved for Ronald Simons which expires will be up for renewal in August. Mr. Simons has yet to make a substantial start on construction of the road.

The Board also is looking at a proposal for a home in the Bar Harbor Highlands area that would have placed a septic system on questionable land. Developer Joel Ploszaj has since withdrawn that plan.

One Hot Subdivision

The old Beal home burned in order to make room for the Beal Estates Subdivision on Douglas Highway

Board Works on Shoreland Ordinance

(Lamoine) — An update to the Lamoine Shoreland Zoning Ordinance may face voters at the 2006 town meeting (or sooner). The Planning Board and Code Enforcement Officer Dennis Ford are looking at needed changes to bring the ordinance up to date. The last time the ordinance was amended was in May, 1993. State rules have changed since then, and the board is looking to make the ordinance more compatible with other town rules. A workshop meeting is planned for July 25th.

Alternates Named To Planning Board

(Lamoine) — Two new Planning Board members have taken seats as alternate members of the Board. Lance Landon of Walker Road is a civil engineer with Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor. He also is serving on the Long Range Planning Committee.

Realtor Enid Neleski was also named as an alternate member to the board. The Lamoine Beach Road resident has served the town in several capacities.

The vacancies were the result of a resignation and an election.

Permits Pick Up

(Lamoine) — Code Enforcement Officer Dennis Ford report issuance of the following permits since the April 2005 edition of The Lamoine Quarterly: (Go to Building Permit Index on -line)

State To Pave Douglas Highway Soon

(Lamoine) — The major thoroughfare through Ellsworth will soon become part of Lamoine. The town has not annexed High Street, but the Maine Department of Transportation plans to use recycled pavement from the upcoming grinding of that street to put down a major road surface on the North Lamoine section of Douglas Highway (Route 184).

The town complained loudly to the MDOT during the winter and spring, which prompted Commissioner David Cole to ride the road. Instead of a light resurface similar to the Lamoine Beach Road section done this year, the DOT decided to place a heavy shim of the recycled pavement down first to smooth out the heavily rutted, cracked and potholed surface, then put a surface coat down. While not a perfect fix, the paving should buy some time for a major rebuild. Expect the new paving to be performed sometime in August.

The potholes that have developed on Route 184 show the layers of pavement that have gone on the top over the years

Shore Road Paved

Crews used larger than usual trucks as both ends of Shore Road received a new coat of pavement in early July.

Voter Accessibility Project Proceeds

(Lamoine) — Crews from Harold MacQuinn, Inc. will soon lift the cement portion of the town hall ramp to bring the slope into compliance with ADA laws as requested by the Secretary of State. Carpenter Ralph Murphy has moved the sign that was attached to the front of the building and seen as a barrier to wheelchairs. Welder Glenn Crawford will build up the rails so the proper height is achieved. MacQuinn will also repave the macadam portion of the ramp and install a safety curb to complete the compliance orders. The town placed traffic cones at the handicapped parking lane during election day to designate the proper spot.

State Audit Suggests Policies

(Lamoine) — A field auditor from the Maine Bureau of Audit is visiting all the town offices in Hancock County this year to look over excise tax records. A check in Lamoine found the records to be in order with all pre-numbered forms accounted for, either in cash receipts and bank deposits or in the voided box.

The audit is standard fair for Maine towns as the state suggests ways to safeguard local taxpayer monies. A number of suggested policies has been forwarded to most communities with ideas for specifying who and how cash is handled to having someone other than the excise tax collectors verify that the auto registration forms are accounted for.

Lamoine, like most small towns, does not employ the amount of staff required to implement all the suggestions of the field auditors. Selectmen will start getting a print-out once a month of the General Ledger Trial Balance. The Selectmen already receive a bi-weekly budget report showing the amounts budgeted, amounts received and spent, and the remaining budget and it's posted on-line.