Tax Rate Falls Sharply As Values Rise

(Lamoine) — Lamoine's value nearly doubled as the town completed a factored revaluation in August. The new values brought many tax bills down, though shore front owners saw sharp increases in their valuations, and higher tax bills as a result. The revaluation work was done by RJD Appraisal of Pittsfield, the same company that performed Lamoine's last full scale revaluation in 1993. This process differed from a full revaluation in that the appraisers did not measure every home in town, but instead relied on data collected over the years and kept up to date on property tax cards at the town office.

The taxable value of Lamoine (before homestead exemptions) is $233.6 million dollars. That translated into a property tax rate of 7.3 mills, or $7.30 per $1,000 of valuation. The mill rate is the lowest in Lamoine in over 35-years, and probably longer. Several property owners made appointments with the appraisers in late August to discuss their values. Only minor changes resulted, and the projected mill rate in the notice of new valuations turned out to be correct.

Proving Up

(Left to Right) Assessors Colene Sharkey, Jane Fowler and Assistant Tax Collector Kathy DeFusco check the math on the updated property cards prior to sending out valuation notices.

New Gym May Rise From Tragedy

(Lamoine) — Donations have poured in to the effort to build a new gymnasium in Lamoine in memory of Jina Haslam. The 14-year old was killed in a car/pedestrian accident on June 20th (see July 2005 Lamoine Quarterly). At Jina's funeral, her grandmother, Enid Neleski announced that the family was dedicated to the effort of raising enough money to build a new gym in Lamoine.

Since that announcement Jina's large extended family in town has worked tirelessly, and it's paying off. As of early October over $72,000 had been donated to the effort, and more events are planned in the coming weeks, including a golf tournament on October 15th and a spaghetti dinner on the 22nd. Merchandise has begun to sell, including T-Shirt and wrist-bands/bracelets. Information about the effort is available at a web-site dedicated to the effort (www.jinasgym.org). The fund is currently administered by the Lamoine School Department, and donations can be sent directly to the fund c/o Bonnie Marckoon, The First, PO Box 1664, Blue Hill, ME 04614.

During the weeks following Jina's death fundraisers included a huge bottle drive, a community dance, and a massive yard sale. Pictures from the events are posted on the website. More information is available from Jina's grandmother, Enid Neleski, at 667-8824.

Douglas Highway Resurfaced—Finally!

(Lamoine) - A flurry of e-mail flew back and forth between town officials, state legislators and the Maine Department of Transportation in late August before the final layer of pavement went down on Douglas Highway in North Lamoine. MDOT workers contacted town officials and said the plan to put down a heavy shim prior to the final surface had been pretty much scuttled because of budget considerations. The shim would have provided a much stronger road structure and the new surface would last much longer with it in place.

Higher ups at MDOT explained that the plan to rent a “pug mill” to use the grindings from High Street in Ellsworth was scrapped due to cost. Only a small amount of shim to smooth out some wheel ruts was placed prior to the resurfacing. Senator Dennis Damon and Ellsworth Representative Bob Crosthwaite questioned the MDOT Commissioner about the plan. Commissioner David Cole responded to say he was aware that the new paving was a temporary fix at best.

Lamoine's Selectmen wrote back to Commissioner Cole expressing disappointment that the shim plan did not happen and asked for advice on how to place the road on the list for proper rebuilding in the near future. To date the Commissioner has not responded. Motorists, meanwhile, have enjoyed a much smoother drive to Ellsworth.

Merrily We Roll Along

The crew from Lane Construction paved Douglas Highway (Route 184) from the Town Hall to Route 1 in Early September.

Bangor Hydro To Explain Line Plans

(Lamoine) — It appears a major transmission line designed to provide power to Mount Desert Island will cut through part of North Lamoine. Bangor Hydro Electric will meet with the Conservation Commission and members of the public on October 12th at 7:00 PM at the Lamoine Town Hall. The meeting will be telecast on Lamoine CTV channel 7 live and replayed through the next day.

The plan started coming to light when the town received a letter from the utility requesting a private meeting. That meeting never took place, though Selectmen Richard Fennelly Jr. met with one official from Bangor Hydro. Apparently the utility had been reluctant to make the public announcement pending acquisition of land. Meanwhile, one Buttermilk Road resident asked the utility to stop when they allegedly cut down some of her trees without permission. Surveyors will map that out.

The Topless Church?

Lamoine Baptist Church welcomed its new steeple in September. Story on Page 7