The Lamoine Quarterly

(Lamoine) — After a little over five years behind the desk in the town office, Hubene Brodie has put down the tax receipt pen for the final time. Her last full day on the job was September 12th, though she finished up some required state reports on the 15th.

Mrs. Brodie was first elected to the job effective July 1, 1998, taking over from long-time tax collector Barbara Bartosenski who retired. She quickly learned the many aspects of the job which includes motor vehicle registration, selling hunting and fishing licenses, recreational vehicle registrations, dog licenses, filing and preparing vital statistics, and election administration.

During Hubene’s tenure, the amount of business in the town office has grown tremendously. Last year, the Board of Selectmen and town meeting approved hiring a part-time assistant clerk to cover two more days a week in the office. The clerk/tax collector’s position remains a part-time job at this point.

This year the town clerk/tax collector’s job became an appointed position instead of an elected one. Selectmen will appoint Jennifer Kovacs of Ellsworth as the new Town Clerk and Tax Collector following a probationary period. She was one of four applicants for the job, and started training in late September. In the interim, Administrative Assistant Stu Marckoon will assume the job duties, and Assistant Clerk/Tax Collector Kathy DeFusco will work more hours to accommodate business. Mrs. DeFusco did not wish to work the longer hours on a permanent basis.

The Ellsworth Weekly published a nice article on Mrs. Brodie’s retirement.

(Lamoine) — All Lamoine residents who use the Transfer Station and Recycling Center must display a new permit sticker by mid-November. The Board of Selectmen approved a distribution program based on evidence of vehicle registration in Lamoine. The new stickers are available only at the Lamoine Town Hall, and attendant Allen Sternfield is distributing flyers to remind users of the sticker requirement. Residents should bring proof of vehicle registration to obtain the new sticker.

The move came about for a couple of reasons. After 10 years, the old chartreuse and black stickers have run out, and many vehicles that no longer belong to Lamoine residents still sport those stickers. The good news is that the new permits are still free to residents, and attach to the inside, preventing wash off in rain or car washes.

(Lamoine) — Lamoine’s Planning Board granted conditional approval to a Site Plan Review permit for the Seal Point Lobster Pound owned by Anthony and Josette Pettegrow. The 3-to-1 vote approved use of the site as a limited commercial operation, but another permit is needed before the Lobster Pound is considered in compliance with town ordinances. An initial review of a Shoreland Zoning application will take place at the October Planning Board meeting.

The Lobster Pound has operated under the Pettegrow’s ownership for approximately two and a half years, following their purchase of the facility in February 2001. At that time they informed the town they would complete a tank storage building permitted by the previous owners, but only partially completed. The Pettegrows also obtained a building permit for a residence that they’ve since built on the property.

Later that year, neighbors complained to the town that the Pettegrows had expanded the parking area at the pound to accommodate large trucks, but had not obtained a permit. It was also discovered that the amount of ground coverage at the compound exceeded the 10-percent allowed under the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance. Because the time had long expired since the tank house and the residence were permitted, the town did not revoke the permits, but did cite the Pettegrows for the Shoreland Zoning Violation. In their research, the Pettegrows showed that the previous pound owners had also exceeded the 10% coverage standard, possibly from the time the pound was first established over 20-years ago.

The Board of Selectmen entered a consent agreement with the Pettegrows where they paid a $1,000 fine, and agreed to seek a Shoreland Zoning Permit from the Planning Board for the expanded parking area.

In December 2002, the Planning Board issued the Shoreland Zoning permit, but neighbors immediately appealed the approval to the Lamoine Board of Appeals. They argued the Planning Board did not properly issue a finding of fact on the Shoreland permit. The Appeals Board agreed, and found the Planning Board must reconsider the Shoreland permit, and the Pettegrows were also subject to the Site Plan Review ordinance.

After several submissions, the Planning Board found the Site Plan Review application complete, and held a public hearing in September, and took a final vote two weeks later. Among the conditions approved were:

5 Planting a 50-foot buffer between the pound and neighboring property

5 Enclosing generators and compressors to muffle sound

5 Obtain a letter from the fire department regarding fire protection and accessibility

5 Study the noise impact from trucks in the parking area and report those findings to the Planning Board.

(Lamoine) -- A four unit subdivision developed by contractor Richard King won approval from Lamoine’s Planning Board in September. Mr. King’s land behind his contracting business headquarters and bordering the Jordan River will contain lots ranging in size from 1.65 acres to 2.49 acres. The plan says the developer is restricting construction to owner built log homes. The Planning Board did not place any conditions on the approval. A public hearing on the plan drew no negative comments.

It’s not known when Mr. King intends to start building on the lots, and when the first permits are issued, the road leading into the subdivision must be assigned a name by the Board of Selectmen.

(Lamoine) — The Lamoine Planning Board is down two members, and Selectmen will entertain interest from people who wish to serve on the board.

Alternate member David Smallidge resigned from the board in August, citing a lack of time to properly review the various matters that come before the board. The Selectmen thanked Mr. Smallidge for his many years of dedicated service to the board, including a couple of terms as chairman. His term expires in 2006.

Also resigning is Mary Ann Orzel, the most senior member of the board. She has been unable to attend meetings due to health considerations. Her term expires in 2006 as well. Ms. Orzel says she intends to finish work on a well survey started a couple years ago.

Anyone interested in serving on the Planning Board should write to the Selectmen to indicate their interest. The Selectmen would like to fill both vacancies by mid-October.

(Lamoine) — The town has notified former Deputy Code Enforcement Officer John Larson that he is in violation of the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance and the Building and Land Use Ordinance. The issue surrounds a screen-house that was constructed in 2000, replacing a dilapidated cabin located too closed to the high water mark. An initial notification by town Code Enforcement Officer John Holdsworth has been removed and a subsequent notice of violation filed after Mr. Larson’s attorney correctly pointed out that the town failed to cite the specific area of the ordinance that was violated.

An inspection of the property in July, 2003 found that the building was located 19-feet from the high water mark on the Skillings River. The minimum setback in Lamoine is 100-feet. The Selectmen have ordered Mr. Larson to seek a building permit from the Lamoine Planning Board or to remove the building. The latest notice of violation gives Mr. Larson until October 1, 2003 to comply with the request.

When initially confronted with a complaint from the tax assessors in 2002, Mr. Larson claimed the building had been a repair job on the existing cabin, and he had a note from the previous Code Enforcement Officer that stated a permit was not needed for a repair. The note also stated that the building could not be replaced. Mr. Larson admitted in May, 2003 that he had replaced the cabin instead because the old structure was too dilapidated to repair. He then immediately resigned as the town’s Deputy CEO, though he remains employed in a similar capacity in Surry and Hancock.

The Selectmen attempted to reach a consent agreement with the Larsons, asking that a reasonable fine, and attorneys fees be paid, and that they either seek a building permit or remove the structure. To date, the Larsons have not complied with the request, thus the issuance of the notice of violation. Under state law, the violations could result in substantial fines for each day of the violation’s existence.

Tax Rate Increase Lower Than Projected

(Lamoine) — Lamoine property owners bracing for a tax increase again this year found it was a bit lower than town officials had first projected. The 2003/04 mil rate came in at 14.00, up 6/10 or approximately 4.5% from the previous year.

New development helped to soften the blow this year. The Board of Assessors found nearly $4.9 million in increased valuation between new building and land subdivisions. That represented a valuation increase of approximately 4.65%. The new tax bills will raise $1,511,155.80, a commitment which is up $125,278.22 from 2002/03, or approximately 9%.

The town office printed up 1,300 tax bills this August and mailed them out. The town purchases pre-stamped and return addressed envelopes for the bills, and usually a thousand envelopes have been sufficient to send out all the bills. It was not enough this year, again thanks to booming property sales.

The Board of Assessors is also looking at the revaluation process for the coming year. Town meeting approved $18,000 for what’s called a factorization, where appraisers deal with sales, but do not have to visit each property. The last revaluation was performed in 1993, and a recent report from the State of Maine puts the 2002 town value at 82% of the 2003 State value. The State says Lamoine should have a valuation of $144,450,000 for 2004, up about 11% from 2003.

(Lamoine) — Vandals caused potentially thousands of dollars in damage to three test wells dug at the proposed site of a stump grinding operation conditionally approved to Doug Gott & Sons, Inc. The area between Mill Road and Lamoine Beach Road was vandalized sometime in the late spring or early summer. The wells were to test the groundwater flow direction as part of the town’s permitting process. It’s not known if there are any suspects in the case.

The developer had asked if the town wished to test the wells for contaminants, and the Board of Selectmen declined, saying there was good evidence the water flow is away from the Cold Spring Water Company. The Selectmen directed the developer to provide a baseline test for one well near the proposed grinding operation for a baseline upon which to judge future water tests from. The baseline test and regular water testing under or downstream from the grinding operation were among the conditions put on the Planning Board approval.

(Lamoine) — Code Enforcement Officer John Holdsworth has been run ragged by the number of permits and inspections required during the summer months. Since the last edition of the Lamoine Quarterly, the following permits were issued:

Nbr. Name Project

34 Judith Ghander Porch

35 Richard Clement Cottage

36 Habitat for Humanity Residence

37 Greg Griffin Shed

38 Gary Eaton Sunroom

39 Glenn Crawford Decks

40 Ralph Murphy III Residence

41 Perry Fowler Deck

42 John Thrower Mobile Home

43 Richard Bohlman Deck Extension

44 Genevieve Myers Residence

45 Larry Mobraaten Residence

46 Gary Wakefield Addition

47 Frederick Cahn Residence

48 Bethany Hanson Addition

49 Duane Jewell Addition

50 Donna Thorburn Garage

51 Eric Kelley Residence

52 Warren Murray Cover Deck

53 Richard Sprague Addition

54 Cece Ohmart Residence

55 Frank Foisy Residence

56 Bartley Ingram Residence

57 Stephen McMullen Addition

58 Harold Getchell Addition

59 Dan Pileggi Deck (SZ)

The 59th permit of the year last year was not issued until mid October.

(Lamoine) — Lamoine’s Floodplain Management Ordinance was passed in 1991. After 12 years, the state has said it’s pretty badly outdated, and provided model language for a new ordinance.

Last March, the new ordinance went before voters in a referendum with virtually no explanation or publicity. It was soundly rejected—town officials believe not because the changes were opposed, but only because there had been no public discussion about the new ordinance.

The biggest need for a current Floodplain Management Ordinance comes from the Federal Flood Insurance Program. In order for people to qualify for mortgages, the town needs an effective ordinance so the banks can protect their investments with flood insurance policies. In the late 1980s the Federal Emergency Management Agency quickly mapped out the flood areas in Lamoine, determining which areas were prone to a flood during a storm that might hit once every 100-years on average. That flood map has been amended many times by individual property owners applying for such amendments.

The State Planning Office, which helps with ordinance development, especially with Floodplain Matters, changed its model ordinance significantly in 1996, and declared that town floodplain ordinances prior to that date are outdated and difficult if not impossible to enforce.

The new ordinance still prohibits placing buildings in an area that is prone to flooding. Copies of the new ordinance will be available at the Lamoine Town Office and a the open town meeting prior to the November 19th special town meeting.

(Lamoine) — Just because the house will be gone soon (see article below) and the land is not suitable to place a well doesn’t mean the former Nate & Marti Anderson property is worthless. The folks who’ve purchased the house and plan to move it have inquired about purchasing the land and using it for a low intensity business—possibly self storage units. Neil & Katherine Murphy approached the Selectmen at a meeting in September to see if the Board might be interested in selling the land. The Board responded that it would need authorization from the Town Meeting to do so. If the vote is favorable, the Board would then have to figure out the best method for disposing of the property. Since that meeting, at least two other parties have approached town officials indicating they might have some interest is using the land for a similar purpose.

Any sale of the land must include language that forbids a land use that would involve drinking the water from underneath the property. The well at the home was contaminated by the landfill which is located nearby, and the Town and Department of Environmental Protection combined to purchase the home from the Andersons in 2002 for $100,000. Testing over many years found the Anderson’s water to be high in manganese, triggered by leachate from the old landfill that was closed in 1993. The town continues to test four wells in the area.

(Lamoine) — The final audit report should be out in October, but preliminary figures show Lamoine ended the fiscal year in a very strong position. At the end of June, the town had over $625,000 still in the bank.

The final budget expenditures showed $125,844.34 less than budgeted. The education fund benefits the most, spending $102,427.06 less than budgeted. Other areas for saving included Public Safety, as dispatch costs were less than budgeted, as was the ambulance contract. Administration was nearly $3,000 less than budgeted, and solid waste expenditures came in $1,767.21 under budget.

On the revenue side, excise tax collections were nearly $60,000 ahead of projections. Interest on unpaid real estate taxes eclipsed a shortage on investment interest. Revenues for the Code Enforcement Fund were $7,268.93 ahead of expectations, and education funding came in $23,177.93 higher than projected. The bottom line means a very healthy fund balance or surplus. Town meeting votes had allocated money from surplus which would have brought it down to about $225,000. The final projected surplus is expected to be in the $285,000 range, which is close to the $300,000 goal set several years ago by the budget committee.

Town Auditor James Wadman expects the final audit to be available sometime in October.

(Lamoine) — The town’s web page hasn’t been updated in a while, and it turns out the company that has been hosting the page for several years is no longer maintaining it. That means the town office staff will need to update the page. Seal Point Road resident Brett Jones has provided some training.

Prexar LLC which purchased Acadia.net several years ago also purchased the agreement to supply a free web page. However, Prexar officials advise that they no longer employ the staff to update the web page, but will continue to supply the space for the town under the agreement.

For now, the town’s web page will continue to be home.acadia.net/govt/lamoine. The staff has web design software installed in the computer and hope to soon be up and running on how to construct a web page that will be more effective than the site in the past. E-mail reminders continue to go out to residents from the town office.

A recent controversy where a resident requested all the e-mail addresses of citizens who signed up for the service has quieted down. The Selectmen took a stand that the addresses were confidential personal information not subject to the right-to-know law, and the requester has not pursued the matter at this time.

(Lamoine)—PATRONS is the Lamoine School’s parent-teacher organization. The volunteer group meets monthly. Since its formation, PATRONS has been a fundraising group for the school. In addition to traditional fundraisers, over the past few years they have branched out into new forms of fundraising, such as: BOX TOPS 4 EDUCATION, SCHOOLPOP, FUNDING FACTORY, and TECHNOLOGY FOR KIDS. This has been a huge benefit and allowed PATRONS to save over $7800 for a new playground and continuing to support our students during the school year. The next PATRONS meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 15^th at 6pm. President Angie Butler can be reached at 667-7746.

(Lamoine) — A new, state of the art digital photocopier is now in use by the Town Office following word that the old copier had become obsolete. Selectmen set aside $3,000 from the previous year’s administration budget for a new copier and put it out to bid. Several companies submitted very competitive bids, and the Selectmen opted to purchase a Pitney Bowes copier from Imagistics, based in Bangor. The Lamoine School has a similar copier.

The old Toshiba copier is for sale, with a price of $500 or best offer, subject to approval by the Board of Selectmen. Offers are due by October 23rd. The Toshiba copier includes a duplexing unit, document feeder, and makes 25-copies per minute. If no takers are found, the Selectmen will seek alternative methods to dispose of the copier, including possible donation.

(Lamoine) — When they say “dirt cheap”, they’re not talking about soil with slight contamination problems. After the town closed down its metal pile a year ago, the Department of Environmental Protection asked the town to clean up the dirt around the cement pad to prevent leakage into the groundwater.

Clean Harbors, a company that specializes in environmental cleanup, was contracted to perform the work. A crew shoveled the dirt into 55-gallon drums, and labeled them as contaminated soil. Another crew came by a couple weeks later to remove the drums from the cement pad for disposal at a licensed facility.

In all, 10-barrels were filled with dirt. The contamination had migrated just a couple inches below the surface of the gravel. Most of the mess came from illegally disposed of automobile parts that had not been properly drained. Transmission fluid, coolant and oil were likely present in the stained soil.

The town opted to close the metal pile in late 2002 after it became unmanageable. After hours dumpers left a fair amount of improper materials, and the metal recycling company under contract was slow to respond.

The final bill for the removal and disposal came to $3,660.80. The metal pile will remain closed.

(Lamoine) — Though things are a little behind schedule, a very ambitious highway reconstruction project involving all of Jordan River Road (Rte 204), and parts of Douglas Highway and Lamoine Beach Road (Rte 184) should wrap up by mid-October.

The Maine Department of Transportation is overseeing the project, while Lane Construction and its Wardwell division carry out the work. Most motorists have been complimentary about the look of the finished product on the roads. The shoulders are wider, the pavement smooth, and new guardrails enhance safety.

Some of the project highlights include lowering the road grade between the town hall and the Lamoine General Store to improve visibility at the 204/184 intersections. The town will contribute $8,000 as its share of that safety enhancement.

The hill on the other side of the General store was also lowered and re-shaped. The new vista opened up by that portion of the project has been stunning.

The entrance to Shore Road by the Grange Hall is completely different. The entrance that featured a straight shot from Douglas Highway onto Shore Road has been eliminated, and motorists turning right onto the road will have to slow significantly, greatly improving safety at the intersection.

The split entrance onto Berry Cove Road has also been eliminated, with only a single entrance onto that lightly traveled gravel road.

Drainage from Lamoine Corner to Mill Road is now a series of underground cisterns and connecting pipes with curbing in place which should greatly aid in shedding water from the road. The project ends at Latona Lane, and could mean no more heavy load posting of that section of road in the Spring.

(Lamoine) — Tim & Lori Jordan of Douglas Highway went out on a limb a few years ago and started making jams, jellies and spreads in their home. The business has taken off! The map in their kitchen has push pins of locations that sell their products, and it covers almost the entire southern third of Maine.

Lori does the cooking, Tim delivers the products to stores, and a lot of friends and neighbors help out. The product line specializes in low and no sugar added butters, spreads and jellies, syrups and pie fillings. Cases and jars fill their entire home. At some point in the near future the Jordans hope to build a garage/storage building. Their strawberry rhubarb filling won 2nd place at the New England Products Trade Show.

(Lamoine) — A volunteer patrol to deter crime remains under study in committee, and caution is the key word. The committee met twice during the summer months after Selectmen floated the idea of a volunteer patrol fashioned after a successful organization in neighboring Hancock.

The committee met with two of the founders of Hancock’s Police Department organization to find out about the organization, how they recruit volunteers, training, liability, and budget. Charles Wheeler and George Moon were extremely helpful as they told about how effective the presence is, and what the limitations are they impose on the volunteers, as well as how they carefully screen the volunteers.. Committee member Jim Willis offered to check with the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to see what might be required of volunteers if Lamoine were to start such an organization. The answer he passed on is that if any function is undertaken that looks like a police organization, then the volunteer must receive a significant amount of training from the police academy.

Also under study is the insurance question. The town’s carrier, Maine Municipal Association, says strict limits on the volunteer activities must remain, and the insurance policy for liability would run about $3,000 a year. The Hancock officials who met with Lamoine say they’ve never had a problem or an insurance claim.

The committee will meet jointly with the Board of Selectmen in October to discuss the findings and whether to pursue budgeting for such a volunteer patrol or to pass on the plan for now.

(Lamoine) — It’s a slow public learning curve according to those in the know when it comes to the statewide 9-1-1 emergency phone system. Dispatchers at the Hancock County Regional Communications Center (RCC) report more calls coming in on the 9-1-1 lines. Statistics show Lamoine residents utilized the 9-1-1 line 89 times over the six month period between March and August.

When 9-1-1 is dialed, it rings in at the RCC, and the name and address assigned to the phone from where the call originates is displayed on a computer screen for the dispatcher. Depending on the nature of the emergency, the call is either handled directly or forwarded to the correct agency.

(Lamoine) — State Police continue to investigate an accident on Buttermilk Road near the Ellsworth Town Line that sent five people to the hospital, at least 3 with serious injuries. The crash occurred September 18th at about 6:30 at night as resident Vaughn “Tiger” Nichols was turning into his driveway. A car full of young people apparently tried to pass at a high rate of speed just as Nichols turned and hit his Jeep broadside, throwing Nichols from his vehicle. Several of the teens in the other car were also ejected.

Firefighters were first on scene within 6-minutes of the call, as the Lamoine Fire Department was having its annual family barbecue at the fire station. Upon arrival, many firefighters reflected that the scene had a surreal look as there were victims everywhere with severe injuries.

Five ambulances from County Ambulance transported the victims to Maine Coast Memorial Hospital, and two of the young people reportedly were transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center because of the extent of their injuries. The road was closed for a couple hours to let rescue workers attend to the victims.

(Lamoine) — The Lamoine Fire Department launched its rescue boat in the dark in mid-September after the Coast Guard requested help with a boat that ran aground. Radio contact with the sailing vessel “Schoodic” was difficult, and the Coast Guard was concerned for the safety of the four people on board.

While fire trucks used powerful lights on shore to try to spot the sailboat, skipper Brett Jones and navigator David Herrick Jr. guided the boat up the shallow waters of the Skillings River and found the boat aground on a sand bar. The skipper said the tide went out faster than they had expected, and the sailboat was unable to move. No one was injured. The Skillings is well know for its uneven bottom and only small portions are navigable at low tide.

Jones and Herrick determined the boat was not damaged, and the skipper said they would re-float at high tide which was still several hours away.

Fire department units on shore kept in touch with the rescue boat by radio, and discovered some limitations with the county fire radio repeater system and the lay of the land. The fire trucks were also able to make direct contact with the sailboat via marine radio channels that were installed in the department’s portable radios.

(Lamoine) — Lamoine’s Animal Control Officer (ACO) ordered a dog belonging to Jordan River Road resident Clifton Bradford to be kept in quarantine for 10-days after it bit a visitor to Lamoine Beach Park during the July 4th weekend. Witnesses reported that Mr. Bradford parked a large recreational vehicle at the beach and tied the dog outside for much of the weekend. The visitor claimed that when she went near the RV, the dog bit her. She called Selectman Tom Spruce who accompanied ACO Harry Lounder and a State Trooper to the beach only to find Bradford had left the scene. Lounder served the quarantine order at Bradford’s home. The District Attorney’s office is trying to determine if the bite is a civil matter.

(Lamoine) — The Annual Lamoine Volunteer Fire Department clam chowder dinner will be held on Saturday, October 18th beginning at 5:00 PM at the Lamoine School gym. Firefighters will go door-to-door on October 12th to sell tickets to the dinner. Tickets will also be available from individual firefighters, at the Town Hall, and at the door.

Dinner will include chef Albert Herrick’s famous chowder, casseroles, beans, rolls, cole slaw, drinks and pie. The dinner is one of the bigger community events in Lamoine, and has proven to be an effective fund-raiser for the fire department. Donations for the supper can be made at 667-8345.

The Lamoine Conservation Commission is starting its second year excited by the opportunity to help visualize Lamoine’s future. The next item on our calendar is a panel on development set for 7 p.m. on October 8, 2003 at the Lamoine School gym. The purpose of the panel will be to get a sense of the present and future opportunities of growth in the Town and possible tools for the Town to use to accommodate that growth with the traditional joys of living in Lamoine. Panelists will include Perry Fowler, Chair of the Lamoine Planning Board, Anne Krieg, the Town Planner for Bar Harbor, and Isabel Mancinelli, a faculty member at the College of the Atlantic who works on community development issues. The panel will be moderated by Ted Koffman, Bar Harbor’s state representative who is familiar with State of Maine development trends and legislative proposals. We hope to display appropriate art by Lamoine schoolchildren.

In the last few months, the Conservation Commission has passed on to the Planning Board the gravel reclamation proposal the Planning Board requested. It has also completed work on a Parks Ordinance requested by the Selectmen. We are continuing to work on figuring out what further aquifer research is needed and how that research might be funded. Other projects include study of whether a Town forestry ordinance would promote sustainable forestry in Lamoine, and how the Town might access and use the mass of GIS data available. Local Eagle Scout candidate Paul Mitchell is working with the Commission on a map case for Town use.

The Commission is at full strength with Donna Theall and Carol Korty joining Fred Stocking, Nancy Pochan and Rae Dumont. In order to make education an ongoing part of the Conservation Commission business, we try to have a speaker every other month or so. Recent speakers have included Barbara Welch of the Frenchman Bay Conservancy and Gary Friedmann, Chair of the Bar Harbor Conservation Commission. Regular meetings are quite informal and provide many opportunities for participation. A portion of every meeting is dedicated to hearing the concerns of those attending. Meetings are at the Town Hall on the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. and everyone is welcome to attend and participate. For further information call Commission Chair Fred Stocking at 667-6564 or e-mail at stocking@acadia.net.

(Lamoine) - Two septic system installations under completely different circumstances have been installed by the town. One system on Jordan River Road utilized the state’s small community grant program, where the state will pick up 25% of the cost and the homeowner the remainder. The winning bidder on the project, KJ Dugas of Surry, completed that system in September.

The same contractor also installed a septic system at a home on Francis Drive. The homeowner failed to install a system after moving a mobile home onto the property, but never requesting a Certificate of Occupancy. The town ordered the system installed in 2002, but it was never completed. The town sent the completion out to bid, and the homeowner will have to reimburse the town for the project. The Board of Assessors is in the process of imposing a special tax on the land to cover the cost of the system.

(Lamoine) — Crews from Vaughn Thibodeau and Sons put new layers of pavement on the middle section of Buttermilk Road and a new pavement surface on the gravel town-owned portion of Seal Point Road in September. The paving was done as part of a joint bid with several other towns administered by consultant Roger Picard.

The paving came a little later than planned due to the closure of the Waldo-Hancock bridge to large truck traffic. Thibodeau had to move their portable paving plant out of Stockton Springs to a location in Hancock County to avoid longer hauls. The paving cost about $32,000

(Lamoine) — The polls will be open starting at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, November 4th for the statewide referenda questions. Voting will cease at 8:00 PM. All voting will take place at the Town Hall.

There are no local issues or candidates to vote on, but turnout should be brisk as a couple of the questions have generated a lot of debate.

The first question is a 3-part matter which involves tax relief. Question 1-A was generated by a petition drive backed by Maine’s municipalities to force the state to pay for 55% of education. Question 1-B delays the 55% as a competing measure. Question 1-C would oppose both the previous matters.

Question 2 would allow slot machines at horse racing tracks. Question 3 would allow a gambling casino run by Indian Nations.

On the back of the ballot are three bond issue questions. Absentee ballots are now available at the Town Office.

(Lamoine) — The small town spirit that keeps Lamoine humming has spilled over into the Habitat for Humanity project that is making good progress. The walls are up, the roof on, and soon Cheryl, Mackenzie and Ben Curtis will be able to move into their new home on Lamoine Beach Road.

Builder Mike Jordan of Shore Road who heads up the building crews and is in the process of building his own new home, has donated 5-weeks of labor. Volunteer help is always needed, and another Shore Road resident, Clif Smith, can be contacted if one wants to lend a hand to the project.

The Habitat program requires that the homeowners invest “sweat equity”. In other words, the Curtises will work on their own home for 500 hours in various activities surrounding the project.

The Lamoine Baptist Church has taken the lead on fund raising for materials, and coordination of volunteers. As the project was just getting under way, a bus load of young people from South Africa showed up to help clear land and construct a storage shed

Town Clerk & Tax Collector Retires

New Transfer Station Stickers Required

Test Wells Vandalized at Stump Grinder Site