March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Fort Kent voters turn down restrictive sewer ordinance> Townspeople select n

FORT KENT — By a 3-to-1 ratio, Fort Kent voters have turned down a zoning change that would have restricted the placement of a proposed aerated lagoon sewer plant.

At their town meeting Monday, voters also elected six municipal officials. They also turned down a conflict-of-interest ordinance that would have restricted elected officials and employees from the municipal bidding process.

Paul Bouchard pulled in the most votes, 496, for one of two three-year seats on the Fort Kent Town Council. Incumbent Robert Berube took the second seat with 293 votes. Losing in the effort were Albert Daigle with 231 votes and Michael Dumond with 149 votes.

Leroy Martin pulled in 111 votes to upset incumbent Bertrand Boucher for a three-year seat on the SAD 27 board of directors in Ward 8. Robert Michaud was unopposed for his re-election to the board in Ward 3.

Darrell Daigle, chairman of the Fort Kent Utilities District, was re-elected to a three-year term with 480 votes. John Paradis had 394 votes for the second seat on the board. Edward Collin lost in his bid for a seat with 252 votes.

A citizen’s petition seeking to restrict the placement of a facility that processes septic waste within two miles of the town office was defeated by a secret ballot vote of 138 to 44 after an hour’s debate.

The petition sought to stop the placement of an aerated lagoon on a 112-acre parcel of land 4,000 feet from the municipal building off Route 161, west of the business district. A final decision on constructing the facility at the site has not yet been made.

Battle lines were drawn two weeks ago at a public hearing on the construction of a sewer plant to replace a 24-year-old plant located along the Fish River. The Fort Kent Utilities District is investigating a proposal to construct an $8.1 million plant.

Darrell Daigle, chairman of the utilities district board, said movement of the plant could cost an extra $500,000 a mile. Former Town Councilor Gilman Caron called the petition a “bad piece” of writing because it could restrict the construction of any type of septic system within two miles of the town office.

The site of the proposed lagoon is in a residential area where three sub-divisions are located or are in planning stages. Opponents of the plan wanted the plant constructed elsewhere or wanted to renovate the present plant.

Opponents of the petition said the proposal was one “drawn up from fear.”

Twenty-eight other zoning changes were approved with little discussion at the nearly four-hour meeting.

The conflict-of-interest ordinance also was turned down, possibly because state law already controls issues related to a conflict of interest. The ordinance was supported by the town council, which had passed the draft proposal by a 4-1 vote.

Voters were unanimous in their rejection of the proposal and some suggested that “honest and honorable” elected officials and employees were controlled enough by state law.

The budget approved by voters Monday was about $2,000 less than the 1993 budget. According to Town Manager Don Guimond, the 1994 tax commitment, including an estimate of educational costs, is $1,557,493.

That is about $1,800 less than the 1993 tax commitment of $1,559,301. He said the town’s tax rate of $15.16 per $1,000 of property valuation should not change.


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