Greenville aids businessman’s expansion plans

GREENVILLE – A local businessman who was unable to expand his business without the purchase of additional land now can do so thanks to support from the town.

Selectmen on Wednesday approved the sale of a small parcel of land at the southern end of the town parking lot to Gary Dethlefsen, doing business as Maine Mountain Candle and Soap. The additional acreage that abuts Dethlefsen’s property will allow the businessman to consolidate his business under one roof. He owns and operates a store on Main Street and also rents another facility elsewhere for operations and storage.

Any expansion in the past was prohibited because Dethlefsen’s lot did not conform to local zoning laws. The purchase of about 2,768 square feet of property from the town now provides him adequate acreage for an expansion and allows him to eliminate an encroachment onto his land by an adjacent landowner.

Residents gave selectmen the authority at a special town meeting in November 2003 to negotiate the sale, and it was approved this week.

Dethlefsen will pay the town $2,000 for the purchase of the land, which is $500 below the appraised value. Dethlefsen said he had incurred costs of more than $500 for survey, mapping and appraisal work. He also said that he would incur additional costs associated with the closing.

Town Manager John Simko said the town might need to limit its snow dumping practices to the parcel that will be conveyed. He and Selectman Eugene Murray also wanted an assurance that the town would have an easement over the property for a proposed recreational trail. Dethlefsen said he had no problem including the easement provided the trail will be developed.

In other business, selectmen agreed to add a provision to the personnel handbook to allow the town to offer full-time employees a choice of health insurance or a stipend of 50 percent of the total value of the single subscriber insurance cost.

Only those employees eligible for health insurance would have the option. For example, if an employee normally would have 100 percent of his coverage paid by the town, a value of about $4,800 annually, the town would save $2,400 and would pay the employee $2,400 if the employee did not take the insurance. This would be calculated on the cost of individual coverage and would be paid as a weekly stipend added to the employee’s pay, according to Simko.

Resident Rollie Wortman looked at the option a little differently. He said Wednesday there that there would be no savings, and the town would be out $2,400 if the employee had not planned to take the insurance anyway.