DOVER-FOXCROFT – Selectmen agreed this week to seek a conflict waiver for a fellow board member whose participation in the town’s facade-improvement program was in question.

Selectmen want to clear the way in the event that Judy MacKinney, who is on the board and also is part-owner of Webber Hardware and Building Supply, Inc. in Dover-Foxcroft, is asked to solicit bids on behalf of local businesses participating in the Economic and Community Development fa?ade-improvement program.

Eric Stumpfel, the town’s attorney, believes no conflict of interest exists and issued his opinion to selectmen earlier this week.

As a downtown business owner, MacKinney initially served on a private, volunteer downtown revitalization committee that was successful in obtaining a $100,000 facade-improvement grant.

That committee later was formally constituted as a town committee and MacKinney was among the selectmen who voted to accept the grant funds.

Final approval of the grant acceptance, however, came from residents during a special March town meeting.

MacKinney has made it known that she will not participate directly or indirectly in evaluating the applications and in making the local grant awards, nor will Webber Hardware be an individual grant applicant.

This supporting information, and the fact that grant applicants must obtain three independent cost estimates from qualified building suppliers to provide materials for their projects, with the lowest estimate funded, aided in Stumpfel’s opinion.

Stumpfel pointed out that the town has no local ethics policy, ordinance or charter provision relating to conflict-of-interest questions, so the state conflict-of-interest provisions are controlling.