Lincolnville board weighs options on property

LINCOLNVILLE – Selectmen again will ask voters about disposing of the former Dean & Eugley garage on Main Street at the annual town meeting June 18.

The town acquired the property in February 2002 when its owner failed to pay property taxes. The building on the property, which dates from the 1940s, is in poor shape, and soils have been contaminated by oil and gasoline.

In November 2003, voters defeated a proposal by selectmen to demolish the building and level the site.

This time, said Town Administrator David Kinney, selectmen are considering seeking proposals for use of the property. Though selectmen do not need the town’s approval to seek proposals from would-be buyers and developers, the board wanted to take that step before proceeding, Kinney said.

Some selectmen want to sell the building in a bid process, while others are concerned about the ultimate use of the property, he said. For example, a proposal to buy the building at a low price that would create jobs or meet a community service need might be favored over a higher bid for using the property as a parking lot, Kinney said.

Any sale of the property would have to come before voters for approval.

“We’ve been trying to drum up interest from a bank, any bank, all banks,” Kinney said. There are no banks in town. One institution, which he would not identify, has inquired about the property for a possible branch office.

Other articles on the town meeting warrant include a request to reconstruct the Moody Mountain Road-Hope Road intersection.

Kinney said there are poor sight lines for traffic entering the Hope Road (Route 235) because of a rise in the road. The work would lower the grade of the road.

The state Department of Transportation would fund two-thirds of the work, with the town having to pay for the remaining cost, estimated at $36,300. Selectmen debated the issue at length, Kinney said, before putting the article on the warrant, reasoning that the road is the state’s responsibility yet realizing the DOT will not likely get to the work soon without the town’s participation.

Another article seeks to set aside $50,000 for a townwide property revaluation. Kinney said the town already has $50,000 in an account and would seek another $50,000 next year. If approved, the revaluation would begin in the fall. It would be the town’s first since 1991.

Residents also will be asked to fund an optical scan vote tabulation machine at a cost of $6,500. Kinney said the town leased one in November and was pleased with its efficiency in counting votes.

Municipal spending, if the budget articles are approved as written, would increase by a little more than 4 percent, the administrator said.

There are four candidates for two seats on the Board of Selectmen. Each seat is a three-year term. Incumbent Selectman Tom Nolan is not seeking re-election, but incumbent Stacy Parra is seeking a return to the board. She will be joined on the ballot by Justin Blake, former board member Betty Johnson and Barbara Tarantino.

Two seats with three-year terms on the school committee also will be filled. Incumbents Edmund Hartt and Judith Schelble will be joined on the ballot by Jon Karr.

Voting for Lincolnville town offices will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, at the Community Building on Main Street in Lincolnville Center. The annual town meeting will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 18, at Tranquillity Grange on Route 52.