OTISFIELD — A second informational meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 3 in the Otisfield Community Hall to discuss ongoing problems of drug trafficking and addiction.
A meeting this month with State Police Trooper Jason Wing drew more than 100 people who heard about the problems in Otisfield and beyond.
Selectmen said at Wednesday night’s meeting that they believe a followup is warranted to continue the discussion with concerned resident David McVety. The Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, which is generally the first responder to police calls in Otisfield, will also be asked to participate.
The Board of Selectmen announced Wednesday night that work is underway to fix major drainage problems and erosion on Cobb Hill Road. Major storms in recent years washed out the road, which runs between Route 121 and Scribner Hill Road, despite the installation of three culverts.
Selectmen, who approved spending $35,000 last month for the project, said two culverts are being placed at the top of the road and one at the bottom to improve safety for motorists. The money is coming from the roads budget and the Road Reserve Fund. Road Commissioner Richard Bean Sr. purchased three culverts with money from the roads budget.
Ross Cudlitz of Engineering Assistance & Design in Yarmouth, who has been project engineer, is overseeing the work.
A 2010 grant through the Thompson Lake Environmental Association helped reduce an estimated 52 tons of soil from entering the lake from various sites, but problems at Cobb Hill Road continued.
As part of the work, the board noted they received an easement from Marshall and Nancy Perrin of Cobb Hill Road to allow the town to create the correct slope for a plunge pond to improve drainage. Board members thanked the landowners providing the access.
The lower end of the road was being worked on this week and the rest is expected to be done after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Board of Selectmen Chairman Hal Ferguson said work is also progressing on the Pleasant Lake Dam project. Core samples at the dam in Casco were taken last week. A report is expected in several weeks that will allow engineering for the repair work to be completed. Ferguson said the engineering estimate of $25,000 is underbudget by $4,000.
Casco and Otisfield selectmen received a report last year from the Maine Emergency Management Agency that said there is significant leakage and structural deterioration at the dam. The dam on Mill Brook regulates the water level of the 3.8-mile-long Pleasant Lake, which lies in Casco and Otisfield.
The dam has been jointly owned, operated and maintained by Casco and Otisfield since 1994. It previously was owned by Hancock Lumber Co.
According to the Maine Dams Inventory, the 110-foot-long, 12-foot-high dam was built in 1850, repaired in 1980 and has low-hazard classification, meaning there is nothing significant downstream that would be affected by a dam breach.
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