LIVERMORE FALLS — With a vote of 4-0 Tuesday, the Board of Selectmen rejected Regional School Unit 73’s offer of returning the former Livermore Falls Middle School to the town.
“I think we’ve got to walk away from it,” Selectman Ron Chadwick said.
“Our budget’s pretty tight,” Chairwoman Louise Chabot said.
Town Manager Kristal Flagg said she contacted the Maine Municipal Association for an insurance quote and was advised that its insurance wouldn’t cover the building. They referred her to another insurance agency, and Flagg said she was unable to get a price.
Selectman George Cummings recused himself from the vote, because a family member had expressed interest in purchasing the building.
In other business, forester John Churchill talked to the board about town property on Diamond Road. Selectmen had asked him to determine what trees should be harvested and what should be left alone.
In his analysis of the 35 acres, Churchill said he delineated it into three separate areas. One area near the local snowmobile club’s clubhouse has older pine trees that need to be harvested.
“It’s a revenue generator,” he said.
He recommended a harvest that avoided the wetter times of the year, because that area has clay soil.
In another area near a shooting range, small- to medium-sized pine trees are growing.
“They have a lot of growth left in them,” Churchill said. “They’re nice, healthy young trees.”
The third area of the property has larger, old-growth trees.
“My suggestion is to let that one sit for a little while,” Churchill said.
The board voted 5-0 to accept the 10-year forest management plan for the lot.
“The next step is to find out what the guidelines are as far as implementing it,” Churchill said.
In other business, the board:
• Accepted a $9,966 bid from Jean Castonguay Logging & Excavation to demolish a burned-out building at 15 Baldwin St. and remove the debris.
• Accepted a $500 bid from Jacqueline Crocker for a town lot on Sewall Street. Crocker has said she plans to clean up the lot and remove debris.
• Signed a $10,000 lease with Peter Castonguay to continue storing the Fire Department’s ladder truck in his garage on Karn Road. The lease starts in November and runs until October 2017.
bmatulaitis@sunmediagroup.net
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