NEWRY — Code Enforcement Officer Joelle Corey, asked the select board to enact a $250 preliminary site plan fee to commercial developers at its March 7 meeting.
Corey said she spends much time reviewing plans that are “poorly labeled, poorly done and not complete.” Sometimes, after much work, the developer will pull the plan and not come back. “I just think that’s a lot of town resources to do something that may not benefit us on the assessing side or permitting side,” she said.
“They are using this office to see if something will pass. They shouldn’t be relying on me as their expert,” said Corey.
She submitted the site plan costs used by Bethel, Norway, and Oxford to the three select board members: Chairman, Gary Wight, Virgil Conkright and Mandy Berry.
Site plans must be submitted 14 days prior to planning board meetings so the board can have time to review them.
Planning board member, Edward Baker said, “the planning board frequently gets applications which are minimally prepared … a lot of the CEO’s (code enforcement officer’s) time is being spent hand-holding the applicant for no cost to the applicant, as opposed to an applicant that goes to a commercial land development firm, pays the money and the land development firm does the work …”
“Obviously this fee is a lot less than what a land development firm would charge,” said Berry.
“[The fee would be for] strictly site planning, not even sub divisions,” said Corey.
The board unanimously approved of the $250 preliminary review fee as a charge for commercial projects.
Next was a discussion to require a road bond for large construction projects. Corey said they had many complaints last year, when Sunday River was trucking material from Merrill Hill down Monkey Brook onto the public roads to get to its pit.
Now that Sunday River Skiway, Inc. is putting forth a new site plan application for replacing the existing Barker Mountain Express quadruple-chairlift with a new sextuple-chairlift along with associated construction of terminal enclosures and lift maintenance buildings, she said it is time to consider a road bond for the work.
“That’s a lot of dump truck trips, around the bend and 3.4 miles of public road. We had a lot of dirt, we had a lot of shoulder damage last year, we had two telephone polls taken out. It would be specifically for this project because they are coming from that pit. These aren’t the homes being built up there. These are specifically for Sunday River infrastructure projects. I think it’s time we protect our roads.” said Corey who is the deputy road commissioner in addition to her role as code enforcement officer.
“We have to call our contracted highway crew to repair the shoulder make sure the dirt is brought up so a smaller vehicle doesn’t get sucked into that shoulder, from that giant rut that a truck caused.
“This protects our roads during construction. We don’t keep this bond,” said Corey.
She explained that if damage was incurred, it would have to be from the applicant, not from another project for the bond to be effective.
Baker said, as a citizen, he’d like to see a road bond for the project.
The system is that the planning board would alert the select board who would decide if a road bond is appropriate.
Conkright was concerned about how they would prove who caused the damage.
Resident Bambi Baker said she was surprised by the Merrill Hill project. “I wasn’t expecting to be woken at 5:30 in the morning and then hear trucks going by until 7:30-8 at night and then the blasting for months and months on end. I still think they put all that dirt from Merrill Hill over in the pit so they could put in another lift that would go from the pit back to Merrill Hill.”
Wight suggested they table the road bond decision while they compile more information. Corey said she may not be able to get the information for this voting cycle but would try.
Next under discussion, was the planning board secretary’s raise. “I have to say Becky Bean has been planning board secretary for many years and she does an excellent job… I think she’s well worth it,” said Town Manager Loretta Powers.
Other business
The board voted to raise Bean’s hourly rate from $25 to $30.
With regard to a resiliency grant proposal, Powers said, “Usually Newry doesn’t get too many grants.”
“Not the poor people grants,” said Conkright, “I have no problem with them (the resiliency group) talking with us but I won’t promise anything.”
They decided to table the invitation from the resiliency group until after they discuss the budget.
They discussed the three bids they received for Monkey Brook Road and Wheeler Road paving: Pike Industries $205,655; Littlefield Paving $274,100; and Central $224,300. They got separate bids from all three companies for paving the town office parking lot in case it didn’t pass Town Meeting.
The board approved the bid, which includes both roads and the town office, from Pike Industries, Inc. for $214,589.
The Deputy town clerk, Amy Henley said they currently have six liens. Two will be paid by Sunday River. Taxes are due and nomination papers for school board and selectman seats are currently being accepted.
Powers said she is working on the budget and trying to complete the town’s audit.
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