FARMINGTON — Selectmen on Tuesday evening approved spending $25,320 for heat pumps at the Community Center and Hippach Field field house, with the cost to be reimbursed.
The town received confirmation for the Community Resilience grant to install the heat pumps, Planning Assistant Cindy Gelinas wrote in a memo to the board.
CC HVAC was hired to install the pumps while Adrenaline Electric was hired for the electrical installation. The work is to be completed this year.
The heat pumps qualify for Efficiency Maine rebates, the memo said. The total project cost is $25,320 and requires the town to pay the upfront cost and then get full reimbursement, it added.
In another matter, interim Town Manager Cornell Knight told selectmen he hopes to have better news regarding the town’s assessing services by the next meeting.
“I am meeting with an appraising firm tomorrow,” Knight said. “I sent out half a dozen or more inquiries. Everybody’s busy and still no applications have been received.”
Selectman Stephan Bunker asked if the Wednesday’s meeting was in regard to an interim assessor.
“This would be to get the (tax) commitment done, tax bills out, all the transfers as of April 1,” Knight replied. “There is a fair amount of work to do.”
At the May 9 meeting, selectmen voted to have Knight approach KRT Appraisal about assessing services. The town had previously hired the company for the upcoming revaluation.
After the town’s assessor, Allison “Alli” Brochu, stepped down, the position was advertised but no applications were received.
At the previous meeting, Knight said the town needed to get updates done from last year to this for building permits, name changes and construction.
Chairman Matthew Smith said the board would address foreclosed properties at the next meeting.
Knight said the checklist is being reviewed to make sure 30-day notices had been sent. The final letter approved at the last board meeting hasn’t been sent yet, because he wants to ensure all steps in the lien process had been followed, he said.
In other business the board:
• Approved Gantley Drive as the name for a new road off Whittier Road after E911 officer Terry Bell confirmed no other road has that name
• Signed the warrant and notice of election for the June 13 Regional School Unit 9 budget vote.
• Approved transferring the liquor license for LaFleur’s Restaurant in Jay for the June 3 United Way of the Tri-Valley Area auction at the fairgrounds.
• Reappointed Steve Kaiser as local health officer and Andrew Marble as local plumbing inspector.
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