NORWAY — Resident Steve Siskowitz once again expressed his concern to selectmen Thursday on what he sees as a lack of action to stop manure on surrounding fields from polluting Hobbs Pond.
“We know that manure is going into the pond,” Siskowitz said. “Are we trying to figure out how to stop it?”
The board and town officials tried to assure Siskowitz that testing of the lake by the Norway Lakes Association is ongoing with the goal to discover the source of the contamination.
The water quality at Hobbs Pond has suffered algae blooms for the past few years. Siskowitz blames the manure being spread on land above the pond.
An initial report earlier this year confirmed his suspicions, but the actual source remains uncertain. The continued year-round testing hopes to solve that dilemma, but Siskowitz wants to know how much more testing must be done before acting.
“We need to have a plan, but before you make any plans with anything, you need to have all the information,” Selectman Sarah Carter said.
Interim Town Manager Bradley Plante said that despite not starting until next month, incoming Town Manager Jeffrey Wilson is already working on the problem.
Wilson said he has talked with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and a state lakes association to research the issue and determine what can be done by the town.
Plante said he hopes to obtain the most recent testing results and share those with the board and Siskowitz .
In other business, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services provided the town with an additional $1,596.86 for General Assistance. The money is part of an $8.5 million one-time, statewide distribution proposed by the governor and enacted by the Legislature early this year.
Selectmen approved a request by the Maine Department of Transportation for a waiver to transport construction that exceeds weight limit for the Tannery Brook Bridge Replacement Project.
The board renewed bingo permits for Stone-Smart American Legion Post 82 at 212 Main St., and Town and Country Community Center Associations at 99 Town and Country Drive. According to the applications, the games at the Legion Hall are held every Monday beginning at 6 p.m. with doors open at 4 p.m. At Town and Country, games are scheduled for Wednesdays at noon.
John Hersey was appointed to the Norway-Paris Cable Committee.
Plante reminded residents that the Town Office will be closed Friday.
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