Dresden city administrator Michael Faass informed Selectmen Tuesday evening, June 22nd, that the Maine Department of Transportation plans to repair or replace the Middle Bridge. The bridge runs Route 197 over the Eastern River.
MDOT's Andrew Lathe contacted Faass to speak to the selected board about the bridge. Lathe said MDOT is in the early stages of planning and would like to meet to discuss options. The bridge was considered historic, so MDOT needs to determine the process for both repair and replacement. Lathe said the bridge would likely be ready by the end of 2024. Faass said there will be a public hearing eventually, but that meeting is preliminary.
The board approved several appointments: Nicholas Forest, Richard Graffam and Julie Spratt were reappointed, and Peter Elvin was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Bridge Academy Public Library; Jeffrey Bickford, Head of Regional School Unit 2 to replace Jeff Pierce, who has resigned; Ann Pierce, property tax collector and excise tax collector; Lisa Hewitt, voter and town clerk; Faass, treasurer; and James Valley, Code Enforcement Officer, Building Inspector, and Plumber Inspector.
Faass said it can take up to 30 to 40 minutes to process a private sale at the city office, and if people arrive 15 minutes before the office closes, it can create a queue for others. Selectman Allan Moeller suggested to Faass that they make a checklist of what someone needs to handle the paperwork, rather than the office workers collecting information for them. Faass said private sales were a third of all inquiries to the city office.
Resident Lauren Haven contacted Faass and suggested that the Dresden Communicator newsletter be emailed to citizens instead of bringing people to the website. The board decided to leave the communication unchanged. 45 people will receive the Communicator in the mail and around 80 will access it through the city's website.
Of 152 foreclosure notices sent on May 29, Faass said 19 have still not been picked up. Faass also reported that the city received a refund from the Internal Revenue Service of $ 1,349 for the past year. And a government bank loan has reached its due date, and the board of directors has decided to convert it to a 90-day note and consider long-term options.
Faass has ordered garage door spare parts for the fire department; It's unclear when the parts will arrive due to a nationwide slow shipping issue. The new flooring in the city office will be laid on June 28th. Former town administrator Michael Henderson had created an account for Forest Hills Cemetery and made no deposit; Faass deposited $ 39,228 in the account, noting that cemetery property sales have increased recently.
Dave Probert, on behalf of the Lincoln County Historical Association, asked the elect if they would be willing to pay $ 396, which is half the cost of gravel for the trails. The board decided to contribute $ 350.
The board meets at 5 p.m. July 6th at Pownalborough Hall.