Water department agrees to extend service to Poland

MECHANIC FALLS — Town councilors, acting in their capacity as Water Department trustees, have agreed to a plan to extend water service from Poland Regional High School down Route 26 to Aggregate Road, near the Regional School Unit 16 central office.

Poland Town Manager Dana Lee and John Cleveland, consultant for Poland's community and Economic Development Committee, say the estimated $800,000 project would be done at "no cost and no risk" to Mechanic Falls water utility customers or taxpayers.

"In fact, the project will mean greater revenues for the water department," Lee said.

He explained that extending water service along Route 26 is critical to the town's plans to create an economically viable "village center" and the cooperation of the Mechanic Falls Water Department was essential because Poland lies within the Mechanic Falls Water District's service area as established by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

Funding is being sought from three sources, including the Maine Community Development Block Grant program, eligibility for which will be determined by a survey to see if the area to be served meets low- and moderate-income guidelines.

The second source is a consolidation grant program which, Lee explained, supports projects that "take very small public water systems off line." In this instance, it means systems serving the Town Office/town hall/library complex, Poland Community School, businesses in the Dunkin' Donuts mini-mall and several day-care centers.

The third potential funding source is the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which loans money at between 1 and 2 percent.

"This is where the Mechanic Falls Water Department comes in and our hopes are that we will only have to borrow something under $100,000," Lee said. He noted that while the Water Department would be the loan applicant, Poland would sign legal documents whereby it would become responsible for repaying the loan.

The town of Poland will hold a public hearing on the water extension project at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, in the Town Office meeting room.

In other Mechanic Falls news, the Town Council accepted Oxford resident Thomas Richards' bid to pay the town $39,700 to harvest trees from town land near the transfer station. The council also amended the building permit fee schedule for new commercial construction, keeping the fee at 37 cents per square foot but capping the fee at a $5,000 maximum and, for commercial renovations, keeping the fee at 10 cents per square foot with a $3,000 cap. The previous fee schedule had no cap, which meant the fee for a large development could run to $30,000 or more, something the council felt was excessive.

The council also agreed to hold a public hearing on the Water Department's annual budget at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2, at Water Department offices on Highland Avenue.