AUBURN – Sewer District trustees were informed Tuesday that costs associated with the failure of the Little Andy Pump Station earlier this month are likely to cost about $50,000.

A temporary bypass system was used while the 27-year-old station near the Little Androscoggin River was out of service for about a week for repairs.

A nearly foot-wide, T-shaped check valve at the discharge side of one of the three pumps in the station leaked, causing the station to flood. As a result, all of the electrical equipment inside the station failed.

Vacuum trucks were used to extract water. District employees and an electrical contractor used a crane to extract the pumps.

New Gloucester:

SAD 15 finance director fired

NEW GLOUCESTER – SAD 15 directors fired the district’s director of finance and operations following a short executive meeting with their attorney.

By 10-0 vote, the board terminated Brian McDonnell’s employment, effective immediately.

Superintendent Victoria Burns was directed to issue a certificate of dismissal to McDonnell, attaching a copy of the board’s written findings and conclusions.

McDonnell was placed on paid leave by Burns on Sept. 25.

Lewiston:
Progress made on projects

LEWISTON – Five condominiums arrived on Maple Street. Down the road, work continued on new townhouse apartments, outer shells complete. Closer to Kennedy Park, interior rehab work above Speaker’s Variety was nearly finished.

Downtown housing projects are coming right along.

Excavation began in June along Maple and Knox streets to make way for 16 new apartments, built by Community Concepts. Units are at various stages, said Wayne Petersen of the P.M. MacKAY Group, the general contractor.

The porch columns are up, the windows in. Buildings on the right side of the road, looking up the hill, have three-bedroom townhouses. On the left side, there’s a mix of three and four bedrooms. A one-story building along Knox Street has two handicap-accessible units and a community laundry room.

The first building will be done by the first of the year, Petersen said.