BETHEL – At Monday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting, officials are scheduled to discuss the need for a special town meeting to accept more than $150,000 in federal aid.

The $150,750 would require a 75-25 cost-share allocation from Bethel of $50,250.

Town Manager Scott Cole said the money is part of an estimated $201,000 project to repair December flooding damage. A project, Cole says, must be done this summer.

Maine Department of Environmental Protection “regulations suggest that bank stabilization is allowable only during the low-water periods of summer,” he said.

When the Androscoggin River flooded in December, it weakened the riverbank along Davis Park and destroyed the sewer outfall pipe that extended into the river below the park, Cole added.

It also put the town out of compliance with Maine Department of Environmental Protection regulations.

Cole said the town’s DEP license to operate the sewer plant requires an outfall pipe that discharges into the river away from the bank. Current discharge is occurring at riverside.

“Thus, either the license needs to be modified to reflect a new reality or the outfall pipe needs to be restored to regain compliance,” Cole added.

According to a review of the damage by officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Davis Park is now at increased risk of washout because of significant loss of riverbank.

Cole said the agency offered financial assistance to repair the damage and mitigate the potential for future flood damage.

Engineer Mark Allenwood of Weston and Sampson engineers is to attend Monday’s June 21 meeting at 7 p.m. in the town office to discuss a potential scope of work that has been developed as two separate projects to stabilize the riverbank and replace the sewer outfall pipe.

Cole said a special town meeting is required to accept federal funding and appropriate, from the undesignated fund balance, necessary local funding.

Other agenda items include:

• Accepting a donation of land from Key Bank in the Bethel Rotary Clock Project.

• Considering town options in enforcement of junkyard statutes.

• Approving the Fiscal Year 2005 sewer budget.

• Authorizing purchase of a wood and brush chipper.

• Approving a sewer system development charge application on Paradise Road.

• An executive session to continue an annual job performance evaluation of the town manager.

[email protected]