A $50,400 tax-increment financing district will help Safe Handling Inc. expand over the next five years. Councilors approved the deal to rebate taxes to the transportation handling and logistics firm Monday.

The company plans to use the rebate to buy equipment for a newly completed 60,000-square-foot warehouse at its Rodman Road facility in Auburn, part of a $4 million expansion announced last May.

Safe Handling transports raw materials and finished products used in the papermaking process.

It began blending and manufacturing its own products last summer to deliver to its paper mill customers. The TIF will return property taxes to the company for the next five years.

The city expects to get an additional $219,000 in tax revenue from the expansion, beyond the rebate.

– Scott Taylor
Auburn: Gritty McDuff’s gets room for deck

A downtown Auburn brew pub planned for the corner of Court and Main streets is one step closer to getting an outside deck overlooking the Androscoggin River.

Councilors granted American Holding Inc. a 20-foot easement along the back of their building at 66 Main St.

Portland-based Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pub is planning to move into 5,000 square feet of that building this spring.

The 700-square-foot balcony will extend over an asphalt parking area, overlooking the river and Festival Plaza.

– Scott Taylor
Lewiston: Butler goes to School Committee

Planning Board member and City Council candidate John Butler Jr. will replace Kay Theberge on the Lewiston School Committee.

Councilors appointed Butler Tuesday night.

He will fill out the rest of Theberge’s term, which ends in December.

Theberge resigned her seat late in January, saying she accepted a new job and the hours would not allow her to attend meetings.

Because less than a year remained on Theberge’s two-year term, the City Charter requires councilors to appoint a replacement.

Butler ran against Ward 1 Councilor Stavros Mendros in 2003 and was appointed to the Planning Board soon after the election. He said he plans to resign from the Planning Board in order to devote his time to the School Committee.

– Scott Taylor
Lewiston: Colisee board reappoints directors

The city group that controls the Colisee reappointed its slate of directors Monday.

Normand Rousseau, Lewiston city councilor, was reappointed as president of the Board of Directors of the Lewiston Urban Civic Center Enterprise LLC. City Administrator Jim Bennett was reappointed as vice president and Finance Director Dick Metivier was reappointed as treasurer.

Assistant City Administrator Phil Nadeau was named secretary. He replaces attorney Martin Eisenstein.

The board was created one year ago to manage the Colisee for the city. Terms are one year.

– Scott Taylor