By Jami Badershall,Staff Writer

CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Residents will have six money and land items to vote on at a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 14 at the touring center.

The Planning Board has recommended three changes to the town’s zoning map to better conform to its 2004 Comprehensive Plan:

• reduce the size of the Valley Center District and increase the area zoned as medium density residential;

• rezone the “upper half” of the town’s public lot, or the original town lot, from conservation district to recreation zone; and

• realign the conservation district zone on a small parcel of land to conform to the boundaries of the Appalachian Trail Corridor.

Town Manager Dave Cota said both the recreation zone and conservation district allow nonintensive activities, and the major difference is that recreation zones allow commercial recreation.

The town will also be asked to accept the gift of a half-acre of land in the area of Hackett Brook Bridge, just north of Oh My Gosh Corner.

The selectmen and the Touring Center Improvement Committee are recommending that the town vote to expend about $16,000 for trail improvements at the touring center and work on trail bridges. About $8,000 of that amount will be for repairs and maintenance of the existing trail network.

The town approved $45,000 for work on trail bridges at its annual meeting in March, and this article requests $6,500 more for that project. The improvement committee is looking at replacing three large bridges and does not think the $45,000 will be enough. The remaining $1,500 will be used to hire a bike-trail consultant to review and propose the location of new single-track bike trails.

Work will include repair and replacement of culverts, removing rocks from trails, ditching and repair of erosion issues.

The three bridges are on Sugarloaf Mountain Corp. property and will require a minimum five-year easement for use of the trails on SMC property. The final article will authorize the selectmen to negotiate an easement.

In other town business, selectmen voted to approve the lowest bid of $12,859 from Harville Painting and Roofing of Skowhegan to renovate the ambulance service quarters. Cota said the renovations, which include replacing the garage ceiling with two layers of fireproof Sheetrock, rebuilding a set of stairs to conform to height requirements and replacing an upstairs outside door, are necessary to comply with the state Fire Marshal’s Office requirements. NorthStar Ambulance will pay half of the costs for the renovation, and beginning this month, its annual rent will go up from $6,000 to $7,000. In his bid, Thomas Harville said he could start the job immediately and finish in two weeks.

“Once they get started they need to get it done,” Cota said.

Selectman George Abbott suggested that a penalty be included in the contract in case the job is not done on time.

Other bids included C.L.W. Enterprises in Kingfield at $19,700, Daniel McKenney of the Skowhegan area for $18,294, Greg Shaw of Kingfield at $13,512.