Group: Mechanic Falls Council

Met: Tuesday Night

Town Well

Issue: Has the time come to replace the town’s backup well?

Scoop: Water department Superintendent Steve French reported that despite efforts to clear the screen at the bottom of the well casing, the backup well, which should deliver 340 gallons per minute, can at best pump water at the rate of 150 gallons per minute. This was better than the 90 gallons per minute experienced last summer but still far short of what is required. French recommended drilling a new backup well a few hundred feet from the pumping station. This would cost about $35,000.

Up next: A new backup well will be a topic for discussion when budget talks begin in November.

Water department audit

Issue: Is it time for a water rate increase?

Scoop: Town Manager John Hawley reported that while the water department audit shows the department is financially healthy, the auditor is recommending a 12 percent increase in water rates. The department has gone nine years without a rate increase.

Up next: A rate increase will be discussed during November budget talks.

Dispatch services

Issue: Whether there will be one or two emergency dispatch centers serving Androscoggin County

Scoop: Town Manager John Hawley said there was support for studying of the option for two emergency dispatch centers at a recent meeting of the committee dealing with dispatch consolidation. The council had sent a letter to Androscoggin County’s small towns explaining that the single-county center option could be costly for small towns but give reductions to Lewiston and Auburn created.

Up next: The council asked Hawley to draft a second letter to the county’s 12 small towns, advising them of the process needed to keep the two-dispatch-center option open.

Skate Park

Issue: Should a skate park be created near the town office building?

Scoop: The council banned use of skateboards in Depot Square a couple of years ago and discourages their use in the streets. Noting the problem isn’t going away, Town Manager John Hawley said he has been approached by recreation officials to create a three-town small skatepark that would be erected on the paved area next to the tennis courts.

Up Next: Councilors supported looking into development of a skatepark on town land.

– Winslow Durgin