KINGFIELD — Sometime after the beginning of 2012, residents can expect to see Maine Department of Transportation surveyors along Route 27.

At their Monday night meeting, selectmen reported that the long-awaited upgrade of the road through the town would start with the designing and planning phases early next year.

The MDOT is requiring stakeholders to design a village street plan that maintains the small-town atmosphere but provides safe and efficient passage for logging trucks and winter visitors headed to and from Sugarloaf.

“We try to develop solutions that work for everyone,” MDOT’s Region 3 Manager Norman Haggan said.

Other projects, including upgrades to Route 1 in Thomaston and Route 3 in Bar Harbor, reflect each community’s unique concerns. Haggan said towns could propose specific modifications, including width of streets or historic and scenic view preservation. Although funding for the Route 27 upgrade through Kingfield comes a year earlier than selectmen expected, construction will not begin before 2013.

At their 2011 town meeting, voters rejected a plan to move an historic watering trough in the village intersection, but the town’s Roads Committee will review sidewalks, crosswalks and landscape options.

“If we want extras, like granite curbs, we’ll have to find a way to pay for them ourselves,” Board chairman Heather Moody noted.

In other business, selectmen tabled a decision on hiring Rodney Lynch as an economic development consultant. Cynthia Orcutt, Village Enhancement Committee chairman, introduced Lynch at the last meeting, but selectmen agreed they needed to study the proposal to retain Lynch on a month-to-month basis to find grant funding and implement several community projects.

“I don’t think we’ve sat and talked about this enough,” Selectman John Dill said. “Do we have to advertise this, and is this a town position?”

Selectman Wade Brown suggested that many townspeople did not understand that the planning money was already reserved and that tax money would not be used.

A state-sanctioned tax sheltering agreement between Poland Spring Water Co. and the town provides funding for projects such as Kingfield POPs and Kingfield Days events, with allowable annual expenditures of up to $110,000. Selectmen can accrue funds to pay for more expensive projects or to apply for grants which require matching dollars. No money can be used for unapproved projects or tax relief.

“If they (Maine Revenue Services) think we’re playing a shell game, they’ll come down hard on us,” Moody said.

Selectmen will meet at 5:30 p. m.  Monday, Nov. 14, to review the proposal to hire Lynch.

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