POLAND — Selectmen agreed Tuesday that the town should move cautiously and with great deliberation before doing anything with the tax-acquired Bakerton Heights subdivision lots.

A month ago, town meeting voters authorized selectmen to dispose of the property as they saw fit, considering the best interests of the town.

According to a memorandum from Town Manager Bradley Plante, it appears that while the town has acquired four of the subdivision’s six original lots, T & M Mortgage Solutions Inc. remains the owner of Hilt Hollow Road, which serves the area. Before the town does anything, the first step is to secure a corrective deed conveying the road to the town.

Selectmen directed Code Enforcement Officer Nick Adams to get the deed to the road.

Once that’s accomplished, selectman Steve Robinson suggested, the board should consider forming a committee to see what the town’s options are.

Plante noted that if the town decides to sell the lots individually, it would first have to develop the road.

According to Public Works Director Tom Learned’s estimate, it would cost between $200,000 and $300,000, considerably more than the appraised value of the four lots, which total just under $150,000.

Adams said the town could deed the road over to the owners of the two lots of the original subdivision “and let them do with it what they want.”

Fred Huntress, a member of the town’s Conservation Commission and active on the town Trail Committee, said he would like to see the town keep the remaining lots, particularly because the property borders the town’s transfer station property and has the potential to link with other town-controlled land.

“We see it as a great recreational opportunity,” Huntress said.

“We’ll get the deed for the road and go from there,” Robinson said.

In other business, selectmen awarded the contract for a new copier for the town office to Portland Computer Co. for $7,999.

Executive Assistant Nikki Pratt said the bid, the lowest of three received, left the $4,000 in the copier account, money that could augment funds for replacement computers for the office. She also noted that the service agreement for the new copier is about $400 less per month than that for the old one, saving the town even more.

The old copier will be shipped to the fire/rescue department.

“Their copier is dead,” Pratt said.

Johnson Hill Road resident Richard Severy thanked the board for quick action in getting a light for the intersection of Heath and Johnson Hill roads.

Severy had approached the board on the matter a month ago.

Plante explained that things had just worked out well. “Thanks go to C.M.P., (the light) was already on their list.”

The board also appointed Lois Snowe-Mello to a three-year term as an alternate member of the towns Community Economic Development Committee.

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