POLAND — Selectmen on Tuesday accepted a proposal from Rudman Winchell of Bangor to assist the town in securing an amendment from the state for the Poland Spring Co. TIF District II agreement.

Rudman Winchell’s proposed fees for services will be a flat $6,500, provided the firm is successful in securing Department of Economic and Community Development approval without having to go through a new public hearing process or having to do a complete redraft of the TIF agreement.

If the amendment process encounters these difficulties, selectmen will set a spending cap at $12,500 and authorize Town Manager Bradley Plante to sign an agreement with Rudman Winchell to that effect.

Prior to their regular meeting, selectmen met in executive session, following which they announced that they authorized the town attorney to enter into a consent with Jeffrey Coolidge that settles zoning issues the town has with his business, Garland-Swamp Self Storage on Route 11.

The board took no action on hiring a new town assessor, pending a report from the subcommittee responsible for reviewing responses from the four firms/individuals that answered the request for proposals.

In his manager’s report, Plante noted that tipping fees for disposing the town’s waste at Mid-Maine Waste Action Corporation will be $41 per ton, up from the present $26 per ton. The increase is the result of the reduction in the price the trash-to-energy plant receives for the electricity it produces.

Plante pointed out that, as a member town, Poland’s tipping fees are far less than the amount that is charged to non-member towns, over $60 per ton.

Plante said that following a conversation with Regional School Unit 16 Superintendent Tina Meserve, he learned that the district is still interested in a cost estimate for what the town would charge to plow Poland Community School and indicated he will have Public Works Director Tom Learned draw one up.

Plante also said, for the benefit of anyone who wondered what the Public Works Department was up to when it began punching holes in some of the snowbanks around town, that Learned had informed him that the holes were made to create a path for meltwater so that it will not flow onto the road.

In preparation for the April 4 town meeting, selectmen made their selections for those who will receive the Ballard Nash Award, the Spirit of America Award and the Community and Economic Development Committee’s Poland Business Award, the results of which will be made public at the town meeting.

Selectman Janice Kimball reminded residents that elections for municipal officers will be held on April 3 and invited all to attend or watch “Candidates Night” on local public access Channel 7, scheduled for 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 25.

Copy the Story Link