FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners on Tuesday approved entering into a lease with the town of Farmington so the town can use the Anson Street parking lot for year-round overnight parking.
Officials have said opening up the roughly 40-spot parking lot — which in the past has been reserved for the Franklin County Superior Court — will help alleviate demand for downtown parking.
District 3 Commissioner Clyde Barker and District 1 Commissioner Terry Brann both approved entering into a two-year initial lease with the town on Tuesday, with the option to extend for an additional 20 years.
District 2 Commissioner Charlie Webster was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.
The lease, which has no cost associated with it, also will need the approval of Farmington residents at their March 25 Town Meeting, Farmington Town Manager Richard Davis said.
“I expect it shouldn’t be a problem,” Davis said.
If approved, the town also would take over maintenance of the lot.
The move comes as a solution to a shortage of downtown parking Davis and others have said stems, at least in part, from the move of Origin USA, a jiujitsu apparel manufacturer, to downtown. The move in August 2017 brought an influx of workers looking for parking spots.
In other news Tuesday, commissioners also moved to schedule a meeting with officials from the Androscoggin County town of Livermore Falls, which has been relying on Franklin County’s dispatching services as much as 750 times per year, Franklin County Communications Director C.L. Folsom said.
Because the town is near the Franklin County border, it often relies on police, fire and ambulance services in the county for mutual aid, Folsom said.
The cost of the dispatch services is estimated to be as much as $12,000 per year, according to Brann.
“I think we ought to look into getting something from them,” Brann said.
Rachel Ohm — 612-2368
Twitter: @rachel_ohm
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