The final pay request for the Allen Street road project was on the Rangeley Board of Selectmen’s October 18th meeting agenda. The Selectmen voted to approve paying M&H Construction $48,829.44 which had been withheld until the reseeded lawn areas were successfully established. The Allen Street project included upgrades to drainage, Town water, Town sewer, sidewalks, the roadbed and new pavement. The cost of the improvements on this one half mile long road was $2,074,950.22. The project which started in the fall of 2019 has now been closed out.
The Town of Rangeley was awarded a $2,000.00 Safety Grant for four bullet proof vests and a $3,000.00 Risk Reduction Grant for new handrails at the Town Office entrance. The Selectmen voted unanimously to accept both grants.
The first half of the Town’s entitlement money from the American Rescue Plan has been received. The $60,993.13 received has been placed into the General Reserve fund.
The Selectmen authorized Event Permits for the Walk to Bethlehem on December 12th and the Rangeley Health and Wellness summer benefit concert to be held on July 30, 2022. A new Liquor License was granted to The Corner Bar at 2485 Main Street, formerly Forks In The Air. The applicants, Steve and Krista Jamison, hope to open December 15th.
The Comprehensive Plan, Review and Implementation Committee (CRIC) has bylaws that control membership. The bylaws require that the Committee include three citizen taxpayers, one Selectman and the Code Enforcement Officer or Deputy Code Enforcement Officer. The Selectmen voted unanimously to appoint Board Chair Cynthia Egan as their representative.
Town Manager Joe Roach provided a draft Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Policy to the Selectmen for review. Joe plans to have the TIF Policy as a Board of Selectmen’s agenda item once a month so that it can be completed prior to April 1, 2022. The Selectmen were interested in reviewing TIF policies from other towns as part of the process.
The TIF Policy will play a large role in managing the new tax revenue generated within the TIF District over the next thirty years. The level of voter participation authorized by the Policy will be part of the discussion. The public is strongly advised to learn about Rangeley’s TIF District and how the TIF Policy will implement it.
The Selectmen hosted a Public Workshop on October 19th to discuss proposed changes to Rangeley’s Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 38). The time line for permitting became a major topic of discussion. Members of the public in attendance thought that the amount of time proposed for determining if a permit application was complete was too lengthy. They also thought that less time should be allowed for approving, denying or forwarding a permit for Planning Board review. Other issues discussed included adding more definitions and clarifying some of the Ordinance language. The next Zoning Ordinance workshop is scheduled for November 22nd at 6:00pm. This next workshop will initially cover Land Use Tables and Zoning Districts.
The next Board of Selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 1, 2021 at 6:00pm. This meeting will begin with a public hearing to discuss whether a building located at 124 Cary Road in Oquossoc meets the criteria for classification as a Dangerous Building.
Tuesday, November 2nd is voting day. The Rangeley Town Office will be open from 8:00am to 8:00pm for voting. Check with your local town office to confirm voting hours. Two ballot questions concern Franklin County, so get out and vote!
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