Editor

The stop sign will go, two grants are a "go," the moorings will stay, and the auditor will stay, Wiscasset selectmen decided Tuesday night.

Although two village residents asked that a four-way stop on Washington Street be kept for safety reasons, a 3 to 2 vote means traffic will no longer be stopped in both directions on the street.

Ethel Stansfield said when she first moved to Wiscasset 32 years ago, there was no problem, but around the year 2002, motorists were using the short street between Federal and Route 1 as a short cut. She and other village residents called it "the raceway" at the time, and successfully convinced selectmen to install the signs.

However, another resident, Bill Sutter, a retired Maine Department of Transportation employee asked last week for the signs to be taken out because they don’t meet national standards for stop signs. And, he said, when police clocked traffic in the 20-mile-an-hour area, the fastest any motorist was traveling was 28 miles an hour.

Selectmen Pam Dunning and Phil DiVece voted to keep the signs, while Selectman chairman Bob Blagden, Bill Curtis and Bob Fairfield voted to remove them.

The two grants that the town will be applying for are to carry out two energy audits -- one at the wastewater treatment plant and one of all the rest of the town-owned buildings. A third grant application for solar equipment at the community center has been delayed until spring.

Treatment plant supervisor Buck Rines said the energy study will cost between $4,000 and $5,000. The grant to pay for this will cover half the cost, and if recommended changes are implemented, an additional 25 percent of that cost will be covered.

Peter Arnold, energy coordinator for the Chewonki Foundation, presented information on energy efficiency block grants being administered by the state Public Utilities Commission and Efficiency Maine. Arnold is also coordinating a tidal energy power project for the town.

Referring to the tidal project, Arnold said, "Where we’re stuck now is how to figure out how much power is out there in the bay, and how much power can be produced." He said if five megawatts of power can be produced, it would power 500 to 1,000 homes.

The study of all the town-owned buildings, except for the treatment plant, is estimated to cost $36,000. The town will apply for this money, and must provide a 10 percent match, which Arnold said can be done with "in kind" services.

Once the town knows how much power can be produced from tidal energy, Arnold said, "We can start talking to investors."

DiVece asked for a status report on getting brownfields clean-up money from the state. Town Manager Arthur Faucher reported that with the help of State Rep. Les Fossel and State Senator David Trahan, the money will be forthcoming. The town has to clean up property on Route 27, which the town took for back taxes owed.

The selectmen awarded RHR Smith, the town’s current auditor, with a five-year contract for $54,700. At last week’s bid opening, it appeared that another bidder, Ron Beaulieu & Co., had submitted a bid for about the same amount. However, upon closer examination, it became clear that the Beaulieu bid was $82,460 when the amount for non-auditing services was added in.

The town manager announced that he has postponed the hiring of any new full time police officers for the town’s department until after a presentation is made by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department to provide the service to the town.

The selectmen decided to follow a suggestion by Dunning that the Boston Post Cane be put in a case and displayed at the town office.

Blagden said he was disturbed to read in the waterfront committee meeting minutes that Harbor Master Peter Dalton "plans" to move three moorings. One of these is owned by Clarkie Jones, who attended Tuesday night’s meeting. Asked about this, Jones said he does not want his mooring moved.

"I will so advise the waterfront committee," Faucher said.

DiVece asked the town manager to put copies of the most recent waterfront ordinances and mooring applications in their mailboxes so they can be reviewed at a future meeting.

Asked if there has been any response to a recent newspaper ad placed by the town for businesses interested in renting the former school superintendent’s building, Faucher said no. The selectmen decided to ask Roy Farmer to help them rent the building.

Budget committee chairman Steve Mehrl urged that the town clerk come up with a budget schedule to make sure there is enough time to review them, instead of having to do the reviews at the last minute.

Transportation Committee chairman Don Jones urged the selectmen to do something about the condition of the sidewalk in front of the Masonic Home on Fort Hill Street.

Faucher announced that a "Stand-Down" for Maine’s homeless veterans will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Togus. Registration is limited to between 9 and 11 a.m. Clothing, toiletries, hair cuts, reading glasses, footwear, legal information, benefits counseling, housing information and employment opportunities will be offered.

The town has started its annual collection of money to provide Thanksgiving dinners to needy families. Those interested in donating should contact the town office at 882-8200 by Thursday, Nov. 19. Anyone who would like to ask for assistance can also contact the town office.