Dr. Heather Leslie, director of the Darling Marine Center,  presented the draft strategic plan for the University of Maine’s center in Walpole to Damariscotta selectmen Sept. 5. The center is the University’s only facility in Lincoln County, and Leslie said she was interested in making it more accessible to Lincoln County residents.

Leslie said the draft plan contained three arms – infrastructure goals, program goals and goals involving people.

Infrastructure priorities include replacing the center’s large pier and updating the flowing seawater laboratory, constructing a new Marine Science and Education building, replacing the large research vessel, increasing housing for students and visiting researchers, increasing connectivity, and exploring constructing a new Community Engagement Center to serve as a public gateway to the campus.

Investment in programs would include enhancing academic and research collaborations with other University of Maine campuses, and developing and hosting graduate level and professional courses in areas of identified needs – such as aquaculture – where the center’s facilities would offer advantages.

“People” priorities would include ensuring a strong core of faculty, staff and students, in residence year round, promoting and expanding access to Darling by graduate students, junior faculty and other early career researchers, developing shared technical support for Darling-based research and education activities, and enhancing capacity for community engagement to ensure science done at Darling is available to communities and industries throughout Maine.

Ideas presented included possibly opening a “store front” university college in Damariscotta or nearby, in order to offer brief courses on issues of importance to the Midcoast. “Something like a Damariscotta Working Waterfront Education Center,” Leslie said. The Damariscotta River is responsible for 80 percent of the oysters produced by the state, she said. “That’s an important natural resource for the whole region.” Other aquaculture in the area includes seaweeds for both food supply and additives for food, such as dulse, kelp, alaria, laver, sea lettuce,  and Irish moss, carageenan and agar from red seaweeds, often used as preservatives, sea plants used as fertilizer, and others used as nutritional supplements.

Selectmen learned that the Maine Municipal Association has returned a dividend for Damariscotta’s Workers Compensation Fund of about $2,400, because of low workers’ comp claims.

Town Manager Matt Lutkus said the fiscal year 2017 financial audit is underway, and it is hoped that the audit results will come in earlier than last year because the auditor began work earlier this year. The Elm Street sidewalk project is proceeding, Lutkus said, with water and sewer lines about to be put in before the sidewalks are put in. Egypt Road is expected to begin next week. He also asked for additional suggestions for the recreational marijuana survey, which will be made available to residents for about a month. None of the present selectmen had any additions to the survey. Lutkus got the board’s permission for the Yellow Barn Music group, a small chamber orchestra, to park along Theater Street in a converted U-Haul trailer to perform during the Sept. 17 Art Walk, if the road is hardened enough to accommodate the trailer.

The Damaricotta Fire Department has issued a request for proposals for a new fire truck, which would be purchased next year, but it takes time for the truck to be constructed.

The selectmen formally accepted George Parker’s resignation, and decided to hold the election for his replacement at the regular Nov. 7 election, in order to save money rather than holding an earlier special election. Papers for Parker’s replacement can be taken out from Sept. 11 until Oct. 2. 

The meeting adjourned to go into executive session regarding consultation with legal counsel on contemplated civil litigation related to damage to public property. No vote was expected to be taken after the executive session, Lutkus said, but a direction of the board would be taken within the executive session.