Dresden selectmen signed a contract with Wiscasset Ambulance Service on Monday, July 24, having cleared up a question raised at the previous meeting.

On July 10, the board had questioned wording that made Dresden responsible for unpaid bills from another service. However, after further review, the board had agreed to go along with the contract as written, Selectman Dale Hinote said.

“It has only happened a few times,” Selectman Allan Moeller said about the need to use another service, with the bill going unpaid.

Selectmen rejected a bid from landscapers Farley and Sons of Rockport to replace a culvert on Bog Road. Hinote said the board had received only the one bid for $195,000. Dresden had been awarded an $84,000 grant from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for the project. Selectmen have said they will match up to $130,000 using local roads money.

Moeller has said the board will likely scrap the project if the bids went higher than the budgeted figure. He expressed frustration with the engineering firm of Gartley and Dorsky of Camden. The board expected the firm to publicly advertise the request for bids but the bid package was sent to the Dresden Town Office instead. In the end, only three contractors were contacted and there was only one bid, Moeller said.

“It was not adequately advertised,”said Moeller.

A phone message the Wiscasset Newspaper left at the offices of Gartley and Dorsky was not immediately returned.

A second round of bidding was sent out on July 21 with a due date of Aug. 7. A site walk was scheduled for Aug. 1. 

In other business, Hinote read aloud the job description drafted to advertise the position of administrative assistant now held by Trudy Foss. Foss plans to retire at the end of the year. Hinote said the notice will be sent to the Maine Municipal Association, Jobs in Maine, and area colleges that offer programs in municipal administration. He said the board may choose not to advertise in local newspapers. The board agreed to allocate $500 for job search expenses and training.

The board approved Lauren Haven to continue to maintain the town’s website. “She said she would upgrade the website to make it more interesting and readable,” said Hinote.

He said that they had received another bid for the job. “Haven was two thirds the cost of the other proposal.”said Hinote.