When Amy Lalime moved to Damariscotta 10 years ago, she said the previous owner of her house had to search high and low to find the house keys.

Now, Lalime locks her doors when she leaves her home.

Lalime asked the Damariscotta Board of Selectmen to consider amending a town ordinance to install a property manager at a housing complex after a certain number of police calls are made to the property.

Selectman James Cosgrove said there could be an easier way around besides having a property manager installed at a so-called “problem” residence.

“Before we use a howitzer to solve a fly swatter issue, I think we need to take a step back and think about the particular issue at hand here,” he said. “This is exactly a police issue.”

Lalime said that at places such as the affordable housing on Blue Haven Lane have seen an increased amount of police attention. Previously, Lalime claimed, there had been an on-site supervisor and when they were installed the amount of loitering and calls for police decreased.

“I'm here to ask the town for an ordinance change for permanent on-site supervision for any (housing unit with three or more units),” she said. “We need to think about the future of our town. Things have gone downhill; and at both places I've mentioned, there have been multiple police calls and at multiple units, (the police have) been called too many times.”

Lalime is no stranger to seeking help for the Hodgdon Street area: In 2014, she tried requested a temporary moratorium to block the proposed expansion of Blue Haven Lane’s Stepping Stones LLC’s low-income housing project. Recently, a group of citizens spoke out against the proposal again at a Damariscotta planning board meeting, citing the problems already occurring on Blue Haven Lane.

Recently, Ronald Brann of Blue Haven Lane was arrested and charged with several felony sexual assault crimes. Brann was charged with three counts each of unlawful sexual touching and unlawful sexual contact and was arrested April 2 at his Blue Haven Lane home by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

Town Manager Matt Lutkus said an ordinance change would likely fall under the planning board's discretion, but that the town would still look at its options.

“This is an item that the planning board would have to discuss,” Lutkus said. “It could be a site plan review or it could be a stand alone.”

Lutkus said he would bring the issue before Damariscotta Police Chief Ron Young, as well as talk to other police departments and reach out to fellow town managers in other communities to see what they have done in similar situations.

“I think it will be worthwhile to look at the past calls for service over the past few years to see if there's been an increase (in the volume of calls),” Lutkus said.

Lalime said she was worried that if the Damariscotta Police Department was trimmed back due to the recent budget concerns or disbanded altogether, it would only lead to more calls for service to the housing units.

Recently, the board of selectmen met jointly with the budget committee to discuss possible ways to ease the upcoming burden of an increase of approximately $440,000 in the secondary school budget.

One suggestion was to trim back the number of man hours that the police department patrols, as well as the potential of eliminating positions. Another suggestion was to keep part-time employees in part-time roles, instead of moving them to full-time roles as was suggested by the upcoming budget.

But adding a property supervisor wouldn't actually solve the overlying problem, Cosgrove said.

“If there's drugs, or a domestic assault .... All a property manager can do is call the police,” he said.