A Gibbs Road, Wiscasset man on Tuesday gave selectmen a petition that seeks new rules on what can be fired and when at Wiscasset Rod and Gun Club.

Dan O’Connell played an audio recording he said was of gun fire at the club. He said he used a cell phone to make the recording from his home’s back deck, a mile and a half from the Route 27 nonprofit.

“I pity people that live within hundreds of feet (of it),” O’Connell said. His name and 31 others are on the petition, with addresses on Gibbs, Dorr and Gardiner roads and Northwood Court.

The petition reads, in part: “(Use) of the club by outside organizations ... to practice tactical firing is a detriment to our neighborhood and dramatically decreases our property values. We are asking the selectmen to establish an ordinance covering operating hours, decibel limits, restriction on rapid fire and the operation of automatic weapons to encourage the club to return to their function as a true sportsmans club and to allow the neighborhood to live in harmony.”

Reached later Tuesday night, club president Ed Goud said he was aware that O’Connell had started a petition.

“We try to be as friendly as we can to the neighborhood. A lot of (neighbors) are members,” Goud said.

Automatic weapons are not fired at the club, he said. The club has been renting the range out to public safety organizations and companies with security guards for several years. One other group has also been renting it for one week a year each of the last two years, he said.

Selectmen will discuss the petition on March 17, after gathering information from the ordinance review committee, codes enforcement officer and the person who does the scheduling at the club, Selectmen’s Chairman Pam Dunning said.

Keeping the ‘e’ in Rumerill

Selectmen went along with the wishes of two Rumerill Road residents to keep the ‘e’ in the road’s name. Wiscasset resident Don Jones had proposed removing the middle vowel to reflect the local family the road was named for. Selectmen sought property owners’ input after learning that the name change would force the residents to change their mailing addresses.

The change could also mean that deeds and other records would have to be changed, according to residents who addressed selectmen Tuesday.

“I think it’s just going to be a big mess,” Rumerill Road resident Nancy Wyman said.

Jones told selectmen he sympathized with the road’s residents.

“And I think I might perhaps be saying the same thing if I was them.” 

The town has fixed spelling errors on other roads’ names, he said.

“For historical accuracy, I think it would be a good idea to change it.”

The board voted 4-0 to keep the current name intact.

Historical preservation plan discussed

Selectmen made plans to take up the proposed historical preservation ordinance at the board’s March 3 meeting and hold a public hearing on it April 7. The proposal calls for a commission to review proposed projects in three village districts, to prevent removal of historically significant buildings and preserve those areas’ character.

“People come into this town and rave about how beautiful it is. They don’t rave about the area that has gas stations,” proponent John Reinhardt said.

Pittsfield firm picked for assessing

Town Manager Marian Anderson announced her selection of RJD Appraisal of Pittsfield for an assessing services contract that will cost between $59,090 and $68,420 over three years. The other firm that applied, Hamlin Associates of Parkman, offered a $70,200 three-year deal involving 36 days of work per year, compared to RJD Appraisal’s 38 to 44 days a year, Anderson said.