Edgecomb selectmen approved the Midcoast Route 1 Corridor Management Plan on April 21.

Lincoln County Regional Planning Commissioner Bob Faunce spoke about the plan at the Edgecomb Selectmen's meeting, and asked for the selectmen's endorsement of the plan.

According to Faunce, in 2005 The Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) asked Lincoln County Commissioners to identify “corridors of regional economic significance.”

At the request of the DOT, Faunce organized a committee to oversee the creation of a corridor management plan for Route 1. Three roads or corridors in Lincoln County had been identified by Lincoln County Commissioners as being of economic significance. One was Route 1, the second was Route 27, and the third one was a portion of Route 32 in Waldoboro.

Edgecomb Selectman Stuart Smith was appointed to the committee last year, and over the course of about six months Faunce did a lot of research and made recommendations for the communities.

At Monday night's meeting, Faunce presented the proposed draft for the corridor management plan for Route 1.

“In this plan are recommendations both for the corridor in general and specifically for Edgecomb. What I'm hoping to get tonight is for you to endorse the plan. If you want to make additions to it that's fine,” Faunce said.

“These plans, especially for Route 1, are kind of important,” he continued. “The DOT has said on a number of occasions that it was going to direct more funding to highways such as Route 1, and is looking for input from communities over which Route 1 crosses to give them some advice on what type of improvements they should consider.”

Faunce said that other than the interstate, Route 1 is the highest priority road in the state.

Newcastle, Damariscotta and Waldoboro had already endorsed the plan, and Nobleboro asked for one addition, but Faunce expects it to endorse the plan on Wednesday. “So (Edgecomb) is the last one,” he said.

After looking the plan over, Smith asked about an addition. “The only thing I would add if we could is to have the ability for a water/sewer sleeve on our Route 1 — that if the DOT does reconstruction on Route 1, they do put a sleeve in.”

“I will put (the addition) in the regional plan and have a special note for Edgecomb,” Faunce said.

Selectmen Smith and Jessica Chubbuck both stressed something should be done about the two intersections at Route 1. Smith said that the current plan was for a stop light, but that could change.

“We definitely need to do something about those two intersections, at Route 27 and Eddy Road,” Chubbuck said. “I remember Roy (Potter) being appalled at the idea of a stop light with people going down and up the hill in the winter,” she said.

“(Potter’s) got a point, absolutely,” Smith said. “I feel for Roy and my view on that article is that something needs to be done at that intersection,” Smith said.

Smith went on to praise Faunce's plan. “Bob's done a lot of work on this and he's really hit all the Route 1 corridor towns and has been to a number of the meetings. I think he's put together a decent document. I think he's done good work on this project and I would certainly recommend it.”

The three selectmen agreed and voted in favor of it, with an addition to install water and sewer utility sleeves under Route 1 on Davis Island if the highway is repaved or reconstructed to serve development on the north side of the town’s growth district.

Once all participating towns have endorsed the plans, Faunce will send them to the MDOT, where they will be referenced when the department plans future improvements.

Other business

Tax Collector Deb Boucher brought up the subject of a tax program to the selectmen.

Boucher has been using a tax program provided by the town of Edgecomb's tax assessment firm, John E. O'Donnell & Associates, for two years, with the firm's blessing.

But a few days ago, she said she had received an email from a representative of O'Donnell & Associates, stating that the firm didn't want the town to continue using its program.

Boucher said that she's uncertain about how to move forward. “I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm feeling like I'm being thrown under the bus,” she said.

Selectman Stuart Smith said that the town of Edgecomb pays the O'Donnell firm $17,000 a year to do the town's tax assessment.

Smith said that he could develop a similar program to the one Boucher had been using, but Boucher said it would be smarter to use a program that most towns use, TRIO, and are happy with. She suggested looking into the cost for it.

Selectman Jessica Chubbuck said that a new tax program was not something the town had budgeted for this fiscal year.

After much discussion amongst the selectmen, Boucher, and Town Clerk/Treasurer Claudia Coffin, a resolution was reached. All agreed on an open-ended warrant article to see what amount the town will vote to raise, and appropriate for tax collecting and billing software. It will appear as article #10 on the town warrant.