Wiscasset's wastewater treatment plant supervisor Richard Gaerth addressed the select board Tuesday night about challenges he is dealing with at the plant.

“It’s certainly a challenging situation,” he said. “I am proposing increasing fees for septage.” He said the septage pump, which should transfer the liquid and solid material into a receiving tank, hasn’t worked since a flood several years ago caused it to short out. He said none of the sump pumps work, either, and a lot of time is spent moving portable pumps.

He said he is paying for repair for one of the pumps out of impact funds, and he expects the repairs to  be completed this week. He apologized for being unable to give the select board more notice, but the issue was critical, he said.

Gaerth has applied for grants for climate adaptation and fiscal  sustainability from the state, and said because the town’s average family income had fallen, and given the serious condition of the plant, Wiscasset has “moved up the list of critical needs.”

Gaerth said he would have to hold a public hearing before May 23 on proposed rate increases.

Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Thompson also announced a plan to increase membership rates at the Community Center by $1 a month effective July  1. She said it would increase revenues by $7,000 to $10,000 annually. “Not a lot, but some,” she said.

Selectmen voted to grant a 50 percent tax exemption to Deer Ridge for its subsidized housing program. Deer Ridge is administered by the nonprofit CEI, Inc.

The board will meet at the waterfront at 5 p.m. May 7 to consider options for a kayak storage rack, which could be a stand alone or mounted on the restroom building. Selectmen agreed to set the school budget validation referendum for 6 p.m. May 14 in the Wiscasset Middle High School gymnasium. They tabled an application for a business license for Fix Marine Truck and Auto on Route 1, saying the applicant has been doing business without a license and hadn’t been following the town’s ordinances. Chair Judy Colby said she would like to get a legal opinion on what the board should do.

The board agreed to May 21 public hearings on the town meeting warrant articles and the Chewonki Campground sewer easement expansion. Town Manager John O’Connell said the easement is one of the final elements toward resolving the avigation easement.

George Knight has resigned from the Wiscasset Water District Board of Trustees, following a medical emergency in January. His resignation was accepted with regret.

Tax Collector Molly Bonang said she is going to have to file small claims against a handful of businesses and former businesses who have not paid personal property taxes.

O’Connell informed the board about the problems resulting from the town office flooding on April 11. Some of the sheet rock will have to be cut out and replaced. He said he and two of the selectmen would begin the process of union negotiations in the next week, beginning with the police department. Katharine Martin-Savage and Judy Colby will take part. O’Connell said he examined the weather intrusion at the clock tower, and recommended using a boom to wrap the windows in the top of the tower in which the panes are missing, until window repairs can be planned. He and the selectmen will review the two bids received for the work at Mason Station. The board also considered options for the possible Spirit  of America nominee.