The state should upgrade River Road if St. Andrews Hospital's emergency room closes, Edgecomb Selectman Stuart Smith said.

The road would take on increased importance as a way off the peninsula to get to other area hospitals, Smith said.

“Everything coming off the peninsula has to go through Edgecomb,” either via River Road or Route 27, he said at the Edgecomb Selectmen's September 10 meeting.

Smith planned to ask the Maine Department of Transportation to turn River Road into Route 215. That would apply to the whole road, from its start at Route 27 in Boothbay, through Edgecomb and into Newcastle. There, it would meet up with the existing Route 215 in the area of Business Route 1, Smith said.

The change would not need town meeting approval, Smith said. If the state agrees to it, the road could then get culvert work and other improvements, he said.

Fire Chief Roy Potter welcomed the proposed change, but was guarded in his optimism.

He said the road's frost heaves make it a poor road to be taking a patient across in the winter, but he wasn't sure when the state would get around to making the improvements. “That's all going to take time and money,” he said. “It's a vicious circle.”

In other remarks involving the St. Andrews changes, Smith doubted the four peninsula towns would unite to create a community hospital.

State Rep. Bruce MacDonald has announced plans for a bill that would allow it. But because property taxes would have to cover the hospital's losses, “I don't see that really flying,” Smith said during the selectmen's meeting.

He would recommend against Edgecomb being a partner in the community hospital due to the potential tax burden, he said.

Smith serves on the peninsula's task force exploring options following the announced changes at St. Andrews. He suggested Edgecomb make a “token” $500 contribution to those efforts, particularly because the task force plans to hire a lawyer. Selectmen briefly discussed the idea, then tabled it until their September 24 meeting.

Since the board is expected to call a special town meeting later this fall, it might be better to have voters, not the board, decide on any money for the task force, Board Chairwoman Jessica Chubbuck said.