Twin Villages decide warrant articles
Design for a project at 435 Main Street, which will move forward now that Damariscotta has defeated a retail moratorium. Courtesy of 435 Main Street
Design for a project at 435 Main Street, which will move forward now that Damariscotta has defeated a retail moratorium. Courtesy of 435 Main Street
The Twin Villages went to the polls and voted on various warrant articles and a selectmen’s race.
Newcastle voters decided three local warrant articles, as well as four state ballot questions.
Article 2 gave selectmen a greater limit for no-bid contracts, up to $25,000, without multiple bids at the discretion of the select board. The measure passed, 480-169 with four blanks.
Article 3 gave transient sellers, such as lunch wagons, more time to operate without abiding by site plan ordinances. Under Article 3, lunch wagons would have 365 days in a 730-day period to operate without site plan review. The goal was to give operators a chance to determine if the business had a chance of success first. The article passed, 459-156, with 37 blank.
Article 4 expanded the use of single family homes and apartments as short-term residences, such as AirBnB, and allowed them everywhere in town except wildlife areas. It also provided language for solving issues if the home became a nuisance or was taxing town resources. This measure also passed, 435-176 with 41 blank.
Newcastle voted down Question 1, the York County casino question, 69-578 with six blanks; Question 2, Medicaid expansion, was approved in Newcastle, 480-169 with four blanks. Question 3, the transportation bond, passed 534-112, and had seven blanks; and on Question 4, to amend the Constitution to allow the state employees’ pension plan to reduce the program’s volatility by increasing the time that losses are amortized, Newcastle voted in favor, 482-149, with 22 blanks.
Damariscotta defeated a moratorium on retail development in the commercial district beyond the historic downtown. The vote was 358 votes yes, 420 no. The vote clears the way for a development at 435 Main Street.
Damariscotta was filling the selectman seat vacated by George Parker. Louis Abbatoni won, with 280 votes. Catherine Blount got 184; Lorraine Faherty, 87; Elizabeth Printy, 66; and Lawrence Sidelinger, 135.
On the state questions, Damariscotta defeated Question 1, 93-707; passed Question 2, 520-275; passed Question 3, 632-158; and passed Question 4, 529-231.
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