At their meeting on Monday, Sept. 19, Westport Island selectmen unanimously rejected an offer made by Leslie Lilly and her husband David Wollins to settle the couple’s lawsuit against town officials.

At issue is ownership of the couple’s Bakers Road driveway, which is designated as a town way and which Lilly and Wollins believe is a private driveway. A lawsuit was been filed in Lincoln County Superior Court to resolve the issue.

If it had been approved by the town, the settlement would have created the section of road in question as a “private driveway” for the Lilly-Wollins property. It would also have granted an easement to the town which would be used to turn a snow plow or fire truck around and would have prevented the town from expanding the scope of the road beyond its current dimensions.

“Why would we want an easement on something we already own,” asked Selectman Ross Norton. The road dates back to 1785, according to maps the town submitted to the court.

Fire department receives grant

The island’s fire chief, Bob Mooney, presented documents for the selectmen to sign formalizing the award of a hazard mitigation grant. An application for the Federal Emergency Management Agency funds was submitted in mid-2015 by the fire department for a 50 kW fire station generator. Cost of the total project is expected to be $44,413 and the town will receive $33,310 in grant funding. Included in the project are a 1,000-gallon propane tank which the town will purchase to avoid having to change vendors if the propane supplier changes. The fire department serves as a warming station for the island during emergencies.

Spirit of America Award

Unanimously approving a suggestion from Town Clerk Gaye Wagner, the selectmen voted to award the 2016 Spirit of America award for volunteerism to the Wright Landing and Horticulture committees, chaired by Richard DeVries and Donna Curry. In her email, Wagner cited the “beautiful park and public boat landing that we can all be proud of.”

Sand/salt shed bidding

The invitation to bid on construction of the island’s sand and salt shed is posted on the town’s website. The project is described as “...the construction of a 3,000 cubic yard (50' x 102') sand/salt storage building. The laminated arch building shall have a metal roof and will be supported by a concrete foundation. Excavation, backfill, site work, and paving shall be part of this contract.”

The contract documents may be obtained for a non-refundable fee of $90 from Pine Tree Engineering in Bath. The documents will also be available for examination at the Westport island town office and other locations as shown on the website.

A pre-bid meeting will be held at the town office on Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. The bids will be opened and read aloud at the town office at 4 p.m. Oct. 20.