Resident Steve Christiansen said in selectmen's public comment time July 7, Wiscasset’s Fourth of July fireworks were pathetic this year, probably some of the worst he’s seen.

"I share that sentiment, and a lot of other people do as well," Town Manager Dennis Simmons responded. Simmons said he was very disappointed and reached out to the hired business, Central Maine Pyrotechnics, "to express my disappointment and see how we're going to rectify this situation ..."

Anthony Marson, vice president of that Farmingdale-based business that Wiscasset has long used for the shows, told Wiscasset Newspaper July 8, he and Simmons were talking. Marson next wanted to review video footage, and then he expected to follow up with Simmons "about ways to rectify this one way or the other." Normally, those offers to a town are to add items to the following year's show, Marson explained.

As for this year's, Marson said the Wiscasset one got more of the larger shells than last year's, and had no malfunctions or miscues. Marson built this year's Wiscasset show to be 15-20 minutes, and it was 12, he said. The technician "fired everything at the pace that he wanted to. The guy that did (the) show is actually a very good technician, he's very mindful of the show he's putting on ... He said, 'Man, I was layering that with smaller shells, and big shells over the top ... I thought it was a really good show,'" Marson said the state-licensed fireworks technician told him.

Marson said, "Now, in doing that, I could see how the show was fired maybe faster than it should have been," or might not have held to their practice of building to a crescendo. "You don't want to come right out of the gate, ripping 25 shells a minute, and get 10 minutes into a show that should be 20, and have nothing left." Without yet seeing a video, "My initial thoughts about why the show would garner complaints about the duration specifically would be, he might have fired that a little faster from the get go than maybe he should have ... and I perhaps should have limited how many larger shells I put in the show, to put in more (of the) smaller shells to give (the show) a greater duration," Marson said.

Also July 7, the selectboard nodded a liquor license renewal for Sea Basket, 303 Bath Road; and approved new sewer rates, including what Superintendent Rob Lalli hoped is a high enough cost to change the minds of people who’ve refused to let meters be installed. Simmons said if that doesn’t work, a kind of “nuclear option” could be considered. He said those who don’t allow meters could be fined $100 a day for violating the town ordinance that requires the meters.

If the new rates do not get people to comply, maybe $3,000 a month in fines will, Simmons said.

Maine Department of Environmental Protection wants every drop counted, Lalli said. 

The new rates, effective Aug. 1, as provided by Simmons July 8, are: Quarterly, minimum 0.900 cubic feet, $134.17; over 900 cubic feet, $17.25 per each additional 100 cubic feet. Monthly, minimum 0-300 cubic feet, $52.02; over 300, $27.36 per each additional 100 cubic feet. Non-metered charge, quarterly, $892.32; annually, $3,569.25. Camper dumping fee, $16 per camper, per each 100 gallons. Sewer connection fee, $352.20; and impact fee, $7.59 per gallon of design flow.