It was unanimous among Wiscasset's five selectmen Dec. 9. Faced with residents' petition that fell short on certified valid signatures, the board said it would put the sewer plant/public works location question on the June ballot, anyway. "I don't think there's any reason to make it harder" for the petitioners, Chair Sarah Whitfield said in support of Selectman William "Bill" Maloney's motion.

The petition-turned-ballot question poses a repeal of voters' November 2024 nod to selectmen to move the sewer plant to public works and move public works to the transfer station.

Proposing the repeal question go on the ballot, Maloney read off a set of facts he wants residents to be aware of, before they vote:

"Prior to the ballot date, the Town should clarify that the Select Board has consistently preferred updating and securing the existing plant rather than relocating it. The recommendation includes protecting the facility from future river rises by constructing a cement wall along the river side and installing movable water barriers on the land side. Efforts continue to obtain approval for returning to the original plan of upgrading the current site to comply with new requirements. 

"The Town initially received this solution as a proposal; however, subsequent decisions by federal and state authorities required relocation off the island. The current Department of Public Works (DPW) site was chosen for its cost efficiency due to proximity to the system. Relocating farther away would result in additional expenses for Wiscasset taxpayers, estimated at a minimum of one million dollars per mile, exclusive of necessary pump stations ..."

"(The) proposed Wiscasset plant will resemble a modern facility located on a main Street in Oxford, Maine," Maloney continued. "This updated plant is fully enclosed, computer-operated, chemical-free, and designed to prevent the emission of odor or dust both inside and outside the building. The proposed plant has been reviewed by the Town Manager, a Selectman, and the Plant Manager. Without signage, the facility’s unobtrusive design ensures it blends seamlessly into its surroundings."

Cassaundra Rose, resident and earth scientist, said Wiscasset's sewer plant is one of the most at risk ones in Maine for flooding. The plant is in the current flood plain, and only town staff's heroic efforts saved it from partial inundation in January 2024, Rose said. She told selectmen, planning to move the plant is daunting, but "I believe that the risk is too high to consider otherwise. The voters last year made a really smart, science-backed decision that I urge the town to continue to support."

Resident Shannon Babcock, one of the petitioners, agreed the plant needs to move "at some point in time," but she disagreed that the vote a year ago was an educated one. While the ballot said wastewater, people thought water, not sewer, Babcock told selectmen.

Also Dec. 9, selectmen decided to have the planning board stop going by ordinance wording that calls for surveys to be "recent"; selectmen also plan to have the ordinance review committee (ORC) make a top priority of drafting an ordinance change that would remove "recent." Planning Board Chair Karl Olson has said that board has, for years, been using six months as "recent" for surveys. After hearing residents' and officials' concerns, he and the rest of the planning board last month tabled a proposed "six months" policy.  

That is a substantive item, so it can only be addressed via ordinance, Economic Development Director Aaron Chrostowsky told selectmen Dec. 9. He got that word from town counsel. Chrostowsky said town counsel also said the town would not be liable for any inaccuracies in documents an applicant submits.

Selectmen asked Chrostowsky to get them, for their Dec. 16 meeting, a draft of potential survey requirements to further guide the ORC. 

The board accepted Ervin Deck's resignation from the airport advisory committee, with thanks for his many years of service and contributions to the airport and the committee. Then, the board named Scott Clement to that committee.

Wiscasset Sno-Goers drew selectmen's thanks and smiles for a wreath and calendar the club presented in honor of the town's support. The club maintains a 30-mile trail system, some of it on town-owned land, President Chet Grover said. An honored landowner usually gets their wreath at their doorstep, so he was not sure where this one could go, he said.

"I'm sure we can find a place," Whitfield said.