Wiscasset could pocket more than $160,000 off three properties, if would-be buyers meet the minimum bids on them.

But don't get too excited.

Some of those lots' particulars have selectmen and town officials unsure there will be takers at those prices.

The tax-acquired home at 25 Middle Street has problems from floor to ceiling, according to selectmen. Its assessed value of $191,000 surprised some board members.

However, most of that property's value ($111,200 of it) is in the land. Because it's downtown, board members gave serious thought months ago to turning it into a parking lot.

The other two tax-acquired properties selectmen discussed August 27 are both on Route 1: a small lot Town Manager Laurie Smith said is next to Heritage Village is assessed at $115,800; and a lot south of McDonald's is assessed at $158,300.

Few Route 1 lots have been sold lately, town officials said. And developing near the Route 144 intersection could come with a potentially high fee from the state, to offset the traffic impact, Town Planner Misty Parker said.

Selectmen set the minimum bids at 35 percent of each property's assessed value. Those come out to $66,850 for the one on Middle Street; $40,530 for the one near Heritage Village; and $55,405 for the one near McDonald's.

The board has the option to reject all bids received. But Smith said passing up an offer that meets the minimum bid could give the town a reputation for seeking bids only to gauge interest in a property.

It also wouldn't be fair, Selectman Pam Dunning said.

Selling the properties through a realtor could take longer and would add commissions to the equation, selectmen said. A realtor is still an option for any properties the town still has after the bid process, they said.

Whatever price a parcel fetches, a sale gets that property back on the town's tax rolls, selectmen said.

Montsweag Brook Dam update

The town-owned Montsweag Brook Dam could use tens of thousands of dollars in repairs, an engineering firm has found. The recommended work is so far not projected to exhaust the $100,000 Central Maine Power gave the town along with the dam and about 22 acres of land.

Topsham firm Wright-Pierce recommends the town remove trees, replace logs and repair concrete. Town workers can do the tree work, according to the firm's report; the aging wooden logs can be replaced with new wooden ones for $12,000 or $26,000 if longer-lasting, fiberglass ones are put in; and the concrete work could run $30,000 to $45,000, the report states.

The town could get many years of use out of the cheaper, wooden logs, Smith said.

Smith told the board she did not yet know if a town vote is needed to tap the money CMP gave with the property.

Roads ordinance heads for vote

Wiscasset's November 5 ballot got a little longer August 27. Voters will consider road standards to help ensure roads' safety as new homes go up on them.

The proposed ordinance selectmen sent to a town vote was the ordinance review committee's second try at one. Its first proposal drew concern that required road upgrades would add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of developing a home lot.

The new proposal narrows the situations that would require those improvements.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or susanjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com