Old County Road residents hoped Edgecomb selectmen would assist them in repairing their severely degraded private way marked with erosion and potholes, but they were mistaken. On April 1, selectmen debated the request for $1,500 in gravel to fix the private road's upper portion leading to a Schmid Preserve main entrance before denying the request. 

In their written request, Old County Road residents described one side as being heavily eroded with a steady stream of water flowing down from the parking lot. "You supply the gravel, and we supply the labor and equipment. This is a temporary fix as the road needs recrowning and ditching beyond our capabilities. If the town doesn't assist, the road will degrade to the point where it becomes impassable and dangerous."

Residents sought money from the town's Hammond Fund which is reserved for town beautification, but advice from Town Clerk Claudia Coffin put the request in perspective. She told selectmen the Maine Constitution prohibited using public funds on private property.

In other business, selectmen met with Planning Board Chairman Rebecca Graham, Vice Chairman Paula Swetland and Code Enforcement Officer Marian Anderson. Graham reported on efforts to make their website more user friendly. Planning board officials also want to update the website's FAQ (frequently asked questions) section. Chase, who previous served as Edgecomb's CEO, recommended updating their fee schedule."You know developers laugh when they receive a $102 fee for a $1.5 million project," he said.

Selectmen also made several municipal appointments. David Nutt was re-appointed as a planning board alternate. Amy Winston received appointment to fill a two-year appeals board unexpired term. Kirk Crosby was re-appointed to a three-year term as town representative on the Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District board. Roy Potter was re-appointed as 911 Addressing Officer. 

Selectmen recessed their meeting at 6:30 p.m. to hear an Edgecomb School Committee presentation. Chairman Heather Sinclair led a 40-minute presentation regarding per pupil costs and recent standardized testing results. In March, the Citizens Tax Group held two information sessions calling into question school spending and academic results compared to surrounding schools. 

Sinclair said she wanted to put the "questions" in context. She listed several surrounding school communities including Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Wiscasset, Portland, Brunswick and Isleboro. Wiscasset had the lowest per pupil cost at around $23,000 per year and Isleboro had the highest at around $40,000. "Edgecomb is at around $27,000 which puts us in the middle. A few hundred less than Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor and a few thousand more than Portland and Brunswick," she said. 

Sinclair also shared four years' worth of state standardized testing scores showing Edgecomb students achieved 19% above the state average in math and 4% higher in science. But Language Arts didn't fare as well. Sinclair reported  Language Arts scores haven't met state standards for the past two years.  She told residents the school committee purchased a new literacy program last year to address weaknesses in the program.

Selectmen meet next at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 15 in the conference room.