The Wiscasset Board of Selectmen voted against going forward with the Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission's Brownfield Assessment Program, which would have surveyed the areas around the Wiscasset Primary School and the Mason Station for environmental contaminants or other issues.

The board eventually voted against the project, 3-2, for both sites.

Selectman Ben Rines was against using the Brownfield Assessment Program grant to survey the primary school, which the town will attempt to sell after it shutters following the 2014-15 school year. He said getting the federal government involved would only help to slow the process of selling the building, and that wasn't including if there were any problems encountered.

“I think this is just opening a whole can of worms we don't have to,” Rines said.

Fellow Selectman Jeff Slack was in favor of allowing a brownfield survey of the area around the school, as there are underground tanks that could potentially leak, and other potential problems the town could be abreast of following the inspection.

“For us to sell the building, we want to know (what its condition is),” he said. “My fear is that we're going to have someone who is ready to buy (the school), then at the last minute they drop out (because of environmental issues).”

Board Chairman Pam Dunning said the grant, if awarded to the town, could shed some light on the status of the school, which could eventually affect the town's asking price.

With the Mason Station, Dunning said the town could have a better grasp of the problems plaguing the building if the Brownfield Assessment Program grant was used.

“We know there are issues, it would be nice to have them more closely defined,” she said. “If the money is available in a grant, it would be nice to have this piece already done.”

Dunning said that in the case of the school, any problems found would be deducted from the asking price. Rines added that he didn't believe looking for problems before attempting to sell the building was a good idea.

“If you are looking for problems, you're liable to find one,” he said.