The Newcastle Board of Selectmen held a joint meeting with the Finance Committee on Monday, Feb. 22 to hear from certain committees in town in advance of the town meeting. Among the committees asked to appear about items in their budget were the Parks and Cemetery committees, Fire Department, and Roads Department.

Because of the way the budget was structured, it was difficult for the finance committee to understand where the total funding was coming from in some cases. No one was present from the Parks Committee, but the Finance Committee had a question for the Cemetery Committee about an increase in funds for maintenance. The extra funds, amounting to $5,000 more than last year, were for tree work and brush removal.

The largest items in the Fire Department’s budget are for the replacement of the roof at the fire station and for necessary repairs at the smaller substation on Sheepscot Road. The fire station has been in dire need of a new roof for some years, and this year, the department budgeted for a metal roof, which could be laid right over the asphalt shingles that currently exist, and would last at least 30 years. Because this line item was elsewhere in the budget presented to the Finance Committee, they were not able to identify it as a fire department expense.

The board agreed to try to change the way the budget looked in the future to make it easier for the committee and voters to identify all the costs for a particular area, such as the Fire Department.

Among the issues the Finance Committee had for the Roads and Public Works Department were a question about two line items, mistakenly entered in the budget, which referred to the same piece of equipment, a mini-excavator that was listed twice, and a question about maintenance at the public landing, within the town of Damariscotta, but which both Damariscotta and Newcastle residents are permitted to use.  The department had also not built a new salt shed this year, which was not needed owing to the mild winter, but funding for salt and the salt shed were included in the next budget.

Steve Reynolds, speaking on behalf of Public Works, said later in the meeting that during a recent safety audit of Route One through Newcastle, Maine Department of Transportation appeared to have little interest in speed control through the town, but would be willing to consider a turning lane at some point. “I think we need to write a formal letter to the state requesting exactly what we want,” Reynolds said.

Benjamin Frey, speaking for the Board of Selectmen, said, “It is ridiculous that more people have to die before they will do anything to make the road safer.” Frey is concerned about the multiple curb cuts at the gas station, and about the on-ramp from River Road onto Route One. “We’re lucky that so far there have mostly been property damage accidents there,” he said. “It’s a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or killed at one of those places.”