FARMINGTON – The Board of Selectmen at its regular meeting on Tuesday, August 27, discussed the application and promotion of the American Rescue Plan Act.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city is expected to receive $ 819,740 from the federal government. There are several changing constraints on how the funds are used, but infrastructure improvements are an acceptable expense.
Deputy Police Commissioner Shane Cote spoke through a surveillance camera system that he had been researching for all buildings in the city. The system, which would cost about $ 175,000, would allow the city to do contact tracing of city officials as they could upload a photo of a person of interest and the system would look for matches in the video feeds from all cameras would. It could also be used to find vehicles of interest and has an option for an integrated air quality sensor system. For these reasons, Cote believed that federal funding could meet the costs.
Other possible upgrades that the board discussed included air quality systems, sewage and sewage improvements, and communications equipment.
The city is expected to receive half of the funds in August, but the funds do not have to be committed until 2024 or spent until 2026. The city is in no hurry to decide how to use the funds.
While the city council needs approval to use the funds, Selectman Michael Fogg felt it was important to provide the city with a pre-approved list of qualified projects the money can be spent on to save time and frustration. The guidelines for using the money are vague, he said.
“They seem pretty clear about what you can’t do with it, but they’re not entirely clear about what you can do with it,” Fogg said.
In connection with wastewater projects, the board approved two issues from the Sewer Department Reserve accounts. An amount of $ 45,700 from the Land and Land Improvement Reserve has been approved for the repair and resurfacing of a secondary septic tank in the system. To meet a new requirement from the Maine Department of Environment, $ 3,700 was allocated to inspect the drainpipe outlet valves. The valves require a certified diving team to perform the inspection, which is scheduled to take place annually.
The annual tax revenue from the Farmington Solar Project could be used for a variety of purposes. The board discussed the potential of paying off all of the city’s debt accounts, adding to the road budget, funding one-off projects, and improvements such as the roof of the community center or using part of it to create a property tax stabilization fund. No decisions have been made, but the conversation will continue.
The roof of the community center needs work; the building was built during World War 2 and the roof was made with wooden support beams. Three girders were replaced with steel girders after the war, but they do not provide enough structural support for the HVAC system the city is planning to install on the roof of the facility. The roof currently has only half the load-bearing capacity it should have for the snow load without the added weight of the HVAC system.
Chad Crandell asked if the board would consider departing from the Adult Use and Medical Marijuana Ordinance. His business recently bought the vacant Family Dollar Store to expand their manufacturing operations. The state allows a single business license to be split between two buildings, but city ordinances do not allow two cannabis companies to be within 300 meters of each other. The board referred him to the Board of Appeal for a derogation.
The Farmington sexton is planning to retire soon, so the town has been looking for alternatives. Wiles Funeral Home offers some cemetery oversight services and could have someone showing and selling land around the clock. This is a service they offer in other communities, including Wilton. Mowing the lawn and other maintenance activities would not be done by Wiles, but these responsibilities could potentially be taken under the supervision of the Department of Parks and Recreation.
The Board of Directors appointed Eric Whitey and Robert Zündel as members of the discussion committee.
Amanda Wheeler of Chesterville was hired to work at the town office. Wheeler is experienced in all aspects of the position and has good references.
The board recognized Code Enforcement Officer Steve Kaiser for 35 years of service in the city.
Comments are closed.