Blue Hill
Sewer project progressing slowly, selectmen feel

By FAITH DeAMBROSE
After discussion ended at the January 29 meeting of the Blue Hill board of selectmen, two things became clear—the selectmen are concerned that the sewer project is not moving as quickly as expected, and voters will have the opportunity to discuss alternative energy at their upcoming April town meeting.

Initially, it was expected that the sewer project would begin to hook up new users—at least those in or around Tenney Hill—by Thanksgiving, but the selectmen feel the project appears to be moving slower than expected and they aren’t sure if there is anything they can do about it. The contract signed by the town calls for payments to be made for work completed but does not authorize the town to micromanage the project in any way.

Expressing concern about the overall timeline of the project, Selectman Jim Schatz suggested the town consider sending a letter to its engineers (who oversee the project on behalf of the town) to at least get their concerns in writing. Bannister said that the contract does specify an end date for the two-year project and does set daily penalties if the completion date is not met.

“Let’s all remember this conversation if we find ourselves in that situation next year,” he said.

Voters attending the April annual town meeting will see the following question on the warrant: “Should the Town explore the use of alternative energy technologies and encourage proposals for their utilization to be submitted for consideration at future Town Meetings.” The question, proposed by Peninsula Power, will also be seen on the warrants in Brooklin, Sedgwick and Brooksville, according to representative Sandy Cohen, and is meant to measure support for the efforts of the nonprofit, grassroots organization. The decision to place the question on the warrant was not without discussion and was not agreed to unanimously by the three selectmen.

The question does not contain any further wording or explanation to define how the town will explore such technologies or encourage proposals for utilization.

Board chairman John Bannister, who did not support the question, said he believed a mass mailing would allow the organization to gauge support and that the selectmen should not be placing a special interest item on the agenda without it originating as a citizens’ petition.

Selectman Jim Schatz, who regularly attends Peninsula Power meetings, said he sees the measure “as a way to see if there is interest and willingness in the community that would encourage this kind of proposing and thinking.”

Ultimately, the 2-1 (Bannister) vote will carry the question to the warrant.

In other business, the board received a quarterly update from Blue Hill Public Library Director Rich Boulet, who informed the board that the library closed its books for the year with a surplus of $3,000. He said circulation was down 3 percent, but foot traffic was up considerably over last year. He said the use of the facility’s computers was down, use of the wireless network was up, and that the building provided space for 377 library-sponsored events and 437 community events and meetings.

The board will hold its next meeting Friday, February 5, at 1:05 p.m. at the town hall.

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