Milo residents opt to go with MRC for solid waste disposal

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

MILO — Residents voted during a special town meeting last week to enter into an agreement with the Municipal Review Committee to handle the town’s solid waste disposal starting in 2018 instead of continuing a partnership with the Penobscot Energy Recovery Company in Orrington.

A motion to go with the MRC option over PERC was passed by a count of 17-1.

Town Manager Damien Pickel said the partnership with PERC expires after 2018 and that Milo had two options for the future.

The MRC, which is made up of 187 communities across the state, was formed in 1991 to ensure long-term, affordable and environmentally sound waste disposal for member towns. The organization believes that PERC’s subsidies will not be viable after 2018 when the Orrington facility’s electricity producing contract with Emera Maine expires.

As a result, MRC sought out other proposals and ended up selecting that of Maryland-based Fiberight. The plan is for Fiberight to build a materials recovery and conversion facility in Hampden, with organic waste being used for biogas, in-house power, heating needs and other high-value products. Towns agreeing to join by the June 30 deadline are entitled to revenue-sharing and a lower tipping fee, which will be subject to the market.

Resident Ron Desmarais wondered why the item was being presented at the special April 19 session instead of at last month’s annual town meeting, when attendance would have been higher.

“I frankly was not ready at [the] town meeting,” Select Chair Lee McMannus said, saying he did not feel he had enough information to make a fully informed decision between MRC and PERC in March. “Speaking solely for myself, I would stay with MRC.”

“I move we accept the first part of this and stay with MRC,” resident Tony Hamlin said.

Via a show of hands, 17 present voted in favor of Hamlin’s motion while one was opposed.

In other business, residents passed an article seeking the approval of a $30,000 financing package for a police cruiser. Pickel said the item was omitted from the annual town meeting warrant, but the vehicle funding was approved as part of the larger police department budget.

For a number of months, town officials have been working on a building and land use ordinance to help address some issues in the community. With several concerns about the 36-page document being brought up, a motion to accept the ordinance was voted down by a majority of hands, and instead, citizens opted to table the ordinance so it could possibly be adjusted and brought forward at a later time.

Among the concerns was a question of the legality of the ordinance with no maps included, and which body can formally adopt the ordinance as a section lists this action being done by the Select Board and not a majority of the citizens.

An article seeking the adoption of a domestic livestock and fowl control ordinance also was tabled, after the question of the legality of the document without any maps was brought up again. Also tabled were articles for ordinances on consumer fireworks sales and consumer fireworks use, with motions to table passed on each with no discussion.