Entrance permit approved for proposed Guilford Family Dollar site

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    GUILFORD — Plans for a new retail store in Guilford took another step forward at last week’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting.
    The real estate agency negotiating to buy three Elm Street properties for a Family Dollar store is seeking an entrance permit for a parking lot adjacent to the building, according to Town Manager Tom Goulette.

    “We spoke to the DOT (Maine Department of Transportation) and they don’t have any problems with it. For safety considerations, they also want a parking ban on that side of the street,” Goulette said. “According to the statutes, municipal officers have the sole authority to enact traffic laws.”  The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously at their Aug. 6 meeting to grant the entrance permit, eliminate parking in the area and post notices accordingly.
    Hunt Real Estate of Tampa, Fla. has sought to buy the former Ben Franklin store, an apartment building and the old Methodist church parsonage since last March. Although they’ve declined to comment on the use of the property, the firm is well known for its affiliation with Family Dollar.  The proposed building would be 8,300 square feet and the parking lot is designed for 37 spaces.
    Goulette said that the addition of Family Dollar to Guilford would give the town’s retail segment a boost.  “It’s going to be a million-dollar building on our tax rolls and it will create some jobs,” Goulette said. “There’s three different property owners involved, so there have been a few snags along the way. But we’ve now got this issue (on the entrance) out of the way.”
    Family Dollar was founded by entrepreneur Leon Levine who opened the first store in Charlotte, N.C. in 1959. The retail chain now has 7,600 stores nationwide including local branches in Dover-Foxcroft, Milo and Dexter.
    The Board of Selectmen also accepted a bid of $26,790 from BNF Building Contractors of Bingham to build a community meeting room in the lower level of the Guilford Memorial Library. Much of the funding for the project came from a $25,000 grant from the Stephen and Tabitha   King Foundation and a bequest from an anonmous donors.
    Goulette said that once the proposal is reviewed to make sure all the specifications are correct, the contract will be signed and construction can begin.
    Selectmen also appointed Stephanie Doore to fill an opening on the Hospital Administrative District 4 Board of Directors and Eric Curtis to the Board of Appeals. Doore had already attended an orientation session for new board members, and Curtis’ appointment filled the fifth and final position on the Board of Appeals.
    Goulette said that town officials were very pleased with the July 27 Redneck River Festival which drew hundreds of people to town for a parade, kids’ games, live music and pig scramble. The 60-foot tall tsunami water slide was a huge hit, once the temperature rose in the afternoon; and more than 160 youngsters signed up for the Herring Brothers pig scramble.  The “silent parade” minus the traditional fire engine sirens at the finale also drew positive comments.