Sign standards being developed for D-F

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — On the November ballot residents approved amendments to the Land Use Ordinance, amendments pertaining to electronic signs. In the weeks since, town officials have been working to develop related performance standards for such signage.

    “The planning board met almost two weeks ago and they held off on actually adopting performance standards,” Town Manager Jack Clukey said during a Dec. 16 selectmen’s meeting. “They are really looking at performance standards adopted by the sign committee.”
    The planning board held a public hearing on the proposed performance standards for electronic signs on Dec. 18, and could take a formal action early in the new year.
    “The next item on their agenda was a permit,” Clukey said about a planning board meeting held earlier in the month. He said Foxcroft Veterinary Services submitted a permit application for an electronic sign, but the planning board opted to take no action on the request.
    The planning board had Code Enforcement Officer Connie Sands write a letter to Foxcroft Veterinary Services saying the permit was not approved. In the letter Sands wrote the electronic sign, which has already been erected, is in violation of the Land Use Ordinance since it was installed prior to application and approval. The sign would be required to be removed unless a consent agreement is reached with the town.
    “There either needs to be an agreement or there would be an action,” Clukey said. A consent agreement would need to approved by the selectmen. Failure to work toward a consent agreement with the town could result in legal action, such as a fine per day that the violation exists.
    After over a quarter of a century on the planning board, including serving as chair, David Michaud will be stepping down as of the end of the year. Clukey took the opportunity at the start of the meeting to recognize Michaud “for his 25 years of service on the planning board.”
    “I wanted to take the time to say thank you to Dave,” Clukey said, as Sands presented Michaud with a plaque.
    Michaud said he served close to 30 years on the planning board. “I’m glad I had the opportunity to give back to the community, and it was fun,” he said.
    “He did a phenomenal job and we are going to miss him,” Sands said.
    In his town manager’s report, Clukey said Sands, who also serves as health officer, issued a condemnation order for the property at 956 West Main Street. Clukey said the building, owned by Graham Long, is currently unoccupied and the order closes the home to residential occupancy.
    A certified building inspector would need to determine if the residence is structurally sound in order to meet the first step in getting the order lifted. “Connie would like a structural assessment before we even talk about the cleaning process,” Clukey said, adding, when asked, that the property is not current on tax payments.
    The selectmen also gave their approval to a Municipal Review Committee (MRC) resolution to continue with the Penobscot Energy Recovery Company (PERC) planning process after 2018. The MRC was formed in the late 1980s by towns to establish and manage solid waste disposal efforts, which currently includes a PERC facility in the Penobscot County town of Orrington.
    The economics of utilizing PERC will change in 2018, and in the years leading up MRC is investigating options for solid waste management and disposal after 2018.
    “The MRC really wants to be thorough with solid waste disposal,” Clukey said. “They feel as a group we can find the most cost effective solution for the longterm.”