Selectmen’s resolutions move trio of grant applications forward

Corridor
moratorium article added to June 10 ballot

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Applications to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for three different projects in town were moved forward, as the selectmen passed a resolution for each during an April 28 meeting.
    Piscataquis County Economic Development Council Community Development Director Dr. Ken Woodbury Jr. said one of the applications will be seeing up to $450,000 to assist GlobEco Maine, LLC to make the necessary improvements at the former Creative Apparel location in the Pine Crest Business Park to manufacture cleaning cloths made from wood fiber. The grant funding, which needs to be matched dollar for dollar by the company, would provide for the purchase of a loom, spools to weave the cloth and rolls of fabric, as well as covering start-up costs such as initial labor expenses to get the facility ready for production, cutting and sewing.

    “This has to create at least 15 jobs initially,” Dr. Woodbury said, adding that the number of positions could grow to as many as 100 with the types of positions varying depending on skills. He said at least half of the initial jobs need to be filled by low- to moderate-income (LMI) employees, per the grant stipulations.
    “It is a company out of Scarborough, Maine and an entrepreneur that has developed a cleaning product out of wood chips.” Dr. Woodbury said. The Passamaquoddy Tribe, who lease the building from Dover-Foxcroft and were involved with Creative Apparel, is expected to hold a majority interest in the business.
    “What they are going to need is a specialized pulp,” Town Manager Jack Clukey said about the materials that would be used for the cleaning cloths. He said this pulp will come from a mill just over the border in Canada — it currently is not available at a Maine mill — but per the contract Maine trees need to be used.
    The second grant application is seeking up to $30,000 in CDBG funds for start-up costs for the Center Coffee House, LLC. The monies would make the necessary improvements at the ticket office at the Center Theatre and purchase coffee-making and relevant equipment for a gourmet coffee house.
    Center Coffee House would be a separate business from the adjacent Center Theatre, owner Lori Sharrow said. She said the plan is for the establishment to be open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. as well as often when events are taking place at the theatre.
    When asked about the seating, Sharrow said the plan is to “have four tables set up, two window seats and two comfortable chairs.”
    “Again it’s low and moderate income,” Dr. Woodbury said about the several positions that would be created at the Center Coffee House.
    The other grant application is for up to $90,000 assist BS Farms, LLC to make the necessary improvements to successfully raise and market pastured angus beef.  Dr. Woodbury said the farm, located on the Shamrock Road off Route 15, would “be developed for high-end angus beef, it will be about 40-50 head of cattle and it will be processed here at Herring Brothers,” with the much of the meat intended to be sold in southern New England.
    Dr. Woodbury said the total project cost on the over 100-acre farm is about $220,000, and the grant would fund the purchase of a tractor and reefer truck. Other aspects of the project include building a water collection system, water lines and fencing. He said the owner, who lives out of the area, has spent money to remodel the farm barn.
    “It will create three jobs, which are farmhand jobs,” Dr. Woodbury said, saying that these would be filled by LMI employees who will receive training on the job.
    With the town of Dover-Foxcroft applying for the three grants, Select Chair Elwood Edgerly asked if the town would be on the hook to repay awarded funds if grant stipulations end up not being met. Dr. Woodbury said the town can sign a form to pass this responsibility onto the business owner, as was done recently in Milo with a pair of grants for businesses in that community.
    In other business, the selectmen voted to place an article on the June 10 referendum ballot concerning a private distribution corridor moratorium after a petition was submitted earlier in the day. The petition was turned in prior to the deadline on April 28 to be included on the June 10 warrant — absentee voting can start about a month prior to June 10.
    “We have a petition from the people for a moratorium,” Town Clerk Lisa Niles said. “They needed 188 signatures and they got far above that.” Niles said she checked with the legal department of the Maine Municipal Association and “they said it’s within legal merit and should be placed on our next warrant.”
    The petition was titled, “Town of Dover-Foxcroft Moratorium Ordinance Regarding Private Distribution Corridors to Include Paved Highways, Pipelines and High Tension Lines.” Clukey said a moratorium can be used by a town government and citizens if they feel they are not sufficiently able to adequately regulate a matter.
    “It buys time if a permit application is brought forward, it just stops the process long enough for us to put adequate procedures in place,” he said, with a timeframe of approximately six months and then another six months at a later time if need be. “It’s a year where we would not have to act on these subjects,” he said, about items such as paved highways, pipelines and high tension lines.
    “Keep in mind the moratorium would apply to permits we would issue as a town,” he said, as state and federal agency jurisdiction can still pertain to some projects.   
    The selectmen scheduled a public hearing on the June 10 ballot for Wednesday, May 28 (moved from Monday due to Memorial Day), and Clukey said this could be an opportunity for members of the public to discuss the proposed moratorium.
    “Concurrently what’s going on is we are asking within the budget a proposal for funds to update the comprehensive plan,” Clukey said, with the existing document being about a decade old. “We do have a process in place to hopefully update the comprehensive plan within the next 18 months.”
    “I think we could get a consultant on board really quickly,” he said. Clukey said the first updates to the comprehensive plan could involve using data from the most recent census in 2010.
    In his town manager’s report Clukey said, “A lot’s being done in terms of the transfer of what we refer to as the Riverfront Redevelopment Project,” with the transfer from the Pine Crest Development Corporation expected to close later in the week. “It will really start a new phase, where right now we are in a clean-up phase.” He said the developer’s goal is to have substantial completion done by December.
    “We had some minor washouts and some minor damage there,” Clukey said about the rain that fell on April 15-16. He said town crews are planning to replace culverts in some areas that had significant water volume.
    A new section of roof has been installed at the Morton Avenue Municipal Building. “We just finished that up, so I think the worst problem with the roof has been addressed,” Clukey said. In addition to addressing the leaks, the new roof is insulated and expected to make retain more heat in the winter.
    Clukey said a Pitch, Hit and Run competition sponsored by the recreation committee has been moved back a week from May 3 to Saturday, May 10 at 9 a.m. at Foxcroft Academy, due to field schedules and volunteer availability. Registration for the baseball skills contest for boys and girls ages 7-14 starts at 8 a.m. Forms are on the town website at www..doverfoxcroft.org.
    In the public forum Clukey was asked about the status of the former bowling alley on Summer Street, which had the roof collapse in the late winter. “I talked with (Code Enforcement Officer Connie Sands) about that this morning and she’s going to come up with a plan for signs and barricades,” he said.
    “The plan is very soon is it’s going to be torn down for a project, a housing project” Clukey said,