Comprehensive plan committee starting to take shape

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Earlier in the month, the board of selectmen made the first half dozen appointments to a committee that will work on updating the approximate decade-old Dover-Foxcroft Comprehensive Plan through the first half of 2015.
    “We continue to need volunteers for the comprehensive plan committee,” Town Manager Jack Clukey said during a Sept. 22 selectmen’s meeting. “I think we set a goal for 10-12.”

    Louise Ringle, a 25-year resident, had contacted Clukey between the two September meetings to indicate her interest in serving, and the board voted to appoint Ringle to the comprehensive plan committee.
    Town officials are hoping to fill the remaining vacancies at the next meeting on Monday, Oct. 13. Those interested can contact Clukey at 564-3318 or jclukey@dover-foxcroft.org.
    The Oct. 13 meeting will also include public hearings on a pair of ordinances the board formally certified for the Nov. 4 ballot. The first proposed ordinance would prohibit the sale of consumer fireworks, putting in place regulations similar to before the state law was changed, and the second concerns traffic incidents.
    The ordinance would allow town officials to bill for cost, including personnel, equipment and supplies, when responding to traffic incidents. The potential charges would only be applied to non-residents, non-property owners and those who do not work in Dover-Foxcroft. Property damage costs would still apply to all drivers.
    The Sept. 22 meeting featured several presentations with the first being made by Robert Lucy, the new superintendent for RSU 68. “I have been very impressed since I started July 1,” Lucy said, saying he has experienced a positive energy at the SeDoMoCha School (which serves pre-kindergarten through grade 8 students from Dover-Foxcroft and three other district communities) and seen how well staff work together. He added that he is looking forward to working with all of the educational stakeholders, including town officials.
    “Summer is always a busy time,” Lucy said. He said a SeDoMoCha sign is now located by the entrance to campus, a metal facade is in place on the middle school side of the complex and a new fifth-grade classroom has been constructed.
    “I think the building looks great and the facilities and grounds are in good shape right now,” he said.
    Lucy said the current RSU 68 enrollment is 670 students in pre-K through grade 8 (the district’s high school students attend Foxcroft Academy). He said this figure is up by 16 pupils from the same time in 2013, and is 43 more than October of 2011 for an approximate 6.5 percent increase in three years.
    “That’s a really nice trend and we will keep a close eye on that,” Lucy said.
    The superintendent announced that third-grade teacher Jessica Dunton has been named Maine Technology Educator of the Year. “They seek out an exceptional educator that uses technology to impact student learning,” Lucy said, saying Dunton will be formally recognized in mid-October.
    Select Vice Chair Cindy Freeman Cyr asked Lucy how the board could be more involved with RSU 68. “I really welcome collaboration and we are certainly receptive to feedback,” he said. Lucy said he may come back to the selectmen periodically, such as when both entities are in the midst of developing the budgets.
    Freeman Cyr said she looks at the minutes of the school board meetings but often these do not contain in-depth information on the discussions that take place before actions are made. Lucy said including more details may be a good idea.
    Selectman Scott Taylor had a question about the SeDoMoCha athletic fields. “Right now we are building two dugouts out there,” Lucy said, regarding changes at the baseball diamond. He said the school now has a portable scoreboard and he and Clukey have been talking about getting screening for the softball dugouts for added player safety.
    The evening’s second presentation concerned three projects aimed at the health of the community, all of which were part of a meeting the following morning (Note: please see corresponding story on page 1). The projects are the Maine Highlands Senior Center at Central Hall, a Thriving in Place (TIP) initiative and a Healthy Communities program.
    “It’s important for our municipalities to be mindful of the health of our citizens,” said Erin Callaway, who is leading the Healthy Communities program and was joined in presenting by Dr. Lesley Fernow of the Maine Highlands Senior Center and Erin Callaway of the TIP initiative. “There are a lot of benefits for municipalities if we join a collaborative of health in everything we do.”
    Callaway said Piscataquis County ranks 16th of Maine’s 16 counties in some health rankings “but the positive thing is we can change these things.”
    Gail D’Agostino of the select board said the health initiatives include a focus on the younger residents of the region, such as the importance of a healthy diet, and she wondered if school lunches place an emphasis on nutrition. Lucy was able to provide information on a grant that helps provide for healthy food items and he mentioned similar endeavors and said RSU 68 does have a wellness committee in place.
    “It’s not just food,” Dr. Fernow said. She said the healthy collaborative is working on creative programs “where it’s okay to be walking around the streets and using the track.”
    Freeman Cyr said the board’s recreation committee can be an important part of improving the health of the community. “I believe if we can develop more effective ways of promoting what’s available that would be one wonderful outcome,” she said.
    During the public comment session to start the meeting, resident Sue Mackey Andrews touched upon the health of the community. Mackey Andrews is the president of the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council and said she was a member of the committee that helped get the former Moosehead Manufacturing property into what today is the Riverfront Redevelopment Project.
    “We are seeing before our eyes what we asked for,” she said about the over $11 million downtown mixed-use project. “It is something I believe will change the face of Dover-Foxcroft.”
    Mackey Andrew also said she was happy to learn of the news to update the comprehensive plan. “I hope when the comprehensive plan is articulated we also articulate the values of our community,” she said.
    While Mackey Andrews said she is a business owner herself, she said she was concerned about a discount smoke and alcohol store opening up in town across the street from the Riverfront Redevelopment Project. She said a sign for the establishment is already up, and this comes at the same time as the release of Piscataquis County’s low standing in the health rankings.
    Mackey Andrews said she was concerned about the message sent with this kind of business located by the “beautiful downtown building” and what the presence might also say to younger members of the community. She also asked the board to consider making a statement pertaining to the community’s priorities.
    “For several years (Fire Chief Joe Guyotte) and the fire department have been applying to Homeland Security for a grant for turnout gear,” Clukey said in his town manager’s report. He said the department was successful in its grant application and has been awarded just over $63,400 through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s SAFER Awards program.
    “2003 was the last time the Dover Fire Department received a federal grant,” Guyotte said. Guyotte thanked the department’s Mark Young, saying, “He’s the one with silver pencil who really put it together.”