Sheriff’s department not likely to pursue purchase of D-F police building

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Since a referendum question concerning a bond for a new sheriff’s department complex was voted down in November, county officials have been looking at several options to house the department’s patrol operations. One possibility explored last month was the potential purchase of the Dover-Foxcroft Police Station on East Main Street, a stone’s throw from the county complex which would have continued to house the sheriff’s department administrators as well as the jail and dispatch.

During a meeting of the county commissioners on April 5, Sheriff John Goggin said department officials had an opportunity to tour the Dover-Foxcroft Police Station. “We just felt that particular building is an old building,” Goggin said. He said the facility has a nice reception area, “but that flow of that building is going to have to be changed or rearranged to fit what we need.”

The sheriff said the police station is stick built, has a dirt floor cellar, a leak in the roof requiring ceiling tiles to be replaced and does not have enough garage space for his department’s needs. “My overall assessment, you are going to be paying something near $180,000 for that building and you are going to be putting in another $100,000 to $140,000 for what we need,” he said.

“The bottom line is we are no better in the long run than we are today,” Goggin said, adding that perhaps another referendum for a new building could be brought before county residents in a few years.

Chief Deputy Robert Young said those touring the police building had individual conclusions but then discussed the property more. “For me it’s a very appealing short-term, immediate answer but if you look down the road it’s not the answer,” he said. “I think we better wait.”

“That’s what we need to know,” Commissioners Chair Fred Trask said.

“If they are not happy working with it, I’m not happy,” Commissioner Jim Annis said.

County Manager Tom Lizotte said now an appraisal will likely not be conducted. He said a building inspector did look at the police station, so the commissioners will have this report. Trask said they will review the building report and then make a final decision.

“We all agree the ideal situation will be to build a building to their specifications,” Lizotte said.

In other business, county officials met with Piscataquis County Economic Development Council Executive Director Christopher Winstead for an update on efforts to improve broadband Internet capabilities in the region.

Winstead said he has now spoken with all of the select boards in Piscataquis County “and all communities have agreed to support a county-wide grant application.” He said the biggest concern raised was the costs for towns, and “as I have stated, my goal is to get it to zero.”

The ConnectME Authority has a potential broadband grant opportunity, and Winstead mentioned holding a meeting to help develop a vision statement for the county’s needs while also identifying that communities have individual circumstances.

“I am asking for your permission to apply for this grant on behalf of the county,” Winstead asked the commissioners, with the application due to the ConnectMe Authority by April 15. “It will really help us identify what the possible solutions are for each community.”

Winstead said he will plan to seek up to $150,000. When asked, he said the only cost to the county is his time preparing the documents.

Lizotte said even if the application is not approved, an immense amount of work has been done to bring the county together.

“It may not provide us with broadband within the next few years, but it does lay out a plan,” Winstead said.

The county and the over 180 other members of the Municipal Review Committee (MRC) have either made a decision or will be selecting a plan soon on solid waste disposal for beyond 2018 when the MRC contract with the Penobscot Energy Recovery Company (PERC) ends. About a third of the MRC members have opted to stay with the organization and its plans for solid waste to go to a future facility in Hampden, operated by the Maryland-based Fiberight.

The town of Greenville has been looking into another partial option, as the community’s organic waste could go to Exeter Agri-Energy (EAE). The EAE facility, located at the Stonyvale Farm, uses food scraps and cow manure to make methane to run an electrical turbine for power generation which is old on the grid as green energy.

To learn more, the commissioners met with Greg Williams of EAE. He said the company began five years ago and “part of that was to help subsidize the dairy operation,” which today has 2,000 head of cow and produces 8,000 gallons of milk a day.

“We have also created a collection agency for this food waste,” Williams said about Agri-Cycle Energy (ACE). He said ACE collects food waste from schools, businesses such as 40 Hannaford stores and hospitals. “Basically if it’s been alive we can take it,” Williams said.

When asked, Williams said EAE does not really fit in with the Fiberight plan as the company wants all organic waste but communities may be able to set up an organic recycling program with the Exeter company prior to 2018 that could potentially continue beyond that year.

“We are an independent operation, we are not tied to MRC or PERC,” Williams said.

Lizotte said the commissioners are scheduled to discuss the county’s solid waste disposal during the April 19 meeting. He said there is a May 1 deadline for making a decision on Fiberight in order to have the lowest tipping fee, but he said the rate may not be a deep enough discount to drive the commissioner’s’ final decision by the timeframe.

The April 5 meeting featured a 45-minute public hearing on the Crow Hill Road in Parkman. Residents and town officials spoke on the condition of about a mile of the dirt travelway to the Abbot line — 17 residents signed a petition submitted to the county — which has seen heavy equipment traffic from vehicles that are part of a wind power project being constructed in nearby Somerset County.

“Well we have a challenge that’s for sure,” Trask said after the hearing, mentioning the county is in a similar situation with some of its roads after the unusually warm winter.

“I will put this on the agenda for the 19th and we will discuss it more then and hopefully have a decision,” Lizotte said.