D-F Select Board signs amended building use agreement for Central Hall Commons

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Dover-Foxcroft Select Board signed a building use agreement with the Maine Highlands Senior Center/Central Hall Commons during a meeting on Monday evening.

The signing comes several months after a lengthy discussion about whether Central Hall Commons has met its intended use of the building as outlined in its lease agreement with the town. 

The agreement replaces the current lease — signed in 2017, then amended in 2020 — between the town and organizations as the building use agreement better describes the intent and current arrangement for use of The Commons.

Select Vice Chairperson Cindy Freeman Cyr said the board’s administrative committee met to discuss the building use agreement as directed by the select board. She said the new document reframes the relationship “from landlord to tenant to really what our intention is for the building to be a community center.”

She said the building use agreement is “much more accurate than a rental agreement,” such as those in place for those using space at the town office complex. “It does a nice job outlining our intent and our relationship.”

Board member Barry Hutchins asked about changes with the document. 

Board member Jane Conroy, who is now on the Central Hall Commons board of directors, said the building use agreement provides greater clarification on what the Maine Highlands Senior Center is. 

Select Chairperson Elwood Edgerly said portions of the rental agreement were eliminated for a more concise document.

“Our feeling as a committee is we need to acknowledge what a resource it is,” Freeman Cyr said. She said the agreement can be reviewed at any time.

Central Hall Commons pays $1 in annual rent to the town. The parties agreed that when redevelopment of the property reaches a point where the building is permitted to be used and occupied without restriction, they will negotiate and make changes, according to the building use agreement and as was specified in the previous lease.

Board member Tom Lizotte said the ultimate goal is for the Central Hall Commons to take over more of the building expenses.

Freeman Cyr said there are annual reviews, which help determine if the Central Hall Commons is able to be more self-sufficient.

The building use agreement was passed via a 6-1 vote, with Barry Hutchins the lone dissenter.

Before the decision, he said he wanted to be on the record saying he has never been opposed to what the facility provides to the community, he was in opposition to how the lease was written.

In other business, the board approved an amendment to the dam redevelopment agreement. Per the suggestion of the town attorney, adjustments were made pertaining to insurance and indemnification. 

In September, the board approved a partnership between the town, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, and the Nature Conservancy in Maine. The partnership will research the Mayo Mill dam and connected facilities to plan for its future and improve fish passage along the Piscataquis River.

Town Manager Jack Clukey wrote in his report that he met with both organizations the week prior. They are working toward holding a public meeting on the project in January.

The Mayo Mill dam is on the mainstem of the Piscataquis River downtown. The 12-foot-high, 150-foot-long concrete structure creates a 30-acre impoundment, according to a proposal submitted by the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the Nature Conservancy.

The dam and river carry deep meaning and history in Dover-Foxcroft, but the town faces challenges as its dam structure ages, including long-term operations and maintenance costs, fish migration, regulatory compliance and public safety.

As town officials prepare to make plans for downtown revitalization, they say it’s time to research the dam and, with residents’ input, develop a plan that preserves it for years to come.

The project, estimated to cost $328,300, will be funded by the Atlantic Salmon Federation and is expected to be completed in December 2023. The Atlantic Salmon Federation and Nature Conservancy would lead a community visioning process to assess the dam and fish passageway, specifically opening migration of fish to the upper region of the Piscataquis River.

The mainstem Piscataquis River is a critical migratory corridor for native species of sea-run fish, including American shad, American eel, river herring and Atlantic salmon, according to the organizations. 

Despite a fishway at the dam, upstream and downstream fish passage remains an impediment to various species of fish, which reduces the number that can use the spawning habitat found upstream.

In his report, Clukey wrote that he hopes to hold a meeting on Monument Square redevelopment plans in late November or early December. The Maine Department of Transportation and dam redevelopers will be invited because the two projects relate to plans to redevelop Monument Square.

The Piscataquis Observer’s Valerie Royzman contributed to this story.