Dover-Foxcroft police chief stepping down, sergeant to serve as interim chief

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Dover-Foxcroft Police Chief Matt Grant will be stepping down as of Friday, March 3, after three-plus years in the position and a little more than four with the department,. He will be taking a position with another agency.

Grant’s resignation was accepted by the select board during a meeting on Monday evening. The board also appointed Seth Burnes to serve as interim chief following Grant’s departure. 

Grant joined the Dover-Foxcroft Police Department as sergeant at the start of 2019 following his retirement the previous spring after 28 years with the Maine State Police. Grant served as an investigator, underwater recovery team commander, and corporal with the state police.

The outgoing chief said he had a good four years serving his hometown and “things should be a fairly smooth transition.”

“I think Sgt. Burnes is going to do well by the town and pick up where I left off and carry the ball down the field,” Grant said.

Grant became the fifth police chief in the history of the Dover-Foxcroft Police Department in the fall of 2020. A month prior he was appointed to serve as acting chief for an indefinite period. 

Then-Police Chief Ryan Reardon had been arrested and charged with Class B aggravated assault and Class C domestic violence criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon after he allegedly attempted to strangle a woman with whom he was having an affair. The town placed him on paid administrative leave when he was arrested. Last year Reardon pleaded guilty to a Class D charge of domestic violence, while charges of aggravated assault and criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon were dropped, per a plea agreement.

Grant assumed responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of the police department after Reardon’s resignation.

“This is Matt’s last meeting as chief of police,” Town Manager Jack Clukey said. “I truly enjoyed working with Matt and appreciate (his) service.”

“I just want to publicly acknowledge and thank Matt Grant for his service to this town and wish him well on his new venture,” Selectperson Jane Conroy said. “He will be sorely missed.”

In other business, the board approved a special amusement permit for the Center Theatre to allow the establishment to sell alcoholic beverages at upcoming shows put on by the Bangor-based Delicious Drag Divas. The first of three performances is scheduled for April 15.

When asked, Grant said the Center Theatre has had no issues he is aware of during his time with the police department or before.

Conroy asked Executive Director Patrick Myers if the drag show performers have been made aware of the  town’s public indecency ordinance.

“Oh yes, for sure,” Myers said. “I forwarded them the special amusement ordinance and the indecency ordinance.”

Conroy also asked Myers if the Center Theatre has a rating system for performances.

“They aren’t rated per se, if they aren’t suitable for kids we’ll say 18-plus,” Myers said. “I assume people can read up on what’s going on and make decisions for themselves.”

Selectperson Steve Grammont said the special amusement permit is intended more for a bar that will have live entertainment rather than an entertainment venue that at times serves alcohol.

“The ordinance is ambiguous, I think we should look at clarifying the language in the ordinance,” he said.

The selectboard approved a bid by Anderson Equipment Co., the lowest of four received, for a new solid waste/transfer station loader. 

The price will be $212,408 after trading in the 2005 model. After a down payment of $12,408, $200,000 will be financed through Androscoggin Bank over eight years. The first payment of nearly $32,000 will be due in August 2024 at a 5.28 percent interest rate.

Clukey said the Maine Department of Transportation is finalizing a Planning Partnership Initiative project scope and contract, which should be ready by the next select board meeting on Monday, March 13. 

He said this traffic study and previous downtown plans will be compiled together, and this will help in applying for funding for downtown improvements.

Clukey said Gordon Contracting has begun work on Shore North Road and paving will be carried out in the spring when conditions allow. 

Last fall the select board approved a request by Shore North Road resident and Gordon Contracting President/CEO Brian Howard for the Sangerville-based company to make improvements to the travelway.

Gordon Contracting is donating the work to reconstruct and then pave 1,500 feet of Shore North Road, which runs along Sebec Lake.

When asked in late 2022, Clukey said the town would have no costs other than when the pavement needs to be redone in the future.