Dover-Foxcroft Public Works truck arrives, another will depart

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Dover-Foxcroft Public Works Department has equipment coming and going with the sale of a wheeler truck approved and a new vehicle arriving after a year-plus wait. During a select board meeting on Monday evening, the board approved a $21,000 bid by Seth Elderkin of Bailey Construction in Parkman for a 1999 International Wheeler truck with wing and plow and nearly 129,000 miles on it – the highest of five bids received.

Town Manager Jack Clukey said each of the five bids came in above the $15,000 minimum, ranging from $16,570 to the $21,000 submitted by Seth Elderkin/Bailey Construction. He said no bids were received for a 1987 Ford 6610 tractor with boom arm and 2,290 hours, so this piece of equipment would be placed out to bid a second time. The town has the right to turn down any offers should the select board deem the price to be too low below the $5,000 minimum. The public works will also be advertising for bids on a 2014 Ford Explorer.

With the truck to be departing from the town fleet and tractor up for bid, Clukey said a 2023 wheeler was delivered the week prior. “We expected it to be a year and we had it in a year and a little more,” he said. “The biggest thing was to have it before the snow.”

In June 2022 the select board approved a $219,488 bid by Caldwell Diesel — the lowest of three and recommended by the public works committee — for a plow truck.

In his report, the town manager wrote that the vehicle was ordered in June 2022 and the arrival 14-plus months later illustrates the wait time needed to get trucks and plow gear installed.

In other business, Clukey mentioned select board members had a copy of a letter from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission describing the results of an inspection last month of the Mayo Mill Dam downtown on the Piscataquis River. The letter says the inspection determined that there are dam safety deficiencies that do not require immediate remedial action, but the agency is asking the town to submit a plan to schedule and complete needed work on the site.

More than a decade and a half has passed since the Mayo Mill Dam has produced energy. In the years since the municipal-owned structure has remained in place but it is only deteriorating with the continual water flow.

There are no easy answers on what to do with the site but under the auspices of a steering committee, a partners team is working to consider the various possibilities and everything tying into the dam — such as an assessment of the physical condition of the structure and property, an inventory, and being in compliance with all regulations — to be included in a community-based feasibility study to help determine the long-term future of the dam. 

Select Board Chairperson Tom Lizotte said the steering committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday, Sept. 21 and the group would be discussing the FERC letter as the agency will need a response within 30 days. “They want us to act on this soon but I don’t think it’s in our best interest to act on it,” Lizzote said.

He said the committee and town do not yet have all the information to make a decision on the long-term future of the dam, and there will only be one chance to make the right decision.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Selectperson Steve Grammont asked about the status of ATV access on the Foxcroft Center Road which enabled riders to get from the trails on one side to the other on a temporary basis while a more permanent solution was developed.

Clukey suggested having representatives from the Dover Rovers ATV Club attend a future meeting for an update. “There was no way to get through town, that’s what brought it all about,” he said.

The town manager said a new route would still cover part of the Foxcroft Center Road, just not as much of the travelway as is currently permitted.

Selectperson Jane Conroy wondered about inviting Foxcroft Academy Head of School Arnold Shorey and RSU 68 Superintendent Stacy Shorey to an upcoming meeting to hear about the respective secondary school and pre-kindergarten to grade 8 school unit serving Dover-Foxcroft. Conroy also wondered if the school resource officer would be able to attend, and Clukey said this could happen next month if the parties are available.

He said the land use ordinance committee has been working on revisions to the subdivision ordinance. The group is expected to review the land use ordinance for compliance with the state’s new requirements pertaining to multi-unit housing.