Milo board approves collaboration on Derby Shops brownfields survey

MILO — Over the last few months the  “Friends of Milo” ad hoc economic development group has been meeting to discuss potential ideas for the town. The group has spoken with Canadian Pacific Railway representatives about the company selling or leasing land adjacent to the Derby Shops for industrial development. 

During a Jan. 2 select board meeting Code Enforcement Officer Steve Quist presented a list of suggestions from the Friends of Milo to the select board.

“We’re working with CP Rail to see if we can either acquire some land at the Derby Shops, what they don’t use, for a possible industrial park,” he said. Quist said the idea is to bring more business to Milo.

Town Manager Robert Canney said the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council has funding available for area towns and businesses to conduct brownfields assessments, such as survey work to see if there may be contaminants at sites communities are looking to redevelop. 

“One’s been done in the last 10-15 years but if you do anything with it they require a new one,” he said about the Derby Shops. He said the select board would need to authorize the work but the PCEDC provides the funding through grant money the council has. 

The select board approved letting the Friends of Milo engage with PCEDC on funding for a survey to make sure there are no contaminants or hazards within the CP Rail land. 

“It’s already been done so we don’t expect anything, but it’s a formality,” Canney said. 

Quist said another suggestion listed for the town is the addition of a 100-watt panel on a light pole at the municipal parking lot that power could be drawn from. He said an Electric Vehicle charging station or two could be placed at the lot, and Canney said this is being considered once the funding has been located.

In October the board approved a $120,285 bid from Street’s Landscape & Lawn Care of Old Town for downtown municipal parking lot upgrades including redoing the surface and clearly defining the space from an adjacent street leading to an apartment building.

Much of the funding for the project comes from a downtown revitalization grant, with an approximate combined $125,000 between a grant and town contribution. In the spring the select board opted to use $31,250 in ARPA funds to cover its 25 percent share of the $125,000.

The economic group also suggested setting up an exploratory committee for the use of the town hall when the police and fire departments move into a new public safety building. “It’s something we should start now for the future,” Quist said.

The town is currently in the early planning stages of a new building to house the fire, police, and public works departments. The community can spend up to $6,375,000 in USDA funds for the public safety building, which is being planned for near the business park and across the road from the Milo Water District office less than a mile up the street from the 100-year-old town hall where the fire and police departments are currently located.

Quist said a certificate from the town was presented to Bissell Brothers Brewing, Three Rivers recognizing the establishment as the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce 2023 Business of the Year. He said the Friends of Milo hopes to publicize more events happening in Milo.

Public Works Director Jamie Cail said the town has submitted applications seeking nearly $400,000 in funding for storm damage, including a culvert replacement on the Medford Road, based on calculated man hours, fuel, loads of material, culverts, and more

“It’ll be a few months but we’re hoping that will get 90 percent reimbursed,” Canny said. He said Piscataquis County sustained multiple million dollars worth and “everyone who owns a dirt road sustained some damage.”

FEMA recently visited Milo and the larger region. “I think that was a good visit, Jamie took them out to see the worst of it,” Canney said.

The town manager said a plan is to start identifying problem culverts and to try to budget to replace one or two annually moving forward to enable these to handle the increased larger rain storms.