Dover-Foxcroft Select Board approves gravel road study

DOVER-FOXCROFT — For several years Dover-Foxcroft officials have been using an established road management plan to schedule paving and maintenance on municipal travelways, and more recently the community has begun a similar plan for its sidewalks.

During a meeting on Monday, Sept 9, the select board approved a proposal from Gorrill Palmer Engineering Consultants — who have worked with Dover-Foxcroft for a number of years on different projects — for a gravel road study. The firm’s proposal consists of assessing existing road conditions, assigning priorities based on condition and usage, potential treatments, costs to perform treatments,, and a 5-year improvement/maintenance plan. 

The study has a $29,930 cost for data collections, analysis, and expenses. Gorrill Palmer recommends another $2,000 be earmarked for other expenses such as mileage reimbursement and permitting fees.

Select Chair Tom Lizotte said the idea for having a gravel road study came out of the meetings of the budget advisory committee. He said the town would have “a total inventory of the roads and what each road needs,” something that has not been done before for the non-paved travelways.

“They are going to look at the existing conditions and also the usage of the road,” Town Manager Jack Clukey said, mentioning gravel roads that are dead ends vs. throughways to others elsewhere as usage examples. He said the study will prioritize road improvements based on conditions for each of the five years.

“It will get us on a cycle where we can budget consistently,” Clukey said, as is being done for asphalt roads and sidewalks. “This is really the basis for getting on a program and getting on a budget.”

Selectperson Steve Grammont wondered what time of year study data would be collected as road conditions can vary by the season.

Clukey said Gorrill Palmer will include spring conditions but he said every road is different. “They are going to need an annual review of the gravel roads because there’s going to be some year to year changes in conditions,” he said.

In other business, Clukey mentioned a number of items in his report.

He said the week prior he met with members of the Climate Action Committee as well as a representative from ReVision Energy regarding grant programs that fund electric vehicle charging stations and the viability of Monument Square as a site to locate level 2 stations (these are more powerful compared to level 1). There is a significant amount of funding for this type of project and the town is planning to work with ReVision Energy to secure funding for EV chargers as soon as possible this fall.

“That’s something the committee has laid out as a goal and we have discussed where in town,” Clukey said.

“We feel this is a significant opportunity to have the opportunity to do those level 2s at really little cost,” he said, as grants could cover most or all of the expenses. The town manager said those charging their vehicles in Dover-Foxcroft would swipe a card to use a ReVision Energy charger.

Clukey said previously people with EV vehicles may have shied away from town, but they could potentially travel up to the region and could visit Dover-Foxcroft business and attractions while their vehicle is plugged in for several hours.

The town has issued a request for proposals for the demolition of the structure at 11 Grange Street and these are due on Sept. 18 to be reviewed at the next select meeting on Monday, Sept. 23.

Clukey had said the property had been prepped for demolition. In July 2023 the select board approved a dangerous building order for a structure at 11 Grange Street after determining it is in disrepair and cannot be rehabilitated due to a variety of issues. The bank-owned property is for sale, and a portion of transaction proceeds would cover structure removal.

The town manager said Foxcroft Academy Head of School Arnold Shorey and RSU 68 Superintendent Stacy Shorey are scheduled to attend the Sept. 23 meeting to provide an update on the start of the academic year at the respective 9-12 school and the pre-K to grade 8 SeDoMoCha School.

Clukey said a request for proposals for fall sidewalk rehabilitation has been issued. These are due in early October and are expected back in time to be on the Tuesday, Oct. 15 agenda (a meeting moved back a day to avoid being on Indigenous Peoples’ Day).

He said the town has also issued a request for qualifications for a consultant to provide design phase and construction phase services for upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant for sludge removal and disposal. This is due in October and should be on the board’s agenda for the Monday, Oct. 23 meeting.

Lastly, Clukey said there now is a vacancy on the 9-member Mayo Mill Dam Review Committee as member Jake Arno withdrew. Arno was one of six members representing the public on the group.

Following June’s vote to reject a referendum article concerning removal of the downtown Mayo Mill Dam on the Piscataquis River — indicating citizens were in favor of using tax money to fund studies, permitting, and repair costs for the structure — the Mayo Mill Dam Review Committee was formed to help determine the future of the site.

By June 30, 2025 the town needs to make not only a decision on pursuing hydropower and a plan to carry this out, but also a plan for repairing the dam, making the structure safe, compliant with fish regulations, and more.

While the financial implications are difficult to fully pin down at the present time because of variables such as the cost of repairs and length of repayment, the town could be faced with an $8-$10 million project.

The Mayo Mill Dam, acquired by Dover-Foxcroft in 2007, needs to be in compliance with all Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requirements. While Dover-Foxcroft will not be spending the money in the immediate future, information needs to be gathered to determine costs and how needed repairs would be funded such as through a bond.

FERC has jurisdiction over the dam because there are hydropower capabilities, but it has been non-operational for over a decade. It is a long process to have FERC relinquish oversight and this depends on whether there are hydropower capabilities or not and a plan is due to FERC by June 30 of next year.

The chances of restoring hydropower at the dam are remote due to a lack of economically viable options; the town has consulted with multiple engineers, turbine suppliers, and a private developer for years to try to identify a hydropower retrofit. When the Arnold Development Group of Kansas City, Missouri converted the former mill building into apartments and office space the consultants looked at restoring hydropower and had an application submitted to FERC about a half decade ago but did not pursue it further.