Two Knights Brewing Company grant hearing Nov. 5

SANGERVILLE — Two Knights Brewing Company was recently awarded a $100,000 State of Maine Community Development Block Grant economic development program grant to help business expand by purchasing canning equipment, which would allow for Two Knights Brewing Company beer to be sold in area stores.

Grant funds come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and are awarded to states and then monies pass through municipalities on the business’ behalf, Sangerville Town Manager Brian Mullis explained during an Oct. 22 select board meeting at the fire station.

“The bottom line is we the town of Sangerville applied on behalf of Two Knights Brewing for a $100,000 grant so they can invest in capital equipment to expand their business and the payoff to that, there are essentially two payoffs to the town,” he said. “One is that it produces more taxable property for us and the second is that it provides jobs. It will provide three full-time equivalent positions.”

The next step is for the town to hold a public hearing on the grant prior to the select board taking a formal vote on acceptance. The hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5, prior to the next regular select meeting.

If approved on Wednesday evening, Mullis would be able to sign the paperwork so grant funds could be distributed to Sangerville. The town would have a memorandum of understanding with Two Knights Brewing Company owners  brothers John and Dominick Riitano to absolve the municipality of any financial liability.

“We are just a pass-through, no tax money goes into this, well none of our property tax money,” Mullis said.

“I like the sound of three more jobs in the town of Sangerville and I wish you luck in filling them,” Select Chair Jeff Peters said, with these needing to be low to medium income positions. 

“This is exciting, it really has the potential to help their business take off,” Mullis said.

In other business, the board continued discussions on the town hall roof.

Mullis said the community is working on a $250,000 grant application. He said part of the application is best done by an engineer or architect and the town has Skowhegan-based Wentworth Partnerships & Associates President and Senior Project Engineer Steve Govoni. Mullis feels this should be an advantage as other potential projects won’t have this engineering work already done.

Roof work has been done by contractor Roof Systems of Maine and company representatives have not wanted to come to town to meet with the select board following some concerns over the scope of work. The town is waiting to make payment until everything is clarified. 

Mullis wondered about the actual contract between Roof Systems of Maine and Wentworth Partnerships & Associates, and Govoni said it was a word of mouth agreement. 

“The word he would use is befuddled in the way they are choosing to deal with us,” Mullis said.

The town manager said a Roof Systems of Maine representative needs to come up to meet with the select board in order to receive full payment. 

“We are not refusing to pay, we want to have a conversation and have our questions answered and are willing to pay a fair price for what has been done,” Mullis said.

An amount of $18,800 and costs for the lift was mentioned.

“In this situation we are required to turn the management of this over to an engineer which was done,” Peters said, saying what he has seen done on the building has been excellent work.

The select board accepted a donation of a positive pressure fan for the fire department from the Friends of Sangerville Fire.  

In a post on the town Facebook page, Mullis wrote a  positive pressure fan is a tool used in structural firefighting. The device is used in conjunction with interior attack hose teams, the fan forces smoke and heat from the building so it is easier and quicker to attack the fire.  

“This item cost approximately $5,000,” he wrote. “When you see the Friends of Sangerville Fire Department fundraising around town, it is for purchases such as this. They raise some of their own money to buy better equipment to work safer and more efficiently for the citizens of Sangerville without asking for more tax money.”

“I would say on behalf of the town we should say thank you Friends of Sangerville Fire for doing the fundraising work and adding a valuable piece of equipment to the town,” Mullis said.

The current positive pressure fan is about three decades old and takes three people to move, Fire Chief Matt Blockler said. “This one is battery-operated, one man can carry it with one arm,” he said.

At the meeting, Drew Stone, Gary Peters and John Riitano agreed to serve on the new community event and beautification committee with Stone to chair.

“We could use a couple more people on that committee and we will try to schedule their inaugural meeting for some time in November,” Mullis wrote on Facebook. “I would also like to reestablish the economic development committee sometime over the winter months. Our budget committee and road committee will likely have openings as well. Anyone interested in helping with a committee please contact me.”