Sangerville seeks historic building grant for town hall

SANGERVILLE — Earlier this year Sangerville had its application for a $250,000 Maine Historic Community Building Grant for the town hall turned down. The town can reapply and the community could receive even more funding available in the next round.

Maine Preservation Director of Programs & Services Brad Miller has been speaking with Select Chair Jeff Peters and Interim Town Manager Michelle Nichols, Nichols said during an April 15 select meeting at the fire station.

Miller is willing to meet with Sangerville officials on a grant application and he would prefer to do this over Zoom during the day, as opposed to him coming up from Yarmouth in the evening.

“The bottom line is we need everyone involved in writing that grant to come together as a group,” Peters said, including the town hall committee and others.

“I think it’s something we need to do,” he said. “We need to have that application right and it needs to be where it needs to be when it needs to be there.”

Earlier this year Maine Historical Building Preservation Commission Historic Community Building Grants Administrator Erika Webb sent the town a letter about its previous grant application. The letter said what the community can do to improve its application for the next round of funding, including commissioning a historic preservation specialist and not having the $255,443 requested grant amount exceed the $250,000 threshold.

Sangerville is seeking another $50,000 for the town hall from T-Mobile, with this grant application submitted at the end of March.

In other business, approval was given to the beautification & event committee to move forward with the installation of a sliding gate at the Veterans Memorial Park baseball field.

“The gate will improve access and enhance safety and contribute to the overall appearance and functionality of the field,” Drewcilla Stone of the committee said.

Sebec Lake Fence would carry out the work and the approximate $2,200 cost would come from a committee fund. At this price, the project would not need to go out to bid.

The third annual Two Knights Festival is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, Stone said. A morning parade will lead to Veterans Memorial Park for live music and activities.

The town is considering a moratorium concerning marijuana “grow houses.” Such a measure would put a hold on any new construction while the select and planning boards develop more permanent measures. A moratorium could be in place for as long as 180 days and then could be extended.

A public hearing may be held before the next select board meeting on Wednesday, May 6. The select board could potentially take action at the May 20 meeting.

Nichols mentioned the SAD 4 budget referendum will be held on Tuesday, June 9 in the six district communities. The annual district budget meeting is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, with a 6:30 p.m. information session, at Piscataquis Community Elementary School.

“We just want people to be aware of what’s going on,” she said.

Last month the SAD 4 Board of Directors gave its approval to a $9,574,394 budget for 2026-27.

The proposed budget is up by 0.87% from the current year’s $9,491,905. The combined increase to taxpayers would be up by 0.66%. 

The $9,491,905 2025-26 budget was the fifth spending plan brought to voters after the previous four were voted down. The total was approved on the November ballot by a combined count of 773-735 across the six SAD 4 communities.