Milo residents approve permanent financing for public safety building
MILO — Milo residents approved the conversion of the short-term construction line of credit to a long-term loan via the Maine Bond Bank for the forthcoming public safety building.
The vote came during a special Aug. 12 town meeting at the town hall, and passed via a written ballot count of 73-32.
Several years ago the town received a $6,375,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a $7.2 million building to house the fire, police and public works departments at the business park, less than a mile from the 100-year-old town hall where the fire and police departments are currently located. A special town meeting in May 2024 authorized borrowing the difference through a short term (12 month) construction line of credit as Milo lacked funds to repay the loan all at once.
Following the recent special town meeting, this will be converted to a long-term loan through the Maine Bond Bank once the project is complete. The bond principal will be up to $835,000. The estimated interest would be near $625,000 for debt service and would be just under $1,460,000 for annual payments close to $50,000.
The Maine Bond Bank would have an interest rate around 4.1%, compared to possibly 5.7% from a commercial lending institution.
With the public safety building being located in the BD Solar TIF District, which encompasses the Eastern Piscataquis Business Park, tax revenue collected from the solar farm can cover
Maine Bond Bank loan payments.
“I want to reiterate, you have already approved this $835,000,” Select Chair Paula Copeland said. “We are not asking for more money tonight, all we are asking is for permission because the bond bank we are getting the bond from requires the town to vote on moving it from a construction loan to a permanent loan.”
About $100,000 in annual tax revenue will be collected from the TIF district for the next decade and a half.
“That’s more than we need to pay this loan, so this loan is not going to hit your taxes,” Copeland said.
“The project is still pretty much on schedule,” Town Manager Bob Canney said during the ensuing Select Board meeting.
Public safety building completion is projected for the first or second week of September.
In other business, A.D. Smith Trucking of Dexter has started installing a new sidewalk leading to the Penquis Valley School along Penquis Drive off West Main Street, which should be done before the first day of classes on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
The company was the lone project bidder and had done work in town last year. Earlier this year the state awarded the Town of Milo a $100,000 Community Enterprise Grant for the sidewalk installation. The sidewalk grant is the third in four years awarded to Milo. The community used a similar grant to fund parking lot improvements several years ago and sidewalk repairs in 2025.
Students will be able to walk safely to and from the building on the right side, rather than be in the road with all the vehicle traffic.
The town needs to provide an additional 25% of the total to meet a matching requirement, which would come out of the paving budget. Public works would do some demo work to help keep costs down.
The town plans to apply for more funding in 2027 for a sidewalk leading to Milo Elementary along High Street.
The economic development advisory committee has been working on a downtown 14-by-14-foot information kiosk at a downtown vacant lot next to Elaine’s Bakery & Cafe.
“It is beautiful and just for clarification, this was all done by donation,” committee member Breena Bissell said. “We had very generous donors. We had a $5,000 match.”
Tradewinds Market recently contributed nearly $700 to the Friends of Milo for the kiosk and other projects, Bissell said. The group, economic development committee, Harris Lumber, Bishop Concrete and inmates from the building trades program at Mountain View Correctional in Charleston were among those involved in the kiosk.
“It’s a wonderful resource in our area,” Bissell said. “We like to celebrate our area, Piscataquis County, as much as we can and try to bring some beautification and some projects to our town.”
The kiosk design resembles a train depot in a nod to the railroad heritage. The information center will include waterproof bins for maps and handouts.
The intention isn’t to steer people away from the Milo-Brownville & Points North Visitors Center, but instead the kiosk would help direct people to the center, Harrigan Museum, historical society, library and other attractions.
The Ferry Road Landing on the Piscataquis River has brand new welcome and informational signs which note a ferry once crossed the waterway. The welcome sign was created by the Penquis Valley High School Key Club.