Commissioners OK new EMA/probate position

By Stuart Hedstrom

Staff Writer

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Last month the Piscataquis County Commissioners gave their approval to the creation of an administrative assistant to the Piscataquis County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) director. The position will include additional duties assisting the register of probate, with a maximum salary of $32,000 plus benefits.

During a meeting on Nov. 3 the commissioners OKed the a job description. “This a new description and not a revised one,” Commissioners Chair Fred Trask said, mentioning that EMA Director Tom Capraro and Probate Register Donna Peterson has both approved the document.

“We have already had several people stop in and drop off resumes,” Interim  County Manager Tom Lizotte said. Capraro added that he has received several inquiry phone calls.

Later in the meeting, Capraro said, “Every year I put money aside for a building or a garage for storage. Right now I have roughly $30,000 squared away.”

Capraro said the county EMA currently uses space at the Dover-Foxcroft town garage to house its vehicle and other equipment is stored at the bunker in Milo. “I would have a central location, a heated garage plus space to keep all my assets,” he said.

“I would help me a lot if I had something like that, there has been a lot of assets I have turned down over the years because of lack of storage,” Capraro said.

A possibility mentioned was having an EMA facility located on the county’s Dover-Foxcroft campus, across the School Street from the impound lot. Lizotte said if a referendum on a sheriff’s building was approved then perhaps the contractor could also build the EMA structure or at least start the project.

On the Nov. 3 referendum ballot, county residents voted down the $610,000 sheriff’s office project by a total of 1,427 to 1,323 — a vote of 51.89 percent percent to 48.11 percent. Lizotte said if the question failed at the polls then the commissioners would discuss their options during the next meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 17.