Lubec voters again nix plan for new public works facility

Lubec voters again have rejected the town administration's plan to replace the existing maintenance garage and to build a new sand/salt storage facility. The 82/59 vote was announced at the conclusion of a mostly polite public meeting held on January 7 in the school cafetorium. A total of 146 registered voters braved snow and icy roads to attend the two-hour meeting, which resulted in a reprise of a similar meeting held September 18, 2012, that resulted in a 83-38 rejection of an earlier proposal.
Under the direction of moderator Cecil Moores, select board Chairman Carol Dennison made a 10-minute presentation describing the multi-year process that led to the proposal, beginning with the town's strategic plan that identified the current garage as the facility most needing replacement. Town Administrator John Sutherland pointed out that, subsequent to the 2012 referendum, townspeople supported the need but objected to both the location and the cost. "We moved it out to near the Legion Hall," he said, "and we went after the cost."
Part of the cost reduction was achieved by obtaining a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant, which would have been, according to the terms of the grant, applied to the sand/salt storage facility. The future of that grant is now unclear, as it is approaching a June deadline for implementation. "There are seven other towns that are asking for that money if we don't want it," said Dennison.
The town has already spent about $90,000 on engineering and bid solicitation items, according to Sutherland, including both proposals.
Resident Peter Boyce suggested that the town forgo the idea of having a Public Works Department in favor of subletting the work currently done by the town crew. "Then you wouldn't even need a garage," he said. Sutherland pointed out that he had spoken with several other towns, including Cutler and East Machias, that had made that move. "They each had a higher cost‑per‑mile for their roads than we do," he said.
Resident Robert Foster said, "I suggest we vote this down and get some responsible citizens together in the next couple weeks" to craft a new proposal before the CDBG grant is lost. "We've had seven public hearings on this," replied Selectman Joanne H. Case.
Resident John Ennis asked, "What is driving the Maine Municipal Association's mandate that we upgrade the garage?"
Sutherland replied that the condition of the building is such that they are concerned for the safety of the workers. MMA has notified the town that if the new facility is rejected it will cancel insurance policies unless the existing facility is brought up to current code requirements.
"I want to commend the public works committee and the select board for their work on this," said resident Ruta Jordans. "They have addressed the issues," she said, "and now it is time to stop talking about it and actually do something."
After the conclusion of the meeting, Dennison said, "The town has spoken. We work for the town."