Edgecomb's school plans moving forward

On Monday, members of the Edgecomb School Committee and Superintendent Eileen King met to share information with the Edgecomb selectmen - some good, some bad.

The good news for Edgecomb is that the proposed Regional School Unit (RSU) that Edgecomb has chosen which includes School Union 49, School Union 74 and Jefferson has received approval from the state to go forward in their planning.

"The partnership between Union 74, Union 49 and Jefferson has been very positive," Superintendent Eileen King said. "We have worked very well together through the summer."

The board informed the selectmen that the RSU would not be approved until the individual towns vote on the plans. There will be a public hearing and vote in the future.

The school board also told the selectmen that they are concerned about next year's school budget.

"It looks like we will have an additional seven to 12 students moving to Edgecomb who will enter grades seven through 12. They will be tuition students and will add about $50,000 to our budget," School Board Chairman Stephen Ward said.

King also told the selectmen that they will be faced with up to $78,000 in special education costs that they were not expecting.

"I will be researching the state hardship program which allows systems to request tuition re-imbursement when special education costs that cannot be planned for are required," King said.

Both King and Ward explained that the school has always been concerned about planning ahead for this type of problem, but that last year they tried to give the town a bare bones budget to keep taxes down.

"Do you know if the students that are entering the town include any from the Workforce Housing complex?" asked Johnson.

"We won't know about the students coming from those apartments until October when they start renting," King said.

"We were told that the ages of students in families that rent the apartments will most often place them below grade seven," Ward said.

"Is there anything that we, as selectmen, should do at this time?" Selectmen John Johnson asked.

"No, this is just a heads-up for the committee to keep you in the know," School Board Member Joseph McSwain said.

"We have heard that the state may take over local schools and leave the towns with old debts to pay," Selectmen Joe Cameron said.

"The school will go to the RSU, but so will the debt because it is state approved debt," King answered. If the debt had not been state approved, then the town might have been forced to keep it.

In other business, Cameron informed the selectmen that Mid-Coast Co-Housing had agreed to pay $1,500 in past legal fees to the town for work required to help the Planning Board consider their subdivision application that has now been withdrawn.

They have been disputing the total figure owed for several months. The selectmen offered to split the difference with them last week and the association sent in the payment, although in an accompanying letter they still denied that they owed the amount agreed upon.

The committee talked at length about whether they could withdraw prior approval given to an assisted living complex subdivision proposal that was presented by Steve Normand of Steve Normand and Associates to be built behind the now-closed Mostly Maine gift shop on Route 1.

The committee has now been told that the site has been changed to a six-acre lot on Davis Island behind the Workforce Housing site.

"I feel that we have the right to withdraw our approval and not send a "will serve" letter because they have made substantial changes," Johnson said. "However, I spoke to Steve Normand, the architect, and he was not happy with that possibility."

"Actually, I believe that we need to know what our future plans are for the sewer district in Edgecomb. We need to move forward with a plan for the town," Johnson said.

The complex must obtain approval from the Planning Board for the site plan and subdivision, but they need to also obtain a "will serve" letter from the selectmen with respect to a sewer tie-up.

"I would like to make a motion that we not sign a `will serve' letter until we have a chance to review the changes to the development and see how they fit with the spirit of our original vote to serve the development," Selectman Stuart Smith said. The motion was passed unanimously.

Johnson informed the committee that they would have the snowplow contract with Road Commissioner Scott Griffin completed and ready to sign at the next selectmen's meeting.