One of the smaller items to appear on the warrant for Pittston’s annual Town Meeting is a request for $4,000 to pay for surveying the boundary lines of a tax-acquired property on Old Cedar Grove Road.

That’s just one of several dozen budget articles on a warrant that town residents will decide at Saturday’s annual Town Meeting at the Pittston Consolidated School on School Street.

Roger Linton, chairman of the Board of Selectman, said at $1.2 million, the bottom line of the proposed spending is not very different from last year’s.

Pittston’s mill rate is currently $14.40 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. It’s too soon to know what the change to the rate might be because the School Administrative District 11 is just starting work on the budget for the district, which includes Pittston. That will be voted on in June.

Some projects, like renovations and maintenance at the Town Office and construction of the fire station in East Pittston, were completed during the year, and the costs associated with those projects have ceased.

But town officials plan to continue with paving and replacing culverts — both relatively costly enterprises — although funding for those projects generally come from excise tax or in the case of the culverts, grants.

Late last year, Pittston held a special town meeting to seek authority to spend $20,000 to pay for cleaning up after the powerful Oct. 31 storm blew through the region and knocked down trees and power lines and cut off power to more than 500,000 people in Maine at the height of the blackout.

Selectwoman Jean Ambrose said the town filed paperwork with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for reimbursement after a disaster declaration was made.

If Pittston is reimbursed, that money could defray some road construction costs, she said.

The survey on Old Cedar Road is the next step in the town’s project to develop some sort of community space on the Kennebec River.

The parcel, which the town acquired from unpaid taxes, is more than 30 acres. Eighteen town residents have volunteered to serve on a committee that will help decide how the land should be developed and used.

“People get nervous when you talk about new projects,” Linton said. “But they can bring people together.”

Among the increases Pittston voters will consider is the bill from Gardiner Ambulance. The amount requested, $39,702, reflects Pittston’s obligation to pay for bills that are considered uncollectable. At least some of those bills are from people who live elsewhere but need ambulance service when they are in Pittston.

“We have to look after people,” Linton said. “You can’t leave them in the middle of the road. I have used the service before and it works well. They got to my house (in) three minutes.”

Pittston holds its town election at the Town Office on the Monday following Town Meeting. Polls will be open from noon to 7 p.m.

Ambrose is running for another three-year term on the Board of Selectmen. She has no opponent on the ballot.

Marlene Colvin is running for re-election to a three-year term on the Planning Board. She has no opponent.

Two seats are up on the SAD 11 school board but only one candidate, James Lothridge, filed papers to run. Penny Poolman and Michael Bechard are the incumbents, and their terms are up this year.

Two candidates — Timothy Lawrence and Steven Costello — are running for Budget Committee, for which four seats are up for election.

Lothridge is also running for one of two open seats on the Personnel Board.

The warrant is included in the 2017 Annual Report, which is available at the Town Office at 38 Whitefield Road.

Jessica Lowell — 621-5632

jlowell@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @JLowellKJ

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