Harpswell voters will decide two referendum questions Nov. 6 regarding legal fees and improvements at a local boat launch.
The first question will be whether to use $25,000 from the unassigned fund balance to make improvements to the Pott’s Point boat launch and town parking area.
The second will ask if voters will allocate $30,000 from unassigned funds to the contingency reserve account “for certain 2018 expenditures, including legal fees.”
The second question comes in the wake of the legal fight over the Mitchell Field water tower.
Treasurer Marguerite Kelly said last month that the town spent $20,554 on water tower litigation through the end of July, which is the last period for which it was billed. The town’s total budget for the year for legal costs is $50,000, and through the end of July it spent $35,313, according to Kelly.
Kelly affirmed the total legal expenses are higher than what the town has typically spent on legal bills by this point in the year in the past, and was a consideration for the question.
The $25,000 proposed for the Pott’s Point boat launch is in addition to $25,000 in previously approved funds from the Land Acquisition and Town Property Improvement Fund. Half of the project’s cost will also be covered by a Small Harbor Improvement Grant from the Maine Department of Transportation.
Deputy Town Administrator Terri-Lynn Sawyer said the boat ramp at Pott’s Point is too low, causing it to get buried in the sand and rendering it “unusable.” She said the design for the project calls “for leaving the existing ramp in place but building a newer and higher ramp over it with the concrete boat ramps.”
The other piece of the project involves adding gravel to the parking area near the wharf.
The total cost of the Pott’s Point project is about $100,000.
Elizabeth Clemente can be contacted at 781-3661, ext. 100, or at:
eclemente@theforecaster.net
Twitter: @epclemente
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