CHINA — Town Manager Becky Hapgood provided the China Board of Selectmen an update Monday night on the second phase of the causeway project.
The project includes a Redi-Rock retaining wall, fishing platform, guardrails, improved boat launch and additional lighting.
The project is being funded through tax increment financing.
The 30-year “Central Maine Power/China Lake Tax Increment Financing District” was created in 2015 and amended in 2017, generating revenue from a CMP transmission line. The second phase of the project is expected to be completed by the end of November.
Beginning Oct. 12, the Causeway Road has been closed to traffic while McGee Construction of West Gardiner completes the second phase. The closure is expected to last between eight and 10 weeks.
Mark McCluskey of A.E. Hodsdon Consulting Engineers of Waterville is overseeing the project. This is anticipated to be the final phase, but it is possible a third phase may be completed.
The first part of the project, which was finished in the fall of 2018, replaced the causeway bridge, and the road was elevated to accommodate kayaks and canoes underneath.
“This will pretty much take care of most of what’s happened down there, or at least of what’s been planned so far,” McCluskey said Monday in a telephone interview.
DANGEROUS BUILDING UPDATE
Three dilapidated buildings have generated complaints from neighbors, so China Code Enforcement Officer William Butler briefed selectmen on the situation.
The buildings are located Fire Road 9, Fire Road 58 and one on Lakewood Drive. Butler said if a building is deemed dangerous, he by law is required to send a letter and receive a response.
“Those buildings, we’ve got no response form any of those owners,” Butler said, “and I think we need to consult with the select board for the next steps.”
Moving forward, the board has to consult with town attorney Amanda Meader. Then, the owner of the property must speak before the Board of Selectmen.
If no action is taken, the town could eventually own the property.
The China Board of Selectmen meets on Oct. 26, 2020.
Board Chair Ron Breton advised Hapgood to contact Meader.
“The town doesn’t want money,” Breton told the board during the Zoom meeting. “They just want these issues settled.”
In other matters, a motion was made for an independent review of the town’s personnel policies.
The review will be financed through the town’s contingency fund.
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