On Feb. 19, in the absence of outgoing Road Commissioner Doug Fowler, School Maintenance Director John Merry addressed the select board about the need for overall asbestos abatement in the municipal building and, more immediately, in the Fire and Rescue portion. In that section, tiles adhered to the floor with asbestos-laced adhesive are coming up and people using the rooms are exposed to asbestos. There are problems in the meeting room, the hallway and the radio room, Merry said. The town manager’s office also has asbestos tiles with asbestos adhesive.

In the Fire and Rescue portion of the building, immediate abatement is required, Merry said. The cost for that section is $8,000. The work on the rest of the building will cost $9,600. Work will have to be done using negative air machines and thick plastic sheeting, and the asbestos will have to be removed wet and taken to a special disposal site. The work will be done by R.J. Enterprises of Brunswick.

Interim Town Manager John O’Connell said Alna Selectman Doug Baston asked him if Wiscasset wished to participate with Alna in a Maine Public Utilities Commission proposal for Central Maine Power’s New England Clean Energy Connect plan. If Wiscasset wished to participate, it would have to agree by Thursday, Feb. 21.  The selectmen agreed to give O’Connell the authority to execute an agreement with Alna if he felt it was in Wiscasset’s interest.

Richard Forrest was appointed to the Shellfish Committee, David Sutter to the Board of Appeals, and Margo Rafter Soule to the Waterfront Committee.

Ray Soule’s resignation from the Planning Board was accepted with regret. Chair Judy Colby said Soule planned to continue to serve as Harbormaster.

Ted Snowden will serve as interim Director of Public Works.

Town Clerk Linda Perry was awarded a Lifetime Certificate, an achievement unusual among Maine town clerks.

The wastewater treatment plant will require two new  back-up pumps, O’Connell said. The town is looking for volunteers for its July Fourth celebration. If interested, contact O’Connell at townmanager@wiscasset.org

O’Connell announced that $47,753.91 in federal funds from the 2017 windstorm had arrived. State money is still to come.

Because O'Connell be out of town from Feb. 28 to March 7, the board will meet instead on March 12 and March 19.