Gravel pit owner Heather Beasley asked Dresden selectmen Monday why they have not given up claim to .11 of a mile of Ballard Road that serves as access to her business. Beasley said the gravel road has had several names and is located on part of a  pre-Colonial land grant. Her family has owned the property for several generations, she said.

“You can’t prove that the town owns anything,” said Beasley. Selectman Trudy Foss said she was continuing to research the road’s history to determine the town’s claim.

“We are trying to find out,” said Selectman Alan Moeller Sr.  He said selectmen cannot give over a town road without a petition to the town by all impacted landowners. 

Moeller said the issue will be taken up at the next meeting in two weeks if Foss has completed her study. Later, when Moeller told of his plans to grade town roads, Beasley threatened to call the Lincoln County Sheriff if Moeller attempted to grade Ballard Road.

In other business, codes enforcement officer James Valley said the town needed to remove references to building standards from the land use ordinance.  “We don’t have a building code,” Valley told the board. 

Valley said towns with fewer than 4,000 residents must apply the state’s Uniform Building Code or none. 

“I haven’t been enforcing them,” said Valley of parts of the town ordinance that set construction standards.

Valley said the town could adopt a building code if the code fully complies with the state’s standards.

Currently, if a landowner wants a contractor to apply the state building codes, he would have to hire a private inspector, Valley said.

Valley said he was notifying the selectmen before approaching the planning board to begin the process of revising the ordinance.

He advised selectmen, if the town adopts state building codes, he would not be able to cover the added workload within his one day per week contract.

Town Clerk and Treasurer Sherley Storkson and Tax Collector Ann Pierce reported they need more help at the town office. Pierce said her duties take 28-32 hours a week, while her stipend as an elected officer only pays for under a dozen hours.

Administrative Assistant Michael Henderson said just tracking down property tax liens has overwhelmed the staff. He said the town is owed about $180,000 in uncollected taxes. He said it was time-consuming tracking whether the delinquent residents had moved away or died without keeping up with their taxes.

Pierce said vehicle registrations take most of her hours. “I cannot invest more time.”

Moeller said selectmen had twice proposed making the administrative jobs salaried. “We were shot down,” he said.

Foss said the current office staff had not been fully trained.

Resident Gary Blay said he was concerned recent changes in the Wiscasset Ambulance Service might mean the service might drop Dresden.

“No one has contacted us,” said Moeller. “We signed a three-year contract.”

Henderson confirmed Gardiner Ambulance had contacted him to say that it could replace Wiscasset if needed.

Developer Walter Loeman asked the board if he could borrow the key to the former meeting hall so contractors could take measurements. Loeman has approached the planning board to explore the possibility of buying the historic 1904 meeting hall. He has proposed renovating the building, possibly as a restaurant. Loeman said he has non-profit status and might be able to attract funds for the renovations.

Asked by Moeller if the Dresden Historical Society would object to the sale, resident Eleanor Everson said members held mixed views on it.

Everson complained about potholes on her road. Moeller said the town no longer had a grader operator but he would attempt to grade the needed gravel roads on one of his Fridays off from work. The board granted David Probert permission to cross town-owned land with a planned walking trail.Selectmen said they would get back to Sonya Lilly about her request to become the Town Health Officer.