Edgecomb selectmen want a better handle on the town's sewer options. They have set a July 1 public hearing, on whether or not to call a special town meeting and ask for a $25,000 study.

The hearing at town hall starts at 7 p.m.

A lawyer advised selectmen June 17 that holding the hearing would avoid surprises that could come by going straight to a town meeting.

Selectmen discussed funding the study with money from a tax incentive deal made with developer Roger Bintliff years ago. Tapping that money needs voter approval.

Longstanding sewer access and capacity issues have resurfaced, in part due to developer Tony Casella's proposed hotel near Route 1.

The proposed study of costs and benefits of sewer extensions and improvements could give the town information it needs going forward, on a number of fronts, attorney William Dale said.

Dale suggested it include a look at how to dole out the remaining, approximately 30,000 gallons a day Edgecomb isn't using yet out of the 51,000 it's allowed to send Wiscasset. Possibilities include first come, first served; saving all or some of it for residential use and Edgecomb Eddy School; or earmarking portions of it for specific types of development.

Some residents in attendance wondered if the town might need all the remaining capacity for its own needs, not the developers' needs.

The engineering firm of Woodard and Curran has worked with Edgecomb before and may not need long to complete the study, Dale said. However, the town may need a lot of time afterward to review the study and decide how to proceed, he said.

If a developer offers to fund or help fund sewer upgrades, it would be up to voters to accept or reject the money, Dale continued.

“The town meeting might say, 'this is a gift horse we're going to look in the mouth,'” he said.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or sjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com.