Leslie Roberts’ grandfather was a fishing and hunting guide and her great uncle was a game warden in the Allagash. She admires the skills and the woods and wildlife knowledge of her friends who hunt. And the Wiscasset village resident told selectmen Jan. 16, she understands the value of putting meat on the table from hunting.

Citing safety concerns, she and Selectman and fellow village resident Terry Heller, who said she is “all for hunting,” spoke of spots in the village where they would like restrictions to be considered. 

Roberts referred to the village waterfront area and she mostly discussed the cove below Castle Tucker. People walk around there, a lot of them with their dogs, she said. For years, a small number of people have been coming and parking at Pleasant Street Extension to go hunting, including when other people have been around, Roberts said.

Police Chief Lawrence Hesseltine recalled being surprised to learn Wiscasset did not have a firearms discharge ordinance. “I can’t think of any safe direction where a hunter could shoot down there in the cove where it would be safe.” He told the board he would be willing to help the ordinance review committee (ORC) draft an ordinance. “I’d support it 100%.”

Town Manager Dennis Simmons wrote the board ahead of the meeting, he has for the past couple of years had several village residents express concerns over hunters in and around the cove at Pleasant Street Extension. “Municipalities cannot regulate hunting; that is reserved solely for the state. What municipalities can do ... is restrict firearms discharges within their boundaries.” He said the proposal was to “task the ORC with drafting such an ordinance to set boundaries that restrict firearms discharges in that area, with the intent of placing it on the June Town Meeting warrant.”

To make town meeting, a final draft would be needed by March 27, Simmons said.

Roberts suggested considering restrictions from below Federal Street near Wiscasset Elementary School, to the cove below Castle Tucker. Boothbay Harbor and Gardiner have firearms discharge ordinances, Roberts said. “I don’t see why we couldn’t do the same thing.”

Selectman James Andretta said of the ordinance idea, “I’m really not in favor of something that’s too restrictive. But I’ll let the ORC come back and will form an opinion when they have something for us.” 

“Right,” Heller said. “Let’s let them draft it. And then we can decide if it’s too restrictive.”

Andretta said of the spot below Castle Tucker, “I’d be in favor of (restrictions on) that, but anything beyond that seems like it could be a little restrictive.” 

At another point, Heller, who lives near WES, commented: “It is a little unsettling to me that there have been guns discharged here below the elementary school ... I’m not trying to overrestrict anything, but we have a playground here ... It would be unfortunate if there were an accident. And you know this is all just for safety. There’s no reason for it to be too restrictive. But let’s just let (ORC Chair) Karl Olson come up with some language ... to look at the waterfront, where there’s more population ... I would like to have it come down this far,” near the school, she said.  

Economic Development Director Aaron Chrostowsky, interim town manager while Simmons is on vacation, advised the board against telling the ORC where in town to propose restrictions. Chrostkowsky also said anyone with an opinion can attend an ORC meeting or write the ORC. 

If the town created an ordinance, the town would then have 30 days to submit it to Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Hesseltine said. “I don’t think they’re going to restrict you from making the ordinance, but if you do make an ordinance, they want to know about it.” 

Heller and Vice Chair William “Bill” Maloney voted to have the ORC look at drafting an ordinance. Andretta voted against it. Selectman Pam Dunning and Chair Sarah Whitfield were absent. Maloney reported via email later that evening: “It has been brought to my attention that it takes a minimum of three votes to pass an article. The ... vote therefore did not pass ... We have to bring it back” to the board. 

Also Jan. 16, the board stuck with RJD Appraisal for assessing services. Simmons recommended approval of the three-year deal “given their knowledge of the town and our very good relationship with them.” Under the deal, the Pittsfield firm gets $2,395 a month from this July through June 30, 2025; $2,500 a month from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026; and $2,604 a month from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.

Reporting on the audit for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022, Fred Brewer of the William Brewer firm in Bath said, with a $3.1 million undesignated fund balance, Wiscasset has “come a long way” from the $37,000 one in 2016. The bigger sum helps avoid short-term borrowing, Brewer said. 

The board approved tapping American Rescue Plan Act funds for $20,000, for GIS mapping of properties. Simmons wrote the board, GIS mapping “provides a comprehensive view of property data, aiding in efficient planning, disaster response, and infrastructure development. This technology fosters transparency, improves communication, and ultimately contributes to the overall advancement and organization of our community.”

Andretta added in the meeting, GIS mapping is also good for developers, so any town that has it is a lot easier to work with. 

In other developments, Simmons said he has been working with Maine Emergency Management Agency on Federal Emergency Management Agency funding to help evaluate potential places to move the sewer treatment plant. In the Jan. 9 and 10 storm, “the high tide and storm surge brought the river levels to within inches of overtopping the aeration tanks and there was some minor splash-over from the wind. Saltwater in the aeration tanks is not good. It kills the ‘bugs’ that do all the work,” Simmons explained in his report.

And ahead of the Jan. 13 storm, public works and treatment plant employees spent most of a day “erecting a giant ‘burrito’ sand bag in the lower lying areas along the fence of the plant. It wasn’t perfect or pretty, but it did the job,” Simmons said. The water came higher than anticipated and a couple of low spots needed to be sandbagged, but what water did get in was easily pumped out. No saltwater entered the system.”

Selectmen nodded a commercial waste disposal hauler license for Alna’s Dave Kelley, doing business as Reliable Waste Solutions. Kelley said he plans to haul waste for residents of Alna, Wiscasset and Westport Island, and add a recycling option.