The Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency has developed and signed a memorandum of understanding with Newcastle landowner Matthew Weaver for the use of his Hunt Hill Road property. Commissioners approved it Tuesday. The land, with a disused tower which once held a wind turbine, will be the site of the county’s emergency AM radio station. The plan has been in the works about a year. The station will be activated in the event of emergency, natural or manmade, and will alert drivers and anyone else with a radio. For instance, listeners might learn about a washed out bridge after a storm, and be given instructions to avoid the area.

The county will have 24-hour, seven day per week access to the site, which will also include a small building near the tower in case the station needs to be activated overnight or on the weekend.

EMA received a grant from First Federal’s Bessie Brooks fund for Project Lifesaver. The Brooks fund focuses on support for seniors, and Project Lifesaver can be used for clients with memory issues, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. EMA was granted $500 for additional transmitters.

A new edition of the Lincoln County atlas has just been produced. This year’s includes topographical information and will be available at some bookstores in Lincoln County for $8.95.

Boothbay has joined the county’s animal control program. A contract was approved and signed, as was a renewal of the Bremen ACO contract. The Sheriff’s Office is also working with Bristol to assist with additional patrols for a financial consideration still being hammered out.

The Sheriff’s Office received authorization to hire two deputies, both retired police officers. Sheriff Todd Brackett said their training will carry over, so there is no need to send them to the academy, and he is pleased to have people with experience, especially as many of the new recruits have never worked in law enforcement before or are just going to the academy. One of the two, Daniel Sceviour, worked for Lincoln County before moving to North Carolina with his family; the other, Stanley Parizo, is a veteran of a Connecticut police department.

The Sheriff’s Office received a $4,000 grant to help enforce underage drinking laws, and received authorization to pay $25,175 for replacement TASERs all of which was grant-funded except for $187.

County Administrator Carrie Kipfer received approval for an employee dress code policy and announced a Maine County Commissioners Association dues increase which considers the county’s population and valuation.

She got permission to remove a pay phone in the courthouse vestibule. According to Kipfer, the phone cost $55 a month and had not been used for more than six months. When coins were removed after being left alone more than five years, there was $22 in coins. Kipfer said if someone needs to use a phone and did not have their own mobile phone, they will be permitted to use one of the county phones. “Even if they made a long distance call, it would still be cheaper than paying the service fee on the pay phone,” she said.

An executive session expected to involve personnel issues, real estate issues and labor contracts, was held after the open session. Afterward, commissioners voted to approve the Sheriff's Office union contract, Kipfer said in an email. It is in effect from Jan. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2021. No other votes were taken.