Wiscasset’s planning board Sept. 12 passed the planned Optimus senior housing project, Wiscasset Senior Living, at the former Wiscasset Primary School, contingent on sewer issues and costs being resolved.

“I can’t see going forward with the project until that’s resolved, because that could be a huge economic impact on the town,” Vice Chair Al Cohen said. He noted, as project officials did, a pipe is already there. But there will also be a three-story addition and a large commercial kitchen, Cohen said. 

Optimus and town officials have talked, but the “structure” of how Optimus would contribute toward equipment replacement is not yet known, Optimus’ Frederick Mielke said.

“It’s nothing that any official’s been able to tell me, ‘Well, this is what we’ve got to do, this is what we want’ ... So we stepped up to the plate and said ‘OK, if you want to call it a connection fee and it’s a couple hundred thousand (dollars) and we’re using it to contribute toward replacing that pump, we’re willing to do that,” Melke said. “We’re willing to pay it early on. The town can decide when they’re going to put that in, but we won’t need it until the spring of ’24,” he added.

After the approval with the sewer caveat passed unanimously, Eric Dube of Yarmouth’s Trillium Engineering Group, also representing the project, asked: “So we have to fully resolve (it)?” That’s correct, Cohen said. “Throw enough money at it and it’ll go away.”

Trillium has said the facility would have 113 beds and 20 employees.

Also Sept. 12, the board planned a 7 p.m. Sept. 26 public hearing on the proposed 40-foot by 90-foot addition onto the back of NAPA, 693 Bath Road.