Sheepscot Lake’s Courtesy Boat Inspection (CBI) program was very successful again this year. The 2023 Courtesy Boat Inspectors, Addison Turner, Olivia Childs, Alex Reitchel. Sheepscot Lake remains healthy and free from invasive plants. (contributed photo)
Kaleb Brown, the Senior Patrol Leader of Palermo Boy Scout Troop #222, recently finished his Eagle Scout project by installing a helicopter pad for LifeFlight. This is the only permanent, concrete pad between Augusta, Waterville and Belfast. This is a multi-community asset as the First Responders of Palermo, China, Somerville, and Liberty will have access to the pad.
Kaleb noted, “There is a need and I can help. People shouldn’t worry about access to higher care if they or someone they know is critically injured in a remote area. Having a designated, permanent helicopter pad for LifeFlight (not just a field or a road that is shut down) saves precious minutes. Those minutes are critical to a patient’s survival.”
They are holding a public ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, September 23. The pad is located at the ball fields, at 645 Turner Ridge Rd., in Palermo. There will be guest speakers, emergency vehicles, the media, and LifeFlight will be on the pad!
This project was a huge undertaking and required a myriad of volunteers, materials, and funds to be a success. With generous donations by local businesses all $20K was covered!
Auburn Concrete, Belfast Chamber of Commerce, Bob Bruso, Darryl Heroux. Don Salvatore, Hancock Lumber, Haskell & Sons Dusty Haskell, McGee Construction
Modern Woodman of America, Nathan O. Northrup Forest Products and Earthworks, Palermo Youth Athletics, Paul Keller State Farm, and Wooly & Grunts Farm.
by Mary GrowPalermo select board members have scheduled two public meetings to discuss and act on a proposed moratorium on high-impact electric transmission lines through the town, in response to the proposed LS power line from Aroostook County to Coopers Mills.
Select board chairman Robert Kurek said a public hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 15, in the town office to discuss the issue. A special town meeting to vote on a moratorium is set for a week later, 5:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 22, also in the town office.
The proposed 180-day moratorium and additional information are on the town website, townofpalermo.org.
To the editor:The family of Alia Coombs Singh would like to thank our friends and neighbors for their kindness and generosity after Alia’s unexpected passing.
The benefit supper put on by the American Legion post #163, the Branch Mills Grange #336, the Palermo Community Library, Tobey’s Grocery and the efforts of Kathy Neenan, Mary Haskell and many, many others, was a resounding success. The attendance was great, the pie auction was fantastic (never bid against a four-year-old), the winner of the 50/50 generously donated the money back, and to cap it all Robert Potter announced his company, Modern Woodmen of America, was putting up a very nice matching fund. WOW!
It was one of those nights that helps you realize how special our town is. We cannot express how appreciative we are by this outpouring from so many, All we can say is thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
The family of Alia Coombs Singh:
parents Michael and Sheila McCarty
husband Dheeraj Singh and sisters Maygen Hardy and Paula Doucette
The Palermo Planning Board will hold a meeting on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, at 6:30 p.m., in the Town Office conference room.
COMMUNITY COMMENTARY
by Katrina SmithThe popular state tax assistance for seniors entitled the “Property Tax Stabilization Program”, which allowed those over the age of 65 to freeze their property taxes, has been eliminated during this past legislative session. (A vote for the budget was a vote for this program to be eliminated. Personally, I voted against the budget for this and other reasons.) Many seniors are asking, “What now?” The good news is that several State of Maine programs have been expanded that will hopefully assist our Seniors with their finances.
The first program to be expanded is the Property Tax Fairness Credit. The property tax fairness credit provides that Eligible Maine taxpayers may receive a portion of the property tax or rent paid during the tax year on the Maine individual income tax return whether they owe Maine income tax or not. If the credit exceeds the amount of your individual income tax due for the tax year, the excess amount of credit will be refunded to you. The program increased the credit from $1,500 to $2,000 for individuals 65 or older. To take advantage of this program you need to file a ME1040 and a Property Tax Fairness tax form.
The second program is the Deferred Collection of Homestead Property Taxes. The State Property Tax Deferral Program is a loan program that can cover the annual property tax bills of Maine people who are ages 65 and older or are permanently disabled and who cannot afford to pay them on their own. The loan program allows Maine’s most vulnerable community members to age in place and ensures that property taxes are still delivered to municipalities, requiring repayment of the loan once the property is sold or becomes part of an estate. The program was updated to double the income threshold to $80,000 a year and also the liquid asset threshold limit to $100,000 for individuals and $200,000 for couples. There are a few other guidelines for this program, but to see if you qualify you must file an application with your local municipal assessor between January 1 and April 1.
I hope this information is useful to our Seniors and helps them to afford to live out their golden years by relieving some of the stress involved with property taxes. I am happy to help direct anyone to other resources and can be reached at katrina.smith@legislature.maine.gov.
by Jonathan StrieffPalermo town council members, Bob Kurek, Ilene McKenny, and Pam Swift met July 27 to vote on bids for three 2023 paving projects, gather comments from community members concerned about the proposed LS Power transmission line , and offer updates on several ongoing municipal projects.
Thursday’s meeting began with the reading of bids from four contractors responding to the towns request for paving two sections of Banton Road and one section of Level Hill Road. Hager Enterprises Inc. was chosen unanimously without discussion. The council also voted unanimously without discussion to approve the minutes from the previous meeting and to accept warrant #15 to pay the municipal bills.
The majority of the meeting was spent gathering comments from the nine community members in attendance concerning the high-voltage transmission proposed by Missouri based LS Power to cross several Waldo County towns, connecting King Pine Wind in Aroostook County to the existing substation in Coopers Mills. Many expressed fears about how the electricity would interact with the aging Buckeye Petroleum distilled gas pipeline already present along the proposed route, as well as the risks posed by the blasting and drilling of ledge that would be necessary to complete the project. Others expressed concern about the impact of trucks and heavy machinery to posted and dirt roads along the route. One attendee encouraged those present to voice
their opposition at the Public Utilities Commission public meeting on September 23, while another participant claimed the PUC had already, “released all management authority,” of the project over to LS Power.
The council agreed to consider circulating a petition for a special town meeting to vote on new land use ordinances that could make the proposed route less cost effective to pursue.
The ongoing municipal business discussed included procedural changes to selling tax-acquired property. A new legislative package passed in Augusta stipulates towns must now contact the previous owner and list the property with a realtor for six months before putting it out to bid. Towns must also repay the previous owner any amount over the assessed value when the property sells.
The council also shared updates to the status of Waldo County Broadband Corporation. The 501c3 corporation was formed to act as a public utility to bring high speed internet to the towns of Palermo, Liberty, Montville, Searsmont, and Freedom without affecting the tax base and without going into debt. Unfortunately, promised funding from the state never materialized, leaving the corporation to act in an advisory role, negotiating an Internet Service Provider owned solution
with either Great Works Internet or Unitel.
The council also spoke to the draw down of Branch Mills pond ahead of dam work expected to start on July 31, changes to mooring guidelines in Sheepscot Lake and the creation of a Harbor Master position, delayed reimbursement from FEMA for road damage from rain storms this summer, and the need to obtain an FCC license for the fire and rescue radio operating at the town office.
Submitted by Carol ViensThe Sheepscot Lake Association held their annual meeting on Thursday, July 20, at the Fish and Game Club, on Rte. 3, in Palermo. The meeting was very successful and well attended, with Shawn Herbert, Harbor Master and Chief of Marine Safety for Maine, as keynote speaker. Shawn has been instrumental in protecting lakes in his jurisdiction through the implementation and governance of safety policies, as well as mooring ordinances. He runs a group responsible for training and certification of Harbor Masters for Maine. The lake association also recognized the Reynolds family for certifying their lakefront home as part of the Maine Lake Smart program.
If you were not able to attend and would like additional information about the Sheepscot Lake Association, would like to renew your membership, or become a member, please visit their website: www.sheepscotlakeassociation.org. You can also reach them via email: sheepscotlakeassoc@gmail.com. You can also purchase Sheepscot Lake merchandise at the SLA online store: https://www.bonfire.com/store/sheepscot-lake-association/
photo by jeffreyw: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreyww/
A fundraising event is being held by community organizations, on Saturday, August 5, at 5 p.m., for the family of Michael and Sheila McCarty to help with the final expenses incurred by the sudden passing of their daughter, Alia. It will be held at the American Legion, 33 Veterans Way, in Palermo. The cost will be $10 per plate, $5 for children under 10.
Sheepscot Lake Association hosted their fifth annual boat parade on July 3. Despite the weather, this year’s parade was a big success, with 21 boats and a jet ski participating, and several camp residents along the lake cheering on from the shoreline. Tim Paul, former board member for many years, served as grand marshal (waving from boat). (contributed photo)
(contributed photo)