Residents ask town to plow Riverside Drive

MECHANIC FALLS — Residents of Riverside Drive came to the council meeting to ask the town to plow their road. The residents who live on the road are concerned about the last half-mile of road, which is not currently maintained by the town in the winter.

A few years ago there was a fire there and the rescue vehicles could not access the home. Nancy Guptill and others approached the town about possibly keeping the road cleared in the winter. Public Works director Scott Penney and Town Manager John Hawley will inspect the road this month and see if the public works crew are able to do the plowing, and also see what needs to be done for the town to possibly take over maintenance of the road.

Background checks will now be able to be conducted by Hawley and Mechanic Falls Chief of Police Jeff Goss. This is only after a person has been appointed to a position in the town. This is done via a free state of Maine website set up for employers to be able check their employees.

Town Manager Hawley has offered to lease the former Head Start building, located just beyond the town office building, to Adult Ed, which is currently located on the third floor of the town office building. This would free up the third floor to house the library, which is in desperate need of a new home.

“It would take a lot of revenues to bring the current library up to code, and it is way too expensive to do that," said Hawley. "This location would give them much more space, better parking, a well-maintained parking lot as well as elevators and ADA-approved entrances. With a few renovations upstairs, this would make a nice library.”

The council is waiting on a decision from the library trustees as to whether they want to make this change. Adult Ed would gain more classroom space, a kitchen, and more parking, as well as easier access for their class attendees.

A meeting was also held this week between Black Bear Entertainment (BBE) representatives Rob Lally and Scott Smith and Hawley to discuss how the proposed casino would impact Mechanic Falls.

“About 85 percent of the traffic to the casino will be coming through Mechanic Falls, yet a law passed gives profit-sharing to Oxford County towns only, not to Mechanic Falls, Gray or Poland,” Hawley said.

There is the possibility of providing sewer service to the casino site on Pigeon Hill. This would involve running a sewer line up Pleasant St., across the bridge and up Lane Road. The sewer line would pay for itself, as it is estimated that, at its peak, the casino will flow about 65,000 gallons of water a day.

During a press conference in November, BBE reps said that they would most likely build a sewage treatment facility on the casino site.

“There is still a lot of details to be worked out. We still have a long ways to go,” Hawley said.

In other news, a free Spaghetti Supper will be held for Mechanic Falls residents and business owners in an effort to gather opinions from community members about the future of the town. This will be held at Elm St School on January 18 at 5:30 pm. Those interested in attending are encouraged to contact the town office.