NEW GLOUCESTER — Selectmen Laura Sturgis and Steven Libby will accompany Town Manager Paul First to the Cumberland County courthouse on Wednesday for a closed-door judicial settlement conference on the Sandra Sacco lawsuit against the town of New Gloucester.

Maine Municipal Association appointed an attorney to the case to represent the town using insurance.

Sacco, a former 25-year employee who worked as the town’s bookkeeper and deputy treasurer, was not present at a late-night executive session in 2013 when the board, by a 3 to 2 vote, changed her full-time position to part-time with loss of benefits in November 2013. The board’s executive session was considered controversial.

Town Manager Paul First said the town’s attorney through MMA has filed for summary judgment that the case should be dismissed.

In addition, First said a bench trial is scheduled on the case on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

If a settlement is reached, the terms must be approved by the entire board, First said.

“We try to do our best to represent the fiduciary responsibilities to the town,” he said. “At the end of the day, what does the attorney advise us and what is the MMA position?” 

In other business, the board agreed to negotiate the sale of the old schoolhouse lot next to the Village Store in Lower Gloucester. Terms of the sale and deed language will be drawn up. There is no liability exposure to the town in selling the quarter-acre lot, which now has a septic easement granted to the neighboring Village Store.

Viking-Cives of Lewiston was awarded the contract to provide a dump body sand spreader to the Highway Department at $36,755, to be operational by Thanksgiving.

A request for proposal will seek site assessment and preliminary design studies for a new Public Works facility. A timetable was approved by the board that begins with a pre-bid meeting on Aug. 10; submissions by Aug. 17; interviews on Aug. 19-21; and bid award by Aug. 31.

Work will begin on Sept. 1, and the project is scheduled to be completed by March 1, 2016.

Sand and gravel bids were awarded: sub base to Portland Sand & Gravel at $6; and K & K Excavation, base, $8.75; standard surface, $7.60; and winter sand, $4.