Oxford County Commission meeting

Feb. 20, 2018

Commissioners Office, South Paris

Veterans Court

What happened: District Attorney Andrew Robinson said he is attempting to start a veterans court in the region to work with individuals who have served their country and are dealing with substance abuse or mental health issues.

What it means: The court would provide veterans a forum where they can find ways for dealing with those issues and get back into line with what we need from citizens without having them bump into the brutal consequences of the criminal justice system, according to Robinson. He said his father was in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years, so “veterans have got a place in my heart.”

What’s next: Robinson said the only veterans court in the state in in Kennebec County and he hopes to “try and replicate the Augusta court so we can do right by our veterans.”

Aldrich Brook bridge

What happened: Jeffrey Rosenblatt of Albany Township asked commissioners to “not approve the expenditure of public money on the Aldrich Brook bridge” on Lincoln Pond Road in Parkertown Township. He said it would be a “private bridge benefiting the private owners of the private land,” and there would be “no benefit to the public.”

What it means: Several camp owners in the northern unorganized territory asked commissioners in December for help in replacing the bridge to get to their properties along the east shore of Aziscohos Lake without taking a 26-mile detour. However, Rosenblatt said taxpayers in Oxford County would get no benefit from the bridge being built. He said the only way the public would see a benefit is if the county “took the road by eminent domain and became responsible for it, but I wouldn’t recommend doing that.”

What’s next: Commissioners took no action, but will revisit the request at their next meeting March 20.

Brownfield patrol request

What happened: Brownfield Selectman Bill Flynn told newly appointed Sheriff James Theriault that the Saco River Recreation Council, through the town’s Board of Selectmen, would likely file a request for patrol coverage in the summer because of the amount of activity on the river.

What it means: Flynn told Theriault that in 2017, selectmen did not have a chance to make the request before the summer ended. He said many businesses along the Saco River that sell canoes and kayaks have requested the coverage.

What’s next: Flynn said that the board would give the Sheriff’s Office a “list of dates” that Brownfield would need coverage, “you tell us if you can provide a paid detail, and we pay it.”

Oxford County Commissioner Timothy Turner studies the agenda for Tuesday morning’s meeting at the Oxford County courthouse in Paris. (Matthew Daigle/Sun Journal)