FARMINGTON — Interim Town Manager Cornell Knight told Selectmen Tuesday night, May 23, he hopes to have better news regarding the town’s assessing services by the next meeting.

“I am meeting with an appraising firm tomorrow,” Knight said. “I sent out half a dozen or more inquiries. Everybody’s busy and still no applications have been received.”

Selectman Stephan Bunker asked if it was in regards to an interim assessor.

“This would be to get the [tax] commitment done, tax bills out, all the transfers as of April 1,” Knight replied. “There is a fair amount of work to do.”

At the May 9 meeting, Selectmen voted to have Knight approach KRT Appraisal about assessing services. The town had hired the company for the upcoming revaluation.

At that meeting Knight said the town needed to get updates done from last year to this for building permits, name changes and construction.

After town assessor Allison “Alli” Brochu stepped down, the position was advertised but no applications were submitted.

Selectmen approved spending $25,320 for heat pumps at the Community Center and field house at Hippach Field, with the cost to be reimbursed.

The town received its award confirmation letter for the Community Resilience grant to install the heat pumps, Planning Assistant Cindy Gelinas shared in a memo to the board.

CC HVAC, LLC was hired to install the pumps while Adrenaline Electric was hired for the electrical installation. The work is to be completed in 2023.

The heat pumps qualify for Efficiency Maine rebates, the memo stated. The total project cost is $25,320 and requires the town to pay the upfront cost for the project with full reimbursement, it added.

Selectmen will tackle foreclosed properties at the next meeting, Chair Matthew Smith said.

Knight stated the checklist is being reviewed to make sure 30-day notices had been sent. The final letter approved at the last board meeting hasn’t been mailed yet to ensure all steps in the lien process had been followed, he added.

In other business the board:

• Approved Gantley Drive as the name of a new road off of Whittier Road after E911 officer Terry Bell confirmed that no other road has that name

• Signed the warrant and notice of election for the June 13 Regional School Unit 9 budget vote

• Approved innkeeper and lunch wagon permits for:

Renewals:
Mt. Blue and Colonial Valley Motels
Sandy River Dairy
The Ugly Dumpling
The Outpost
The White Fox, LLC
The Frosty Paw
New:
Aces Hot Spot, owned by Michael McNamara at 660 Wilton Road

• Renewed on premise licenses for Elks Lodge 2430

• Approved transferring the liquor license for LaFleur’s Restaurant in Jay, which will be part of the June 3 United Way of the Tri-Valley Area auction at the fairgrounds

• Reappointed Steve Kaiser as local health officer and Andrew Marble as local plumbing inspector

• Voted to sign the MDOT over limit permit for Russell Mills Bridge removal