Council OKs water, sewer extension on North Street

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Construction will begin sometime this spring on a water and sewer line extension on the North Road.
    Houlton Town Councilors gave their unanimous approval Monday evening to an agreement between the town and Houlton Water Company for the purpose of extending the water and sewer lines beyond their current endpoint, just beyond Yorks of Houlton auto dealership.
    According to Town Manager Doug Hazlett, the utility extension is not being done for a single new retail facility being built this spring. That retail facility is the proposed Tractor Supply Company, Hazlett said.
    Construction on the water and sewer lines is expected to begin “as soon as the weather permits,” the town manager said. The water/sewer line project will extend to the current PDQ Door facility.
    “It [the utility extension] really is essential as development occurs along the North Road,” Hazlett said. “It simply is not going to be beneficial to the town if we do not get water and sewer out there.”
    Hazlett added the town has been weighing the extension of services on the North Road for at least five years.
    “The trick was, ‘How do we do this without having it result in a hit to the mil rate or an increase to the rate payers of Houlton Water Company?’” he said.
    The town instituted a TIF (Tax Increment Financing) program about five years ago, but has not had an opportunity to use the funds associated with that program until now.
    “This is really the first opportunity we have had,” Hazlett said. “The tricky part is that there is new retail coming out there right now. This project is not being done for them. But it is this expansion project that enables it [new development] to be done.”
    Hazlett explained that Houlton Water Company will provide service along the street, but it will be the expense of any developer to hook up to that service.
    “We will not be putting lines on private property,” he said.
    The town manager added that HWC was planning to borrow up to $425,000 for the project, but he anticipated it would cost less than that to complete. The town will be putting TIF reserve into an escrow account to be used for the project.
    “This will not restrict any other town funds,” Hazlett said. “This is an exciting opportunity for us. We probably will have an opportunity [later] to extend it farther. The kind of development that is going to occur will be good for the town.”
    “It’s an idea to run the water and sewer up the North Road and it’s an opportune time to do it,” councilor Michael Jenkins said. “I’ve done my due diligence researching this. I feel fairly certain we are doing the right thing.”
    “This is a perfect example of why we created the TIF accounts,” added councilor Sue Tortello. “This is one of the best things we’ve done in terms of economic development. We’ve set aside this money and it’s finally built up enough for us to do a project such as this. We’ve had people come in and say ‘We would really like to build out there, but we can’t because there are no utilities in place.’ This will open up that whole area for development.”
    Additional plans for the Tractor Supply Store will be reviewed Tuesday, April 5 at 6:30 p.m. when the town’s Planning Board holds a public hearing on a subdivision proposed by DMK Development Houlton LLC at 424 North St. That meeting will be held in the council chambers.
    In other business, Community Development Director Wade Hanson played a DVD created by Michael Fawcett touting Houlton as a tourism spot. The video was created for economic development purposes in conjunction with the town and Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce.
    Following the presentation, resident Henry Bear of Houlton asked the council why the Houlton Band of Maliseets were not featured in the video.
    “There are 800 members of the Maliseets and not one mention of them?” Bear said. “Maybe we can get that corrected?”
    Hazlett said Bear’s point was worth noting and he appreciated the input.
    At the end of the meeting, Bear also asked the council if there were any plans to do a town-wide revaluation given the fact that the price of homes has dropped in the past year.
    “The property values that had ballooned have now flattened out, but I notice that [valuations] have not been adjusted down to reflect the suppressed housing market,” he said. “Can that happen? Other communities are doing this.”
    Hazlett responded, “Houlton’s home values are assessed all the time and the reality is, Houlton’s home values have not collapsed as they have in other parts of the country. They are holding their own. If someone has an issue with their individual assessed value, they can come see the assessor.”
    In other agenda items, the council agreed to take out a three-year, $200,000 loan for the purpose of completing numerous projects throughout the town. Among those projects are a new gym floor for the Gentle Memorial Recreation Building; new mowers and tractors for the town; and to pay off the final year of an ambulance vehicle payment. The full list of those projects was reported in the March 16 issue of the Houlton Pioneer Times.
    During public comments, Carl Lord Jr. of Houlton chastised the council for the appointment it made for a vacant seat on the SAD 29 school board last month. Due to a resignation on the school board, the council was tasked with selecting an individual to fill out the remainder of the term. Four individuals expressed interest in the seat, with the council choosing Paul Cleary.
    “I don’t see the point in discussing anyone’s issues in public,” Jenkins said. “I won’t sit here and denigrate other people. When people apply for a position and we chose one, that doesn’t mean there was anything wrong with the others.”
    The next regular meeting of the Houlton Town Council will be Monday, April 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers.