Lincolnville hires first-ever municipal public facilities director
Lincolnville Beach
Lincolnville Beach
LINCOLNVILLE — It was a long and careful process, beginning when the Lincolnville Select Board realized in early 2021 that the growing town needed more oversight of its municipally-owned assets, and ending Dec. 27, when the board unanimously approved the appointment of its first-ever public facilities director.
Voting 5 to 0, the board members hired David Roundy, Jr., of Dixmont, with a salary of $60,500 and benefits.
Town Administrator David Kinney said Dec. 30 that Roundy had been selected from a pool of 20 applicants, all of whom had strong skills. Roundy’s knowledge of construction and earthworks, and “how to get things done and how to work with people,” is what eventually convinced the Select Board that he was the right man for the job.
Currently, Lincolnville has four full-time employees, and the new position makes five. The town also hires part-time help for various municipal tasks.
The Select Board began its discussion about a new position in January 2021, when longtime Road Commissioner Bernard Young announced that he would be retiring. Young had been overseeing Lincolnville’s network of state and local roads for 30-40 years, said Kinney.
The town has approximately 56 miles of roads, approximately half owned by the state and the other half by the town. While the state is responsible for maintaining its stretches of routes 173, 52 and 235, the town is responsible for plowing and sanding them.
In addition, Lincolnville has a number of town-owned facilities and parks, including a town office, salt/sand building, Breezemere Park, a pier at Lincolnville Harbor, 17 cemeteries, and a new park acquisition on Penobscot Bay that was approved by voters in July 2020.
While the town has grown in with new subdivisions and homes, its population is also increasing. In 1990, Lincolnville had a population of 1,809, according to the town’s 2006 Comprehensive Plan. By 2000, the number had risen to 2,042.
In 2010, the population was 2,164 and in 2021, it hovered around 2,312. This is higher than the all-time high of 1850, when the population was 2,174.
And during the summer season, the populations swells by 40 to 50 percent, or more.
“The quantity of calls and emails with requests and demand for services has increased,” said Kinney.
Over the course of 2021, the Select Board analyzed the town’s delivery of services and its efficiencies. The board then asked the town’s Personnel Policy Board to create a job description and pay scale.
The job description as advertised said: “This position is primarily administrative, providing oversight to parking, highways and bridges, harbor facilities, the grounds of public facilities and public parks. Work involves constant and varied contact with the public, contractors seeking or performing work for the Town, town staff as well as Town Committees. Computer experience with Windows and the Microsoft Office suite is essential. The Public Facilities Director exercises considerable discretion/decision making and must be able to work independently and without direct oversight. This is a full-time, year-round position reporting to the Town Administrator.”
One more title was added to the new position, that of deputy harbor master, to assist the town administrator, who is currently the town’s harbor master.
Roundy is to begin his new job Jan. 10.
Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657
