The Town of South Thomaston has issued the following two statements:

Statement from the South Thomaston Municipal Team

Based on the CDC recommendation we urge ​visitors from out of state​ ​to self-Quarantine for 14 days ​before entering buildings considered “generally open to the public”,​ even if you’re feeling well. This includes but is not limited to the South Thomaston Post Office, Spruce Head Post Office, The Keag Store and Maritime Farms on 131 in South Thomaston. You can and should absolutely still order food from these establishments, but you should arrange pick up to minimize potential exposure to the public.

Seasonal Visitors: If you normally live elsewhere isolating at home instead of in South Thomaston is safer for the following reasons.

Seasonal visitors and property owners should be aware that South Thomaston and surrounding towns have very limited food and medical resources compared to metropolitan areas elsewhere.

Unlike metropolitan areas, food and supply delivery services are nonexistent, so people needing to resupply must still visit stores, greatly raising their personal risk of infection.

Compared to other states, Maine has extremely few doctors, ICU beds, and respirators, so persons becoming infected in Maine may have no recourse for hospital care.

Social distancing is as important now as it has been. It is recommended that people stay a minimum of 6 feet apart and distance yourself from groups over 10 people. It is recommended to stay home if at all possible to reduce the spread of this novel virus.

If you are experiencing symptoms it is imperative to quarantine and follow the steps below for testing.

Testing for COVID-19 Both Penbay and Miles hospitals have set up testing clinics that are open daily. Both are located outside the main hospital areas to lower the risk of cross-contamination. Given that the number of testing kits in Maine is very limited, both hospitals require patients with primary physicians to call their primary physician first. If the primary physician teams a test is needed, the physician then should call one of these clinics directly to secure a testing slot for the patient. Patients without a primary care physician can call directly to be screened by a nurse. Penbay clinic includes a drive-through service and is located at 8 Wellness Ave., Rockland open 9 AM to 6 PM the phone number is 301-3040. Miles clinic is located in the Dorothy white building in the ER parking lot at 35 miles Avenue., Damariscotta, open 8 AM to 8 PM the phone number there is 563-4353.

Stay safe and healthy,

Mo Dube-Fortin South Thomaston Local Health Officer

State of and Access to Municipal Facilities

Town Office - All access to the general public is prohibited until further notice. We ask that if your business is NON-ESSENTIAL in nature, that you hold off until this public health concern is minimized. If your business is essential, all transactions will take place through the exterior window next to the front entrance. We have increased our online capabilities so that motor vehicles, boats, snowmobiles and ATV’s can be registered electronically as well as getting hunting and fishing licenses. This can be done by going to https://souththomaston.me/ town-departments/clerks- office/ . We will maintain a limited staff presence during all general business hours so please feel free to call or email us with questions by calling (207) 596-6584 or emailing owen@souththomaston.me.

Rapid Renewal is an e-commerce service allowing citizens to conduct business with municipal government and state government in one seamless online transaction. Rapid Renewal has gained national acclaim and Mainers have enthusiastically embraced it. While municipal participation in Rapid Renewal is optional, the service has now grown to 266 municipalities and has seen more than 1,910,945 transactions processed to date. All four towns will accept payments via e-check and credit card. Residents can continue to visit the town offices to pay in person, but now also have the option of conducting these transactions online.

The Rapid Renewal service is currently offered by cities and towns from York County to Aroostook County, with populations ranging from Glenwood Plantations three citizens to more than 64,000 in Portland. Through Rapid Renewal, citizens can quickly and easily renew their vehicle registrations and pay their municipal excise taxes online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Rapid Renewal may be accessed through www.maine.gov/sos/online_services/index.html, the Secretary of States site for online services.

Municipal officials who would like more information about participating in Rapid Renewal are encouraged to contact the Department of the Secretary of State at 626-8400 or by email at

Town  Library - The Library is closed until further notice.

Stump Dump - The Stump Dump will continue to be open during its normal business hours. Unless we receive official directions from public health officers, you will not be asked to state your recent travel history to gain access to the facility. You will be asked to take care of our own debris and the attendant has been instructed to keep a safe distance from patrons. Although Stump Dump vouchers for contractors are non-essential business activities, we have a process in place for contractors to purchase (electronically) vouchers. The Town Office is closed on Saturday’s so please purchase your voucher in advance during Town Office business hours.

Skate Park - The municipally owned skate park and playground located on the grounds of the Former Gilford Butler School are still open to the public, at this time. However, we strongly recommend that anyone playing on the playground equipment or skate park sanitize their hands before, during and after play/ use and or wipe down equipment with sanitizing wipes prior to and after use. We further recommend that folks minimize the number of individuals using the equipment at the same time to no more than 10, less is better, and that you keep a minimum of six feet between users at any given time.

Fire Department and Ambulance Service - These Departments continue to function as normal, albeit with additional precautions in place. To state the obvious, if you need them in an emergency situation they will be there but please apply your best judgement on requesting these services as their calls increase potential exposure for the general community. If you need to get a Burn Permit please visit the Fire and EMS page on our website for information: https://souththomaston.me/ town-departments/fire-and- emergency-services/

We greatly appreciate your understanding of the situation we are all facing and hope that we all do our best to limit any potential spread of these germs.

Best,

Team South Thomaston