LINCOLNVILLE — The Select Board in Lincolnville will consider approval of a Pre-K outside classroom on municipal land, how to resolve concerns about noise on Greenacre Road, a proposed land use amendment, and talk about well winter road maintenance plans when it meets Nov. 12 at the Lincolnville Town Office at 6 p.m.

The proposed classroom is an initiative of a Lincolnville Central School teacher, who hopes to locate outdoor learning on land adjacent to the public cross-country trail. The project involves making a small clearing. Tree stumps are to be used, along with a picnic table or two, according to the proposal.

Volunteers, organized as a task force, are willing to help to create the classroom, according to Tasha Kordek, who teaches pre-K and Kindergarten at LCS. Walkie-talkies will be used to communicate from the classroom to the school.

The noise issue on Greenacre Road follows a conversation that took place at the Select Board's Oct. 15 meeting.

In his premeeting memo to the Select Board, Town Administrator David Kinney wrote that law enforcement is able to use a disorderly conduct statute, but typically: "disorderly conduct for noise is not enforced before 10 p.m. Existing law enforcement (Waldo County Sheriff's Office and Maine State Police) will not enforce a town ordinance."

He outlined options that include creating a noise ordinance for voter consideration, although enforcement could be an issue; create an ordinance restricting discharge of firearms, although enforcement could again be an issue; suggest that the affected neighbors and other parties pursue a civil nuisance complaint; or, do nothing.

"As the town does not have a law enforcement presence of its own, enforcement of any noise or discharge of firearms type ordinance will be problematic," said Kinney. "Given the town's lack of enforcement resources, as well as the lack of a local ordinance, a civil nuisance complaint may be the course of action that those concerned should consider."

The Lincolnville Select Board will also consider a land use amendment proposal to allow the code enforcement office to be the permitting authority for smaller projects in the shoreland zones, such as adding a dormer to an existing camp, tearing down an existing camp and replacing it with a new one in the same footprint, or building an addition to a camp within regulated guidelines.

The Planning Board supports such an amendment, which would have to appear before voters.

The property tax abatement concerns an error in documentation and subsequent assessment. The landowners are to be awarded their abatement upon Select Board approval.

Also, there was an assessment of another taxpaper that was omitted from the original commitment list submitted to the town in August and the Select Board will move to insert another $1,490.90 in property tax collection.

In other town business, the Maine Municipal Bond Bank informed Kinney that the town's debt service payments are to be reduced by $2,064 to reflect the town's pro-rated portion of savings the bank is providing. It is, "in essence refinancing," said Kinney, of the bond the town received to finance the LCS construction. 

"It is worth noting that the school bond will be paid off in November 2025," he wrote.

"This refunding credit also gives the Bond Bank a chance to express its gratitude for your loyal support," wrote Toni Reed, senior program officer at the bank. "Part of the bank's success can be attributed to your continued use of our service through the years."

A letter from the Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust noted that the 2024 rates for health insurance will increase 9 percent for active health plans and increase 2.84 percent for Medicare retirees.

The increase is attributed to significantly higher medical costs due to inflation and increased use for health services and pharmacy services, the trust said, in its letter.

"The Trust still has adequate reserves to provide stability and meet our obligations with a safety margin, as required," the letter said. "However, the funds available to mitigate premium rates for members and employers are becoming more limited. The Trust Board voted to set aside an additional $4.3 million from Trust reserves to help lower the rate increase for 2025, however a larger than average increase is required to cover escalating claims costs."