By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — Soon, the Town of Casco will be advertising openings on a newly-formed Capital Improvement Committee.

The job of that group will be to review the inventory of town-owned building and equipment and a list of the repairs and that are needed and when those improvement.

In early October, one elected official in town thanked those who are already volunteering their time as well as those who might in the future. Foreshadowing, perhaps?  

Over the past 18 months, the Casco selectmen have updated the policy regarding boards and committees. The details in the policy covers the steps that should be taken to appoint a person including the length of time to advertise. The advertising of positions has drawn some interest. Also, the Veteran’s Memorial Committee was revitalized and three seats with one-year or two-year terms are still open to interested residents.

On Oct. 3, when selectman Eugene Connolly was chairing, he spoke at the end of the meeting during the Select Board comments.

“I would like to say one thing about the committees. We have a number of them. I know that now a lot of them have been filled. I am very happy that the townspeople are taking a concern here in town,” he said. “I’d like to give kudos to people who are stepping up and the people who are thinking about stepping up.”

Soon, there will be even more Casco community members in that circle of volunteers. Just

Last week, the Casco Board of Selectmen decided to form a Capital Improvement Committee to look at the town’s facilities and plan for the future.

Grant Plummer presented the concept while the board was discussing an agenda item, the continuing goals for Fiscal Year 2024, which began July 1, and a review of work done toward goals in Fiscal Year 2023. Basically, the board was looking at a list made by people serving on the board when Don Gerrish was interim town manager. Gerrish encouraged board members to put down what the town wanted to address do someday and had put off. The list included upgrades to the sand/salt shed that for years kept getting overlooked in favor of more important expenditures. 

“This brings up something. I think we need a capital improvement committee. There is kind of a lot that isn’t even showing up on this list. It is important for us to really lay that out. See what it looks like,” Selectman Plummer said.

“It is difficult for the Select Board with everything else that comes across this table,” he said. “We need some help from individuals in town to think that through and come up with solutions: a 5-year plan, a 10-year plan, a 20-year plan.”

Casco Town Manager Tony Ward asked for clarification.

Plummer said it was not about roads, which are being addressed by Gorrill Palmer with one to three-year plans laid out along with predicted prices. 

“I am talking about facilities,” Plummer said. “We know that the fire chief [Brian Cole] is standing there with a feasibility report on the fire station behind him.  We know the fire station problem can’t be solved the same year as public works,” he said. “Tell the townspeople how the 10-year plan flows because it is all money.”

A few moments later, he stated what the town has been doing right regarding taking care of infrastructure. 

“The reality is, we have done fantastic work, the new town office [in 2016] on the Berry property,” he said.

“We have to continue. We can check things off in the zero to $100,000 range. We can’t have it stack up and being $15 million problem,” he concluded.

As of Wednesday morning, openings for the newly formed Casco Capital Improvement Committee had not been listed on the town’s website.

However, Town Manager Ward indicated that seats for the new committee would be advertised — per the policy.

There is a copy of the board, committee, commission & council appointment policy on the town’s website.

More importantly, new-to-town residents or longtime residents who would like to be involved by sitting on a committee that will create a map of future spending on town buildings can do so by going on the town’s website, www.cascomaine.org

On the home page, hover the mouse over Government and chose a committee listed under boards. On any board page, there is an Interest Form on the left-hand side.

Adding an even bigger variety of volunteer opportunities, the town is also accepting interest forms for the Casco Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee.