The Wiscasset selectboard Aug. 19 unanimously accepted the Future of the Schools Committee's (FSC) final report and disbanded the group, saying its work is done.   

Selectboard Chair Sarah Whitfield, who was the board's liaison to the committee, said there is now a regional group that includes neighboring towns. She suggested future energy be put toward it. The board agreed, approving Town Manager Dennis Simmons to be sent as a delegate. Selectmen suggested the Wiscasset School Committee also send a delegate.   

“Schools seem to be very motivated to look into the opportunity for the consolidated school program,” Whitfield said, adding that being a part of the conversation would not lock the town into anything. She also said disbanding the group does not mean another couldn't be created later.   

However, the FSC report did receive some pushback. Resident Kim Dolce said she has raised concerns with the FCS’s work in the past, including what she said were errors, omissions and unanswered questions. She presented the board with a statement regarding the FSC’s report and a document on a one-school scenario. “I urge you not to accept this report in its current form without asking more questions and demanding answers that are fully documented,” she said.   

Also Aug. 19, the board approved the warrant for the Special Town Meeting to validate the school budget adopted July 23.   

The board also recognized two town staff members for their long service. They presented John Merry with a plaque for his 50 years at the fire department, and Linda Perry for her 10 years as town clerk. Simmons also thanked the departing tax collector, Sue Anderson, for her service. Simmons announced Rebecca Brewer, the current Edgecomb tax collector, will be joining Wiscasset full-time.

The board authorized Simmons to execute a Letter of Understanding between the town ambulance service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to provide reimbursable medical services to people in federal custody. The letter cites illegal aliens in ICE, Customs and Border Patrol, Office of Field Operations, and Homeland Security Investigations custody.   

In financial business, selectmen approved a $408,649 grant agreement submission with the Federal Aviation Administration for airport improvement. They also approved an $86,633 bid for a public works truck and a $53,490 bid for a fire truck.  

The board moved to support the town’s application to the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future Community Action Grant for the Waterfront Resilience Project. In a letter to Simmons, Economic Development Director Aaron Chrostowsky said the project aims to make town-owned waterfront infrastructure less vulnerable to sea level rise and storm surge. He said they intend to request support for engineering plans for prioritized work around elevating  piers and boardwalks and, potentially, connecting waterfront piers. The grant provides up to $75,000. The board also appointed Terry Heller to the Climate Action Team.