A blasting permit request prompted Edgecomb Fire Chief Roy Potter to attend the planning board's May 1 meeting. Potter was concerned no town official contacted him about the request. "I need to be contacted when blasting occurs," he said. "It's a  safety issue for first responders and townspeople. The only reason I'm here is because I overheard the planning board was going to issue a blasting permit tonight." 

Potter urged the board to make his request part of the ordinance. He asked that future blasting notifications include the fire chief. The board agreed to forward his request to the ordinance review committee (ORC). The planning board voted, 4-0, to approve the blasting permit for moving over 100 cubic feet and require notifying Potter. Gregg and Terri Taylor requested the permit for their River Road property.

Blasting must occur after May 9, according to a planning board condition.

Potter also had other recommendations for the ORC. One was requiring turnarounds for town roads. He told planning board members turnarounds would aid the fire trucks and snow plows. Potter also had concerns about Schmid Preserve. "They have a forest management program and they should follow it. You just can't let a forest grow. You must maintain it," he said. "We gotta move forward. One lightning strike and we could lose it all."

Potter addressed a comment made at last month's meeting. Code Enforcement Officer Marian Anderson reported Pioneer Motel no longer had any pending state violations. "I was not happy to read the motel no longer had any violations. I respond there frequently and they still don't have any smoke detectors." 

Board member Paula Swetland asked Potter to provide a list of other recommendations for the ORC. Potter agreed.

In other action, the planning board tabled a permit for Bruce Wright's application to rebuild a deck on his Engelbrekt Road home. The property is a non-conforming cabin in a shoreland zone. The board provided Wright with a "checklist" to complete prior to receiving approval. 

The board meets next at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15 in the conference room.