CARIBOU, Maine — The Caribou City Council voted unanimously Monday to establish a new volunteer working advisory board for the Nylander Museum, while keeping the museum a special collection of the Caribou Public Library.
The Nylander Museum of Natural History, located on 657 Main St., was established in 1939. Amateur naturalist Olof Nylander wanted a place to educate the public on the geology, botany and conchology of local plant and animal species. A previous volunteer board of directors had succeeded in making the museum popular for children and other community members. But the museum closed in 2020 amid the COVID pandemic and has largely remained closed since then.
In December 2021, the city council voted to dissolve the Nylander board and appoint Library Director Peter Baldwin to oversee its operations. Since then, Baldwin and part-time employee Franco Scalora have digitally catalogued the museum’s artifacts, but have not yet been able to reopen the museum due to the demands of their current work.
On Monday, councilors approved a new ordinance governing the Nylander. The new advisory board will include five voting members and two non-voting members — a city councilor and City Manager Penny Thompson.
During a public hearing, Baldwin advocated against removing the library from the museum’s operations.
“The library was put in charge [of the Nylander] a year ago in an effort to re-establish city presence while the board was being dismantled,” Baldwin said. “I think the board of trustees should be re-established for the day-to-day operations. But there are many benefits to having the library involved.”
For example, the library can dedicate part of its budget to museum operations and reduce expenses for the city, which owns the Nylander building. He and library staff can maintain a Nylander website and supervise employee hiring and payroll, Baldwin said.
The museum’s fate has been a highly debated topic at the city council since spring 2022, when the idea to develop a new working board first came up. Several councilors had expressed concerns about the additional workload the museum would place on Baldwin, who is already a full-time library director.
Councilor Lou Willey amended her initial motion to approve the new board to state that the Nylander would remain a special collection of the library. The council approved the motion 5-to-5. Councilors Mark Goughan and John Morrill were absent.
The new Nylander ordinance will take effect 30 days after the council’s vote, after which councilors will vote on potential new board members.
City Clerk Danielle Brissette said that a new round of advertisements for board openings will be needed, since applications that the city has received so far came last year during previous discussions. Residents can access applications online or at the city office.
In other business, councilors unanimously approved the city’s application for $94,500 in American Rescue Plan Act grant funds from Aroostook County.
After receiving $13 million in ARPA monies, county officials designated half that amount, $6.5 million, for a grant program that municipalities and nonprofits must apply for. County Commissioners awarded $2.1 million in grants last year, with the same amount anticipated for 2023 and 2024.
This year, Caribou officials aim to replace firefighting gear, purchase new police body cameras and software and upgrade the city’s emergency communications tower, radio and repeater system with ARPA funds.
Current firefighting gear is rife with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. The International Association of Firefighters and Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association recommend replacing such gear, Thompson said.
Replacing the gear and a washing machine for the gear is estimated to cost $91,000.
Officials also seek $13,000 for a reserve account to fund the eventual upgrade of Caribou’s emergency radio and repeater system. The city wants to repair the Emergency Operations Center tower, estimated at $12,000.
One of the tower’s sections is bent, Thompson said. Both emergency personnel and local HAM radio operators use the tower to communicate during emergencies.
New body cameras and software for the police department would cost $71,348, Thompson said. The software would allow footage to download automatically. The city would use ARPA funds to purchase one camera for each officer.
“Currently, the police department has only enough body cameras for half the department and all cameras in vehicles are outdated and out of warranty,” Thompson said.
Caribou’s ARPA grant application received letters of support from the Caribou Police Department, Caribou Fire Department and Caribou Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 5191, the union representing local firefighters.
The County Commissioners plan to notify grant recipients later this spring. If awarded, Caribou would need to contribute a 25 percent grant match for each funded project.
Councilors also unanimously approved a $7,500 facade improvement grant for Martin and Meghan Dinneen, who are renovating the former Pizza Hut building at 149 Bennett Drive into Skin By Meghan Dinneen.
The new skin esthetic facility will provide medical-grade skincare treatments and other dermatology services. The Dinneens will use the facade grant to aid with exterior improvements, such as new windows, siding and lighting.
Meghan Dinneen has 12 years of experience as a hospital nurse practitioner and wants to expand skin-care service options for people in Aroostook.
“The dermatology waitlist is about a year to 18 months, so I’m trying to provide a service to Aroostook County to get more people in,” she said.
Mayor Jody Smith presented a certificate of achievement to Caribou High School student Kayley Bell, who was recently named a Senior Scholar Athlete at the Aroostook League’s annual banquet, along with fellow student George Ferland. Ferland was unable to attend the city council meeting.
The next Caribou City Council meeting will be held Monday, April 24 in the council chambers.
