LIMESTONE, Maine – One of Limestone’s town clerks will serve as the town’s recreation director, a position that has been vacant for over a year.
As of Monday, Dec. 18, Kelly Johndro began duties as both a part-time recreation director and part-time town clerk, said Interim Town Manager Alan Mulherin. The town has hired former clerk Chelsea Elliot as a full-time clerk, allowing Johndro time to work with the recreation department. Lisa Kelly is still the town’s deputy clerk.
For the past two years, residents struck down proposals to fund a full-time recreation director at annual town meetings. The most recent proposed recreation budget would have funded a $41,000 salary for a full-time director under a $106,426 total budget. Residents instead passed a $62,000 budget.
Johndro’s salary will be split evenly between the office administration and recreation department budgets, with $22,000 coming from each department, Mulherin said Wednesday after the regular Select Board meeting.
The town has not had a recreation director since Kennedy Bencivenga, who was full time, resigned in Aug. 2022. He had been in the position several months after Doug Sharpe resigned.
Johndro is a past volunteer for the town’s recreation department, which has struggled to keep up programming without guidance from a director. She had suggested to the select board in August that she take over the position while remaining a town clerk.
During Wednesday’s meeting, the select board also heard from Keith Jordan on his plans for cleaning blighted property he owns at 34 Leighton Ave. The former house at that location burned nearly two years ago but Jordan said that a recent death in the family has kept him from finishing his work there.
Jordan had hoped to take the trusses from the second floor and see if he can rebuild that part of the house. He tried securing a $150,000 loan to complete reconstruction or demolition work but high interest rates made that option not feasible.
If Jordan cannot salvage the home, he plans to demolish it by July 31, 2024. He plans to board up windows that remain exposed by the end of this year.
The select board agreed to begin charging Jordan penalties per state law if he does not complete the work by July 31.
“I think we’re being very fair, given that it’s been two years,” said Board Chairperson Randy Brooker.
Mulherin also announced that the town’s total payment to the Internal Revenue Service has been reduced from $52,007 to $42,587 due to a tax abatement that the IRS recently approved.
At a special town meeting Tuesday, residents voted to spend up to $54,000 on the projected IRS payments. If another tax abatement is approved, the town might see that $42,587 total reduced by $29,000, Mulherin said.
Limestone officials learned in October that the IRS had placed a lien against the town for under- and unpaid employment taxes from January 2019 to June 2023, along with interest, penalties and fees. The town has been submitting abatement requests to reduce some penalties and fees.
The board and Mulherin also agreed to bring the town’s solar purchase project back before voters at the annual town meeting in June.
In March 2022, residents voted to spend no more than $475,000 to finalize a solar power purchase agreement with The Power Company, based in Washington, Maine. The agreement totaled $425,000.
The original warrant article from March 2022 is deficient because it did not specify where the funds for the purchase would come from, authorize town officials to secure a loan for the project or borrow against the certificate of deposit that the town is using for the loan’s surety, Mulherin said.
Though the town could hold a special meeting before June to redo the vote, Mulherin said waiting until June would be more convenient. At that point, the certificate of deposit will mature and be up for renewal.
Limestone is partnering with the Maine School of Science and Mathematics to pay a seven-year loan that, once paid, will allow both entities to purchase two solar arrays located at Loring Commerce Center and save thousands on annual electric bills. The current agreement with The Power Company allows them to receive solar energy credits even though they do not own the project yet.
Both the town and school have seen combined savings of nearly $70,000 since signing onto the project, said Chuck Kelley, chairperson of Limestone’s solar committee. The town’s annual electric bill is $38,000 while MSSM’s is $28,000.
