HOULTON, Maine — The Houlton Town Council unanimously accepted an in-kind contribution of $15 million from the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians Monday evening as satisfaction for all existing payment in lieu of taxes obligations.
The funding, which is part of a federal RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) grant will result in major renovations to the Foxcroft Road in Houlton. The Foxcroft Road is the main access road for the Maliseet properties.
“There was a payment agreement between the town of Houlton and the Band of Maliseets, and over the years they’ve done other projects in kind toward the payment of that,” said Houlton Town Manager Marian Anderson. “As you can imagine, the $15 million from the federal government more than exceeds what the agreement was for. And so, on advice of counsel, Dan Nelson, this is the way to take that agreement and end it. That doesn’t mean there won’t be more in the future — this just takes care of the current one.”
Maliseet Tribal Chief Clarissa Sabattis said that Tribe Planner Wade Hanson was instrumental in the success of the proposal.
“The grant was written to accommodate a complete rebuild of the Foxcroft Road corridor which is classified as a minor collector in the MDOT road inventory,” Hanson said in an email. “The construction is currently planned to widen the travel way to include a bike lane for the entire length of the project as well as sidewalk from the Military Street intersection to the HBMI Riverside Village in order to provide a safe pedestrian access route to the Houlton school grounds and business district.”
The construction will include storm water control installations and cross culvert upgrades in addition to adjustments along the route to improve site distance and speed controls, Hanson said.
Engineering and grant submissions were completed by Stewart Engineering and project administration is planned to be in partnership with the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the Maine Department of Transportation, with consultation from the town of Houlton Public Works Department.
“The completed roadway will greatly improve traffic flows and enhance travel ways for pedestrians, bicyclists, agricultural equipment, emergency response and daily local traffic,” Hanson said. “Infrastructure upgrades such as this project have been and always will be a priority for HBMI, as investments such as this create opportunity and development options that may not be possible without them. Economic diversity is the key to everyone’s success.”
This project will reconstruct and widen portions of Foxcroft Road — separating vehicle traffic from bicycles and pedestrians, enlarging the shoulder, and adding sidewalks to help create a safer road for all travelers, according to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.
This road is a vital connection for the local tribal community, particularly for local farms that experience challenges in transporting farm equipment that is too large to be safely accommodated by the current width. Improving the connectivity of this area will also provide safer access to tribal housing, recreational, health care, and administrative facilities year-round, as well as create a sustainable long-term connection between the primary tribal lands of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the town of Houlton, she said.
“As the ranking member of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, securing funding to improve Maine’s infrastructure and strengthen our economy is one of my top priorities,” Collins said. “These investments in our roadways will make it safer and easier for Mainers to reach their homes and jobs as well as protect pedestrians and bicyclists.”
Public Works Director Christopher Stewart said the project would take place in different phases over a couple of years, and that he was sure there would be meetings about it in the near future.
Engineers have already done some work such as bridge improvements, and the tribe is taking care of all licenses and engineering. He also said the town of Houlton was responsible for maintaining only 1.3 miles of Foxcroft Road, but that the tribe was planning improvements up to the Littleton town line.
“The Houlton Band pays taxes like any other land owner on all of our lands that are not held in trust,” Sabattis said after the meeting. “Indian lands held in trust by the federal government are different and in some cases payments may be made in lieu of taxes.”
In addition to the RAISE grant, the tribe also donated a $12,688 police cruiser to the Houlton Police Department.
In other business, the town council held a public hearing for an ordinance transferring up to $149,518 from Undesignated Fund Balance for the removal of an existing fuel tank and system located at the Public Works Department, during which no one spoke. Council unanimously approved the ordinance.
Council also unanimously authorized the write-off of the 2018 and 2019 personal property taxes in the amount of $13,665 assessed to the Burger King Restaurant located in Houlton, in care of Steve Wegner.
“As the tax collector was doing her due diligence and getting ready to send this off to the collection agency, it was brought to our attention that the owner had passed away,” said Anderson. “There is no estate, there is no personal property to attach, and to clear the books this is the action we were told by counsel that we needed to take. We understand there is a new business looking to go in there, so that is exciting.”
Councilor Edward Lake introduced two tax-related ordinances that will have first readings on March 14 with a public hearing on March 28. The first sets the tax due date at no later than Oct. 15, 2022, and a 4 percent annual interest rate for delinquent taxes. The second says taxes in excess of the final assessment shall be repaid from the date of overpayment at 1 percent interest.
Also at this meeting, council unanimously appointed Melissa Goodwin and Owen Gallop to the Recreation Advisory Board for three-year terms.
