Commissioners approve second dog for sheriff's department

Nearly four years ago, Bear, a German Shepherd patrol dog, joined the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, and it won’t be long before another dog joins the staff. On July 2, Lincoln County commissioners approved spending up to $10,000 from the Heidi Fund to purchase a second dog.

Sheriff Todd Brackett said the department is looking for a Labrador retriever as a “detection dog.” Sergeant Jonathan Colby, who handles the bear, will continue to conduct apprehension patrols. The new dog and its handler, Sergeant Sam Alexander, will work on drug searches.

“This will improve our ability to research drugs,” Brackett said. “We have more than enough money in the Heidi Fund to spend $7,000 to $10,000 on a new lab and training,” he said.

The Heidi Fund was established in 1994 when former Deputy Clayton Jordan’s service dog, Heidi, died after contracting a tick-borne disease. Katharine Martin-Savage helped establish the Heidi Fund, which was used to purchase new police dogs for the sheriff’s department. The fund now has $27,591.40, according to Brackett.

The sheriff also received approval to sell a 2017 Ford Interceptor or transfer it to the county. The car has more than 150,000 miles on it. “The county is interested in it. We have to take it to Hillside Collision. They will tell us whether we should transfer it to the county or auction it off,” Brackett said.

In other action, Communications Director Tara Doe updated commissioners on the successful June 30 transition to a new EMS channel. She told commissioners the county received an $80,000 grant from the Maine Center for Disease Control to install the repeater system with a requirement that it be in place by July 1. The new system was tested and almost immediately proved ready for an extremely busy day. “Boothbay had three calls in progress and Wiscasset was on its way after hearing the call. There was no waiting for a mutual aid call,” Doe said. “When the system went live, there were some glitches, but we got it all worked out.”

The Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission updated commissioners on its grant-writing accomplishments during the first six months of the year. Executive Director Emily Rabbe said her team had worked on 18 grants worth more than $1 million as of July 1. So far, eight of them have received funding for nearly $394,000. “We’re still waiting on the bulk of the money, about $610,000 for a wide variety of projects,” she said. Rabbe expects to hear back on the outstanding applications soon, with grants from the Maine Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency taking longer, with a response expected in six to nine months.

Commissioners approved the renewal of the contract between LCRPC and the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Under the agreement, the commission receives $1,231 for inland community planning support. The services are for Somerville, Whitefield and Jefferson. The coastal community contract is delayed. “This is the larger of the two contracts in terms of dollar amounts. The delay is on the state side, and (the contract) will probably be ready by your next meeting,” Rabbe said.

Commissioners approved ASK (Assistance with Specific Skills) grants for the Bremen Library and the Town of Waldoboro. The Bremen Library received a $2,500 grant to fund the preparation of a topographic survey. Rabbe noted that the library has experienced drainage issues following heavy rains in recent years. “The survey helps determine how to address the situation by moving the slope away from the building,” she said. The survey will also be used to develop site and construction plans for a family gathering space.

Waldoboro received a $2,500 ASK grant to hire a qualified asbestos company to identify asbestos in the Hoffses house on the former Sylvania site. “The city has done a visual inspection. They are pretty sure there are asbestos shingles, mold and lead, but they need a qualified technician equipped to identify any hidden asbestos and prepare a cost estimate for remediation.”

Two LCRPC staff members will be traveling to Stowe, Vermont, for the Northern New England Chapter of the Planning Association’s annual conference in October. Laura Graziano, a community resilience planner, will be presenting at the conference. She will be on a panel on using data and technology to track affordable housing. Curtis Brown is a land use and transportation planner. He was hired April 29 and will also be attending the conference.

Commissioners adjourned the meeting after a closed session regarding labor negotiations. Commissioners will meet again at 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 16, at the courthouse.