MILO, Maine — The evening after residents gave their approval during a special town meeting, the Board of Selectmen authorized Town Manager David Maynard to execute the sale of a pair of lots at the Eastern Piscataquis Business Park during a June 4 meeting. One lot will be sold to Ron and Amy Desmarais and the other to the Three Rivers Kiwanis Club.
The Desmarais’ $60,000 purchase will be for their business Eastern Maine Shooting Supplies to expand on an approximately 3.5-acre parcel of the park to establish three machine shop businesses at the site once renovations are completed over the next six months.
At the special town meeting, those in attendance agreed to a $1 purchase price, predicated on the Three Rivers Kiwanis obtaining 501(c)3 status within the next year, for a 2.07-acre business park lot to be the site of a club building. The Three Rivers Kiwanis would construct a 30- by 120-foot building to be used for functions such as the annual auction, regular meetings and other events. Kiwanis officials are planning to work with Desmarais on securing building supplies and contractors, with the estimated project cost to be $100,000.
Several other articles at the town meeting concerning the park were approved, and each was formally approved by the selectmen 24 hours later to enable Maynard to take the next steps. A narrow strip of land at the edge of the business park will be donated to the Maine Department of Transportation for a Route 11 right of way, and in return the state agency will construct a turning lane to enter the park access road.
Another $1 sale for a lot was given the go ahead, enabling the Milo Fire Department to use the parcel as a fire safety training center. The fire department will also submit a grant application to the Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation for $50,000 to build the training facility
Also approved at the town meeting was a $60,000 Community Development Block Grant application for Mike Anderson to help expand his Milo Taxi Service business, as well as using $4,000 from surplus to pay a portion of the cost of demolition and property clean-up for a town-owned derelict property on Clinton Street.