Wed, 04/20/2022 - 8:45am

BILL PEARSON

April 19’s winds were strong enough to blow down this sign in Wiscasset. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

A year-long survey of Lincoln County “hot spots” for high automobile accidents and crime has identified Boothbay as one of three highly impacted areas. Retired Lincoln County Deputy Sheriff Mark Bridgham has recorded the data which shows Boothbay, Jefferson and Bristol as the top three areas for recording the most “crashes and crimes.”

Bridgham has mapped the locations and sheriff’s department personnel are using the data for more patrols in these high-impact locations. “We are hoping to reduce incidents by placing more patrols in the area. This type of research is used mostly in urban areas, but we think this will work here, too,” said Chief Deputy Rand Maker during the April 12 county commissioners meeting.

The department hopes to implement more of Bridgham’s data research in the future. Commissioners approved an out-of-state expenditure to send Bridgham to a National Highway Safety conference. Maker explained the Level 2 conference will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina from July 13 to 15. Bridgham’s conference attendance is covered by an NHS grant. The county’s only expense is paying Bridgham his hourly wage.

In other action, commissioners approved paying for the department’s 2021 training ammunition. A combination of coronavirus and labor shortages resulted in the ammunition delivered nearly eight months after ordered. Commissioners approved paying $4,740.25 for the 2021 shipment and approved buying 2022 training ammunition from the same distributor T J Morris in Thorofare, New Jersey. The new order is for 25 cases of ammunition totaling $5,925.25.

Commissioners unanimously approved Code RED as the the county’s official emergency notification system. County Emergency Management Agency Director Casey Stevens requested commissioners make the official designation. He described the system as sending out immediate notification through text messages, emails and phone calls on emergencies such as missing persons, road closures and fires. Stevens reported Alternative Organizational Structure 93 schools had already implemented the system and he expected other county school systems to follow.

Maker used an example of an Alna car accident earlier Tuesday morning, April 19, to explain how the system worked. “A guy was driving when a tree hit his car. This resulted in closing down the road. I sent out an alert, and for a two-mile radius, it alerted Code RED subscribers to seek an alternate route,” he said.

Commissioners approved a $24,000 payment to United Ambulance in Augusta for a county emergency medical technician course in Boothbay. The course is for 20 county residents seeking to become certified EMTs. Stevens also received approval to store the department’s emergency trailers for $1,150 per month at Just Right Storage in Damariscotta. Stevens expects the storage to last eight months before he seeks another location.

The communication center is also looking for a new emergency dispatcher. Commissioners accepted Alexander Slage’s resignation. He is leaving to work for Brunswick Fire Department. His last day as a full-time dispatcher is April 29. He will remain as a part-time department employee.

County Administrator Carrie Kipfer announced Maine Department of Transportation had announced two notices of takings. One property is owned by Friendship Street Company in Waldoboro. The other is owned by Meggin Tierney in Bremen. Kipfer reported both MDOT projects were for culvert replacements.

Kipfer also announced the probate court is seeking a new clerk. The meeting ended with commissioners holding executive sessions for a legal consultation and labor contract. Commissioners meet next at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 3 in the courthouse.