Skowhegan Planning Board OKs 8-lot subdivision, hears courthouse plan

The Skowhegan Planning Board re-elected its officers and approved an eight-lot subdivision on Fourth Street proposed by Jeremy Reardon during its Oct. 6 meeting. The board also heard a pre-application presentation for a $33 million expansion of the state courthouse on Court Street and discussed a possible applicant for a board vacancy.

Key points

• The board re-elected Steve Conley as chair, named a vice chair and secretary by unanimous votes.
• The board unanimously approved the eight-lot subdivision submitted by Dearborn Engineering for Jeremy Reardon on Fourth Street, with work targeted for next June to avoid school traffic.
• Dave Woodward of WBRC presented a pre-application for a $33 million Maine Judicial Branch courthouse expansion at 47 and 55 Court Street, adding a courtroom and roughly 106 parking spaces.
• Board members raised questions about the Court Street drop-off area, fencing and buffering, and parking demand; the project team said it plans to bid the work in late October.
• The board discussed an application from Esther Frank for a board vacancy, with members suggesting she visit a meeting first; no appointment was made.
• The board discussed updating its cannabis ordinance and extending a moratorium set to expire in December, with staff planning to gather sample ordinances from other towns.

Next steps

• The board plans a second meeting this month, including training video sessions, and will consider moving its meeting day to Wednesday.
• The board will invite Esther Frank to attend a future meeting before making a recommendation to the select board.
• Staff will gather cannabis ordinance examples from other towns and bring information back for possible moratorium extension.

Read the full transcript