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The Lincoln County Commissioners agreed Tuesday to buy a license for a new software bundle for GIS mapping for the Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission.

The new community development specialist, Harold Spetla, made the request at the Aug. 15 meeting. The request was approved. The cost per year will be $2,600, and the new software will be much more adept at interfacing with other mapping software programs than the current system is, he said.

The LCRPC also made the county aware of a lower price for the orthoimagery project, a program that takes satellite images of the entire county. A 12-inch resolution for all of Lincoln County would cost $20,969, about $10,000 less than expected. Towns could ask for additional resolution for small costs to them if they needed it, or they would have access to the county images for free. The commissioners agreed to move forward on the 12-inch resolution package.

The LCRPC will also be getting its parking lots paved. The cost for the front and back lots will be $27,275, according to a bid by Midcoast Paving in Topsham. A top coat could be added in several years if needed.

The communications department announced that Maine has opted into a high speed network, the FirstNet project, at a national cost of $7 billion. Much of Maines high speed network infrastructure will be upgraded so that in an emergency, data, images and information can move from one agency to another quickly. Commissioners also signed off on contingency agreements with Knox and Waldo County communications in case Lincoln Countys communications system ever fails. This year, Oxford County Communications suffered a direct hit by lightning, and its contingency partners picked up their traffic while Oxford was getting new equipment to go back online. Sagadahoc County Sheriffs Department and the Brunswick Police Department are also considering joining the contingency agreement.

The Emergency Management Agency produced a new pamphlet to explain what the agency does. The agency does search and rescue, has a haz-mat team and an amateur radio team, and supervises towns emergency planning committees. The EMA also discussed resources that emergency shelters and warming stations could tap to meet the needs of people sheltering in them during a weather emergency. They are making a list of food banks and hot food providers such as schools and Meals on Wheels to distribute to the network of shelters to help them prepare for an emergency.

The jail is currently housing 19 inmates from Lincoln and 32 from Sagadahoc counties, with 119 diverted in Lincoln County. The remainder of the 153 inmates come from Waldo, Knox, Androscoggin and Cumberland counties and there is one federal inmate. The jail received a $294,870 check from the state for community corrections, but County Administrator Carrie Kipfer said it is believed some of that money was sent in error, and will likely be asked for by the state. Last years CCA disbursement was about $265,000, she said.

The Sheriffs Office needs some work done. Mold was found in the upper level offices, and was assessed at a total cost of $3,204. Bids for the remediation work are currently being obtained.

The county received notification from Seven Trees, a nonprofit which used to offer group home services in Lincoln County, that a $14,000 grant the county gave them several years ago is being returned, because the group homes are no longer offering services and the buildings have been sold. The commissioners agreed to accept the funds and hold them in a special account until they decide what to do with the money.

A large number of boxes from the basement law library are still lining the hallway. The books belong to the Lincoln County Bar Association, but no one seems to want the books, since most research is done online now, Kipfer said. She has been in contact with the Bar Association to get them to pick up the books, but said no firm date had yet been set for their removal. She said she favored storing them at the recycling center until the Bar Association can get them before the winter weather sets in. If they cannot collect them by then, she favors recycling the books, she said. The county does not currently have a license for Lexus-Nexus, an online law and public record search system, but Kipfer said there is a free edition the county should be able to use which would satisfy the requirement that the county maintain a law library.

A county-wide historic photo exhibit is on display throughout the courthouse. There will be a slideshow presentation of all the images on Sept. 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the Superior courtroom.

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Commissioners approve software for GIS mapping - Wiscasset Newspaper