By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — In a turnout that was almost double the usual, residents at Naples Town Meeting on Tuesday approved a $12.4 million budget that included some funding for the Lake Region Explorer.

The Explorer bus funding was presented as a citizen’s initiative.

For the past few years, the Naples Budget Committee had not included the bus budget. This year, the budget committee agreed to give the Explorer $4,000 in case the citizen’s initiative did not pass.

After some discussion, residents at the town meeting decided to earmark $8,500 for the bus service.

Additionally, voters passed a $1,000,000 infrastructure bond that won’t impact taxes because the project will be covered with a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) fund.

There was not any public comment about the budget warrant articles until it came to Article 17, the infrastructure bond.

Resident Larry Anton asked about the language and another resident asked why the town was paying for upgrades to state roads. 

In the end, what was approved is the “Routes 302 and 35 intersection project, including the addition of a turn lane, crosswalks, and ramps; replacement of traffic signals; sidewalk improvements; lighting improvements; water service extensions; and related improvements,” according to the warrant article.

The town will take out a bond not to exceed $1,000,000 and the bond will be repaid using TIF funds. Additionally, the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) will cover $370,000 of the project.

A voter in the audience said, “This intersection is Route 35 and Route 302, which are state routes. Why is the town paying for it?”

Naples selectmen Rich Cebra spoke.

“The state agreed to split the project costs with the town because it is something the town wanted to do. Then, the town added improvements” which ended up increasing the total cost of the project, Cebra said.

The town and the state had already signed the agreement for the Municipal Partnership Initiative Funds before the town received the cost estimates for the additional work. 

“The biggest expense is the turning lane off Route 35,” Naples Chairman Jim Grattelo said.

The person in the audience who had asked the questions said, “I don’t disagree. I am just asking why.”

Chairman Grattelo added, “This project is going to be completely funded by the TIF so there will be zero impact on the taxpayers.”

The taxpayers were more than willing to back that idea and Warrant Article 17 was passed by a vast majority.

Warrant Article 23 was the citizen initiative which provided funding for the Explorer bus. It preceded Warrant Article 24, which provides funding for Outside Agencies.

A resident asked about the bus service.

Jim Turpin, who serves on both the board of selectmen and the budget committee, heard the presentation by a representative of the Explorer and conveyed some of that information.

“The riders, there are about 1,000 a year. The tickets are around $3. They are asking us to subsidize,” Turpin said. “The idea you might want to entertain: is $10,000 the right number?”

Chairman Jim Grattelo explained that the budget committee funded $4,250 for the Explorer in hopes that it would expand to Saturday service in the future. The agreement was the Explorer would operate during the weekend of the Bluesfest this year, Grattelo said.

Resident Michael Shepard spoke at the microphone, saying he was the one who brought forward the citizen’s initiative.

“When I gathered the signatures, I was overwhelmed with people who signed it saying how much it was of use to them. A lot of people thought it was necessary and that the Town of Naples should fund it,” Shepard said.

He said that people who never used it had family members or friends who had relied on it. Also, high school students said they used the Explorer to travel from the high school to work in Windham, Shepard said. The ridership has increased every year, he said.

Voting for the budget item would be showing “support for a way to get around here,” Shepard said.

(Larry) Anton introduced the motion to reduce the funding for the Explorer from $10,000 to $8,500.

It is valuable “if high school students are taking it to work,” Anton said.

Resident Barbara Adlard spoke in support of the amendment. 

“Having a bus is so important to so many people who need to get to town. [It’s important] to people who need to get to doctors and don’t have a car or don’t have money for gas to put in the car,” Adlard said.

Chairman Grattelo said it made perfect sense for the Explorer to move toward Saturday service and that is what representatives have told the budget committee by summer 2020.

“The bus service is not going to go away,” Grattelo said.

Earlier in the evening, when Article 22, Community Groups and Events, was on the floor, resident Marie Kushner asked why the Fourth of July expenses were cut. She explained that the fireworks and other Independence Day activities draw crowds to Naples. That is important not just for business owners but also for the community as a whole, Kushner said.

Naples Town Manager John Hawley said the budget number went down because community donations for the fireworks display increased. Because business owners were generous, the town reduced the amount it needs to spend on July 4 activities, he said.

“It is not going to decrease what we are doing,” Hawley said.

Something new in the budget: The town will be using $32,250 in TIF funds on dedicated law enforcement services from Memorial Day to Labor Day.