SIDNEY — Voters got a lot of work done Saturday at the annual Town Meeting, approving the application for a block grant for the local music camp that could lead to an arts charter school.

With state Sen. Roger Katz moderating the meeting, residents took their time over nearly three hours approving and rejecting competing Budget Committee and Board of Selectmen recommendations for spending on the 41-article town warrant.

In the end, residents agreed to a budget of $1,481,927, or about $6,000 less than selectmen had recommended in the written articles. Last year’s budget came in at $1,419,470. The town’s tax rate is $10.85 for every $1,000 in property valuation.

The issue of allowing the town to apply for a Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $270,000 generated much of the discussion Saturday because the article simply said it was for economic development with no mention of where the grant money would go.

It turned out that the money would be for improvements to the New England Music Camp, doing business as the Snow Pond Center for the Arts.

Music camp director John Wiggin stood to tell residents that the funding was needed to help pay for winterization of the lodge, increased parking, storm water collection, community recreation and control of milfoil and watershed improvement. No local tax dollars would be used for the project, he said.

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Wiggin said the camp will more than match the CDBG money with about $320,000 from other grants, gifts and foundations for a total of $590,000. The project could lead to as many as 16 new jobs. Voter support of the grant would show other contributors that Sidney residents are behind the idea and could lead to future funding, Wiggin said.

Wiggin said Snow Pond Community Music School opened last fall with an eye on possibly opening an art and music charter school in Sidney.

“That’s one of the things we are looking at – the feasibility of a charter school,” Wiggin said, noting that plans would not be in place until at least 2017.

He said the camp right now is concentrating on the new music school and after-school programs for local children all year round, not just in summer months.

“There are a number of barriers or things that have to be in line,” he said. “The funding for charter schools is not sufficient to do an arts charter school. We would want to make sure we are working closely with the Messalonskee school district because anything that we do will have to enhance the education that is already here.

“We would need a separate board of directors and we would need to raise an additional amount of dollars.”

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Sidney voters unanimously approved the town’s application for the block grant.

In other voting from the floor of the Town Meeting, Sidney residents voted to spend $13,200 for general upkeep of the cemeteries in town. The problem is that nobody knows who owns the estimated 26 graveyards.

“The town isn’t sure if they are privately owned or publicly owned,” resident Mike Savage said. “I recommend a committee be formed to see what the town is legally responsible for.”

 


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