Debates in Naples and Casco over replacement bridge replacement and plans for the future of town offices will continue Tuesday, May 20, as Naples, Casco, and Sebago residents vote in municipal elections.

The three elections will be held with a district-wide vote to approve the School Administrative District 61 budget. The budget was set at a school district meeting May 15. Polls in Bridgton, Casco, Naples and Sebago, all served by SAD 61, will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Naples residents will elect town officials, vote on two town ordinances, and advise the Select Board in non-binding referendums on their preference for a fixed or swing bridge for the Naples Causeway and about a proposed bus route between Bridgton and Portland.

In another non-binding referendum, Casco residents will express their preference between a number of options regarding the future of their town offices. Sebago residents will elect town officials.

Naples Town Manager Derek Goodine said the purpose of the bridge referendum is to help the Select Board take a position on replacing the bridge. He added that the Maine Department of Transportation will also look at the results.

Residents formed the Committee to Save the Bridge to advocate for a bridge that would open to accomodate all boat traffic. The committee argued that a fixed bridge would have a negative economic impact on the area.

Some are worried the wording of the referendum may be unclear or misleading. The first option asks if residents support a swinging bridge with any cost exceeding $11 million coming from Naples, other towns, businesses, and/or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Barbara Clark, executive director of the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, is concerned residents will think their taxes will go up if they vote for the swing bridge. She said that other funds could be available. “This is a state bridge,” Clark said, adding “I think it should be more of a regional issue.”

The second option asks residents if they support a $8 million fixed bridge proposed by the MDOT complete with decorative lighting and fencing for the Naples Causeway, completely paid for by the state.

“This non-binding referendum is not worded right,” said Clark. “I think it should say, do you want a swing bridge or a fixed bridge, period.”

The second non-binding referendum question for Naples residents asks if they would use a bus service between Naples and Portland. The service would be supported by rider fares, federal grants, and property taxes from towns along the route. The cost to Naples residents would be more than $2,900 for the first year. Goodine said that it is unknown how much the service would cost the town in subsequent years.

Only one election for town offices in Naples is contested, as incumbent Select Board members Christine Powers and Dana Watson, along with William Weese Jr. are running for two seats on the board.

Ephrem Paraschak is the only candidate for the Casco-Naples Transfer Station Council. Michael Skarbinski is the only candidate for the SAD 61 School Board. Two people, Marie Caron and Timothy Vogen, are running for four open spots on the Budget Committee. John Thompson is the only candidate for the Planning Board.

Naples residents will also vote on two ordinances regarding floodplan management and zoning. The floodplan management ordinance would enact mandatory changes to keep the town eligible for flood insurance, said Goodine. “The specific changes are nothing of real significance,” he added.

The proposed zoning ordinance would divide the town into rural, critical rural, commercial, residential growth and village districts. Each district has its own guidelines regarding what types and how much development is allowed.

Currently Naples does not have a comprehensive zoning ordinance, though there are rules governing development on lakefront properties and in the village district.The new zoning ordinance is based on recommendations from the comprehensive plan, said Goodine, and is not as complicated as many towns’ zoning ordinances.

In Casco, the town office referendum vote follows a several year long saga of finding a permanent home for town offices. Mold was discovered in the old community center and the town offices were moved into a building behind the fire station in 2006.

The community center building currently stands vacant, except for the post office wing. A number of possible plans have been proposed, including renovating the existing community center building, tearing down the existing structure to build a new one, and using the Casco Memorial School for town offices.

Last June a referendum to reconstruct the old building and expand its square footage failed by 12 votes. A citizen’s group has petitioned to move town offices into the Casco Memorial School, which could be vacated by SAD 61 this year. Before this happens, the school board has to vote to give the building back to the town and the town has to vote to allow the school to close and accept the building.

The referendum question of whether or not to move town offices into the school will appear both on the May 20 advisory referendum and on the warrant for the annual town meeting June 11.

“The issue here is trying to find out from people the best direction to take,” said Casco Town Manager David Morton.

Sebago residents will vote in several uncontested municipal elections. Ann Farley and Jeffrey Harriman are running for two positions on the Board of Selectmen. Joseph McMahon is running for the Budget Committee and the Sebago Cemetary Committee. Paul Fahey is running for the trustee position to the town-owned Potter School building.

Naples residents drew a line in the air May 8 with a sign showing the height of a proposed fixed bridge over the Chute River on the Naples Causeway. Voters will be asked for their preference for a fixed or swinging bridge during municipal elections May 20.

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