BRUNSWICK

To help local shellfish harvesters gain entry to upper Woodward Cove, the town may join conservation groups in an effort to acquire 21 acres of privately owned land off Gurnet Road.

Town officials hope to obtain funding through a mixture of local, state and federal sources. Half of the purchase price, which has not been disclosed, is slated to come from the town’s pursuit of a federal grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program.

But the grant also requires an equal local match. For that, Maine Coast Heitage Trust and Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust may be able to secure money through the Land for Maine’s Future Water Access Fund, as well as other conservation sources.

Steve Walker, a member of the town’s Planning Board and Maine Coast Heritage Trust, is helping to prepare the various applications.

Councilors are expected to decide tonight whether to approve the applications’ submission.

Also during the meeting, the council will receive a new town hall renvoation plan update.

If construction manager Peter Warren can work in both the 85 Union St. building and the existing meeting room at Brunswick Station, he believes he can shave five weeks and about $15,000 off the conversion.

The projected move-in date would be as early as March 24, according to a memo from Town Manager Gary Brown. Otherwise, the transfer could be as late as May 5.

To do that, however, a slate of public meetings will have to be relocated, either to the Morrell Meeting Room at Curtis Memorial Library or the large conference room at the former Hawthorne School on Federal

Street.

From Dec. 10-19 and Jan. 6-28, municipal meetings either will be broadcast live with a wireless camera and transmitter, or recorded for rebroadcast later on Brunswick TV3.

Finally, councilors will hold a public hearing about whether to allow hunting at the Kate Furbish Preserve’s recreational land, and receive an explanation of a disaster management rehearsal scheduled to take place at Brunswick Landing on Nov. 5-8.

jtleonard@timesrecord.com

¦ What: Brunswick Town Council

When: Tonight, 7 p.m.

Where: Second-floor municipal meeting room, Brunswick Station, 16 Station Ave.

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