DAYTON — Ted Poirier stood in front of a partially built model Beaver float plane in his basement on a recent morning and smiled.

“This is a beautiful plane,” he said.

He said he was watching television when he saw the real version of the amphibious airplane, which is commonly used in Alaska, and decided he needed to build a smaller version, complete with floats.

A large blueprint of the plane is posted on a nearby wall, amidst a well-organized collection of tools and model airplane parts.

“It’s like a store in here,” said Poirier.

In total, Poirier has made about 30 model remote-control planes. He has taken some to air shows, and said one was once on display at the Portland International Jetport.

“Someone asked me why I make these, and I said, ”˜have you ever seen anything like this?’ They said no,” he said. “That’s why.”

Poirier, who is a licensed pilot, also has an interest in planes. He once owned a helicopter, but sold it ”“ a move he now regrets.

“I used to go visit friends and land in their yard,” he said.

Poirier said he also took the helicopter to restaurants, calling ahead of time, and also flew the helicopter above The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach in the days of the minor league baseball team Maine Guides, so a photographer could take pictures.

Poirier doesn’t skimp on details when he build his models, with doors that open and close. On one model, which he said is a likeness to the plane flown by Amelia Earhart, windows are decorated inside with curtains.

He can’t say just how many hours he spends on the planes, but regardless, he’s sure to have more time these days to work on the models. Poirier, a former town selectmen chairman, recently stepped down from the board after serving for nine years.

One of his accomplishments as a selectman was driving the effort for a new town office building, a task he set out to do the night he was first elected.

“I had a lot of passion for that place,” he said.

The former building, which looked like a house, was not handicapped accessible, and meetings were held in a crowded basement. A new building had been talked about for years, but plans had never moved forward.

The new town office was built in 2008, with a spacious meeting room and energy efficient features. It was built through a town-wide volunteer effort, without raising taxes.

“Everybody helped, it was a beautiful sight,” he said. “It was just like the old days.”

Among his other accomplishments was getting the state to reimburse the town for a share of a new salt shed. A prior selectmen board had signed a contract with the state stipulating that it would pay back the town 80 percent “if and when” it had the money.

“I had some friends in Augusta, I make friends wherever I go, I don’t know why,” he said. Poirier said he made some calls to Augusta, and over time, the town finally got the money.

Also under his leadership, the town was able to make a settlement over a dispute regarding mold in modular buildings used by the school, though Poirier said he can’t talk about the details.

Poirier, who lived in Saco before moving to Dayton about 14 years ago, served on the city’s charter commission and as a ward clerk. He also served one term as state representative in the 1990s, winning as a Republican in a historically Democratic district.

Poirier owned Sun Lumber in the Saco Industrial Park for about 30 years and raises cattle. A fiscal conservative, he said he doesn’t believe in purchasing anything you can’t afford.

As a selectman, he said, he didn’t make any political favors, and he’s had a lot of people say they’re going to miss him.

“I did the job I thought I had to do,” he said. “I say what I mean, I mean what I say.”

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].