HARPSWELL

The Friends of Mitchell Field are unmoved by the invalid claim of a warrant they’ve presented for a special Town Meeting they’ve called in the hope of saving the Mitchell Field water tower.

“We are proceeding,” said Dorothy Rosenberg, a member of the group who sat on the Water Tower Task Force and has spoken frequently on the issue.

The group has continued its crusade to preserve the unused tower even after voters rejected their offer to take over management and repair of it at the March Town Meeting. After selectmen rejected a petition to conduct another Town Meeting for another vote, the Friends called one of their own, relying on a rarely used provision of Maine law to do so.

As presented to a public notary, the group’s warrant asks Harpswell residents to reconsider their vote to demolish the tower and instead let the Friends of Mitchell Field take over management of the tower.

In June, Town Attorney Amy Tchao told the selectmen that in her opinion the warrant issued by the Friends of Mitchell Field was invalid. Tchao outlined a number of alleged problems with the group’s warrant. First, the town meeting should have been set for 60 days after the warrant was issued, not within 60 days. Second, the warrant should have been called with a separate petition than the one presented to selectmen asking for a revote in April. And finally, the election should be organized by the town, not by the Friends of Mitchell Field.

The Friends of Mitchell Field, however, maintain that Tchao is misreading the law.

“After consulting again with our attorney, we are actually quite at a loss to explain where (Tchao’s claims) came from,” said Rosenberg. “Our attorney is confused about what statutes she’s citing.”

Town Administrator Kristi Eiane said that the selectmen will likely ask Tchao to write up her issues with the warrant at their meeting Thursday, with the hope of convincing the Friends of Mitchell Field to reconsider moving forward.

But according to Rosenberg, the only way this is likely to end is in court.

“Quite obviously, the only resolution has to be decided by a court if the town is not willing to look for some compromise or mediation,” said Rosenberg.

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