Castine Selectmen consider second public forum on Town Dock adaptation pending state approval and local match

Town Manager Derik Goodine told the Castine Selectmen on March 31 that a consultant proposal from GEI to hold a second public forum focused on the Town Dock would cost $6,788 and could help shape preliminary adaptation strategies if the State determines the forum aligns with existing grant objectives.

According to Goodine, the original grant for the Town Dock work is $55,000, with a required local match of $5,000. He said he expects to document approximately $1,000 in in‑kind staff time and that, if the State agrees the second forum fits grant objectives, the Town would need to identify roughly $4,000 of additional match funding. Goodine also stated the GEI contract for the overall project was $50,000 and that scheduling a second public forum would extend the initial project report deadline to May 30, 2025.

The GEI proposal, as summarized by Goodine, would further engage local stakeholders, residents and business owners; present a project update; identify priority assets; and use small facilitated groups to review maps that illustrate flood risk, vulnerable infrastructure and proposed adaptation options for the dock.

Selectmen expressed support for holding a second forum but said the Town must first get the State's determination about whether the forum expenses can be applied toward the grant match and then confer with Finance Officer Karen Motycka about available funds, including the contingency account. No final appropriation was made at the March 31 meeting; the Selectmen left next steps contingent on the State response and a follow‑up budget conversation.