RANGELEY — At a Rangeley Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday, residents discussed the need for more parking, plans for a recreation center, and the need to address the issue of salt draining into Haley Pond. The board also went over the budget for the Sheriff’s Office, which includes funding for a lieutenant and four deputies.
Jaime Wallace and Ron Williams of Topsham environmental firm Wright-Pierce conducted a listening session on the needs assessment the firm was hired to conduct on behalf of the town. The group released its draft report in January. Wright-Pierce has already received some feedback on the report, said Wallace, including that the sand and salt need to be covered to protect the surrounding environmentally sensitive areas.
Public comment affirmed this. Several people wondered whether the salt and sand ultimately need to be moved to a new location for environmental reasons, as the salt is potentially draining into Haley Pond. Mark Beauregard wondered about priorities in the needs assessment, and said he thought “the environmental stuff should be pretty close to the top,” noting that the discussion around covering the sand and salt pile had gone on for a while.
The winter sand stockpile is located at the highway garage. “The town does own a wooden shed that can house approximately 60 tons of road salt separate from the sand pile,” said Rangeley Town Manager Joe Roach.
Residents noted that there is often a lack of parking during summer and holidays, as well as when there is a town meeting and baseball game simultaneously. They also discussed the potential for a recreation center. Chris Farmer suggested such a space could be used to bring the town’s seniors and young people together. “The center should be developed in a way where we take advantage of our older community members,” he said.
Selectman Keith Savage said the town should keep in mind updates that will be needed in the future, such as to the transfer station and sewage treatment infrastructure. Chick Hill is still on the table for housing some of the public departments once completed.
As the hearing wrapped, one board member suggested creating a committee, as there is already so much information and enough future project work.
The board also discussed the fiscal year 2027-2028 Sheriff’s Office budget, which totals $1,191,959. Most of the cost is driven by personnel, which accounts for $790,209 and includes four deputies and one lieutenant. Another significant part of the budget is $260,000 in one-time capital investments, including additional vehicles, uniforms, body armor, and a designated landline.
Craig Sargent updated the board on plans for July 4. The banners and decorations will be up around Memorial Day weekend, said Sargent, and will “light this town up in terms of patriotism.” There will be two evenings of fireworks on the lake: Oquossoc on July 2 and Rangeley on July 3 at the town park. The exact times will be confirmed at a later date.
Barbara Sergio, president of MaineHealth Franklin Hospital, presented an update on the emergency department renovation, which is in the first year of a two-year, five-phase project and is currently moving from stage two to three. The project will enlarge the space to include more emergency department rooms and mental health safe spaces. The ambulance bays also need extensive renovation, said Sergio, and this is the “perfect time to repair it the correct way.”
Late summer or early fall, the front entrance of the hospital will be temporarily shut down in order to transition. The hospital will remain open, with a separate emergency department entrance. The shutdown is estimated to take between two and four weeks, with a goal of “having as little impact to our community as possible.”
The next board meeting will take place on May 18 at 5 p.m. and will be followed by a final public hearing on the town warrant. The annual town meeting is scheduled for June 9 in the town office, beginning at 7:45 a.m.
Update: This story was updated on May 8, 2026 to fix a typo in Mark Beauregard’s surname.
