Bowdoinham board weighs cannabis licenses, waterfront repairs, public safety issues

Bowdoinham’s Select Board moved on three decisions with the widest day-to-day impact on town life: a cannabis business license for AE, LLC, a $49,715 waterfront change order, and a four-way stop demonstration at Route 24 and Lower Main Street.

The board’s April 28 agenda also included a second cannabis item for North Fire LLC, along with a town meeting warrant, a waterfront water service item, a hazardous waste program, a cemetery reserve request, a quitclaim deed, and the Riverview House Project. But the clearest near-term changes centered on where people drive, where the town spends money, and how regulated business fits into the village.

AE, LLC drew a public hearing notice for a Medical Cannabis Registered Caregiver application at 205 Carding Machine Road, with the hearing set for 6:30 p.m. in the Kendall Meeting Room at the John C. Coombs Building. Town records show the Planning Board approved AE, LLC’s Site Plan Review Tier II on March 26, and a code enforcement site visit on April 22 found the applicant compliant with its permit. The Select Board then approved the cannabis cultivation facility business license for one year, subject to reimbursement of noticing fees, state approvals and continued compliance with the March 26 permit.

On the waterfront, the board also dealt with the cost and timing of Phase 2, Contract No. 2 of Waterfront Improvements, tied to LWCF project 23-00909. Change Order No. 5 added $49,715, bringing the contract price to $805,340 and pushing ready-for-final-payment to Dec. 1, 2026. The work covers paving about 2,020 linear feet of walkways, plus loam, seed and mulch along the edges. A separate change order added additional light poles and fixtures.

Traffic safety was another major focus. A memo from Planning and Development Director Yvette Meunier said the town had already approved $1,319.50 in TIF money in January for an all-way stop at Route 24 and Lower Main Street, where visibility looking north is limited by the Masonic Lodge building. After feedback from Maine DOT, the project cost rose to about $2,361.78. The demonstration was scheduled for installation on May 15, with feedback to be gathered through Sept. 18 before Public Works removes the signs and the town reports back to DOT by Oct. 1.

The board also kept an eye on public safety and property stewardship. The Solid Waste Advisory Committee backed a combined hazardous waste collection day with Topsham, now projected for August 2026, and the Riverview House Project continued as the town weighs future uses for the yellow building in Bowdoinham Riverfront Park. Town officials had hired Acorn Engineering in October 2025 to study the building’s condition and develop conceptual reuse plans, while the town also posted a temporary Public Works Laborer opening for mowing, cemetery and park maintenance.