The council closed the campsites over ten years ago due to rampant vandalism that made it more of a problem than it was worth. The town was not able to properly supervise the campsite in the past, but an out-of-state couple that camps near the site in the summer has emerged that could provide the necessary supervision of the site.

Al and Lynn Haskell have parked their camper near the bathhouse for the past few summers and seem to be the ideal candidates to supervise the campsite because some of the councilors are familiar with them.

Pearson hoped the Haskells would be attending the May 14 council meeting, but they haven't made their way north yet. When the Haskells arrive in Dexter, Pearson hopes to have them discuss the proposal with the council.

"I presented the council with the numbers on how much revenue we could generate from the campsites and right now they are thinking it over. This is the right time to re-open the campsites because in the past all the problems were like a pain-in-the-neck but we have found the right couple so they can collect fees and supervise the site," Pearson said.

The council also discussed the progress of the state returning the ownership of the boat launch to the town. The state needs to fix the erosion problem at the site before the property can be returned to the town, but the repairs can't proceed until the state applies for the proper Shoreland Zoning application. Pearson didn’t know why the application hadn't been received by the town and thought the project would have been completed by now.

On Wednesday, May 20 town officials met with the Sargent Corp. of Stillwater, who won the obstruction removal project at the airport. Town officials will have a pre-bid meeting with all contractors interested in bidding on a project to resurface and remove a hump in the runway. The project also includes moving it farther away from the Corinna town line. The project has an estimated cost of $3.8 million and town officials hope to award the bid on May 27.

The council voted 7-0 to give Lance Gabriel an additional 30 days to clean-up the property he bought from the town last summer. The property located at 75 Lower Main St. was purchased by Gabriel after the town was unable to get the previous owner to make the proper renovations following the fire.

Gabriel addressed the council’s concerns about the lack of progress through a letter that was read at the council meeting. Gabriel was making progress toward making the renovations, which mostly consist of cleaning up one side of the badly burned building, but an illness in the family halted the project, according to his letter. Gabriel now has until May 30 to complete the project."This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the SVWeekly.com and is used here with permission."