TOPSHAM

The Board of Selectmen voted Thursday to transfer five properties along the Cathance River to the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust (BTLT).

The five parcels, which total about 100 acres, are unbuildable swamp lands along the Cathance River that have value in conservation of wildlife habitat but not for development, according to town officials.

Town Manager Cornell Knight said selectmen voted 5-0 to transfer fee ownership to the BTLT rather than conservation easements, with the condition that if the BTLT dissolves, the property would revert back to the town; and that Knight checks with legal counsel to ensure that the board has the authority to transfer the property without town meeting approval.

Assistant Planner Rod Melanson wrote in a memo that fee ownership by BTLT is preferable “because the primary conservation value of these properties is the conservation of wildlife habitat and the parcels are so wet that they likely cannot be developed for active recreational use or the access to them is so difficult it would preclude active recreational uses. In addition, the legal costs and ongoing monitoring costs are much higher for easements than they are for fee-acquired properties.”

In other business Thursday, selectmen also unanimously approved a cooperative agreement with the Maine Department of Transportation Office of Freight Transportation to provide all-terrain vehicle patrol of state-owned rail lines until Dec. 31, 2013. Under the agreement the state reimburses the town for officers’ time when they conduct patrols and enforce state law regarding trespassing and illegal ATV use in railroad corridors. The Topsham Police Department has provided this service since 2006.

Selectmen unanimously voted to award the 2005 police cruiser to Asian Auto Services of Plaistow, N.H., for $995.32. Asian Auto Services submitted the only bid on the cruiser.

Selectmen also accepted an $8,700 Maine State Planning Office Coastal Competitive Grant for a fish barrier survey of the Little River in Topsham and Lisbon, Knight said. Most of the work will be done by the Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conservation District. There is no cash match requirement.

The survey is part of an ongoing effort to assess fish barriers within the greater Androscoggin River watershed. The Little River, a tributary to the Androscoggin River, enters the river approximately seven miles upstream from the Brunswick fishway.

Selectmen also signed the warrant for the June 12 referendum regarding sale and use of fireworks.