STALL (It 
Orrin: HF rm? 
1 STATE HOLT 
MAINE

CMPaul Ft. 



PHONL:

August 2, 2016

Newell Graf, Chairman
Somerset County Commissioners
41 Court Street

Skowhegan, ME 04976

Dear Chairman Graf,

This letter is in response to the Somerset County Commissioners? July 7 letter requesting
?nancial assistance for repairs to some private roads that were washed out in the Unorganized
Territory between June 28 and 29.

After learning of the signi?cant damage to these roads, I asked staff to look into what
options may be available to provide assistance to the property owners affected. Staff from the
Maine Departments of Environmental Protection Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
and the Land Use Flaming Commission (LUPC) visited the damaged private roads
recently and briefed my staff and cabinet members on what they saw. Also, the Maine
Department of Transportation (DOT) responded quickly after the storm to fix a State bridge in
the area that was washed out from the rain. After carefully reviewing the private road damage
and the State budget, the Executive Branch is unable to provide financial assistance with the
repairs, as the Legislature is the only Branch of State government that can appropriate money.

As I mentioned in my July 18 letter to Rep. Jeff McCabe, I am willing to call the
Legislature back to fund an emergency bill to provide ?nancial assistance to the infrastructure
damage in the area. However, Speaker Eves has already indicated that he would gavel in and out
immediately without taking up any work ifI called for such session. I would encourage the
County to reach out to the Speaker and ask him if he would support an emergency legislative
session to deal with this issue.

In addition, I am supportive of my Administration providing technical expertise to the
County and the road associations as they rebuild the damaged roads. These State experts can
provide recommendations and advice on how to rebuild the roads to help withstand future
extreme weather events. Please don?t hesitate to contact DOT, DEP and ACE if you would like
to request such assistance. The LUPC has also indicated that they can provide assistance if
needed.

{.539} 
l" 



TTY USERS CALI.

wwu?. mai 



Furthermore, I would encourage the County and the road associations to reach out to
local contractors and contractor associations to inquire if they have any services or leftover
materials that could help with the rebuilding of the roads.

I appreciate your interest in helping the property owners in your County during this
difficult time. Please feel free to contact my Administration if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,

Paul R. LePage
Governor

cc: Sen. Rod Whittemore
Rep. Larry Dunphy
Rep. Jeff McCabe
Speaker Mark Eves
Comm. Phil Roy
Comm. Robert Dunphy
Comm. Dean Cray
Comm. Lloyd Trafton
Comm. David Bernhardt, MDOT
Comm. Paul Mercer, DEP
Comm. Walt Whitcomb, ACF
Comm. Richard Rosen, DAFS
Nick Livesay, LUPC