| Joanne Cole, NGX |
The select board addressed a range of matters in a two-and-a-half-hour meeting on July 20. They agreed to meet with the budget committee to discuss the library and planning budget articles voters rejected, revisited the Stevens Brook dam and culvert project on Gloucester Hill Road, discussed ramps for Town Hall and the community building, and weighed a possible forklift for public works, among other items.
Newly elected as board chair, Karen Gilles took the reins, swapping spots with outgoing chair Linda Chase, who was elected vice-chair.
Revisiting library and planning budgets. Moving quickly after citizens voted down library and planning department budget articles in the July 14 election, the board decided to meet with the budget committee to discuss what dollar amounts to present next to voters. The joint meeting is set for Monday July 27 at 7 pm on Zoom.
The library result was not unexpected, as supporters had mounted a “Vote No on 13” campaign to protest cuts in the library’s current funding. But the failure of the planning budget article came as a surprise. Asked by town manager Brenda Fox-Howard what the issue might have been, Gilles pointed to the seeming disparity between the select board’s and budget committee’s recommendations: $60,046 from the select board vs. $35,872 from the budget committee.
As Fox-Howard explained, the town continues under its current budget until voters have passed all budget articles. The 60-day window to do so would close on September 14. Adding to the urgency, ballots for absentee voting should be made available a month in advance and a public hearing be held before the vote.
Stevens Brook culvert and dam project; posting the road. The board discussed the Stevens Brook project with consulting engineers from Wright-Pierce in Topsham, invited by manager Fox-Howard. The proposed project—dredging the Stevens Brook fishing pond across from the Lower Cemetery, replacing a failing culvert and dam, and re-decking Gloucester Hill Road—had been set for this summer at a cost of $715,555, pending citizens’ approval of funding at town meeting. But with town meeting postponed, voter approval could not be secured in time for the summer construction window.
Now town manager Fox-Howard wants to take a hard look at the project’s scope and cost. “We need to make sure we’ve explored all the options,” she told the board.
The road and failing culvert must be fixed, that much is clear. But could a cistern system provide water for fire suppression at less expense, Fox-Howard wondered. Could the fire pond on the hill do the job, for example, and if so, could the scope of the project be trimmed? Perhaps pond waters could revert to a brook beneath a new overpass on the road?
As Wright-Pierce project engineer Stephanie Hubbard explained, the original design intent was to maintain the pond’s dual roles of fire protection and recreational fishing, which require dredging, water impoundment, and maintaining a dam and weir structure.
As to costs, some $550,000 of the original $755,000 project bid was for culvert replacement and road repair, according to Wright-Pierce engineer Jaime Wallace. While a cistern system could reduce dredging and other costs, a 40,000-gallon cistern project, for example, might itself cost between $150,000 and $250,000, Hubbard said, offsetting hoped-for savings. Were the town to go the cistern route, National Fire Protection Association regulations and other standards would dictate the actual size and design needed.
Along with considering the feasibility and cost of alternatives, Fox-Howard questioned the safety and practicality of fishing in that location. Kids fish “so near the road” they’re at risk, she said. Fox-Howard has also seen plenty of adults fishing, some with nets at the dam, despite the pond’s designation as under age 16 only. Even so, if fishing were no longer allowed, engineer Hubbard had told the board, you’d still need “a good chunk of funds” for the dam and culvert work.
The look of the area would change even under the current design, Hubbard noted, with new fencing at the culvert and dam area and the dam platform widened from its current five feet to eighteen feet. The road would still have guardrails; the pond’s water level would be the same or a little lower, Hubbard said.
While exploration of alternatives goes forward, the board decided to post a weight limit on Gloucester Hill Road to minimize further damage to the road and culvert. Public works director Ted Shane said that DOT recommended “going as light as possible.” The 10-ton restriction the board unanimously approved is intended to discourage logging trucks and 18-wheelers, while leaving school buses and box trucks unaffected.
Ramps at town hall complex. Manager Fox-Howard drew the board’s attention to deteriorating wooden ramps at Town Hall and the community building. The ramps are unsafe and don’t comply with ADA requirements, Fox-Howard said. She suggested paved cement ramps in both locations and offered a back-of-the-envelope estimated cost of perhaps $20,000. George Colby said the board should ensure accessibility first and worry about costs later. Any plans should be reviewed by code enforcement, Linda Chase added, because of the historic status of town hall complex. The board authorized Fox-Howard to do the appropriate research.
Library re-opening: not yet. Fox-Howard also told the board that she would like an assessment of the library’s structural soundness following the recent discovery of dry rot in an exterior wall, prior to any re-opening. Other preparations and Covid precautions need to be made before the doors are thrown back open. No timetable has yet been set.
Forklift nixed. The board again took up whether to purchase a forklift for storage and retrieval in the public works building. Quotes from three vendors in hand and public works director Ted Shane on hand, the board discussed how and where exactly the forklift would be used, the suitability or not of alternatives, and the merits of the competing vendors. In the end, George Colby’s motion to purchase a Doosan forklift for $25,000 from W.D. Matthews failed on a 2-2 vote, with Colby and Tammy Donovan voting in favor, Gilles and Chase voting against, and Bragdon abstaining. No reasons were offered for the votes against the purchase.
A shout-out and thanks. Board members warmly welcomed new member Peter Bragdon to the board. They also offered “a big shout-out,” as Chase put it, to town staff and volunteers for managing the recent election, including days of effort counting ballots and tabulating results. Fox-Howard expressed additional appreciation to the town of Gray, whose town manager and staff pitched in, and to NG Fire and Rescue who helped with set-up at the polls.
Video of the July 20 select board meeting can be viewed here.
