| Joanne Cole |
“I’m excited for where we go from here,” newly elected board chair Dustin Ward said as he wrapped up a first meeting in his new role. Elections of a chair and vice chair were near the top of the board’s June 17 agenda. Stephen Hathorne, reelected in June, was chosen as board vice chair.
Board members also welcomed Peter Bragdon back to the board. Bragdon served from 2020 to 2023, including a stint as chair, and has the seat formerly held by Paul Larrivee, who chose to step down and not run again.
In other business at the June 17 meeting, numerous bids were opened, the board decided who would serve as board liaisons to various committees for the coming year, and members heard a variety of updates, among other items.
Board chair and vice chair elected. Stephen Hathorne and Dustin Ward were nominated for Select Board chair by fellow members. Ward was elected on a 3-2 vote (Donovan and Hathorne opposed), following a 2-3 vote for Hathorne (Ward, Strickler, Bragdon opposed).
“Thank you. I absolutely appreciate it,” Ward said as settled into his new spot at the center of the Meetinghouse dais.
Board members then unanimously elected Hathorne as vice chair. Tammy Donovan, concluding a year as vice chair, voted for Hathorne despite being nominated for the spot herself. “I think change is good,” she said.
Bid openings. Several bids were opened, including for FY 25 paving and chip seal work, a dump truck for Public Works and, separately, its plow and sanding gear, a loader for Public Works, and FY 25 sand and gravel. The board asked Public Works Director Ted Shane to analyze the various bids and return with recommendations on July 1.
On first pass, it appeared that two of the big-ticket items—the outfitted dump truck and the loader—had bids coming in under budget. Voters approved $340,000 for the complete dump truck and $225,000 for the loader. Whether the bids for paving and chip seal also came in under the $700,000 budget figure from voters will be clearer once Shane returns after an apples-to-apples review of the bids.
Board liaisons. In another post-election task, board members worked through a lengthy list of town and county committees and other groups to determine who would serve as liaisons for the coming year.
Among the changes, Peter Bragdon will step down as a committee member and instead serve as a liaison to several, including the Ad Hoc Municipal Complex Advisory Committee, Community Fair Committee, and Parks & Rec Committee.
Dustin Ward will now be liaison to the Economic Development Committee; Bragdon and Ward will team up as liaisons to the Finance Committee; and Tammy Donovan will serve as liaison to the Land Management Planning Committee.
Updates. Town Manager Bill Kerbin asked Deputy Clerk Sharlene Myers to update the board about a voting machine tabulation issue in the June 11 election. It involved the MSAD 15 budget referendum ballot, which had Question 1 on whether to approve the school budget, and Question 2 about whether to continue the budget validation process for another three years.
After realizing there was an issue with the machine’s tabulation of Question 2 results, Myers and the ballot clerks did a hand count of both District ballot questions the following day, she told the board. The outcomes remained the same after the new count, as both measures still passed. On Question 1, the school budget, New Gloucester’s verified numbers–481 in favor and 442 against–again resulted in the school budget passing by a very narrow margin, with Gray voters rejecting the budget by a reported 30 votes.
In other updates, Manager Bill Kerbin told the board that repair work is proceeding on the Library’s roof and bell tower and on Town Hall mold remediation. Public Works Director Ted Shane noted that the gravel portion of Tobey Road is temporarily closed for bridge repairs.
In cheerier news, Environmental Resources Committee Chair Lauren Jordan shared news that the Town’s application for a $45,000 climate resiliency grant was approved by the State. The Greater Portland Council of Governments will take the lead on an assessment of the community’s climate vulnerability, including impacts on critical infrastructure. A contract is out to GPCOG for the work, Jordan said.
And Fire Rescue Chief Craig Bouchard announced that Fire Rescue will hold its annual open house and BBQ on Sunday, October 6, 2024. Save the date!
Watch video of the June 17, 2024, Select Board meeting at this link. Find contact information for Select Board members and links to meeting agendas, minutes and related documents at this link.
