| Joanne Cole |
Congratulations for the Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond Little League team led off the Select Board’s August 7 meeting. Vice Chair Tammy Donovan offered “a huge shout-out” to the team, which had just defeated Massachusetts champion Canton 7-1 and was now headed to the New England region’s championship game on Thursday, August 10.
Member Stephen Hathorne noted the outpouring of local support for the team and commended the team for having “built themselves a team” and also “built a lot of community” across the three towns through their playoff run. Fire Rescue Chief Craig Bouchard spoke of Fire Rescue’s excitement at having provided the Little Leaguers another parade.
Bid openings and more-typical board business followed. The board’s latest draft of appointment guidelines and applications for town committees was postponed to the next meeting, however, so that the public could review and comment. Inadvertently, the August 7 meeting agenda packet with the relevant documents was not posted on the Town website until the day of the meeting.
Proposed revisions to the Library Board of Trustees’ bylaws were also deferred, a second delay. Members Dustin Ward and Colleen Strickler wanted to take up the Trustees’ bylaws and the board and committee matters at this meeting as planned. Ward said the board had had “multiple discussions” on both matters and the documents could be revisited later, if need be. But giving the public a chance to review and weigh in prevailed on a 3-2 vote (Ward, Strickler opposed), and the items were rolled to the August 21 agenda.
Fire Rescue command vehicle bids opened. After further board discussion over whether the budget for Fire Rescue’s command vehicle should be $60,000 or $55,500 to take into account $4,500 for radios purchased separately—they settled on $60,000—bids for the vehicle were opened. Two offers were over budget and two under, albeit with an asterisk.
Commander Fleet, of New York with a shop in Harpswell, offered two options: a new 2023 Ford Expedition at $62,000, and a demo Chevy Tahoe with 12,500 miles for $56,800 ($54,000 for the vehicle and $2,800 for the command box). The bid documents allowed for a low-mileage demo vehicle with up to 35,000 miles, Chief Craig Bouchard told the board.
Autotronics, supplier of the Town’s new ambulance, offered a ‘22/’23 Ford Police Interceptor for $64,800. Macmulkin Chevrolet of Nashua, New Hampshire, gave a vehicle-only offer (no lighting, no cabinet): a Chevy Tahoe PPV for $46,483. Bouchard will review all the bid details and return to the board with a recommendation.
Sand and gravel bids. Public Works Director Ted Shane was in the Meetinghouse with a calculator to hear the opening of additional sand and gravel bids and make his recommendations. Between bids opened this meeting and last, the Town received prices from six contractors for four types of road material.
Shane recommended one award to Portland Sand and Gravel and three to Pike Industries. He said he was not recommending the lowest bidder for one type of material because of the make-up of their supply this past year. The board concurred with Shane’s recommendations.
Vacancy on MSAD 15 school board. The board accepted with regret the resignation of Laura Jane Sturgis from the MSAD 15 board. Sturgis was re-elected in June 2022. Under Maine law, the Select Board appoints someone to serve until the next municipal election, in June 2024.
Mindful that the School Board continues to meet through summer, and wanting to be poised make the appointment at their own next meeting, the Select Board set a deadline for receipt of applications: August 14 at 4 p.m. Find the application and submission details at this link.
Trafford Hill Road gets name approval. Bruce Trafford of 539 Penney Road and neighbors requested and received board approval to name their road Trafford Hill Road. Multiple houses were previously under a single Penney Road address. The new naming will help emergency responders find the right house more quickly.
Board workshop on Bylaws for Boards and Committees. The board set September 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. for a workshop to supplement and update the Town’s Bylaws for Boards and Committees. They’ve made a running start with a list of topics to address, ranging from quorum rules and meeting locations, to committee budgets, member training and more.
Safety, transportation in public comment. Resident Carl Wilcox shared several transportation and safety concerns during public comment. Among them, Wilcox urged the board to press Maine DOT for a roundabout at the Route 231/Route 100 blinker in the Upper Village, where he’s experienced close calls and near collisions. Wilcox also asked the board to request “exempt” signs at crossings of the discontinued St. Lawrence and Atlantic rail line, so that school buses would not have to stop multiple times a day and risk being rear-ended.
Public Safety advisory group. The board recently disbanded the Public Safety Committee in favor of an ‘in-house’ advisory group. At this meeting, Manager Bill Kerbin proposed the new group comprise the Town Manager, the Fire Rescue Chief, Public Works Director and two residents with “public safety backgrounds.” It was unclear when and how the resident-members would be chosen.
Kerbin suggested the group would meet at least quarterly and their focus would be “operational” rather than policy-centered, and would include looking into grants and ongoing safety issues. Perhaps Carl Wilcox’s safety suggestions will be on the group’s first agenda.
To watch video of the August 7, 2023, Select Board meeting, click here. Find Select Board agendas, related documents and meeting minutes at this link.
