| Joanne Cole |
At their November 18 meeting, the Select Board heard updates from Manager Bill Kerbin and Interim Fire Rescue Chief Hale Fitzgerald and then took up a wide range of agenda topics. They included a performance review document for the town manager, noise complaints at the former town pit on Morse Road and town committees looking into the regional rail-to-trail initiative and testing hybrid meeting technology.
Updates. Manager Bill Kerbin told the board that no applications have been received for the planner position or chief of fire rescue. For planning, the Greater Portland Council of Governments and North Star Planning, based at Pineland, are possibilities for contract work. Kerbin ran the concept past the Planning Board the following evening, and they were on board with contract solutions until a permanent planner can be hired.
In more-hopeful news, offers are out to potential Public Works hires, two fulltime and one seasonal. “Fingers crossed,” said Kerbin.
Interim Fire Rescue Chief Hale Fitzgerald made a first appearance in the Meetinghouse in his new capacity. At the outset he commended department members, including for their handling of six calls the previous day. Ten different members responded, Fitzgerald said. The calls included two mutual aid fires and a car accident that occurred at the same time.
“I think that really highlights the professionalism that our men and women on the fire department have,” Fitzgerald said. “I hope as a leadership team in our community, we can find stability with the chief’s position.” He noted, “I’m the ninth person in nine years,” alluding to continual turnover of chiefs and interim chiefs. The members deserve stability, Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald reported that the new ambulance has arrived, training will be getting under way, and the vehicle is expected to go into service in December. Department members will follow the fire service tradition of pushing the vehicle into the bay, he told the board. The community will be invited to the ceremony, to “come see what they’ve helped us get.” The ceremony will be held Sunday, December 15.
“360 review” performance evaluation for town manager. After discussion, the board will make changes to the draft “360 review” document that will guide performance reviews of the town manager. The idea is to solicit input from department heads and other employees and stakeholders. Proposed revisions include provisions to trigger an improvement plan with goals should the evaluation identify performance shortfalls, tracking progress on completion of assigned tasks, and having the employee complete a self-evaluation.
The board clarified that the document would apply only to reviews of the town manager, not necessarily to department heads, although the manager could adapt it for that purpose if they chose. Members also discussed the process of submitting comments, how to maintain respondents’ anonymity and who would have access to employees’ feedback. Process will be addressed at a subsequent meeting.
Noise complaints at Town-owned Morse Road property. Manager Bill Kerbin relayed that he’s received more noise complaints regarding activity at the former gravel pit on Town-owned property on Morse Road, a popular spot for target practice.
Kerbin estimated that he’s had two or three more calls in recent months, apparently relating to Tannerite explosions. He suggested imposing time constraints – no shooting late at night or early morning.
Vice Chair Stephen Hathorne had a different solution: sell the Morse Road property, acquired for $1,200 in 1952 and now worth half a million dollars, he said. “We can sell this property and get rid of this problem,” said Hathorne.
Strickler wanted to post signs. “It might not be a perfect solution,” but she thought the town should do something to address the complaints. Others pointed to a lack of enforcement capability. In the end, the board took no formal action but will hold a public session in January to invite community input on all Town-owned property, including the Morse Road parcel.
Ad hoc Municipal Complex Committee to resume meeting. A committee formed to consider the current and future uses of the municipal complex hasn’t met for nearly five months while awaiting a structural analysis of Town Hall. The main floor is no longer adequate for needs and operations; the engineering study will help determine whether the second floor is a structurally viable option.
At this meeting board members went back and forth over how much—or little—the committee can accomplish without first knowing whether Town Hall can physically support expansion and without a planner to provide assistance. Ultimately, the board unanimously agreed that the committee should resume meeting, leaving it up to them to determine next steps.
Committees to look into proposed regional rail-to-trail plans. On a split vote, the board agreed to have the Environmental Resources Committee and Parks & Rec Committee gather information about the proposed Casco Bay Trail, work on a possible resolution, and report back. The plan would create a multi-use pathway on the inactive, state-owned St. Lawrence and Atlantic rail corridor running from Portland to Lewiston/Auburn. Seven miles of it pass through New Gloucester.
Communities along the Portland-Lewiston/Auburn route, including New Gloucester, are being encouraged by the Casco Bay Trail Alliance to consider adopting a resolution supporting the project in principle as MDOT weighs next steps. So far, the Select Board has been neutral regarding any resolution, Chair Dustin Ward told fellow members, neither for nor against.
Vice chair Stephen Hathorne and member Tammy Donovan appeared ready to reject the resolution and the trail on the spot without hearing from the committees or the public. Both had expressed reservations previously about potential costs and other concerns.
“I’m not interested,” said Hathorne. “I’m very interested,” member Colleen Strickler said. “I think it could be fantastic for a bunch of reasons.” She said she’d talked with project advocates at the Community Fair and seen the map. The vision for the full 72-mile off-road project would include a coastal loop through Brunswick, Freeport and Yarmouth.
“It opens up a lot of area,” Strickler said, “and could be used winter, summer… year-round.” Riding a bike to Freeport or to Brunswick “without going on a main road” would be possible, she said. “I just think there’s an awful lot of good that could come from it.”
Tammy Donovan said that maintenance costs would fall to the towns that the trail lands in. “I don’t think they’ve determined that yet,” said Strickler. “They will,” replied Donovan, to laughter. “This is the State of Maine.” Ward said his understanding is that MDOT would be responsible for the project and would work with municipalities regarding maintenance costs.
Member Peter Bragdon acknowledged the cost concerns but pointed out that the draft resolution in circulation says explicitly that it does not commit the town to provide any financial support. “I don’t support saying all-out ‘no’ tonight without some public input or some further discussion,” said Bragdon.
That additional input and further discussion will happen. The board voted 3-2 (Hathorne and Donovan opposed) to send the matter to the Environmental Resources Committee and Parks and Rec Committee.
Hybrid meeting technology to get a test drive. On another split vote, the board decided to have the Cable TV Committee do testing among themselves of the Town’s hybrid meeting technology. They’ll then report back to the board.
The system would allow residents to participate from home during a meeting taking place in the Meetinghouse. The current set-up allows residents to watch at home but not comment. Colleen Strickler, liaison to the Cable TV committee, said the hybrid option would be “very useful to the folks in town who would like to participate in meetings but can’t necessarily come to meetings.”
“I disagree with the whole thing,” said Stephen Hathorne. “We have managed this town for 250 years without this being necessary.” Recalling Zoom meetings during Covid, he said the arrangement “failed miserably,” with folks eating and drinking, technical problems, and more. If residents want to comment, they can come to the podium or send a letter and have it read, Hathorne said.
“I find this whole idea completely ridiculous,” Hathorne continued. “I think it will turn our Select Board meetings into a circus,” especially if an important issue draws significant participation, he thought. “It’s going to be a nightmare to control it. I come here to do the people’s business in a short amount of time. We get here at 7:00, we leave at 10. This is this is just going to create more chaos that is unnecessary.”
Strickler pushed back on that notion. She had toured Gray’s set-up with the Cable TV committee and heard how Gray handles public comments. “It’s so smooth,” she said. “It really is fantastic.” Other board members were skeptical. Ultimately they voted 3-2 (Hathorne, Donovan opposed) to direct the committee to test the technology and report back at the board’s February 3 meeting.
View video of the November 18, 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.
