At their January 8 meeting, the Select Board will take up a host of new matters, along with items deferred when a storm scuttled their mid-December meeting.
Fees for permits and planning, possible seasonal road closures of Tobey Road and Swamp Road and new opportunities for state-funded EMS support are among new topics. Speeding, an RFP for Town Hall heating/cooling systems and new space for the Sheriff’s Office are among the items returning.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Meetinghouse and will be broadcast on local cable and live-streamed at this link.
New topics include the following:
— A proposed 2024 fee schedule for Code Enforcement and Planning Department activities will be considered. Find Planner Kathy Tombarelli’s memo and spreadsheet comparing New Gloucester’s charges with those of area towns at pp.29-31;
— Possible seasonal closure of the gravel portions of Tobey Road and Swamp Road;
— Discussion of the state’s EMS Stabilization Program and Fire Rescue’s eligibility for support. Read a note from Fire Rescue Chief Craig Bouchard about the program at pp.12 and a general overview at pp.33-50;
— Scheduling a joint meeting of the Planning Board, Land Management Planning Committee and Select Board to review proposed ordinance amendments (p.32). After joint review – and any subsequent revisions – final ordinance changes would go before voters at Town Meeting in May; and
— Discussion of departmental spending in light of anticipated Public Works overruns and repairs to NGFR Engine 3.
Previously scheduled topics include these:
— A study of speeding was conducted by BLING (Building Livability in New Gloucester), and the board will hear a presentation on it from Debra Smith. BLING volunteers used radar guns at various locations around town. Read the analysis, “Speeding in New Gloucester: A Snapshot,” at pp.6-8.
— The Town wants to upgrade heating and cooling systems for interior spaces at Town Hall. The draft RFP can be read at pp.54-58.
— A draft agreement with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office to relocate its in-town substation to space in the Public Works building is under consideration (pp.51-53). In recent years, the CCSO has been based in the Town Hall Complex.
— The board will discuss scheduling a public hearing on town-owned properties, including the former gravel pit on Morse Road where target shooting has prompted noise complaints. Find the full list of town properties, including several occupied by town operations, at p.59.
The full January 8 Select Board meeting agenda, including departmental reports, can be accessed at this link.
Public comments can be submitted by email before 10 am on Monday, January 8, 2023, to townmanager@newgloucester.com and smyers@newgloucester.com. If you want your written comment read aloud, please indicate that in the subject line.
Find contact information for Select Board members and links to meeting agendas, minutes and related documents at this link.
— Joanne Cole
