Draft documents will be a focus at the Select Board’s meeting on Monday, March 3. They include a draft grant application for improvements at the Fairgrounds, a revised agreement and terms for renting Town buildings and recreation facilities and a revised draft ordinance creating a Board of Assessment Review, among many other topics on the agenda.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Meetinghouse and will be live-streamed at this link.
Grant application for Fairgrounds improvements. The board will consider a draft application for a $25,000 AARP Flagship Grant that would be used for age-friendly improvements at the Fairgrounds. If funded, the grant would be used for permanent benches around the track, a seasonal dock and shoreside boat rack, ADA picnic tables with a shade canopy, expanded gardens and more.
The grant requires no matching funds from the Town, and the work would rely on volunteers and take place this summer and fall. Read the grant application prepared by the Economic and Community Development Committee at pp. 19-42.
In a related memo, Parks & Rec Director Sarah Rodriguez updated the board with costs and a possible funding plan for permanent bathrooms and storage at the Fairgrounds. Parks & Rec has a turnkey price of $239,500 for the project, Rodriguez said. She proposes using a combination of capital funds, Parks & Rec revenues and/or fundraising to make the project happen this year, before costs escalate further. Read Rodriguez’s memo at p. 8.
Rental terms and fees for town buildings and rec facilities. A revised “Buildings and/or Recreation Facilities Use Agreement” and fee schedule is on the table for the board’s consideration. The agreement clarifies responsibilities for trash collection and clean-up, among other items, and has a graduated fee schedule for renting the Community Building, Rowe Station fields and the Fairgrounds and other spaces, depending on the users. Town-sponsored uses are free; local community groups pay a reduced fee; commercial rentals pay full freight. Find the proposed agreement at pp. 11-17 and fee schedule at p. 18.
Hybrid meeting technology next steps. The board is slated to follow up on plans for a test run of hybrid meeting technology that would allow remote participation. New Cable TV station manager Chris Daggett is being asked for recommendations about the testing and status of the hybrid system in the Meetinghouse.
Upper Village workshop? The board will consider scheduling a workshop to continue discussions about possible plans for the Upper Village. If the session happens, it would follow up on an earlier workshop on the Upper Village and housing and look toward possible action after town meeting in May.
Budget doings, financial outlook. With the proposed FY26 budget heading toward a March 10 public hearing, the board will take up recent questions about the role of the Finance Committee and use of the Undesignated Fund Balance (town surplus) in the budget. A report from Finance Director Lori-Anne Wilson in the meeting agenda packet shows that the Undesignated Fund Balance stood at more than $4.5 million as of July 1, 2024, and revenues are ahead of projections at this point in the fiscal year (p. 6).
Find the full March 3, 2025, agenda and related documents at this link.
Public comments may be submitted by email before 10 a.m. on Monday, March 3, 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
