| Joanne Cole |
The Select Board took up an unusually brief agenda at a special meeting on Tuesday at a special meeting. The new Pak-Mor trailer/compactor for the Transfer Station was the headliner on paper, but it proved to be an anti-climax and disappointment. The opening of bids turned out to be the opening of bid, singular, and that bid came in over budget.
Just before Chair Paul Larrivee opened the envelope with the lone bid, Public Works Director Ted Shane remarked that when the town last purchased a similar unit 11 years ago, it cost $97,000. Proving Shane’s point, the price this time was $170,236, from Messer Equipment in Westbrook.
Only $150,000 had been budgeted, so the board proceeded to consider options for covering the shortfall. They ruled out using ARPA funds and decided instead to ask voters at town meeting to consider taking the needed $20,236 from the Transfer Station reserve account, currently at $124,000; another $50,000 may come in if town meeting voters approve.
One wrinkle: the trailer/compactor Messer proposed to supply has a 74-hp engine, but the bid specs called for a 100-hp unit. Shane said that the lower-horsepower trailer “would do the job.” The board deferred to his recommendation and voted to award the bid to Messer, pending town meeting approval.
Town meeting warrant. The board considered the May 1 town meeting warrant once again, refining some language for clarity and adding two new articles to cover budget overdrafts. The paving/chip seal article got substantive discussion and clarification. At issue was $100,000 TIF funds for paving/chip seal in the area of Morse Road. The town attorney greenlighted the use of the funds, but apparently the board hadn’t closed the loop in the budget process. Did the board want to recommend $377,899 plus $100,000 in TIF for a total of $477,899? Or a total of $377,899, with the $100,000 included? They settled on the larger number, but voters will ultimately decide.
Updates. Town Manager Bill Kerbin reported that an offer is out to a candidate for the open Planner position but not yet final. A new deputy clerk, Nancy Campbell, has been hired for the Town Office. Campbell is experienced, Kerbin said, and will begin Monday, April 24. He thanked Sharlene Myers for ably “holding down the fort” in recent weeks following the departure of Kimberly Getchell.
With a new staff person coming on board and getting up to speed, and a May 1 town meeting to prepare for, the reduced window service hours at Town Hall are likely to remain in place until mid-May, Kerbin said.
To view the video of the April 18, 2023, meeting, click here. For Select Board meeting agendas and supporting documents, click here.
