| Joanne Cole |
“Thank you to the newbies to the board for stepping to the plate,” said Select Board Vice Chair Stephen Hathorne, presiding and welcoming Connie Justice and Rachel Rumson at the June 16 meeting. “The job has its rewards as well as tough days, Hathorne said. “So welcome aboard. We’re glad you’re here.’
For their part, Rumson and Justice each expressed enthusiasm and appreciation. Rumson thanked voters for electing her and said she considers the role of serving the community to be a sacred trust. “I’m looking forward to the conversations,” she said. Justice said she was thrilled to be elected and sees herself as “one in a long, long line of New Gloucester residents” who have served in the role. “I will do my best for the town,” Justice said.
After welcomes and updates, the first order of business was electing a chair and vice chair for the coming year. Colleen Strickler and Stephen Hathorne were nominated for chair, with Strickler elected on a 4-1 vote (Hathorne opposed). “Congratulations,” “Good luck” and “Thank you, Steve” followed. Strickler is starting her third year on the board; this is her first time as chair.
Connie Justice was elected vice chair, prevailing over Peter Bragdon on a 3-2 vote (Strickler, Rumson and Justice in favor; Bragdon and Hathorne opposed). Seat-swapping followed. Although no gavel was passed, the letter opener did change hands, essential for the bid openings that followed.
Manager Bill Kerbin’s updates to the board included news of the hiring of a fulltime planner, Lauren Turner, who started June 9, he said. Planning duties had previously been handled on a part-time basis by a planner from the Greater Portland Council of Governments, Shukria Wiar.
Also welcome: the landing at last of a $274,000 check from FEMA to reimburse the town for costs of storm damage remediation in 2023. The amount received was higher than anticipated, Kerbin said, and he thanked Public Works’ Ted Shane and Ben Tinker for their work on the request.
Bid openings, awards. Several bids were opened at the June 16. Most were relayed to department heads for review, with recommendations to come back at the next meeting.
- UTV for Fire Rescue. Three bids were received, two of which appeared to be within the $40,000 budget approved at Town Meeting. The vehicle would permit access to fields, trails and other hard-to-reach areas for rescue and firefighting. Chief Ryan Patton will return with his recommendation.
- Tank 2 refurb work. Two bids came in for work to extend the life of Fire Rescue’s Tank 2 pumper/tank vehicle. One bid appeared to come in under the $200,000 budget approved by voters. Chief Ryan Patton will return with a recommendation.
- Buildings & Grounds tractor mower. $90,000 is the budget for this item. Interim Public Works and Building & Grounds Director Ben Tinker will analyze the three bids, two of which appeared to be within budget.
- Mower for Cemetery Association. A replacement mower for the Cemetery Association will come from Hall Implement in Windham, the sole bidder. The budget was $20,000, and Hall’s base price came in with enough elbow room to allow purchase of the wider deck option as well as an extended warranty. Steve Libby, on hand for the Cemetery Association with Nat Berry, said the wider deck will help with the cemeteries’ 21 acres of mowing.
- Pick-up for Public Works. Voters in May approved $95,000 to replace Public Works’ H1 pick-up, but what exactly the new vehicle should be and do continues to be a topic of discussion. Outgoing Director Ted Shane proposed a beefier, more versatile unit for plowing and sanding than the old one. Incoming Interim Public Works Director Ben Tinker told the board he agreed with Shane but would recommend a longer bed instead of the extended cab Shane requested. The board agreed. Tinker will come back with revised specs.
Public Works Director job description. With Ted Shane’s retirement, the board at its June 2 meeting discussed changes to the Public Works Director job description, including removing the Transfer Station from the Director’s responsibilities. Shane was in charge of Public Works, Buildings and Grounds and the Transfer Station. The Transfer Station would instead be headed by its own personnel, and Public Works would collaborate as with other departments.
A revised job description along those lines was now on the table, but Manager Bill Kerbin asked the board to consider changing direction and return oversight of the Transfer Station to the Public Works Director position, at least until a new person is hired.
Rumson commented that separating public works and transfer station roles “made a lot of sense from an organizational design perspective, as change is coming to waste management.” She thought the responsibilities represented a significant additional burden for a new Public Works Director.
Member Peter Bragdon noted that budget discussions and decisions had assumed that Transfer Station responsibility would be separated out – a reason to continue on that course. Was there a substantive reason for returning to the previous arrangement, Rachel Rumson asked Kerbin. He turned to Interim Public Works Director Ben Tinker, who said the past set-up had worked well and he saw no reason to alter it.
Bragdon agreed with Rumson that waste management has become more skilled and specialized over time and that “it’s hard to get someone who’s an expert in public works and an expert in trash.” He noted that even though the Transfer Station would be independent under the proposed change, the departments would still work closely together. Board consensus seemed inclined to continue with splitting off the Transfer Station from the Director’s oversight.
Board members proposed several new revisions. Vice Chair Connie Justice proposed making road safety an essential duty in the Director job description, with language about regularly assessing and recommending road safety improvements using the Complete Streets lens or framework. “Complete Streets” is a transportation policy and design approach adopted around the country that aims for safe access for all road users. Adopting a Complete Streets policy is a to-do item in New Gloucester’s Comprehensive Plan.
Justice also wanted to include experience and knowledge of administration, along with road maintenance and construction and buildings and grounds expertise, as required qualifications. Bragdon asked to eliminate language describing Public Works staff positions as “skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled” as neither necessary nor respectful. Others agreed.
With varied proposed changes, large and small, complete and considered, the board asked staff to bring back a further revised position description to the next meeting. That will delay advertising the position, members acknowledged, but “we’re in good hands” with the Interim Director, said Bragdon to agreement.
Town committee and board liaisons. By consensus, board members decide each year who will serve as liaison to which town committees and boards, a role that facilitates communication and information-sharing. The departure of Dustin Ward and Tammy Donovan from the Select Board opened spots on several committees; the board worked through the complete list to allow some swapping as well as filling.
A few of the changes for the coming year: Rachel Rumson will be liaison for the Economic and Community Development Committee and for Parks & Recreation; Connie Justice will be liaison to the Land Management Planning Committee and to the Finance Committee along with Peter Bragdon, who continues in the role; Colleen Strickler will be liaison to the Environmental Resources Committee. Stephen Hathorne will continue in his prior liaison roles.
Also ahead: a goal-setting workshop for the board for the next year or two years, suggested by Justice. “I think that’s a very good idea,” said Stephen Hathorne. Once town committees have had a chance to meet and perhaps offer input, the board will schedule a goal-setting workshop.
Two hours in, the June 16 agenda had been covered and the meeting declared adjourned by Strickler, the first of many such sessions to come.
Watch the video of the Select Board’s June 16, 2025, meeting at this link. Find contact information for Select Board members and links to meeting agendas, minutes and related documents at this link.
