NGX sat down with our town manager for an update on what’s happening at Town Hall since we last talked with him in March. The following is an abbreviated version of our interview in Q&A format, edited for length and readability.
Q: Any reflections on your first New Gloucester town meeting?
A: I was impressed with the level of participation, and with the high degree of civility, especially given the lack of civility that we hear about elsewhere.
Q: You’ve hired some new staff, and are in the process of hiring more.
Tell us about the assistant clerk and planner, and the status of searches for other positions.
A: Nancy Campbell is our new assistant town clerk. She has a lot of experience, having worked for the City of Auburn for many years. Our new planner is Kathy Tombarelli. She also has many years of experience as a planner in Gray. She was Durham’s first town manager and worked in workforce development before deciding to come back to the planning field.
Emily Martin will be moving from assistant librarian to library director and we’ll be advertising for a new assistant librarian. We’ll be announcing the new Fire & Rescue chief in the next week.
We’re still exploring possibilities for the station manager position. The animal control officer and building and grounds positions are still open.
Q: Can you give us updates on projects under way and coming right up?
A: The website is continuing to evolve. We’ve gotten some feedback, much of it positive. It will probably take a year to get it into its permanent form.
Changes to align with the charter will be explored in a board workshop, then we’ll inform the public. The administrative code, required by the charter, will be developed over the next year. That’s a job that’s highly technical and will require some professional help.
Transfer Station improvements are not scheduled for this year. This will be a multi-year effort.
Renovation of Town Hall was approved at town meeting. We’ll be renovating restrooms, repainting buildings and installing a new furnace. We’ll also be installing some restrooms at the Fairgrounds.
There is no specific plan for the Upper Village at this point. This will be a multi-year effort.
Q: Is there a flag policy in the works?
A: Not at this time. I think the board will take it up in the future.
Q: What are your goals and priorities for the next 3-6 months?
A: Working on the administrative code, starting with getting ordinances and policies in order; starting efforts on the Town Hall renovations, and continuing to educate myself on the Charter, Comp Plan and Upper Village plan. I’ll also be thinking about long-term planning.
~ Debra Smith
