Town of Buxton
Minutes for January 19, 2011 Selectmen’s Meeting
Prepared by: Beverly Gammon
Members Present: Jean C. Harmon, Robert C. Libby, Peter E. W. Burns, Clifford L. Emery, Dianne M. Senechal.
Others Present: Dave Harmon, Robert Shepard, April Shepard, Charles McNutt, Dan & Olive Collomy, Jack Hanna, Representative Rob Hunt, Cliff Thomas, Steve Daniels from CMP, Larry Benoit from Bernstein, Shur, Laura & Scott Landry, Andrea Boland, Elisa Boxer-Cook, Penny Booker.
Public Hearing Liquor License Renewal for Buxton Tavern
Selectman Harmon read the Notice of Public Hearing and the Hearing was opened at7:05 p.m.
Selectman Emery said when Chief Grovo was in a couple of weeks ago, he said the bar owners are doing a better job policing the establishments but OUIs are up.
There were no other comments from the public or the Board and the Hearing was closed at 7:06 p.m.
Selectmen’s Meeting Agenda
The meeting was called to order at 7:07p.m.
- Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes
Selectmen Meeting Minutes January 12, 2011.
Approved 3-2-0. Robert C. Libby and Clifford L. Emery were absent from that meeting.
- Discussion held between 5:00 & 7:00 p.m.
Caroline Segalla give the Board an update on where the Comprehensive Plan is going. They are still looking for people to become involved and become members of the Comprehensive Plan. They are discussing what they call “neighborhood meetings” where they will provide information and try to get input from the residents regarding where we see the Town of Buxton in the next ten years.
Our Treasurer, Debi Rix gave the Board an update on our medical plan and life insurance. There has been a change the Board was not aware of and she was providing information on what options are available to the employees.
A resident also came in with a complaint regarding a department head. The Board was glad to get that information and will address the situation.
Jan &Brent Hill, and Lou Emery came in from the Historical Society, and Joe Hirsch who works for the City of Saco. They gave the Board an update on their efforts regarding the Hanson School. They are going to do a presentation here before the Selectmen’s Meeting on February 9, and on February 17, 2011 they will have a public session at the Hanson School. They do have a website and the Board is trying to get a link on the Town web site to theirs so people can go on and get information in regards to the Hanson School.
- Email from Central Maine Power – Re: Tree Care Program.
- Email from Superintendent’s office – Re: School Budget Vote
- Email from Dave Francoeur, Deputy Director York County EMA – Re: Flood Plain Mapping and Risk Mapping Meeting.
- Emails from Joseph Young, Maine State Planning Office – Re: Risk Map Conversion Meetings, and Maine Floodplain Management and Mapping News.
- Email from Caroline Segalla, Comprehensive Planning – Re: Workshop Announcement.
- Review of Projects and Issues
Selectman Libby reported that he is working on a couple of forms we are required to complete comparing the money we spent last year with the prior year.
Selectman Burns said he attended the Department Head meeting last week. On Monday night he and Cliff Emery attended the Twelve Town Meeting and the discussion there was mostly about the County budget. He said there was also some discussion about the fix and swap with roads that the State wants to do. He shared his thoughts on that and said overall it was a good discussion.
Selectman Emery said he also attended the meeting. Other than that he has been mostly plowing snow and not sleeping much for the past couple of weeks. He has been coming in, picking up the mail and going through that. He met with the Public Works Director and they discussed things that are going on. He met the prior week with the Transfer Station Manager. He was there for a couple of hours and they went over all that we are doing at the Transfer Station, the baler, personnel, and other issues in that department.
Selectman Senechal said there has been a lot of correspondence coming through the office. She has been catching up on that. She acknowledged Representative Rob Hunt and said she was pleased to see him at the meeting.
Selectman Harmon said the Board had a Department Head meeting to let them know what the Board is thinking for the upcoming budget year, to hear their thoughts, and to discuss any capital items that they will have. She said the Board is not asking Department Heads to cut their budget; they are asking them to maintain what they had. She said we all know that gas and oil are steadily increasing. Selectman Burns projects a 20% increase which the Board thinks is a fair assessment. They know there are some items in the budget they have no control over but for the items that can be controlled, they have asked the Department Heads to hold those as close as possible but to show the actual, true cost of doing business.
Selectman Harmon talked about the snow we have had. She asked people to drive safely and take their time. She said the Public Works crew is out there doing their best to keep up with it. She asked people to be patient with the road crew. They are covering a lot of roads and it takes time for them to get through to all of the roads.
None
The Board will have a presentation on Smart Meters during the Public Comments. Last week an opposing group asked for equal time which the Board agreed to allow after the CMP presentation.
E.O.101101014 – An order to appoint Hiram R. Davis to the position of Town Farm Park Trustee to be effective until December 31, 2013.
Approved 5-0.
E.O.101101015 – An order to appoint Hiram R. Davis to the position of Estes Park Trustee to be effective until December 31, 2013.
Approved 5-0.
E.O.101101016 – An order to appoint Penny J. Booker to the position of Comprehensive Plan Committee Member to be effective until December 31, 2013.
Approved 5-0.
E.O.101101017 – An order to approve John Myers’ attendance at a Town Meeting & Elections Workshop.
Approved 5-0.
E.O.101101018 – An order to appoint Charlene E. Libby to the position of Board of Appeals Member to be effective until December 31, 2013.
Approved 5-0.
- Executive Orders by Initiative
E.O.101101019 – An order to approve an Application for a Class A Liquor License renewal for Robert Shepard, d/b/a The Buxton Tavern.
Approved 4-1-0. One Selectman was opposed.
- Accounts Payable and Payroll Warrants
E.O.101101012 – An order approving expenditures as documented in Accounts Payable Warrant #29-11.
Approved 5-0.
E.O.101101013 – An order approving expenditures as documented in Payroll Warrant
#29-11.
Approved 5-0.
- Next Meeting of the Board
Planning Board Meeting Monday, January 24, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Selectmen’s Meeting Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Comprehensive Plan Meeting Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. This meeting will be held in this room and it will be televised. Steve Walker from Beginning With Habitat will be here to discuss key resources present in Buxton. The meeting will be open to the public.
None
- Public Comments and Questions
Selectman Harmon welcomed Larry Benoit and Steve Daniels from CMP who came to do the Smart Meter presentation. Steve Daniels spoke for about fifteen minutes about the installation process, public directives they are following, benefits, and gave an update on the PUC hearings. Some of the key benefits he talked about include improved customer service, standardized billing date, lower CMP costs that will benefit customers, improved power quality through voltage monitoring, fewer CMP vehicles on the roads, and the positive environmental impact.
The presentation was followed by questions and answers.
Selectman Harmon asked if customers can opt out. Larry Benoit said the option is available at this time. Individuals can call CMP or go to their web site and make the request. CMP will honor the request on a temporary basis until a decision is made by the Public Utilities Commission as to how it will go.
Next, the opponents were given equal time to respond
Laura Landry asked if the Board would be opposed to a non-resident speaking. They were not.
Elisa Boxer-Cook, a Scarborough resident, gave a packet of information to the Selectmen. She said she started the “Smart Meter Safety Coalition” to protect choice. She discussed concerns that have been shared with her from people who have had the smart meters installed including health issues, electronic interference, and privacy issues. This group is asking CMP to support the customer’s right to choose whether or not they have the Smart Meter or a hard wired meter.
Her talk was followed by a brief period of questions and answers.
Andrea Boland, State Representative from Sanford, spoke about a Bill she introduced on Smart Meters and shared personal concerns about the meters. She is also an advocate for people having the right to choose if they have a Smart Meter or another alternative.
Scott Landry, a Buxton resident spoke. He said he is not opposed to the meters but he wants the right to make a choice because there is so much uncertainty and inconclusive information out there about the meters. He said this is the first thing in his lifetime that has come into his home that he has not had a choice about.
Laura Landry thanked the Board for having them here, and asked them to support customer choice.
Selectman Senechal told people that she was home when the man came to install a Smart Meter and he did ask her if she wanted it installed. She said she was given the choice.
Selectman Emery encouraged people to call CMP and the PUC because that will have much more impact. He believes they are much more likely to take action if they get calls from many customers as opposed to a small group.
Other residents asked questions including Charlie McNutt. He said he embraces the new technology and thinks this should be the least of our concerns. He believes people should be much more concerned with recent changes in the acceptable levels of arsenic in our wells.
Dan Collomy asked how CMP will deal with “dead spots” in this area. Steve Daniels said CMP did a lot of research and testing in this area to make sure the meters would transmit properly.
Representative Rob Hunt said he appreciates the mature, professional manner in which this discussion went. He thanked everyone and remarked that no one got upset. He said there are compelling arguments on both sides but he thinks that choice is important. He talked briefly about the Legislature and said they are going to be busy dealing with over 2000 Bills this session. He strongly encouraged people to reach out and communicate with their Legislators. He said that does have a positive impact.
Olive Collomy made a few comments on Smart Meters and asked if CMP will remove the meters if it is determined later on that they cause health problems.
Selectman Harmon thanked people for coming out, providing comments and asking questions. She said this was a good and a very informative meeting.
None
Motion made and seconded to adjourn the Meeting at 7:28p.m. Approved 3-0-2.
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