Town of Buxton
Minutes for January 15, 2014 Selectmen’s Meeting
Prepared by: Beverly Gammon
Members Present: Clifford L. Emery, Jean C. Harmon, Penny J. Booker, Peter E. W. Burns
Robert C. Libby was absent.
Others Present: Jack Hanna, Mike Grovo
Selectmen’s Meeting Agenda
The meeting was called to order at 7:06 PM
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes
Selectmen Meeting Minutes January 8, 2014
Approved 3-0-2
- Discussion held between 5:00 & 7:00 p.m.
At 5:00 PM Nate Schools, our Fire-Rescue Chief met with the Board. They went over some budget issues and a grant for full-time personnel for a two year period. When that comes together the Board will explain the program to everyone.
Tahia Pinkham, our Recreation Director, met with the Board and Selectman Emery asked her to speak about the discussion.
Tashia Pinkham talked about discounted ski tickets that Buxton Recreation has available, and several pairs of snowshoes that are available for a $5.00 rental fee and security deposit during normal business hours. The security deposit will be given back when the snowshoes are returned to Buxton Rec. The Recreation Department will be having pot luck lunches for seniors and others who want to participate. The lunches will be monthly starting Tuesday, February 11 at 11:00 AM in the large room at Buxton Town Hall.
Tashia reported that Rec is going to start doing things monthly for seniors. They are going to have a trip to the Flower Show in Boston. The bus will leave March 7 around 10:00 AM. More information will be posted when it is available on the Buxton Recreation website. Tashia said Buxton Rec is looking into a grant for their own school bus. Lastly she talked about a Rape Aggression Defense training class for women that she is going to take in February. She plans to offer the class several times a year after she is certified.
Dorothy Desjardins and another representative came in to talk with the Board about Legal Shield, a payroll deduction program that gives employees access to a group of attorneys they can go to for legal advice. The Selectmen plan to discuss the program and will probably survey the employees to see how much interest there might be if it is made available.
Charlie Cianciolo met with the Board. He presently video tapes the SAD 6 School Board meetings and is going to be working for the town part-time and filling in as a videographer as needed. The Selectmen are glad to have him on board.
The Board discussed vacancies on the Planning Board. With two positions open they have had to cancel meetings because they did not have a quorum. The Selectmen plan to make a change to the Charter to reduce the number of members from 7 to 5. Unless some people come forward to be appointed, the Board feels this is the direction they should go in and the members of the Planning Board feel the same way.
- Email from Maine Municipal Association – Re: Extremely Important Public Hearing related to Municipal Revenue Sharing
Selectman Emery, Selectman Burns, and other municipal leaders will be going to Augusta to testify at the hearing next Wednesday.
- Review of Projects and Issues
Selectman Harmon spent time getting information together and went to the York County Commissioners’ Office earlier this evening for an appeal on a Poverty Abatement we had. The Commissioners upheld the denial of the abatement.
Selectman Harmon reported that she and Selectman Booker plan to meet in the next week or so to start working on parts of the Internal Control Document that they will get together to present to the rest of the Board.
Selectman Harmon apologized for not getting “Thank You” notes done for the people who donated to Keep the Heat On in December. She thanked everyone who donated recently to the program.
Channel 6 ran a segment on Keep the Heat On and Selectman Harmon said it is her hope that through the airing of that piece people will come forward who are reluctant to ask for help, and also that there will be an increase in donations.
Selectman Burns attended the Twelve Town Group meeting Monday. Tuesday he was in the office and met with Greg Heffernan at the Transfer Station. He reported that he has been doing a lot of research on lights for the walkway on the bridges between Buxton and Hollis. Maine D.O.T. is suggesting that we put ten light poles on the bridge. The towns will have to pay for the lights and light poles. They provided samples of what they recommend and after he looks through the websites they gave us, he will look into pricing.
Selectman Harmon suggested that the Board meet with Hollis soon to make sure they are both in agreement on what they want. The Board agreed that is something they need to do.
Selectman Booker has been in each day going over mail and normal things. Monday was the exception. She sat in with Chief Grovo on interviews for Animal Control Officer. She said he had some good candidates and Chief Grovo has already chosen one.
Selectman Emery reported that he spoke with our Auditor who is coming in on Wednesday, the 29th to go over the audit with the Board. Selectman Emery has also been working on updating the winter salt/sand bid sheet and contract. Information will be going out for bid in February to be due in the first of March.
Selectman Emery also commented on the Twelve Town Group meeting and said there was a lot of conversation about the Public Hearing this week regarding loss of municipal Revenue Sharing. He reported that the group will be having a candidate’s night with Mike Michaud in Waterboro the first of March. They are contacting other candidates to set up separate meeting with each of them. The meetings will be open to the public and there will be more information on that as we get closer to the date.
Selectman Harmon reported that the computer in the Selectmen’s office shut off and will not power up. There is a rotation schedule in the front office and one of the computers out there is due to be replaced. She said the town can either pay $300.00 now to fix the Selectmen’s old computer or $600 to replace the one in the front office and move the one they are replacing to the Selectmen’s office. Selectman Harmon said they may be looking at some unexpected expense in the next few weeks that may put us over on our technology budget.
None
E.O. 131401008 – An order to appoint Stephen Heroux to the position of Member of the Appeals Board to be effective until December 31, 2016
Approved 4-0-1
E.O. 131401009 – An order to appoint Sharon House to the position of Trustee to Berry Memorial Library to be effective until December 31, 2016
Approved 4-0-1
E.O. 131401010 – An order to appoint Carol Sanborn to the position of Trustee to Carroll Park to be effective until December 31, 2016
Approved 4-0-1
- Executive Orders by Initiative
None
- Accounts Payable and Payroll Warrants
E. O. 131401006 – An order approving expenditures as documented in the Accounts Payable Warrant #64
Approved 4-0-1
E. O. 131401007 – An order approving expenditures as documented in Payroll Warrant #63
Approved 4-0-1
- Next Meeting of the Board
Board of Selectmen Meeting with the Budget Committee Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at 6:00 PM
Board of Selectmen Meeting Wednesday, January 22, 2014, at 7:00 PM
Town Hall will be closed Monday, January 20 for Martin Luther King Day.
Buxton Transfer Station will be closed Tuesday, January 21 for the holiday. There will be no change in the curbside pickup schedule.
The Board acknowledged Aubuchon Hardware for their recent donation of $915.60 to our Keep the Heat On Program, and thanked Jacques Goudreau, Manager of Aubuchon for the effort he puts into their fundraising projects each year and for his own personal donation to the Keep the Heat On Program.
- Public Comments and Questions
Chief Mike Grovo reported that he has hired Trista Contois for the position of Animal Control Officer and said he has been busy working on budgets, grants, and processes that have to be done by the end of January for the Academy and the State.
Selectman Emery thanked all of our Departments. He said Saturday was one of the worst days he has had behind the wheel of a plow truck. Travel was treacherous. The highway department, police and Fire-Rescue were all out and they all did an excellent job in a crisis situation.
None
Motion made and seconded to adjourn the Meeting at 7:38 PM
Approved 4-0-1
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