Town of Buxton
Minutes for July 1, 2015 Selectmen’s Meeting
Prepared by: Beverly Gammon
Members Present: Jean C. Harmon, Peter E. W. Burns, Dennis P. Santolucito, Chad E. Poitras
Clifford L. Emery was absent
Others Present: David Harmon, Michael Grovo, Patrick Hanna, Michael King, Roberta Ramsdell, Nancy Pierce
Selectmen’s Meeting Agenda
Selectman Harmon called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
Selectman Harmon led the recital.
- Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes
Selectmen Meeting Minutes June 24, 2015
Approved 4-0-1
- Discussion held between 4:00 & 7:00 p.m.
At 5:00 PM the Board had Dana Ryder come in. Steve Nichols, a long-time member of our Ancient Cemetery Committee, is moving out of state. Mr. Ryder had expressed interest in doing some community service work at the cemeteries with his Boy Scout Troop and after talking with Mr. Nichols agreed to serve on the committee. The Board talked with Mr. Ryder about the committee and talked about the budget for the ancient cemeteries to make sure that the mowing is kept up. The Board had a good discussion with Mr. Ryder and will be having the paperwork drawn up as they appoint him.
At 5:30 PM Chief Grovo came in and talked with the Board about a Department of Transportation Grant which would replace some of the radars we have in the cruisers. It is a 75/25 match and Chief Grovo is going to be looking at some numbers for that.
Chief Grovo also updated the Board on the Corporal’s position and open positions for a full-time officer and full-time dispatcher that he has.
Chief Grovo talked with the Board about patrols at Pleasant Point Park. There have been a few instances where vehicles have been broken into and they want to keep on top of that.
At 6:00 PM Charisse Keach, our Treasurer, met with the Board to talk about some Certificates of Deposit that are coming up in July and about either keeping them where they are or investing them in various banks we have done business with and what the best rate was. The Board agreed on the recommendation to move those to our current bank, Bank of Maine, because they hold the highest yield. Charisse also talked about our Money Market account and possibly moving that money around as well.
At 6:31 PM the Board went into Executive Session per 1 M.R.S.A. 405 (6) F), for consultation with the Code Enforcement Officer. The Board came out of Executive Session at 6:50 PM.
Selectman Burns noted that before 5:00 PM the Board discussed some of the accounts payable requests for clarification and some information on them
- Email from Garrett Corbin, Maine Municipal Association – Re: Second Action Alert on LD 186
Selectman Burns explained the bill and talked in detail about the implifications of it and the negative financial impact it will have on property taxpayers.
- Maine Public Health Alert from Maine CDC – Re: Human Arbovirus Update
- Review of Projects and Issues
Selectman Santolucito reported that he is still working on the security camera system and expects to receive the lease and contract agreement tomorrow.
Selectman Poitras said he spoke with Greg Heffernan, the Transfer Station Manager, this past week about some issues there and some things the Town can do to generate more money with the Transfer Station. He talked about an idea that Greg Heffernan had that would involve possibly opening up the Transfer Station to other towns and making it more of a regional transfer station. He suggested the current structure would remain in place for residents and the fees for non-residents would be slightly increased. Selectman Poitras
asked the rest of the Selectmen if they have any objection to him working with Greg Heffernan on this.
Selectman Burns said this has come up before. Hollis wanted to go in with us and there were some control issues on it. He said the Board can kick it around again.
Selectman Harmon said there were some concerns about charging more for non-residents and if we are going to charge people, we should charge one price for whatever the load is. There was also discussion in the past about whether or not we should buy scales to measure the weight of the load if we did that. She said the Selectmen have had discussions about it but have not come to any conclusions. She said it makes sense if it is a way to generate revenue but she thinks the Board needs to approach it in a way that is equitable for everybody, and consider how many towns we would contract with, who we should contract with, and a number of other factors as well. She said she thinks it is absolutely worth discussing again.
Selectman Burns reported that he has been in the office working on a number of things but he does not have numbers he needs yet. He mentioned needing to get a couple more quotes on the EMA building repairs and another project he also needs to get quotes on.
Selectman Harmon mentioned the lightning strike to the air conditioning unit in Dispatch last week. Selectman Burns said the cost of repairing the unit was almost as much as the cost to buy a new one so the decision was made to replace it. The Town has a $1,000 deductible on our insurance and the Town will pay the balance of that. He said the bill will be around $2100 to $2200. Selectman Burns explained that for Dispatch the temperature for their computers and servers has to be maintained close to 70 degrees and at the time he was called it was about 77 degrees so they had to get the replacement in as soon as they could.
Selectman Harmon reported that she has been in most days. Today she spoke with a few people in regards to Community Days and she talked at length about that. She said one of the things she heard is that the Board has not advertised or announced that Community Days is going to be more abbreviated this year. Selectman Harmon explained that the Board has talked about it in a previous meeting and had some members of the community come in to express their opinions about the changes this year. Selectman Harmon went on to say that Community Days will just be Saturday, July 18, this year. There will be a road race at 8:00 AM, parade at 10:30 AM, and fireworks at 9:30 PM as they have been in the past at Tory Hill. There will not be any vendors this year or amusement rides at
the Weymouth Park field. This is posted on the Town’s website; the Recreation Director had something on her website, and the police posted something on their Facebook page.
Selectman Harmon explained that there were a number of factors going into the Board’s decision. The Board talked with Department Heads who are directly involved with Community Days, which includes our Police Chief, Fire-Rescue Chief, and Public Works Director. After considering information that the Board was presented with, the fact that attendance has dwindled significantly over the past few years, insurance requirement that
the Town make sure people on the field are safe, that we provide ambulance service there, have police and fire-police to direct traffic who are paid to sit down there and do nothing
for hours on end, the Board thought that this year they would tailor it back. They will re-examine it next year. Selectman Harmon said it would be fabulous if more people were involved either to come up with new ideas on what can be offered on the field, whether it is different amusement rides or different activities for the kids, different vendors offering different foods, crafts, or other things. The Board is open to all suggestions. Selectman Harmon said the Board knows that some people disagree with their decision but the Board did not just wake up one day and decide to do away with Community Days; they made the decision based on information they heard from our Department Heads and from their own observations. The Selectmen felt that maybe we need to take a break from
it and re-examine it next year.
Selectman Poitras asked if there was a break between when it was Buxton Old Home Days and when we started Buxton Community Days. Selectman Harmon confirmed that there was a break for a couple of years and the reason for that was that there were not enough volunteers to pull it together until our Recreation Director at the time was approached and the Town started it again.
Selectman Harmon said the Dorcas Society is still having their annual fair and lawn party. They will be offering lunch which usually coincides with when the parade ends, and they will be doing that at the church at Tory Hill. The Civil War Encampment will still take place and there will be an antique car show. The Board knows some people are disappointed but it is just the activities that were on the field that are not happening this year. The road race, parade and fireworks will still be happening and Selectman Harmon said again that the Board will re-examine this next year.
Selectman Harmon mentioned that the upcoming weekend is the Fourth of July and the Town Office will be closed on Friday to observe the holiday but the Transfer Station will be closed on Saturday which is the actual holiday.
Selectman Harmon reported that the Buxton Food Co-op that is on Haines Meadow Road will be looking for a new home. She said the Board has talked about it before and she has made her feelings known. She feels it is a vital service here in Town that provides food to those who may not have the funds to shop. Selectman Harmon said she knows it is not a Town program because it is run by an individual but she would like to see the Town do something to keep this program going. She said the Board has talked previously about the old Town Garage location. She said the Town has not budgeted anything but she thinks it would be nice to get a double-wide, or one of the modular units that the schools use and are always trying to get rid of, just to house it. Selectman Harmon
talked about the “food insecurity” we hear about on the news and said some people may be hungry and we may not even know about it.
Selectman Santolucito commented that he had the opportunity to go there and observed a lot of hard work, people donating their time, and a lot of people lined up there. He agreed there is a need and thinks it would be nice if there was something the Town could do to ensure that effort to bring all the food into the Town to be distributed out to people continues.
Selectman Poitras commented that people who may not qualify or fall into other programs because of their assets or other situations can still be able to get food. Selectman Harmon added that over any two month period there can be over 200 people who visit there and she went on to talk about the great group of volunteers there and what they do.
Selectman Poitras asked what size facility the food co-op would need. Selectman Harmon talked about the place they have now and agreed that probably a “garage sized” area would work.
None
None
E.O. 151607003 – An order to approve 24 hours of sick leave for John Myers
Approved 4-0-1
E.O. 151607004 – An order to approve 18 hours of vacation leave for John Myers
Approved 4-0-1
E.O. 151607005 – An order to approve John Myers’ attendance at a MTCCA Budget Committee Meeting
Approved 4-0-1
E.O. 151607006 – An order to appoint Dana C. Ryder to the position of a Member of the Cemetery Committee effective until December 31, 2015
Approved 4-0-1
E.O. 151607007 – An order to approve 48 hours of vacation leave for Mike Grovo
Approved 4-0-1
- Executive Orders by Initiative
None
- Accounts Payable and Payroll Warrants
E.O. 151607001 – An order approving expenditures as documented in the Accounts Payable Warrant #112, and Warrant #1
Approved 4-0-1
Warrant #112 was $38,511.04. Warrant #1 was $3,095.00
E.O. 151607003 – An order approving expenditures as documented in Payroll Warrant #111
Approved 4-0-1
The amount was $52,539.16
- Next Meeting of the Board
Board of Selectmen Meeting Wednesday, July 8, at 7:00 PM
Town Office will be closed Friday, July 3, to observe the Fourth of July holiday.
The Transfer Station will be closed on Saturday, July Fourth. There will be no change in the curbside trash pick-up schedule.
- Public Comments and Questions
Patrick Hanna went to the podium and introduced himself. He shared his thoughts and some suggestions on Buxton Community Days. He mentioned a band that might cost less and ideas about cutting back on the number of people working on the grounds.
Selectman Harmon said that these are some of the things the Board will consider when they re-examine the event next year.
Chief Grovo talked about the holiday weekend coming up and starting up foot patrols in Pleasant Point Park on and off throughout the week. The Park closes at 8:00 PM and there will be an officer there to close at that time.
Chief Grovo reminded us that the Town of Buxton has a Fireworks Ordinance and asked people to please observe that. He said it is illegal and there have been some serious accidents from illegal fireworks being set off in an unsafe manner.
Chief Grovo talked about the number of people who will be out on the roads this weekend and asked people to buckle up, drive safely, observe speed limits, don’t drink and drive, and allow plenty of time to get where you are going so we all can have a safe holiday.
Selectman Burns commented on mailboxes that are being destroyed or stolen and said the State Police arrested a couple of people yesterday in Hollis for doing that on Route 117. He said those two individuals happen to be residents of Buxton. Selectman Burns asked people to call the police and said the more people the police can get information from the better the chances are of catching the ones who are doing that. He talked about the amount of money people spend on mailboxes and said when it is all added up it is not just a petty crime. It can result in fines and jail time. He said it is not funny, it is a terrible prank that costs people time and money.
Chief Grovo added that there were hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars worth of damage done by those two individuals. He said it is important that people call the police because they have been successful in charging some individuals with damage done to mailboxes on the north end of Warren Road and River Road, and they are going to be connecting with the State Police to work with them on this case. Chief Grovo said the juveniles are local and the police have dealt with them in the past. People need to report damage because it could lead to felony charges, and even if it does not lead to felony charges, it will lead to misdemeanor charges. If the police can prove who did the damage those individuals will be financially responsible and when the case goes to court, the police will
ask for reimbursement to the people that had their mailboxes damaged. Chief Grovo said it is foolish and there are a couple of juveniles who have too much time on their hands. He said it is expensive, it is aggravating and there is no need for it.
In closing Chief Grovo said again that the Police Department needs to have damage reported and they do have some good suspects. He said if you have had your mailbox damaged within the last couple of weeks please call so the police can take the reports and put them in together when they make charges.
None
Motion made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 7:37 PM
Approved 4-0-1
paste minutes here
| 
