Town of Buxton
Minutes for October 14, 2015 Selectmen’s Meeting
Prepared by: Beverly Gammon
Members Present: Clifford L. Emery, Jean C. Harmon, Peter E. W. Burns, Dennis Santolucito, Chad E. Poitras
Others Present: Mike Grovo, Ellen DeCotiis, Julie Gamelson, Patrick Hanna, Dianne Senechal, David Harmon
Special Town Meeting – 7:00 PM – Account Reconciliations
Town Clerk, John Myers, called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Hiram Davis was elected Moderator. After some discussion, the Chair ruled affirmative vote on Article 2 as written. The meeting adjourned at 7:17 PM.
Selectmen’s Meeting Agenda
Selectman Emery called the meeting to order at 7:22 PM.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited at the Special Town Meeting at 7 o’clock.
- Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes
Selectmen Meeting Minutes October 7, 2015
Approved 4-0-1
- Discussion held between 4:00 & 7:00 p.m.
Chief Grovo met with the Board and went over the upcoming Special Town Meeting.
At 5 o’clock Charisse Keach, our Treasurer, met with the Board. She gave them an update on Camden National Bank’s acquisition of Bank of Maine where we currently do our banking. She also talked about some deadlines we have for benefit enrollments of new employees; requests for leave without pay, and work hours for employees.
After that, the Board had our Code Enforcement Officer, Peter Gordon, in to give them some updates on several ongoing issues. Selectman Harmon said he has been working for us about a month now and the Board is pleased that things appear to be going fine.
Selectman Harmon reported that Scott Warchol, who the Board just appointed to the Budget Committee, was in the Town Hall this evening and stopped in the Selectmen’s Office. Mr. Warchol talked with Selectman Santolucito about the next SAD 6 Budget Advisory Committee Meeting that Mr. Warchol wants to try to attend.
- Email from Maine D.O.T. – Re: Bar Mills/Hollis Progress Meeting Minutes for 10-6-2015
- Email from Maine CDC – Re: Influenza Arrives in Maine
- Email from SAD 6 Business Office – Re: Budget Advisory Committee Meeting
- Email from Garrett Corbin, Maine Municipal Association – Re: Volunteer Fire Department & EMS Provider Recruitment, Training & Retention
- Review of Projects and Issues
Selectman Poitras missed the meeting last week but reported that he has been in and out of Town Hall a couple of times since. He worked with a resident tonight who is interested in a piece of equipment the Town has and said he was able to answer the resident’s questions. Selectman Poitras reported that he worked with one of the Police Officers on some questions he had on the new changes to the concealed weapons rules. Selectman Poitras mentioned that absentee ballots are available now, and there is a bean supper at the North Congregational Church on Church Hill Road this coming Sunday. In closing he commented on what a nice job the State did paving Routes 112 and 22.
Selectman Burns reported he was in Thursday morning to take care of some things. On Monday night he and Selectman Emery attended the 12 Town Group Meeting. Most of the discussion there centered around Broadband, the Internet and the 3-Ring Binder. They are working on a survey they hope to have ready to hand out on voting day and at the Transfer Stations for those towns that have one. The group is interested in the public’s feedback so Selectman Burns said he hopes people will take a survey and fill it out.
Selectman Burns also came into the office Tuesday morning. While he was here he talked with a resident who came in from Davis Road about the status of the ongoing situation with that road. Selectman Burns said he stopped at the West Buxton Library this morning to check on the painter’s progress and he is hopeful that the work will be done by the middle of next week.
Selectman Harmon reported that she has been in every day and was here early this morning with Bev Gammon and Krystal Dyer for a conference call with Virtual Town Hall, the company that is re-building our website. We spent about an hour going over how we want it to look, cleaned up some things that are not being used, and removed some boards and committees that no longer exist. We are hoping that our “live” date will be in January. As work progresses Krystal and Bev will be able to look in on it and offer comments and suggestions along the way. Right now they are in the process of taking what we have on our current website and transferring it to the new one. Selectman Harmon went on to say that we will be welcoming our new Deputy Business Office Clerk next Monday
morning.
Selectman Santolucito talked about the SAD 6 Budget Advisory Committee Meeting referenced earlier. He said the primary focus will be Frye Island and how to move forward from a municipal perspective and the School Board’s perspective and on November 5th we will have more information on that. Selectman Santolucito mentioned that there was a scheduling glitch in regards to the upgrade to our Disptach power systems and said the install has been re-scheduled for next Tuesday.
Selectman Emery came into the office last Friday and reported that he got caught up on all the mail on his desk. He talked about keeping in touch every day with other Selectmen so he can stay on top of any issues that come up. Selectman Emery said he talked with Selectman Burns about the issue on Davis Road and he gave the resident who came in the only answer he could regarding that.
The Board is still looking for a School Board member.
None
E.O. 151610013 – An order to approve the name “Hannaford Drive” as the driveway name for the entrance off Portland Road into the Hannaford Supermarket parking area for the purpose of 9-1-1 mailing addresses.
Approved 5-0
E.O. 151610014 – An order to approve Tashia Pinkham’s attendance at the Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Conference
Approved 5-0
- Executive Orders by Initiative
None
- Accounts Payable and Payroll Warrants
E.O. 151610011 – An order approving expenditures as documented in the Accounts Payable Warrant #34
Approved 5-0
The amount of the warrant was $687,960.87
E.O. 151610012 – An order approving expenditures as documented in Payroll Warrant #33
Approved 5-0
The amount was $47,131.88
- Next Meeting of the Board
- Public Hearing Wednesday, October 21 at 7:00 PM, on amendments to the MMA Model Ordinance GA Appendices (A-D) for the period October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016
- Liquor License Appeal Hearing for William H. Ham III, d/b/a Skip’s Lounge, Monday, October 26 at 10:00 AM
- Public Hearing Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00 PM on a Liquor License Renewal for Kevin & Sundae Fallen D/B/A Personal Touch Catering, located at 62 Chicopee Road, Buxton
- Public Hearing Wednesday, October 28 at 7:10 PM on a Junkyard Permit for Dwayne St. Ours, d/b/a Saint’s Auto Sales-Parts, located at 979 Narragansett Trail, Buxton, Maine
- SAD #6 Budget Advisory Committee Meeting Thursday, October 29 at 6:00 PM at Central Office
Flu Shot Clinic at Buxton Town Hall, Friday, October 16 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM. This is open to the public. Please bring your insurance card. The cost will be $30 for anyone paying cash.
The Poland Spring Plant Manager and Truck Manager will be attending the Hollis Selectmen’s Meeting on Wednesday, October 21 at 7:00 PM in Hollis. This is a follow-up meeting with Poland Spring to discuss truck traffic. The public is welcome.
If anyone is having issues with Poland Spring trucks or their drivers, this is your opportunity to talk with the Plant Managers about it.
Selectman Burns discussed the new law that goes into effect on October 15 regarding concealed handguns and read a summary of the new laws and noted that these rules are available on the State website as well as on Maine Municipal Association’s website. He urged anyone who has questions to read them.
Selectman Harmon announced that dogs can be licensed for 2016 starting tomorrow.
Selectman Burns also mentioned that absentee ballots are available and added that there are two bond issues and one citizen’s initiative to be voted on.
- Public Comments and Questions
Ellen DeCotiis went to the podium and introduced herself. She asked about the Focus On Six Newspaper and who to address questions to regarding the paper.
The Selectmen explained that that paper is from SAD #6.
Ms. DeCotiis asked if the 12 Town Group meetings would be a place to talk about other towns bringing trash to the Transfer Station. A brief discussion followed between the Selectmen and Ms. DeCotiis. The Selectmen explained who is part of the 12 Town Group, how the meetings are conducted, and talked about several of those towns that are already collaborating with each other on consolidating trash services.
Ms. DeCotiis said she wondered if that might be the place to talk with other towns about bringing trash here.
Selectman Emery explained that our Board of Selectmen talked with the Town of Hollis about the possibility of opening the Transfer Station to their residents but it did not appear to be a good fit at that time.
Ms. DeCotiis said she saw some information on the website about our Comprehensive Plan and asked if there is a time frame in which the Plan has to be updated.
Selectman Harmon advised that it is every 10 years.
Selectman Burns said the State has to do something which it has not done and they have basically dropped it.
Ms. DeCotiis asked if the Town should be doing this.
Selectman Harmon gave some history on the Comprehensive Plan, and background on the Comprehensive Plan Committee, explaining that voters of Buxton approved the Comprehensive Plan and it was sent to the State for review and approval but the State did not approve it. At that time, the State was going through changes and their review committee changed. Buxton had a Comprehensive Plan Committee that was getting together to review the areas where the State disagreed with what the Town had put together but that committee has dissolved. Selectman Harmon explained that the person who was the driving force behind the process moved away.
Ms. DeCotiis said she thought it might be something that the business advisory group could look at.
The Selectmen advised that the group has a copy of that.
Ms. DeCotiis shared some thoughts about a workshop she saw that So. Portland is having to get community feedback on an economic development plan they are going to be working on.
Selectman Emery responded that he expects that will be part of the process; the committee is in its infancy stages right now and the members are gathering a lot of information from other communities.
Dianne Senechal went to the podium and asked for an overview of how the Town’s website re-design is going and what the public can expect from it.
Selectman Harmon explained that from the conference call she was on today, we have a basic idea of what it is going to look like. She said part of the reason for doing this is to make it more user-friendly and update the site. She explained the process in detail and said right now Virtual Town Hall is in the process of transferring the information we currently have to the new website. She said we are hoping to go live in January. Krystal Dyer and Bev Gammon will have the ability to go into the website as it is being developed and give them feedback if there is something we don’t like or something we are not sure of so we can make changes along the way. One of the questions we asked today was if we remove Boards and Committees that are no longer active, will we have the
ability to re-activate them later on and we were told that we will have that capability. Selectman Harmon said she is excited about what it is going to look like and said we are also going to have a photo gallery on the new website.
Ms. Senechal mentioned that Standish has a website where people can look at background data for some department budgets and she asked if that is something the Board is thinking about here.
Selectman Harmon said it is not something we have currently discussed in building the new website but she is sure that if we were able to do that, we would.
Dianne Senechal said she would like to see more of the background information.
Ms. Senechal went on to ask questions about the Appeals Hearing for Skip’s Lounge. She asked if the hearing is going to be held here, if it is open to the public and asked if the Board had done this before.
Selectman Harmon responded saying that a few years back the Board denied the liquor license for Skip’s. She said the hearing is going to be here at Town Hall and it is open to the public.
Dianne Senechal asked questions about the business advisory group, and a discussion
followed with the Selectmen explaining who is on the committee, what they do for work, how the group started, and what some of the members do for work.
Ms. Senechal asked what the direction of the committee is and if there is a deadline.
Selectman Emery replied that the Board wants to get an idea about what we would like Buxton businesses to look like mainly in the Route 202 corridor including setbacks, front views, parking, and other things. The committee members are meeting with Gorham, Scarborough, Saco, and other communities to see what they have and coming back to compile a lot of information to start looking at. Selectman Emery said there is no deadline.
Julie Gamelson went to the podium and introduced herself. She asked what would happen if a business comes in right now.
Selectman Emery said if a business comes in now, we are at the mercy of what we currently have on the books. The Board can make suggestions; he said they have done that before and he is sure they would do that again depending on what the business is and where it is going to be located.
There were no other comments or questions.
None
Motion made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 7:59 PM
Approved 5-0
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