MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN
TOWN OF MOUNT DESERT, MAINE
Monday, May 21, 2007
A meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held this date in the Somesville Fire Station, Somesville, Maine.
Those present included: Chairman Ernest Coombs, Selectmen Patrick Smallidge, Jeffrey Smith; Town Manager Michael MacDonald; Public Works Director Tony Smith; Police Chief James Willis, Harbor Master Shawn Murphy, Finance Director Brent Hamor, Fire Chief Mike Bender, Recording Secretary Kathleen Miller and members of the public.
I. Call to order.
Chairman Coombs called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
II. Minutes
A. Approval of minutes of Regular Meeting of May 7, 2007 and Special Meeting of May 10, 2007.
A correction to the minutes of May 7 Regular Meeting was noted. Page 5 lines 11 and 12 should reflect that Selectman Smallidge voted against the motion.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of May 7, 2007 as amended, and May 10 as presented, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
III. Appointments and Communications
A. Approve appointment of Christopher Moore to Marine Management Committee
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve the appointment above, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
B. Accept with regret resignation of Assessor John Brushwein, effective June 1, 2007.
There was some discussion over Mr. Brushwein's departure, noting his long tenure and the number of positions he has filled during his 19 years with the Town. There was a question about whether the position of Assessor needed to be filled, and it was noted that the function must be filled, not the full-time position. Other towns have other contract arrangements. There was a suggestion to look into such arrangements. Mr. MacDonald said there is some time, but the arrangements should be in place by September. There was some discussion about the expected salary range for a new full time position of an assessor, estimated to be $50,000-60,000, and additional skills that might be sought, such as GIS system skills. Mr. MacDonald said the Town is now in negotiation with Gary Blanchette for commitment at a rate of $90/hour, and that the Town is
starting to plan for advertising the assessor position.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to accept with regret the above, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
Public Hearing: Special Amusement Permit Renewal, Penny J. Fernald, d/b/a Main Sail Restaurant, 10 Huntington Road, Northeast Harbor, ME
Chairman Coombs opened the Public Hearing at 6:39 p.m. There were no comments from the public, so the Public Hearing was closed.
Appointments continued
C. Confirm appointment of Travis Frost as Police Patrol Officer, effective May 22, 2007 at hourly rate of $16.25; increasing to $17.06 after successful completion of six-month probationary period.
Mr. MacDonald said Travis Frost is currently a part-time officer with the Town, and that he would enter the Police Academy in the Fall. Police Chief Willis added he is filling in for the officer assigned to the Drug Task force, which will compensate for salary and training costs.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to confirm the appointment above, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
D. Confirm appointment of Michael Allen as part-time Police Patrol Officer, effective May 22, 2007 at hourly rate of $12.00.
Mr. MacDonald said this would fill in the vacancy left by the part-time officer becoming full-time.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to confirm the appointment above, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
E. Confirm appointments of seasonal NHE Marina dockhands; Mallory Zwerdling at $11.00 per hour; Sarah Hinckley and Bree Walsh at $12.00 per hour; and Bill Hodgkins and Sam Stevens at $13.00 per hour.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to confirm the appointments above, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
F. Acknowledge receipt of department monthly reports; Harbor Master.
The selectmen acknowledged receipt of the report noted above. No action taken.
G. Acknowledge receipt of Great Harbor Museum mission statement.
The selectmen acknowledged receipt of the statement noted above. No action taken.
H. Acknowledge receipt of Great Harbor Museum first step in building renovation plan; i.e. architects/engineer visit.
The selectmen acknowledged receipt of the first step plan noted above. No action taken.
I. National Park Service notice of ANP boundary survey.
The selectmen acknowledged receipt of the notice noted above. No action taken. There was some discussion of meaning of the language in the survey, referring to "reacquisition of boundaries."
IV. Selectmen Reports
A. Selectman Smith asked that the Town send a letter of thanks to the Mount Desert Elementary School 8th Grade for their Transportation report, noting appreciation of their input and the selectmen's intent to take their ideas to the next level. There was some discussion on the number of cars driven to the high school, while school buses are largely under-used. It was noted that fuel could be saved by reducing the number of cars driven to school.
V. Old Business
A. Approve dissolution of Sanitary District Steering Committee
Public Works Director Smith said the membership of the committee had dropped to less than a quorum to conduct business or undertake the level of work required, and that the state DEP staff have no personal experience setting up a sanitary district because none has been formed for many years. There were concerns about citizens not pumping their septic systems because of the level of work and the possibility of not coming up to code during an inspection, with potentially high costs of upgrading. It was noted that the money offered by the town for pumping is not enough to do an inspection or fix problems. It was suggested that the full Board of Selectmen take up again the issue of public sewers and private septic systems to develop something equitable yet mindful of the impact on watersheds. There were suggestions that the Board move carefully
and consider legal questions as well as fairness. It was noted that the state legislature seemed agreeable to looking at proposals from the Town. There was discussion of the costs of inspections and upgrades, the impact on low-income individuals and possible grant funding for them. Mr. Smith noted the increase in groundwater, which could cause future problems. The discussion included expansion of RWWSP and a proposal to assess sewer charges based on valuation.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to dissolve the Sanitary District Steering Committee, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
"Sewer Funding" will be added as a topic for June 4 agenda.
VI. New Business
A. Approve Liquor License application for Elmer Beal, Jr., d/b/a Burning Tree Restaurant.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve the above, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
B. Approve Special Amusement Permit for Main Sail Restaurant.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve the above, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
C. Approve NEH Marina electrical improvement plan (session A and session B) as recommended by Marine Management Committee.
D. Approve expenditure of up to $31,100 from reserve account #2840, NEH Landing, (balance $185,122.76).
There was considerable discussion over the Marina electrical improvement plans and the contracts for correcting old problems or upgrading to provide up-to-date service for users. It was noted that projects should generally be put out to bid, and that in this instance the Town had difficulty getting contractors to look at the project. Harbor Master Murphy said that some of the wiring is different from the existing plans, and that customers are not getting the expected or necessary amount of electricity. The first two phases of the plans will correct that situation, the third phase will provide upgraded service. There was a suggestion to work with the proposed electrical contractor for the first two phases of the work, Sessions A and B, and put the third phase of work, Session C, out to bid.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve both items C. and D. above, with an amendment to replace the $31,100 back to the reserve account.
There was some discussion about the use of that reserve fund and how to replace the funds. Selectman Smallidge withdrew his amendment.
Selectman Smith seconded the motion to approve both items C. and D. as proposed. The vote was unanimous in favor.
E. Declare 1987 GMC 3500 truck with 14' walk-thru dry freight box (currently being use as a Fire Department air supply truck) as surplus and approve for sale by sealed bid.
MOTION: Selectman Smith moved to declare the truck as surplus and approve for sale, seconded by Selectman Smallidge. The vote was unanimous in favor.
VII. General Issues
A. None
VII. Other Business
George Peckham advised the Board he had contacted Mount Desert Island High School Principal Leighton to begin the process of changing the date of the high school annual meeting from February to late April to coincide with Island town's annual Town Meetings.
IX. Treasurer's Warrants
Signed as presented.
X Executive Session
None requested
At 7:35 p.m. Selectman Smallidge moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeffrey Smith
Secretary
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