TUESDAY APRIL 21, 2009

 

BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES

 

1. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG: Chairman Angelo Terreri called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm and the Pledge of Allegiance was said. Those present were Mr. Richard Keene, Mr. Kurt Youland, Mr. Dennis Richardson, Mr. Jeffrey Timberlake, Town Manager Eva Leavitt, Rescue Chief Laurel Gagne and several people with interest.

 

2. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA: Mrs. Leavitt referenced a proposed lease agreement between the Leavitt Institute Building Committee and Mr. Ralph Ryder for some space on the 2nd floor of the institute building; which the Board agreed to discuss as item 7 under the Town Manager's Business. Mrs. Leavitt then requested an item be added to discuss a new pick up truck for Public Works; which the Board agreed to add as item 4A.

 

3. AWARD OF MOWING BID: Mrs. Leavitt noted to the Board that she verified some references on the new contractor who submitted a bid for the Mowing Contract and noted that the references checked out. Following brief discussion Mr. Richardson made a motion to award the mowing bid to GLC Inc for $7,000 and to award the Landfill bid to US Lawns of Lewiston for $230, Mr. Keene seconded the motion. Mr. Youland questioned if any of the bidders would accept only the bid for the landfill area and Mrs. Leavitt assured the Board that the bids specs as designed specified bidders could submit for just mowing or the landfill portion. Mr. Youland then noted one bidder was present and inquired if the bids received should be read, however, Mrs. Leavitt noted that Mr. Chris Poland was present on 4/16/2009 when the bids were initially opened. Mr. Keene then verified that this mowing contract was for town owned properties only and not roadside mowing; which Mrs. Leavitt confirmed. Noting no other discussion Mr. Terreri called for a vote; which was unanimous.

 

4. RESCUE UNIT PURCHASE: Mrs. Leavitt introduced Mr. Ronald Morin from Sugarloaf Ambulance and Mr. Davis who brought down a 2002 Ford unit fully equipped for consideration to purchase. Mrs. Gagne noted this is the same type of unit presently in the fleet of ambulances, however, this unit has fewer miles and those miles were less stressful miles for a unit. Mr. Richardson inquired if funds are available and Mrs. Leavitt noted there is $43,600 in the equipment reserve account as of 4/16/2009. Mr. Morin noted the asking price was initially $50,000 and Ross Gagne - Assn't Rescue Chief negotiated the lower price. Mr. Morin explained that this unit was acquired from Connecticut where the miles accrued were city miles opposed to rural miles and he offered to broker the sale of the existing unit at no fee to the Town. Mr. Timberlake inquired what a reasonable price might be for the old unit and Mr. Morin indicated the town might see $19,000 from the old unit. Mr. Youland then inquired where that money would be applied in the budget and Mrs. Leavitt indicated that it would be receipted as sale of property; however, she also noted that an article on the next town meeting warrant could authorize that money to be moved to the rescue equipment reserve account.

Mrs. Leavitt inquired whether or not Mr. Morin investigated any major repair issues on this unit and Mr. Morin noted that he hasn't received anything in writing; however, verbally there was no indication of any major repairs. Mr. Morin further noted that although an odometer may reflect a certain number of miles, that may not be a true picture of the actual hours on an engine as units like this typically idle for long periods of time; which compares 100,000 miles on an engine to 4,079 hours on the engine.

 

Further discussion included noting that Mr. Morin will do the necessary lettering on the unit and install the radios. Mr. Terreri inquired how many miles per year a unit might travel and it was estimated to be approximately 20,000 per year. Mr. Youland then asked if other possible purchases have been explored and Mr. Gagne noted he has looked at other comparable units recently and this one appears to be a good buy for the department. Mr. Richardson then made a motion to approve $45,000 to purchase the 2002 unit using $43,600 from the equipment reserve account with the rescue memorial fund making up the difference of $1,400, Mr. Keene seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.

 

4A. TRUCK PURCHASE - PUBLIC WORKS: Mr. Youland explained that he found a 2006 ¾ ton GMC diesel pick up with a 8 ½' "V" plow with 85,000 miles for consideration by Public Works as previously discussed. Mr. Youland noted that the vehicle runs good and the asking price is $21,500, the average retail value is $22,250 and the plow alone is worth around $5,500. Mrs. Leavitt noted that that the Board of Selectmen previously approved release of funds from the equipment reserve account for the purchase of several pieces of equipment, one piece being a pick up. Mrs. Leavitt verified for the record that the truck is presently owned by KRY Inc. Mr. Timberlake inquired whether or not this truck could be fitted with a sander for small areas as that was a goal in purchasing a newer truck and it was noted that it might be possible. Following some additional discussion Mr. Timberlake made a motion to approve $21,500 from the equipment reserve fund with the approval of the purchase from Public Works Foreman Charles Poland, Mr. Keene seconded the motion and the vote was 3 in favor, Richardson, Timberlake, Keene, and one abstained, Youland.

 

5. WARRANT & NOTICE OF ELECTION MSAD #52: Mrs. Leavitt noted to the Board that the changes in the School Budget Vote now require two votes, one for the budget; which will take place on May 14th and one to "validate" the budget; which will be held on May 19th. Mrs. Leavitt noted the election would be held at the Town Office with staffing provided by the Town Election Workers; however, the District for the costs incurred will reimburse the Town. Motion was made by Mr. Timberlake to sign the warrant as proposed, Mr. Richardson seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous.

 

6. TOWN MANAGER'S BUSINESS: Q & A WEEKLY MEMO: Mr. Youland questioned the lock box on the Town Office Building and Mrs. Leavitt explained that the fire alarm has gone off at least once and the Fire Department couldn't access the building without the Town Manager or the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, so for safety purposes a lock box was installed for ease of access and the Fire Department has the code. Mr. Keene then inquired about the bell at the entrance and Mrs. Leavitt indicated that CEO Roger Williams would be installing the unit when he does maintenance on the building during the month of May. Mr. Youland mentioned Fish Street and it was noted this would be covered later in the Managers' Business: 6-2 TAG SALE: Mrs. Leavitt noted for the Board that as the Public Works crew does some clean up at the pit garage area has several small items were found that may have some value if sold. Mrs. Leavitt noted that the items all have less than $100 in value and requested permission to hold a tag sale for those items. Discussion included noting there may be some metal that could have more value if retained until the price increases, however, it was determined to be a better idea to simply clean the area. It was noted that staff members need only "show" the items for one day and be authorized to accept any reasonable offer, the person would then need to pay for the item at the Town Office and produce a receipt of payment to pick up their item. Mr. Timberlake made a motion to allow the Public Works staff to hold a tag sale to eliminate some excess items, Mr. Keene seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous. 6-3 MOBILE HOT DOG STAND: Mrs. Leavitt relayed a request from Dan Dimambro to have a mobile hot dog stand at the Town Beach during the summer months. Mr. Richardson inquired if there was any non-profit interest for something of this nature and it was noted that a couple of groups have inquired, but no one has come forward. Mr. Timberlake inquired whether or not the Town could charge a fee for such a use and it was noted that the Town doesn't have a requirement for a vendors' license. Discussion included a question as to whether or not the unit would stay on sight, the need for some sort of guidelines and the fact that if we don't start entertaining such requests there isn't a need to deal with it. The Board took no action on the request. 6-4 OPTIONS TO MDOT - SIDEWALK PROJECT: Mrs. Leavitt noted that Mr. Youland did do the draft for the two proposals as requested for the Maine Department of Transportation's Route 117 proposed re-construction. Mr. Youland noted that he did deliver the two proposals to Representative Larry Sirois as discussed; however, he did also note that he doesn't believe MDOT will consider either of the two proposals as presented. Mrs. Leavitt indicated a note made from Heath Cowland regarding this project and that if this project should not be pursued and completed, the stimulus money earmarked for it would be lost. Mr. Youland then noted that the Town did at least express the concerns the Board of Selectmen has regarding the project. No action. 6-5 INFORMATIONAL PRESENTATION AT TOWN OFFICE 4/30 1:30 pm: Mrs. Leavitt noted to the Board that the Developer for the property at the corner of Route 4 and the Snell Hill Road have changed announcement of their project to 4/30/2009 at 1:30 pm at the Town Office. 6-6 FISH STREET: Mrs. Leavitt referenced the pictures she included with the weekly memo for an area on Fish Street that is experiencing some cracks and erosion. Mr. Youland noted that the Town spent approximately $20,000 last spring on Fish Street installing some drainage and removing some of the trees, however, the pictures reflect damage further up the road. Mr. Richardson inquired if the damage is due to heavy truck traffic or the tree removal? It was noted that both aspects are contributing factors. Mr. Terreri inquired whether or not the Town could receive financial assistance for the repair and Mrs. Leavitt noted she is working on a grant application for some possible financial assistance for mitigation and noted the fact that the Town has historical documentation regarding the previous damage and repair costs should help with the situation. Several possible suggestions were discussed as methods of preventing further damage such as sand mixed with driveway sealant. The main concern from the Board's perspective is to maintain a safe travel way, which could be accomplished by closing one half of the road to travel and keep the traffic off the weak side.

 

Discussion then turned to noting that an engineer would need to be contacted for the work to be done properly and Wright Pierce, Summit Engineering and Pine Tree were mentioned as three possible contacts. Mr. Timberlake noted that the Planning Board has a contract with Pine Tree Engineering for projects that the Planning Board reviews. Mr. Timberlake made a motion to request only empty trucks travel the road, however, it failed with no second being made. The Board simply agreed at this time to make the road as safe as possible and limit travel to one lane. 6-6 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR INSURANCE: Mrs. Leavitt noted it's been 10 or more years since the Town requested proposals for the Town's various insurance needs and she has recently begun requesting information from various agencies, however, she noted that there are few companies operating in the State that can provide coverage for municipalities. Mr. Richardson noted that the last time Turner inspected the amount of coverage for each of the town owned properties the Maine Municipal Association (MMA) came down on some of the rates they were charging the Town. It was noted that the review of the various buildings and the amount of coverage provided the Town with a good opportunity to eliminate some coverage and increase and/or decrease on those buildings needing adjustments. Mr. Richardson inquired about the annual cost for the insurance coverage and Mrs. Leavitt indicated approximately $68,000/year. Mr. Richardson made a motion to send requests for proposals to those companies who can write municipal insurance coverage, including the local agencies, Mr. Keene seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous. 6-7 LEASE AGREEMENT: Mrs. Leavitt referenced a lease agreement as drafted by the Leavitt Institute Board of Directors for a month-to-month lease with Mr. Ralph Ryder who provides services to the State of Maine Department of Labor - Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Mr. Ryder also provides services to Veterans. It was noted that the MSAD 52 Board of Directors gave approval for this type of activity. Mrs. Leavitt further noted that Mr. Ryder would enter a 30-day month-to-month lease with the understanding that if the Sheriff's Department decides to rent the second floor, the lease would be terminated. Mr. Timberlake made a motion to accept the lease agreement as drafted, Mr. Keene seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous.

 

7. CONSIDERATION OF ANY OLD BUSINESS: Mrs. Leavitt reported no updated information on the foreclosed tax accounts.

 

8. CONSENT AGENDA: The minutes from April 6, 2009 were deemed to be in order. Mr. Youland reviewed the disbursement warrants and recommended their approval. Mr. Keene will review for May 4, 2009. Ms. Philipon presented a new Veteran's Exemption Application to be effective for the next tax year and there were no abatements or supplements. Mr. Keene made a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented, Mr. Timberlake seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.

 

9. EXECUTIVE SESSION: TITLE 1 M. R. S. A. - REAL ESTATE (4405) (6) ( ): Mr. Youland made a motion to enter executive session at 8:40 pm, Mr. Keene seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. Mr. Youland Made a motion to come out of executive session at 8:45 pm, Mr. Keene seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. No action.

 

10. EXECUTIVE SESSION: TITLE 1 M. R. S. A. - PERSONNEL MATTER (405) (6) (A): Mr. Youland made a motion to go back into executive session at 8:46 pm, Mr. Keene seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous. Mr. Keene made a motion to approve $350 for training for the Town Manager to be used from contingency, Mr. Richardson seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.

 

11. ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Youland made a motion to adjourn at 8:57 pm.

 

Respectively submitted:

 

Sandra L Philipon

 

Assessing/Office Assistant