Vassalboro Select Board
Minutes of the Meeting
March 29, 2012

Members Present: Phil Haines, Lauchlin Titus (7:05), and Rob Browne (7:10)

Others Present: Mary Sabins, Mary Grow, George Gould, Earl Vannah, Ray Breton, and Darrell Gagnon.

1. Call to order – The meeting was called to order by Chairman Haines at 7:05 p.m.

2. Minutes – On a motion made by L. Titus, seconded by P. Haines, the Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the 3/15/12 meeting as written.

Chairman Haines postponed action on the mowing bid item which was next on the agenda until Selectman Browne arrived.

3. Appoint Election Workers – On a motion made by L. Titus, seconded by P. Haines, the Board voted unanimously to approve and appoint the list of Election Workers as presented by Town Clerk Cathy St. Pierre.

4. Transfer Station closure – On a motion made by L. Titus, seconded by P. Haines, the Board voted unanimously to close the Transfer Station on Easter Sunday, April 8th, 2012, at the request of the Transfer Station staff.

5. Dam Operations Agreement – On a motion made by L. Titus, seconded by P. Haines, the Board voted unanimously to renew the Dam Operations Agreement with the Kennebec Water District.

Selectman Browne arrived during the discussion of the following item concerning the MDOT long term road maintenance plan.

6. MDOT Capital Work Plan – Discussion was given to identify any State roads in Town that the Selectmen felt needed repairs and should be included in the Capital Work Plan. Improvements to the surface of the Oak Grove Road, widening of the bridge on South Stanley Hill Road, and the East Vassalboro sidewalk project were some of the suggested projects listed for inclusion. Resident Ray Breton mentioned three loose manhole covers near his residence on Preble Hill Road, but Sabins stated she will ask Public Works Director Gene Field to report those problems to MDOT now, rather than include them on a long term work plan.

7. Mowing bids – Sabins explained that fifteen contractors had submitted bid prices for this year’s mowing bid. The low bidder of $3,500 in the lawn mowing category has withdrawn his bid. The low bidder of $8,000 in the cemetery mowing category has no employees and plans to do the work alone, which Sabins does not recommend. The low bidder of $15,000 in the combined mowing category is Earl Vannah, d/b/a Vannah Yard Care. Sabins stated that Vannah has indicated to her that he has four employees and all the equipment required to perform the required work. Earl was present at the meeting and provided details on the equipment he planned to use to complete the contract, and he listed his mowing experience for the Board. After this discussion and on a motion made by R. Browne, seconded by L. Titus, the Board voted unanimously to award the combined mowing bid to Earl Vannah, d/b/a Vannah Yard Care for $15,000.

8. Other (out of order) – Resident Ray Breton asked if the Town would give him a break on the disposal costs for the appliances, tires, and other debris from the Carl Quick Stop location he will need to dispose of once he acquires the property after the tank is removed by the DEP next week. Ray plans to have the fire department burn the structure down for training, but not all items can be burned. After discussion and on a motion made by L. Titus, seconded by R. Browne, the Board voted unanimously to accept recyclable debris from Carl’s Quick Stop at the Transfer Station with no fee.

9. MMA Executive Committee nomination process – The Board reviewed the forms but took no action.

10. Reports – a. Status Report – A letter from Coyote Ridge Residents Alan and Dianne Corson was noted. No action taken. A notice from the Town Attorney concerning the Blumberg case was also noted. No formal action on the Status report was taken by the Board. b. Road Report – Sabins provided an update on the ongoing process to fill a vacancy in the Public Works department. On a motion made by L. Titus, seconded by R. Browne, the Board voted unanimously to accept the P.W. Director’s report as presented. c. Police Report - On a motion made by L. Titus, seconded by R. Browne, the Board voted unanimously to accept the report as presented.

11. Treasurer’s Warrants – On a motion made by L. Titus, seconded by R. Browne, the Board voted unanimously to approve warrants #50 and #51.

12. Other – 1. Sabins distributed a memo including the date for the CPR training class on Friday, May 4th. 2. The Board discussed the Budget Committee’s request to reduce the proposed town budget by $33,000. They reviewed the Town Manager’s proposal to increase projected revenues by $33,000 rather than reduce the expenditure line by $33,000. L. Titus suggested considering the elimination of the fire truck reserve funding of $25,000 and to reduce some of the proposed paving around the new recycling building at the transfer station. No formal action taken. 3. Selectman Titus stated that the Town Conservation Commission was considering implementing an Adopt-a-Road program for roadside trash pick-up, as well as arranging a drug pick-up program coordinated with the Kennebec Sheriff’s office. Both programs received verbal support from the Board members; Selectman Titus stated that he would send an email to the Commission giving them the go-ahead.

13. Adjourn – There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

/mss
These minutes were read and accepted by the Select Board on 4/12/12 with the following amendments: Section 10c should have said Financial Report, not Police Report.