Members Present: Rob Browne, Barbara Redmond, and Chris French

Others Present: Mary Sabins, Mary Grow, Mike Poulin, Tom Richards, Ryan Page, Ted Marshall, unknown female, Rick Denico, Amy Davidoff, Jim Webb, and Holly Weidner.

1. Call to order – The meeting was called to order by Chairman Rob Browne at 6:30 pm.

2. Minutes – On a motion made by C. French, seconded by B. Redmond, the Board voted unanimously to accept the minutes of the 5/12/22 meeting as written.

3. Medical Marijuana Business License – Code Officer Ryan Page stated that he recommended approval for applicant Hayden Poupis who has met all application requirements. There was no public comment and little discussion by the Board. On a motion made by B. Redmond, seconded by C. French, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Code Officer’s recommendation and to approve the Medical Marijuana business license for Hayden Poupis.

4. Kennebec County Hazard Mitigation Plan – 2021 Update – County Emergency Management Agency Community Planner Ted Marshall introduced himself and explained the Mitigation Plan document that must be updated regularly, and then accepted by the municipal officers in the towns within the county. This update has minor changes from the previous version and includes washout prevention on the Cook Hill Road. After brief discussion and on a motion made by B. Redmond, seconded by C. French, the Board voted unanimously to approve the plan and signed off on the accompanying form.

5. Maine Community Resiliency Partnership – Resident Peggy Horner who had requested this time on the agenda to speak about this topic was unable to attend the meeting. It will be rescheduled at a later date, possibly in June.

6. Broadband coverage – Resident Amy Davidoff explained that she had sent out emails to town broadband committees (if applicable) or town managers in Kennebec County to see if they want to participate as signatories on a letter to the Kennebec County Commissioners requesting help and the use of County ARPA funds to assess broadband needs throughout the county. Amy requested that the Vassalboro Select Board also agree to add the Town of Vassalboro to the list of towns interested. She stated that Connect Maine also has planning grants available for gap analysis. After discussion and on a motion made by C. French, seconded by B. Redmond, the Board voted unanimously to add Vassalboro’s name to the letter. B. Redmond advised Ms. Davidoff that the County Commissioners have already made the decision not to spend ARPA funds for Broadband.

7. Solid Waste Sustainability Committee – Resident Amy Davidoff prepared and wrote a mission statement and name for the Solid Waste Sustainability Committee that she would like the Select Board to consider for adoption. Amy wants the committee to pursue and investigate disposal options, and to help the town be prepared for federal grant opportunities. She considers the committee to be fact finders; the Select Board would be decision makers. It was reported that Transfer Station Manager George Hamar is uncomfortable with the Committee proposal and Board decision making. He doesn’t want to be saddled with decisions made by others about his transfer station operations. Chairman R. Browne stated that he doesn’t want to make any decision without George being on board with the idea. C. French stated that many residents in town hire trash removal service and have never set foot in the transfer station. C. French also mentioned that he is uncomfortable with some of the language in the proposed mission statement. Sabins confirmed that she had spoken with George earlier in the day and that he is not comfortable with the proposal. Amy stated that she will speak with George again. No formal action was taken by the Board.

8. Summer meeting schedule – After discussion, the Board agreed by consensus to set July 14th and August 11th as the meeting dates for July and August, and to cancel the September 1st meeting date.

9. Abatement – On a motion made by B. Redmond, seconded by C. French, the Board voted unanimously to approve the abatement of 2018 Personal Property taxes and interest on account #146 for Fred Sylvester, now deemed an uncollectable tax. The personal property was removed in 2017.

10. Amendments to town meeting warrant articles – Sabins distributed handouts containing proposed amendments to articles 4 and 11. Funding for both articles have been affected by the investment market recession since the warrant was finalized. The present fire truck reserve funding in the amount of $70,954.90 is no longer adequate to make the truck lease payment of $71,991 and surplus funds in the amount of $1,036.10 will need to be used to supplement the deficit. A similar situation may exist with the public works truck reserve when a new truck is eventually purchased. An amendment in the form of a note will be added to Article 11 at town meeting that will authorize the use of surplus funds to supplement any deficit in the truck and plow purchase funding formula. After lengthy discussion and on a motion made by B. Redmond, seconded by C. French, the Board voted unanimously to accept the proposed amendments as prepared by Sabins. Copies of the proposed amendments will be available to the voters at town meeting.

11. Reports – On a motion made by B. Redmond, seconded by C. French, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Road Report as presented.

12. Treasurer’s Warrants – On a motion made by C. French, seconded by B. Redmond, the Board voted unanimously to approve warrants #67, #68, and #69.

13. Other – 1. On a motion made by C. French, seconded by B. Redmond, the Board voted unanimously to approve a Liquor License for Danielle French for a 50th Anniversary Party to be held at St. Bridget’s Center on 7/23/22. 2. The Board requested that Sabins call Attorney Kristin Collins to see if she is available to come to the first Select Board meeting on June 9th after town meeting to provide help in the next steps of the process to demolish the dangerous building on Priest Hill Road.

14. Adjourn – There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

/mss

These minutes were read and accepted by the Board of Selectmen on 6/9/22 with the following amendments: None.