Vassalboro Select Board
Minutes of the Meeting
November 1, 2018

Members Present: Lauchlin Titus and John Melrose

Members Absent: Rob Browne

Others Present: Mary Sabins, Mary Grow, Mark Brown, Al Pfeiffer, KJ Reporter Meg Robbins, Mike Vashon, Frank Hatch (6:50), and Pete Allen

1. Call to order – The meeting was called to order by Chairman Titus at 6:33 p.m.

2. Minutes – On a motion made by J. Melrose, seconded by L. Titus, the Board voted unanimously to accept the minutes of the 10/18/18 meeting as written.

3. Police Chief job description – Selectman Melrose suggested to Chairman Titus that the Board pass over this item on the agenda this evening in the absence of Selectman Browne, as Selectman Melrose planned to vote against the proposed draft job description.

4. LED streetlight conversion project – Chairman Titus gave an update on the email he had received from RealTerm Energy representative Mark Carter who needed additional CMP bill information from the Town before a proposal can be prepared. Sabins will provide the information requested and forward it to Mr. Carter. The City of Augusta’s sample RFP for their streetlight conversion project was briefly discussed. J. Melrose asked Sabins to also obtain a copy of the RFP that the Town of Kittery used recently for their conversion project. The Board will review this topic again at the next meeting, and discuss any further updates. Mike Vashon inquired if there were potential savings for the town if the conversion was done, to which Chairman Titus explained there would be up front costs and we would own our own equipment, but a savings overtime is anticipated. More research is needed.

5. Historical Society Lease Agreement – Selectman Melrose briefly explained the changes to the lease agreement he had drafted. After discussion, and on a motion made by J. Melrose, seconded by L. Titus, the Board voted unanimously to forward the lease agreement to the Historical Society for their consideration. Chairman Titus suggested the lease be sent with a cover letter requesting a response from the Historical Society representatives by December 31, 2018.

6. Holiday hours and Selectmen’s meeting dates – On a motion made by J. Melrose, seconded by L. Titus, the Board voted unanimously to set the remaining 2018 Selectmen’s meeting dates as follows: November 15th, December 6th, and December 20th. The January 2019 meeting dates will remain the same (January 10th and 24th). Discussion was then given as to the Christmas holiday hours for the staff. On a motion made by L. Titus, seconded by J. Melrose, the Board voted unanimously to give town staff Monday, December 24th as a paid holiday. The transfer station staff will receive eight hours of holiday pay for that day. Tuesday, December 25th is also a paid holiday and all town departments are closed.

7. Reports – a. Road Report - On a motion made by J. Melrose, seconded by L. Titus, the Board voted unanimously to accept the report as presented. Sabins reported that no price estimate has yet been received for the repairs on the broken down grader. J. Melrose stated that he had driven about town recently to view the work done by the public works department this summer and fall. He stated he was very impressed by the quality and the volume of work accomplished.

8. Treasurer’s Warrants – On a motion made by J. Melrose, seconded by L. Titus, the Board voted unanimously to approve warrants #26 and #27.

9. Other – 1. The MRC Board of Directors nomination form was discussed. Only the first nine nominees received by the MRC will be accepted. China Selectwoman Irene Belanger’s term is up this year. On a motion made by J. Melrose, seconded by L. Titus, the Board voted unanimously to nominate Irene Belanger to another term if she is willing to serve. Sabins will contact Irene next week to determine if she wants to serve again; if so, Sabins will mail in the nomination form, if her Select Board have not already done so. 2. Receipt of a thank you note from Behavioral Health for our annual contribution to that agency was noted. 3. The topic of emergency dispatch services was discussed at length, with town fire, ems, and law enforcement volunteers and staff in the room. The Town has been notified that our dispatch service from Augusta RCC will change effective July 1, 2019 when they will no longer dispatch law enforcement calls for us, and we must make an alternative plan for dispatch services. After discussion, the Board asked Sabins to arrange to have Sheriff Ken Mason and Director of Communications Cliff Wells attend the November 15th meeting for further discussion and planning. 4. Chairman Titus stated that on the community Facebook page, residents are voicing dissatisfaction with the home-visiting assessors who are performing quarterly reviews in town. 5. Mike Vashon gave an update on the FEMA Grant application he has submitted for a fire truck. The application will have a peer review first, then proceed for scoring. Funding for the truck from town surplus was also discussed. Two years of surplus funding may be needed if the grant is awarded and if the award timing is right. 6. Chairman Titus reported on a malfunctioning streetlight at the intersection of Rt. #201 and Oak Grove Road. Sabins will have PW Director Gene Field get the pole number to report the problem to CMP online. 7. J. Melrose stated that he had fielded inquiries about how our recyclables at the transfer station are handled at this juncture. 8. Superintendent Al Pfeiffer provided copies of the school newsletters for October and November, and he invited the Selectmen to attend the school board meetings at any time. He thanked the fire department members for their time and training with the kids at school during fire prevention week. Mr. Pfeiffer also stated that he has made a plan with PW Director Gene Field to obtain weather and road condition updates this winter in time to make school closure decisions during inclement weather. 9. J. Melrose stated that he is conducting research on the feasibility of erecting a solar array on the roof of the Riverside Fire station. He feels that location would be ideally suited for 80-90 panels. 10. J. Melrose also stated that he and a few heating experts toured the town office, the historical society, and the library over the past weekend to consider heating options for those town buildings.

10. Adjourn – There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.

/mss


These minutes were read and accepted by the Select Board on 11/15/18 with the following amendments: None.