Vassalboro Select Board
Minutes of the Meeting
November 14, 2019

Members Present: Rob Browne, Lauchlin Titus, and John Melrose

Others Present: Mary Sabins, Mary Grow, Mike Poulin, Rachel & Jim Kilbride, Phil Landry, Abbie & Jen Fisher, Gene Field, and Scott Folsom.

1. Call to order – The meeting was called to order by Chairman Titus at 6:30 p.m.

2. Minutes – On a motion made by J. Melrose, seconded by R. Browne, the Board voted unanimously to accept the minutes of the 10/29/19 meeting as written.

3. Speed limit reduction request on Rt. #32 – Resident Rachel Kilbride who lives in the vicinity of the North Vassalboro Post Office, stated that the elderly walk the sidewalk in front of her house to cross the street to get to the Post Office, and children are in the neighborhood. Rachel stated that motorists are traveling up to 50 mph in that area and she would like to see the speed limit reduced from the current 35 mph to 25 mph because we are trying to be an age-friendly community. She stated she has talked with her neighbors and they agree the speed limit should be reduced. Chairman Titus responded that the Selectmen must request of the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) engineers to conduct a review of the posted speed limits to evaluate if they are appropriate for the road conditions and site distance, etc. Similarly, a recent study was requested by the Select Board on the South Stanley Hill Road at the urging of residents in the East Village area, and MDOT’s recommended no change to the speed limit. MDOT Engineer David Allen has indicated to the Town that he also factors the current average speed of motorists in the study area while calculating what the posted speed should be. David recommends that the Town put up the town-owned electronic speed monitoring sign to capture actual speed data. J. Melrose recommended that the Town get actual motorist’s speed information before requesting MDOT’s help. The Selectmen also asked Sabins to contact Police Chief Mark Brown to see if the County Sheriff’s office captured any motorist’s speed data when their speed monitoring sign was erected in the north village area a month or so ago to help with this study.

4. Transfer Station compactor replacement – Sabins explained that she had spoken with Engineer Al Hodsdon to obtain a price for him to create the design of the new structure to overtop the compactor area at the transfer station. The Board asked Sabins to obtain a second price for comparison. The Board also expressed interest in obtaining prices from the engineers to study the layout of the transfer station to make recommendations for improvement. Selectman Browne recommended we set a maximum price we are willing to spend, then task each engineer with proposing a design with that amount of money. After discussion, and on a motion made by L. Titus, seconded by J. Melrose, the Board voted unanimously to set a price range of $80K to $100K less $37K for a new compactor and $12K for the structure design. The remainder of the funds would be for the structure and concrete.

5. Appeals Board appointment – No action was taken on this item as no applications have been received.

6. Budget Meeting timeline and schedule – Sabins distributed a tentative list of meeting dates for the Budget Committee meetings that also contain the School Committee’s meeting dates for the upcoming 2020-21 budget season. The meeting dates may change after the School Committee meets next week and confirms their availability. The Select Board made no changes to the list.

7. Reports – On a motion made by J. Melrose, seconded by R. Browne, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Road and Police Reports as presented. There was no Transfer Station Report available to review.

8. Treasurer’s Warrants – On a motion made by J. Melrose, seconded by R. Browne, the Board voted unanimously to approve warrants #29 and #30.

9. Other – 1. Sabins provided an update to the Board on the Olin Charette junkyard compliance matter. 2. The Board cast their MRC Director ballot for Dana Wrigley of Oakland. 3. Sabins reminded the Board that the Window Dressers Community Build is happening this weekend at the old woolen mill. Volunteers are welcomed and encouraged. 4. Chairman Titus reported that he attended the Planning Board meeting last week to hear the presentation from the Central Maine Growth Council. He stated the Planning Board members listened with interest and asked questions of the speaker. 5. J. Melrose provided an update on the placement of the stone dust that occurred recently at Memorial Park around the Civil War Monument in preparation for the work that is yet to come.

10. Adjourn – There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 7:27 p.m.

/mss

These minutes were read and accepted by the Select Board on 12/12/19 with the following amendments: None.