Vassalboro Select Board
Minutes of the Meeting
September 2, 2010
Members Present: Rob Browne and Lauchlin Titus
Members Absent: Phil Haines
Others Present: Mary Sabins, David Jenney, David Souza, George Gould, Greg O’Halloran, Mary Grow, Ben & Denise Gidney, Patsy Crockett, Evert Fowle, and Holly Weidner
1. Call to order – The meeting was called to order by Chairman Titus at 7:00 p.m.
2. Minutes – On a motion made by R. Browne, seconded by L. Titus, the Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the 8/19/10 meeting as written.
3.New Business –
a. Ben Gidney stated that the parked vehicles along the shoulder on the south side of the Bog Road across from the General Store at the intersection of Route 32 is a safety hazard and he would like to see the Selectmen designate that area as a no parking zone at all times. Ben and his wife Denise plan to build a building and open a business on the plot of grassy land that abuts the road shoulder at that intersection and they are concerned that their customers will not be able to exit their new driveway safely. Ben brought a laptop computer with photographs of parked vehicles in the right of way, and he also distributed photos and a letter of request to each member of the Select Board, to make his point. General Store owner David Souza was also present at the meeting and stated he had conducted research which revealed that his customers were parking in the road right of way, not on Gidney property. The road has been designated as a four rod road with a right of way extending to 33 feet from the centerline. A cement marker on the Gidney property signifies where the right of way ends. If the parking were eliminated, Mr. Souza stated it would negatively impact his business. After much discussion, the Selectmen decided to take no action on this matter until they could check with the Sidewalk and Pedestrian Committee to see if they have determined where a sidewalk or pathway might be located on that road in the future.
b. Greg O’Halloran stated that the last load of asbestos debris was removed from his Stone Road subdivision property recently and the soil has been excavated that was required from the State DEP. These two provisions were requirements of the Consent Agreement between Greg and the Town before Greg could obtain a building permit for more houses within the subdivision. Greg asked the Selectmen for an amendment to the agreement to allow him to obtain a building permit prior to the release document from the State being received by the Town. Code Officer Dan Feeney recommended to the Selectmen that they wait for the release from the DEP before granting permission for the issuance of a building permit. After much discussion, the Selectmen agree to heed the advice of the Code Officer and not give permission tonight to amend the agreement to authorize the issuance of a building permit. Greg requested to be on the next Selectmen’s agenda on September 16th in hopes that a release from the State will have been received by the Town.
c. PACE Ordinance – District Attorney and Resident Evert Fowle introduced Legislative Representative Patsy Crockett who is the sponsor of the recently enacted PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) legislation. Representative Crockett explained that adoption of the PACE Ordinance will establish a PACE program in Vassalboro so that owners of qualifying property in Vassalboro can access financing for energy saving improvements to their properties located in the Town, financed by funds awarded to the Efficiency Maine Trust under the Federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program and by other funds available for this purpose. The Town can enter into a contract with the Trust to have the Trust administer functions of its PACE program. Chairman Titus stated that the Town Energy Committee has reviewed the proposed PACE Ordinance and the Committee supports the program. On a motion made by R. Browne, seconded by L. Titus, the Board voted unanimously to put the proposed PACE Ordinance on the November ballot for possible adoption by the town, and to propose the version that requires Efficiency Maine to administer the program. A date for the public hearing on the proposed ordinance was set for the next Selectmen’s meeting on September 16, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
4. Reports – a. Status Report – A brief update was given about contacts made from Jon Blumberg. b. Road Report – On a motion made by R. Browne, seconded by L. Titus, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Road Report as presented. c. Police Report - On a motion made by R. Browne, seconded by L. Titus, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Police Report as presented. d. Financial Report - On a motion made by R. Browne, seconded by L. Titus, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Financial Report as presented.
5. Treasurer’s Warrants – On a motion made by L. Titus, seconded by P. Haines, the Board voted unanimously to approve warrants #14, #15, and #16.
6. Other – 1. Sabins asked if the Selectmen wanted to attend the upcoming MMA Convention in October. The Selectmen stated they were not interested in attending. 2. On a motion made by R. Browne, seconded by L. Titus, the Board voted unanimously to sign the Constitution Week Proclamation as requested by resident Evelyn Dutill. 3. Sabins stated that Vassalboro will be participating in the Hazardous Waste and Medicine Collection Day in Waterville on October 16th. Pre-registration is required by Vassalboro residents before they can participate. 4. Notice has been received from Paul Morneau that his sand pit where the town gets winter sand from is for sale for $375,000. The town has no reserve or resources for a purchase. Selectman Browne suggested that PW Director Gene Field contact Robin Tobey to ask about a price for winter sand. 5. It was reported that the residents on Cemetery Street seem satisfied with the newly installed streetlight.
7.Adjourn – There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
/mss
These minutes were read and accepted by the Select Board on 9/16/10 with the following amendments: In section 5 regarding the Treasurer’s Warrants, the motion was made by R. Browne, and seconded by L. Titus.