TOWN OF FRYEBURG, MAINE
BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES
MARCH 30, 2006  

The meeting was called to order at 6pm. Mr. Dutton acted as the pro temore chair. Mr. Knapp moved to accept the minutes, which was seconded by Mr. Dutton. The motion passed unanimously.

PUBLIC FORUM

Mr. Ernest Smith spoke regarding vandal activity on Ice House Road and cited a series of specific incidents. This lead to a discussion with the Chief of Police regarding reporting of incidents and criminal activities. The Chief of Police stated that he felt uncomfortable citing specific cases due to confidentiality issues. The board requested a list of specific instances from Mr. Smith and stated that they would follow up with the Chief of Police at a later date.

In regards to the upcoming meeting with the Portland Red Cross representative, Red Cross Meetings, Mr. Knapp said that he has scheduled the meeting to discuss a potential transfer in affiliation to the branch in Conway; as well as to receive additional information regarding services currently provided.

Mr. Chet Cherrette updated the board on the status of the CERT training workshop, and the Fire Chief informed the Selectmen of a streetlight out on Portland Street.

Discussion, Nomination, and Vote of Chairman of the Board

The board discussed the past procedures for the voting of the Chairman of the Board, and the Town Manager distributed information from the Maine Municipal Officer’s Manual on this process. Mr. Knapp moved to nominate Jim Dutton as Chairman of the Board, which was seconded by Mr. Ed Wilkey. The motion passed unanimously.

Tax Anticipation Borrowing and Scheduling

The Town Clerk/Treasurer, Ms. Theresa Shaw, distributed information to the board that showed the current cash flow and the costs of borrowing all at once or borrowing as needed. There was a discussion regarding the growing deficit within the town budget and the current cash flow problem—and how to correct it. Mr. Knapp said that he would be willing to sign the two million dollar tax anticipation note as long as the cash flow situation is addressed this following year. Ms. Shaw said that the town needed to sign the note as soon as possible to hold to the current interest quote. Mr. Wilkey made a motion to sign the Tax Anticipation Note with TD Banknorth, which was seconded by Mr. Knapp. The motion carried 2-1 (Knapp).

There were also bids for borrowing for assessing costs. Key Bank came in as the lowest bid. Ms. Shaw informed the board that she needed the answer as soon as possible.

Capital Improvement Needs

According to the Town Manager, there are two immediate concerns regarding Capital Improvement Needs. The first is for a new police cruiser, the current price being $21, 330. MacDonald Motors came in with $20,875; along with a reduction in service costs by buying through the MacDonald dealership. The total cost, along with equipment, would be $24,100. Mr. Knapp made a motion to allow the Town Manager to coordinate with the Chief of Police the purchase of the cruiser, which was seconded by Mr. Ed Wilkey. The motion passed unanimously.

The Road Commissioner spoke in regards to purchasing a chipper and grader. He also investigated the purchase of a specific used grader but it was already sold. Mr. Knapp made a motion for the Town Manager to bid the chipper and backhoe out, which was seconded by Mr. Dutton. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Knapp identified some roads which would need some road repair due to the effects of the winter.

Review of loan options for financing revaluation work :

Key Bank was the lowest rate, with a repayment over a three-year period. There was a discussion on previous loan arrangements, and Mr. Knapp moved to authorize the treasurer to sign the loan, which was seconded by Mr. Ed Wilkey. The motion passed unanimously.

Review of the Town Meeting Vote

The minutes were not completely done at this time. There was some discussion on procedure for community service organizations requesting donations. Mr. Knapp moved to table the review, which was seconded by Mr. Ed Wilkey. The motion passed unanimously.

Review of the Future Individual, Town Board, and Town Committee

Mr. Covelli handed out a spreadsheet listing open positions for this year. Some committee positions need to be reappointed each year and current individuals serving need to be contacted to see if they are interested in serving another term. There was a discussion on how many people are able to serve on specific committees. Mr. Wayne Brooking requested to not have reappointments to the Appeals Board until the variance issue has been decided in an upcoming meeting of the Board of Appeals.

There was a discussion on the need to advertise for the committee positions. The board agreed to authorize the Town Manager to run an ad that lists open positions , and to send a letter to incumbents to determine whether they are interested in serving another term.

Leases on Town Owned Properties

Academy Lease for maintenance building:

Mr. Dutton mentioned that he is a trustee of the Academy and will recuse himself if anyone feels that is necessary. No request was made. Copies of the lease have been sent to the Legion Committee, who were all present. Since all were in agreement, the lease was signed.

Land Use Authorization for Maintenance Building:

Since the CEO is on vacation, Mr. Covelli would like the authorization to sign the permit so that the builders can break ground. There was discussion regarding the normal procedures of authorizing permits when the CEO was absent. After extensive discussion, the board agreed to authorize a temporary permit with the expiration date 4/14. Members of the Selectboard would sign the temporary permit Mr. Wilkey moved to authorize this temporary permit, which was seconded by Mr. Knapp. The motion passed unanimously, and the permit was signed.

“ Nissen Building “ lease discussion

The beginning date of the lease is 3/31 with Interstate Brands. Changes have been made to the lease regarding the destruction clause and the rental fee has increased from $400 to $950. Mr. Knapp made a motion for the Town Manager or the Chairman to sign the lease, which was seconded by Mr. Wilkey. The motion passed unanimously.

Upcoming Service Contracts

There was a discussion on mowing contracts. As they exist now, there are three different entities performing mowing. There is currently no written contract for the mowing of Bradley Park and the Recreation fields. The board discussed the potential use of a seasonal employee to take care of all of the properties, and the benefits and disadvantage of adding another employee versus hiring an independent contractor(s). The board agreed to revisit this issue at a later meeting.

Municipal Transportation Priorities

Mr. Phil Covelli distributed info from the Transportation Improvement Packet requesting the Town to identify projects that it would want to see in the state’s transportation improvement plan. The projects identified were- Route 302, Route 113, Route 5, and traffic signalization studies for both Hemlock Bridge Road and Route 302, and River Road and Main Street.

The issue regarding out of state residents was brought up again. The board discussed the enforcement measures on this issue. The Chief of Police recommended that people who wish to report a suspected violation give the registration number, physical address, and how long they have been living there. The police will be looking for concrete evidence, such as registration to vote, or having children in school. He is willing to following through given enough appropriate information.

OLD BUSINESS

Cable Service Extension

A resignation from Ms. Sally Whitten from the Cable Committee was received and discussed. There was a discussion on where to run the lines for the next year. Mr. Knapp made a motion for Adelphia cable to extend the lines from Chip Bakers’ to the Lovell line, which was seconded by Mr. Ed Wilkey. The motion passed unanimously. The Board directed the town manager to send a letter to Adelphia to that effect.

Mr. Knapp proposed two additional letters be sent to Adelphia. One concerned the request that Adelphia address its failure to comply with item 8F of the Franchise Agreement (line extensions). The other was a request to Adelphia to provide cablecast services for future Selectmen’s meetings. The other board members reviewed these letters, Mr. Knapp made a motion have the Chairman sign the letters, which was seconded by Mr. Wilkey. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Knapp also made a motion to send a legal inquiry to Pat Scully regarding the material breach of the contract by Adelphia (line extensions in 2005) , which was seconded by Mr. Wilkey. The motion carried unanimously.

As there were no other items, a motion was made to go into executive session to discuss personnel issues, which was seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Respectfully Submitted,

Lindsay Straw

Recording Secretary.