Town of Fryeburg
Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes
June 7, 2007

The meeting was called to order at 6pm.

MEMBERS PRESENT: David Knapp, Cliff Hall.

Minutes: Mr. Hall moved to approve the minutes of June 7, 2007. Mr. Wilkey seconded the motion and they were unanimously approved.

Public Forum: Mr. Krasker offered the following suggestions in an effort to improve future attendance at the annual town meeting: 1. Hold the meeting on a weekday evening in June and not on the weekend; 2. Consolidate the non-profit organization articles; 3. Word the capital budget articles differently so as to be more clear, and; 4. Finalize and publish the Town Meeting Warrant earlier so that people have time to review it.

Mr. Brown requested information on the proposed Saco River legislation (river use study and proposed campfire permit fees). Mr. Knapp gave a brief history of the legislative action to date.

PUBLIC HEARING – RENEWAL OF FRYE’S TAVERN LIQUOR LICENSE : The Board members reviewed Police Chief Brookings’s memorandum which stated that there had been no violations noted to date. There was no public comment. Mr. Hall moved to approve renewal of the license. Mr. Wilkey seconded the motion and approval of the renewal was unanimous.

LIBRARY REPAIR UPDATE: Librarian Emily Fletcher gave a report on the work accomplished to date. Presently, the priority project is repair of the bathroom, as the flooring is considered unsafe due to wood rot. Other items such as repair to the rear siding of the building and foundation will take place later during the summer.

RIVER PATROL UPDATE: Chief Brooking reported that the first weekend of river patrols was for the most part uneventful. He reported 3 juvenile arrests for criminal mischief and a number of summonses issued for lack of proper safety equipment. Future operations will consist of weekend patrols, two scheduled OUI roadblocks, and future concentrated river patrols on Saturday nights in late July and August.

FAA GRANT-AIRPORT OBSTRUCTION REMOVAL: Joe Solar, Chairman of the Eastern Slope Airport Authority was present to explain details of the grant agreement. This request for funds is a follow-up to the project previously completed that identified and mapped vegetation for removal that lies in the instrument approach path. After discussion, Mr. Hall moved to approve the submission of the grant agreement. Mr. Knapp seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.

HALEY TOWN ROAD WEIGHT LIMITS : Contract engineer Burr Phillips was present for the discussion. He reported that the gravel previously offered for use by John Hastings, did not meet engineering specifications. He advised that the road construction specifications, as he had originally computed, would support typical traffic in a rural residential setting, and not constant or heavy truck traffic. After discussion, it was decided that the matter would be revisited after the public hearing on the matter scheduled for July 12’th.

MENOTOMY ROAD ENGINEERING CONTRACT : Board members reviewed the proposal of Mr. Philips for pre-construction engineering of Menotomy Road. The project work would essentially be the same as that done for the Haley Town Road re-construction. Mr. Hall moved to authorize the town manager to execute the contract. Mr. Knapp seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.

TREASURER’S REPORT: The treasurer submitted a computer printout of account balances.

SUMMER ROAD CONSTRUCTION Road commissioner Gary Whitten reported that he was ready to begin the preliminary work for the rebuild of McNeil Road. Although the repaving of portions of River Road was not approved at town meeting, Mr. Whitten said that he could at least grind the surface in one portion, thus turning the road back into a gravel road in its worst section. Mr. Whitten was instructed to put the inoperable Ford Bronco up for sale to the highest bidder.

TRANSPORTATION GRANTS: The town manager reported on the award of two grants recently announced. The Safe Routes to School Grant - $47, 752.00 – for the installation of pedestrian-operated crosswalk signals; and $1,380,000.00 for construction of the Mountain Division Trail (a pedestrian path alongside the existing railroad tracks between Fryeburg and Brownfield.)

PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING UPDATE: There was discussion regarding a letter received from Wendell Webb regarding a commercial property which he has for sale on Portland Street. Mr. Webb has invited the town to view the property and see if it might possibly be renovated for town use. Chief Brooking and interested parties from the Building Committee will arrange to look at the building within the next week.

POLLING PLACE ADA ACCESS ISSUES : Architect David Hart of Fish Street Design proffered a contract for work on the improvement of access to the town’s polling places (municipal offices and American Legion Building). Funds were approved for these renovations at the June 2007 Town Meeting. After discussion, Mr. Hall moved to authorize the town manager to sign the contract. Mr. Knapp seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

Having no further business the meeting was then adjourned.

Respectfully submitted:

P. Covelli, Town Manager

Back

Home |  Visit |  Town Hall |  Services |  Links |  Recreation |  Contact

© 2001-07 Town of Fryeburg Me.