TOWN OF EDGECOMB MINUTES OF THE SELECTMEN'S MEETING
May 5, 2008; 6:00 P.M.

Attended: Jo Cameron, Stuart Smith, John Johnson; Claudia Coffin, Town Clerk/Treasurer; Jack Sarmanian, Roger Bintliff; Kate Kastelein, press

MINUTES of April 28 were approved with corrections

  1. PUBLIC COMMENT: None.
  1. OLD BUSINESS:
    1. Town Report and Warrant status: The Planning Board amount was found to be too small, corrected to $4,050. The Town Treasurer requested that she receive the Planning Board ordinance amendments by the following day. Jo has telephoned each of the charitable organizations with funding requests on the present warrant. At time of this meeting, two had indicated they would attend Town Meeting.

The warrant for the School Budget Validation Referendum Town Meeting was signed by all. Claudia said that lawyer Carl Griffin would be the moderator, at no charge.

Stuart reported on the latest changes in the State's school consolidation legislation, that school unions are being renamed AOS, which will allow local control, and even local ownership of the school's property. There will be one regional administrative unit with one superintendent and vice superintendent. The several towns in the RSU will share these costs. Bristol and Southport are sacrificing their state subsidies; Edgecomb cannot afford to do so.

Updated information on the TIF and wastewater accounts was distributed.

    1. Assisted Living Complex and pump station: John said Woodard & Curran personnel would attend a Selectmen's meeting at the end of June for progress reporting and management suggestions for a utility district. The Utilities Committee will be reappointed after Town Meeting.
    2. Broadband Committee, status of Town's access to Global Towers: Stuart has consulted with Global Towers' lawyer who will send the Selectmen a form to indicate our use of space on these towers.
    3. Flag: A substitute flag is being flown while the big flag awaits repair.
    4. Boiler certificate expiration 5/30: John will call the Boiler/Pressure agency. All Selectmen are convinced the boiler was inspected in March or April of this year.
  1. NEW BUSINESS:
    1. Scripting the warrant: Jo said that during the meeting of May 12 the Selectmen should portion out those articles which each feels best informed to defend.
    2. Town Meeting arrangements: In the corridor leading to the School's auditorium there will be space for tables for political candidates and also for the Fort Edgecomb Bicentennial Committee.
    3. Snowplow contract: Although the contract itself cannot be signed until after Town Meeting, it was voted unanimously to sign a letter of agreement with Gregg Griffin.
    4. Bintliff liquor license renewal: All signed and returned the application form to Mr. Bintliff.
    5. Roads: Stuart said he had driven with the Road Commissioner to view damage to Edgecomb's local roads over the winter. There were five wash-outs, two along Spring Hill Farm Road, others along Mt. Hunger Road, where two culverts have been dug up. The over-expenditure of the Roads budget will have to be paid on the 2009 Town Warrant.

Discussion included calculations based on the $750,000 cost for the five miles of Cross Point Road repair vs. MDOT's estimate of $1mil./mile for repair of the River Road. John suggested looking into ways to cooperate with MDOT on repair work, since Edgecomb's roadwork seems to be considerably less expensive. Jo warned that too much cooperation on a state-assisted road might result in MDOT giving responsibility for the River Road's maintenance back to the Town, which would be disastrous to Edgecomb's Roads budget.

  1. OTHER BUSINESS:
    1. Gateway I, Region 2, meeting May 6, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., Edgecomb Eddy School.
    2. HAZMAT evacuation route meeting with Chief Johnston and Lynn Orne, May 6, 7:00 p.m. at the Fire Station. Jo will attend.
  1. CORRESPONDENCE:
    1. Wachovia, Woodend Boat Fund, 1 item: John has examined the several prospectuses for this $127,000 fund. $708,000 has been put in a CD for expenditures; the rest divided up in longer term funds.
  1. WARRANT: None.
  2. EXECUTIVE SESSION: None.
  3. ADJOURNMENT: Adjourned at 6:45 p.m .