The big news story, of course, is the Edgecomb Town Meeting cum Election. John Johnson of Davis Island was voted in as new Selectman; Ann Peaslee and Barry Hathorne have joined the Planning Board. Other positions were not contested. Congratulations, one and all!
There were a great many errors in the Town Warrant, which made the meeting very confusing. One significant omission was an appropriation for the Highways and Bridges budget. There will be a Special Town Meeting very soon to rectify this error. I will leave details of the meeting up to the several reporters who covered it. I received several comments that it was good to be back in the Town Hall. As I understand it, there were some 140+ persons in attendance. When I came in Friday to vote at about 11:00 a.m., some178 persons had voted. So I'm pleased that this year we have surpassed the voting numbers of 1994, the previous high, in which 94 persons voted, but considering we are a town of close to 1200 persons, it is still pretty pitiful.
As to the several departments, committees and boards, we have great need for volunteers to serve as members and alternates of the Appeals Board and as alternates to the Planning Board. The position of Alternate needs some explaining. Alternates are not voting members, although they may certainly contribute to the discussions. An alternate may cast a vote when a regular member is absent. Most important of all to understand: An alternate is a probationary member of the given Board. He/she must be willing to attend all meetings, and learn the craft of town planning in order to prepare to be an elected full member. It is an apprenticeship, if you will.
Not covered in the Town Meeting, we also have a strong need for volunteers for an emergency shelter. This lack was made obvious during the famous Patriots Day Storm. Fire Chief and Civil Emergency Coordinator Barry Johnston says that before the Edgecomb Eddy School can qualify as a certified American Red Cross emergency shelter, we must have qualified volunteer staff: medically trained personnel for general management of the shelter, and to tend to the elderly, the children and infants, and persons with illnesses or disabilities. A license to administer medications will be an essential qualification. Other volunteers will be needed for collecting foodstuffs and bedding, for distribution and storage of same, and any number of other on-site tasks. Hard work, short notice, uncertain hours, possibly hazardous. Any takers? Call Chief Johnston, 882.7443, or edgefire@midcoast.com for more information, or get in touch with me, contact information below.
On Thursday, May 24, the Edgecomb Historical Society, after its 2:00 p.m. dive into its archives at the Edgecomb Eddy School library, will join the Edgecomb Explorers' Club at 3:30 p.m. at Fort Edgecomb for picnic and tour of the historic site. We thank the students of the Edgecomb Eddy School and their mentors, Ann Poole and Lisa McSwain, for this invitation!
May 28 is the Monday before Memorial Day, so it is a legal holiday. There will be no school that day and there will be no Town Officers at the Town Hall nor any Selectmen's meeting. However, the Edgecomb Eddy School invites us all to their End of School Song Fest on May 31, 6:30 p.m. Come to hear the first ever Edgecomb Eddy 6th Grade Band showcasing their repertory. The program will include a panorama of 20th C American music from Blues to Rock!
The Selectmen at their June 4 meeting will join with the Planning Board and representatives from the Maine Department of Transportation's Gateway I project to discuss the project's interaction with Edgecomb's transportation needs and desires. The public is welcome to this joint meeting. Although a change in meeting time for the Selectmen is under discussion, we will meet on June 4 at 5:00 p.m. as usual so that we can complete our business, then join the Planning Board and guests at their 6:30 p.m. meeting time.
Turning from public affairs to personal concerns (the dustbunnies are taking over!) at 234 River Road, 633-2978, jocam@midcoast.com. This column appears in several local papers, and at www.Edgecomb.org.