Select Board Meeting ~ January 10, 2017

2017-01-10 · Select Board · 1:42:50 · watch on YouTube →

A Select Board meeting on 10 January 2017 with all five selectmen present, most of it given over to the fire department's budget request and to a proposal for covering weekday calls. Before that the board made three appointments, heard that the Royal River Conservation Trust would put a $5,000 grant toward a new sign and other work at Runaround Pond Park, and picked the sign design. The codes official set out the options on marijuana, arguing no special town meeting or moratorium was needed and that the planning board should instead start work on siting standards. The road commissioner described the back-to-back storms at the end of December, including a 33-hour plowing shift, and the fire chief walked the board line by line through his budget before presenting three priced options for daytime staffing, none of which the board decided on. A special budget workshop was set for the following Tuesday; the recording ends as a motion begins, before the executive session and adjournment the written minutes record.

What was discussed

1. 0:02
   Call to order and agenda amendments

   All five selectmen were present. Two letters from the Department of Transportation about upcoming work in town were added under correspondence, and an item B was added for three appointments.

2. 0:02
   Public comment and consent agenda

   No one came forward for public comment. The consent agenda was moved and carried, and action and discussion item A was held until the fire chief arrived.

3. 0:02
   Three appointment requests

   Brian Lanoie applied to join the comprehensive plan committee and to serve as an alternate on the planning board, and Kimberly Allen was nominated as an alternate member of the Historic District Commission. The board worked through the spelling of Lanoie's name before taking the vote.

4. 0:02
   Royal River Conservation Trust and Runaround Pond Park

   Paul Baines reported that after the board's earlier discussion about signage he approached the Royal River Conservation Trust and met with Allan and Kyle alongside Ruth Glaeser. The trust had a $5,000 grant earmarked for working with municipalities on water access to conserved land along the Royal River basin.

5. 0:02
   What the grant would pay for

   The trust committed the $5,000 to a new sign for Runaround Pond Park, work on the gate across the street and the short stretch of road leading to the dam, with anything left over going toward a kiosk. In exchange the trust's logo would appear on the sign.

6. 5:13
   The sign design

   Two designs were circulated, differing only in whether they read "Durham welcomes you" or "Welcome", and members preferred the shorter one since Durham already appears elsewhere on the sign. The lettering would be carved, the pond etched, the post carved with the contributors, and the whole thing made two-sided in cedar with the overhang pointing toward the water.

7. 5:13
   The gate at the pond

   Baines questioned why a gate blocks the short roadway toward the dam, which only runs 30 or 40 feet before the trees. Members recalled people driving cars and small jeeps over the cliff into the pond in the 1970s, and discussed replacing the gate with bollards or large boulders spaced so a snowmobile, ATV or walker can pass but a car cannot.

8. 5:13
   Historic material for the kiosk

   The board discussed finding historic photographs of the mill the dam was built for, noting granite block foundations still visible along the road. New Gloucester's sealed display panels were cited as a model, and Stackpole's book and the historical society were suggested as sources.

9. 5:13
   Marijuana: whether a moratorium is needed

   Baines circulated Maine Municipal Association material and a sample moratorium from the town of Gardiner. He said he did not think a special town meeting was needed: a moratorium runs 180 days and can be extended by another 180 by a public hearing of the board without returning to town meeting, giving a year to write an ordinance.

10. 5:13
    Why he saw no emergency

    Baines said the state would take seven to nine months just to settle its licensing structure, and that with careful wording the planning board could decline to act on a conditional use application where the licensing process cannot be reviewed, because an applicant cannot hold a licence that does not yet exist. He suggested taking legal advice on how the town might protect itself.

11. 10:18
    What the town can control

    Members and Baines discussed that state law leaves municipalities their own licensing and fee structure, and that the main lever is deciding where in town such a use may go. Other conditions available include hours of operation and distance from schools, churches and municipal buildings, with the referendum statute paralleling the medical marijuana setbacks and municipalities free to make them more stringent.

12. 10:18
    Whether an outright ban is possible

    Baines said he believed an outright ban was probably not available under state law and would leave a great deal of room for litigation. Towns generally find it easier to allow the use with significant geographic restriction.

13. 10:18
    Choosing the sign and arranging the install

    Members gave their preference for the first sample, the one reading "Welcome". Baines noted public works would have to be asked to install the signs and bollards, and that the kiosk was a third-stage item depending on what funds remained.

14. 15:36
    Spirit of America award

    Ruth Glaeser reminded the board that a recipient has to be chosen and that the process starts around this time of year. She proposed putting a call for nominations on the town website.

15. 15:36
    Audit and request for leave

    The audit was reported to be going along fine. Glaeser brought a request for two weeks' leave from 10 to 21 July, timed to fall after the tax bills go out but before they are due.

16. 15:36
    The December storms

    Calvin Beaumier reported that a forecast three-inch snowstorm on the 29th and 30th became more than a foot of heavy snow and the crew plowed for 33 straight hours. Trees and power lines were down so routes were blocked and trucks had to come at sections from the far end, and the snow was so heavy the big trucks could not push it until the small trucks opened the hills.

17. 15:36
    Conditions during the storm

    Snow fell at up to six inches an hour and visibility was such that drivers navigated by the snowbanks on either side, with crews telling each other over the radio that they did not know where they were. Beaumier had called in a couple of men to cover while he attended the meeting, with another storm starting.

18. 20:59
    The freezing rain and the flash freeze

    On the 3rd and 4th it rained all night on ice-packed gravel roads, so the crew mixed in three-quarter inch stone to buy time before the surface glazed over, running some trucks with stone and others with salt. The forecast had it staying above freezing but it dropped to about 31 degrees around 6 and the whole town, some 75 miles of road, froze at once, putting one truck off the road on Davis Road and another stuck in a driveway.

19. 20:59
    Stream crossing grants and other road work

    Beaumier handed round a packet including two applications for stream crossing grants, and said he was still working on the budget and on the year's plan for overlays, chip seals and rebuilds. Members asked him to email documents rather than print packets and discussed buying an inexpensive document camera to connect to the projector.

20. 20:59
    Fire chief's report: hazard mitigation

    The Homeland Security grant check for 2015 had arrived. William St. Michel attended the hazard mitigation meeting on 5 January, with the next on 16 February; he noted the plan is almost entirely about roads, so he needs to sit down with Calvin Beaumier to update the list of projects from five years ago.

21. 26:15
    Hazard mitigation grants and attendance

    Grant money is available twice a year covering a percentage of a project, with in-kind and in-house work allowed but valued at the funder's rates rather than the town's. The chief may miss the 16 February meeting because of a granddaughter's graduation, and was unsure whether Curtis, the assistant EMA, was ready to take it on.

22. 26:15
    Recruitment losses

    Of five people brought in through the recruitment process, two are moving to Florida, one of them the spouse of another member. Three others want to keep their membership but not for emergency response, two having moved to Greene and one part-time member to Sabattus, leaving two further applications outstanding.

23. 26:15
    Compliments on a recent call

    A member relayed thanks from residents on his road, who were impressed that the crew plowed the driveway and shovelled the walkway on a call. The chief said Keith often comes off his plow route when he is local to make sure driveways are open, and recalled a chimney fire on Rabbit Road where he and Keith plowed a lane each to get the trucks in.

24. 31:21
    Fire budget: pay lines

    The chief's pay line was recalculated from 53 pay periods to 52 with a percentage increase. Labour increases in the budget reflect the minimum wage increase rather than pay rises, since the department's building block system rests on a labour rate currently below minimum wage.

25. 31:21
    High call volume, low spending

    Members were surprised the department underspent in its highest call volume year on record. The chief attributed it to fewer people responding, which a member called good financially but dangerous, saying sooner or later somebody will be hurt doing a job with too few people; the chief added that on daytime calls he is often the youngest of the group.

26. 31:21
    Assistant chief stipend

    The board flagged a 50 percent increase on the assistant chief and assistant EMA director line. The chief explained that person now handles much of the operational management of the department and carries a heavier workload than the two deputy chiefs.

27. 36:43
    Utilities and propane

    The power line came in under budget and the chief thought some of that might reflect the lighting changed at the station, but was not ready to claim it until he had more history. Propane use was 3,195.2 gallons last year against an estimate of 3,600, budgeted at $1.40 a gallon against a current rate of $1.299.

28. 36:43
    Building lines and a sheet discrepancy

    Cleaning was substantially higher because of $1,000 to wax the station floors, and repairs reflected the gear extractor repair. A $140 difference between the board's sheet and the chief's was put down to coding errors, with both agreeing the bottom lines come out close.

29. 36:43
    Hose testing

    The department tests its own hose on Monday nights over about seven nights, which the chief called probably the most dangerous thing they do and the biggest workers' compensation exposure, with the liability of certifying the test falling on the town. He proposed $2,950 to hire a company to do it instead, noting most departments are moving that way and a contractor can test it all in a day without wear on the apparatus.

30. 42:02
    Breathing apparatus

    A 2005 grant replaced ten sets and upgraded eight, and the manufacturer will no longer repair the older ones, so a grant application has gone in for replacements. The chief put replacement at around $4,800 for the unit and seven to eight thousand once cylinders and a face piece are added, against 20 sets in service; any seat that could require one must either carry an SCBA or be removed, and two seats were taken out of one apparatus for that reason.

31. 42:02
    Turnout gear rotation

    Most turnout gear is ten years old. The chief said he has never favoured replacing everything at once and would rather buy four sets a year, which would put the department back in step within six or seven years.

32. 47:40
    Equipment lines

    Hydrants can be reduced while the department and the road crew keep helping each other, leaving only parts to buy. The ladder line was overspent on a nozzle repair and the annual ladder test, apparatus maintenance covered brakes on engine 22 and work on the rescue, and generator maintenance was held at its level because the generator has struggled to start in recent storms after running a day and a half in one of them.

33. 47:40
    Hazmat and miscellaneous

    The hazmat line is mostly span gas, which has a shelf life, with a single replacement sensor costing close to $300. Members noted the miscellaneous line, covering flashlights and odd repairs, has always been a point of contention with the budget committee.

34. 47:40
    Training and licensing

    Training came in close to budget. Licensing matters for recruitment, since a basic EMT licence runs over $1,000 once testing and books are counted and firefighter one and two around $650 to $675; fire academy covers the accredited certificate courses while fire schools tend to be weekend classes.

35. 53:24
    Transport services and call volume

    The transport line covers paramedic intercepts and ambulance billing fees, and intercept charges have become more realistic and more like mutual aid than they used to be. The department finished last year at 400 emergency responses and was running slightly behind a call a day so far this year.

36. 53:24
    Errors on the budget sheet

    A stray $200 line was identified as a remnant from an earlier year, and the column headers on pages two and three still read 2016. The chief said whoever prepared the sheet had not changed the dates.

37. 53:24
    Fuel price assumptions

    Last year's fuel spend was based on 1,687.3 gallons at an average a member calculated at about $2.09 or $2.10. The chief's request assumed $2.70 a gallon, against a last fill at $2.399 and pump prices around $2.599 to $2.699, so the request builds in roughly a 60-cent increase.

38. 58:32
    Fuel tax credit

    The department buys from Down East, which takes the state fuel tax off at the pump, so no credit is claimed. There was a stretch of three or four billing cycles where the tax was being taken off and the town also claimed the credit, which had to be unwound, and the chief said going through GPCOG instead would be worth about two tenths of a cent.

39. 58:32
    Dues

    Some dues went up and others down. The fire chaplains' dues appear not to have been paid, apparently because no invoice was submitted, and the chief said he suspects the chaplain would pay it himself rather than let it lapse.

40. 58:32
    Which county associations to belong to

    Androscoggin has a firefighters' association rather than a chiefs' association, one of only two or three counties like that, and Durham usually has people at its meetings but rarely at Cumberland's. The department joined Cumberland because it does more mutual aid there, and the discussion turned to how many people assume Durham is in Cumberland County, which it was until Androscoggin was created around 1854.

41. 1:03:51
    Fire prevention underspent

    The fire prevention line was substantially underspent, which the chief attributed to staffing. Work with the school lagged badly because between call volume and how few people are around during the day there is nobody to do it.

42. 1:03:51
    Respiratory evaluations

    The respiratory evaluation line was overspent because the cost per exam rose. Anyone over 40 needs one every year and that is now about 75 percent of the membership, on top of an initial exam for anyone new regardless of age.

43. 1:03:51
    What a turnout consists of

    Turnouts were increased to three sets, with the chief suggesting four might be needed later to keep the rotation on standard. A turnout is the coat and pants with suspenders; boots, helmets, gloves and hoods sit on a separate line because they are the items that get damaged, and only one company will still repair gear over ten years old.

44. 1:09:08
    Telephone and dispatch

    The telephone line was cut to $1,320 because bills now run around $100 a month against close to $200 before the renegotiated contract. Nothing had been heard from Lisbon about a dispatch price increase, nor from the sheriff's department.

45. 1:09:08
    The future of Lisbon's communications centre

    Lisbon's new selectmen were reported to be looking at getting rid of the communications centre, with a workshop the following week. The chief's view was that in emergency communications you either get big or you go away, that Lisbon has been gradually losing towns since it did not expand, and that it will likely close with Durham dispatched from Androscoggin again.

46. 1:09:08
    Radio tower and range

    Parties interested in the antenna extension were referred to the company that did the work. Moving off Brickyard Hill and raising the tower improved range considerably, and base can now usually reach portables, where transmissions used to be hit or miss around Auburn Pownal Road; if the sheriff's department wanted to share the tower, the chief thought the selectmen should trade that against dispatch costs.

47. 1:09:08
    IT costs and off-site backup

    The supplies overage was mostly one computer line covering off-site backup, maintenance and repairs, and the chief was frustrated at receiving separate small invoices, citing $120, $12 and $27 on New Year's Day alone. He argued the town should handle this collectively rather than department by department.

48. 1:14:51
    Adding money to the IT line

    Ruth Glaeser said she hoped to add money to the IT line, calling the position ridiculous and the town's systems way outdated, with no time to address it. The chief has to maintain the firewall and virus software, particularly for the IMC interface with Lisbon, and two EMS laptops used for run reports are not even covered.

49. 1:14:51
    Workers' compensation figure corrected

    The workers' compensation number on the circulated sheet was wrong. The correct figure should be $19,779, against $17,110.73 budgeted and $17,918.59 spent last year.

50. 1:14:51
    Capital requests

    The fire station is paid off, with the last payment made. The request was $50,000 into the capital improvement account, up from $45,000, with the Quint payment unchanged and nothing sought for work at fire rescue, since the chief hoped to break the modular into offices using Walmart and other grants.

51. 1:19:58
    Grants in prospect

    The chief listed a cardiac monitor upgrade, a risk services grant, and a very competitive federal staffing grant he put at about a one in a hundred chance. He also complained about $1,200 the department must spend because of an incident in another community, calling it a waste of money not based on any standard when Durham was not even due for an inspection.

52. 1:19:58
    Grant match funds

    A member raised whether money should be added to the grant match line this year, given the volume of grant work planned, noting nothing had been added for several years. The chief offered to fetch the figures or return to it later.

53. 1:19:58
    Engine 22 replacement and the Quint

    The capital request included replacing engine 22, coming in about $12,000 or 3 percent above last year's figure. Members worked through the timing: buying this year puts the first payment in 2018 while the Quint runs to 2019, and the chief warned the rescue's repairs are already moving past general maintenance, so with a fleet of six either payments get very large, replacement stretches to 36 years, or the town carries two payments at once.

54. 1:25:02
    The daytime staffing gap

    All nine emergency responses so far that year fell between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. and only one was at a weekend. Around Christmas three calls at about 6 in the morning could not be staffed and were turned over to another department, and the chief noted Durham draws an ageing population that needs more service during the day.

55. 1:25:02
    Option one: two full-time firefighter EMTs

    The chief's preferred and most expensive option was two full-time firefighter EMTs on staggered 12-hour shifts averaging 42 hours a week, at roughly $16 to $17 an hour with benefits put around $52,000 apiece, plus about $5,000 for backfill and overtime and stipends for weekend drivers and evening coverage. He estimated the package at about $135,500.

56. 1:25:02
    Options two and three: per diem staffing

    Option two used per diem staffing for 12 hours a day seven days a week, still relying on the department for weekend drivers and evening stipends, at an estimated $96,130, but with more risk because it depends on the per diem market and people's availability. Option three used per diem staffing on weekdays only with stipends for evening and weekend coverage, at $83,962.

57. 1:30:42
    Why not outsource

    A member asked why outsourcing to an ambulance company was not among the options, noting the town also carries vehicle maintenance under all three. The chief said he would not recommend it, recalling waits of 30 to 40 minutes on a good day when the service was contracted out for what was then $45,000 a year, but agreed to seek a price and material to give the public; status quo was noted as a further option.

58. 1:30:42
    Morale and a two-tier department

    A member asked whether paying two full-time staff with benefits alongside volunteers paid less would create friction, given the department had been turning morale issues around. The chief acknowledged that a two-tier system always creates some of that, and that existing members would have the opportunity to apply.

59. 1:36:09
    Reporting calls by time of day

    Asked whether calls can be reported by time, the chief said the report would not run correctly and was missing calls and times, so a support call was open with IMC. He put daytime calls at roughly 60 to 70 percent of volume or higher.

60. 1:36:09
    The service expectations survey

    A member asked about a survey that had gone out asking residents what they expected of the service, which turned out to be part of the comprehensive plan committee's work. Nobody was sure whether the results had been compiled, and members said the board should hear what they said.

61. 1:41:13
    Scheduling the rest of the budget

    The chief was unavailable the following week but did not want to hold the process up, with the budget committee wanting the budget in early February and only two weeks of January left. The board agreed to take other departments first at a special workshop and to tell the chief before returning to his budget so he can attend.

62. 1:41:13
    Upcoming meetings and nomination papers

    Regular meetings were set for Tuesday 24 January and Tuesday 7 February at 6:30 p.m., with a special budget workshop on the 17th at 6. Nomination papers were available at the town office for two selectmen, three budget committee members and one school board member, with the deadline thought to be mid-February and to be confirmed at the next meeting.

What was decided

• 0:02
  Approve the consent agenda as presented, with two Department of Transportation letters added under correspondence. The minutes record the motion by Joshua Libby, seconded by Mark Blake, carried 5-0.passed
• 0:02
  Accept each application for appointment as presented: Brian Lanoie to the comprehensive plan committee and as an alternate on the planning board, and Kimberly Allen as an alternate member of the Historic District Commission. The minutes record the motion by Sarah Hall, seconded by Joshua Libby, carried 5-0.passed
• 10:18
  Go with sample number one for the Runaround Pond Park sign, the design reading "Welcome" rather than "Durham welcomes you". The minutes record the motion by Mark Blake, seconded by Michael Stewart, carried 5-0.passed
• 10:18
  Do NOT call a special town meeting or pursue a marijuana moratorium at this stage, and instead have the planning board begin work on siting standards and conditions, with legal advice sought on how the town can protect itself in the meantime. Agreed in discussion following the codes official's recommendation; no formal vote was taken.passed
• 15:36
  Approve AA/TA Ruth Glaeser's request for two weeks' leave from 10 to 21 July. The minutes record the motion by Sarah Hall, seconded by Mark Blake, carried 5-0.passed
• 1:19:58
  Whether to add money to the grant match line this year, given the volume of grant applications planned. Raised by a member; the chief offered to fetch the figures or come back to it, and the recording does not carry any resolution.outcome unclear
• 1:30:42
  No choice was made between the three daytime staffing options, status quo, or outsourcing. The chief was asked to obtain a price for outsourcing and material the board could put to the public, and the question was left to the budget process.tabled
• 1:41:13
  Hold a special budget workshop on Tuesday 17 January at 6 p.m., taking other departments' budgets first because the fire chief is unavailable, and notify him before the board returns to the fire budget so he can attend. Agreed in discussion; no formal vote was taken.passed

An outcome reads "unclear" where the recording does not state it plainly. The recogniser drops short words, and "the motion does not carry" is one missing word from its opposite.

Motions the minutes record

The town's own written account of what was decided, taken from select_board_minutes_1-10-171.txt. It owes nothing to the recording or to a model: the clerk typed it, with the vote. Where the summary above claims a decision this list does not carry, the summary is the part to doubt.

• Approve the Consent Agenda as presentedcarried 5-0

  Moved by Joshua Libby, seconded by Mark Blake

• accept each application for appointment as presentedcarried 5-0

  Moved by Sarah Hall, seconded by Joshua Libby

• go with sample number onecarried 5-0

  Moved by Mark Blake, seconded by Michael Stewart

• Approve AA/TA Glaeser's request for leavecarried 5-0

  Moved by Sarah Hall, seconded by Mark Blake

• the Board into Executive Session pursuant to Title #1, M.R.S.A., ss. 405(6)(A) -Personnel Matters — at 8:20 p.m., preceded by a brief recess. Chairman Wakeman Announced the Board came out of Executive Session at 8:35 p.m…

  Moved by Jeffrey Wakeman, no seconder recorded; no outcome recorded

• authorize AA/TA Glaeser to write a letter with signature of Chair and mail to employeecarried 5-0

  Moved by Jeffrey Wakeman, seconded by Mark Blake

• Adjourn at 8:40 p.mcarried 5-0

  Moved by Sarah Hall, seconded by Michael Stewart

Worth knowing

• 15:36
  A forecast three-inch snowstorm on 29 and 30 December turned into more than a foot of heavy snow, with the crew plowing 33 straight hours at up to six inches an hour while trees and power lines blocked their routes. Days later a flash freeze at about 31 degrees froze all 75 miles of town road at once, putting one truck off the road.
• 1:25:02
  Every one of the fire department's nine emergency calls so far that year fell between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., and three calls around Christmas could not be staffed and were turned over to another department. The chief priced three fixes at about $135,500 for two full-time firefighter EMTs, $96,130 for full per diem cover, and $83,962 for weekday per diem cover.
• 26:15
  The recruitment drive lost as many as it gained: of five people brought in, two are moving to Florida and three others will keep their membership but not respond to emergencies, two having moved to Greene and one to Sabattus.
• 0:02
  The Royal River Conservation Trust committed a $5,000 grant to a new sign at Runaround Pond Park, work on the gate and the road to the dam, and possibly a kiosk, in exchange for its logo on the sign. The town's cost is the public works labour to install it.

Motion language found in the transcript

Located by pattern matching, with no model involved: "I move that", "I'll second", "all those in favour". This is an independent check on the summary above: 2 passages of motion language, against 8 decisions summarised.

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