TranscriptSelect Board Meeting ~ February 9, 2016

two people that had came in I think that were for Runaround Bond. Jill's not here tonight, so just in case. of Oh, yeah. He starts covering the windows. Plastic. No, she's been clipping them together. Did you have a package clipped in your box?

No, I just grabbed everything that was in my box. You want to ask her was part of this budget stuff. No. another one. Yeah, there's two of them. Sign up two last time, too, didn't we? Yeah. Derm's going to be a wet tab. Already.

Yes, it is. And actually, all we need is a pump, right? It's nice seeing them getting rentals. So, three of them were rentals and one was for the ambassets itself. But it's nice to see him getting some rental. I guess we should have a pub in town then, huh?

I hope they would be nice if they started the uh fish fry up again or something. Yeah, that was really a good deal. I don't know if that will happen or not. Just don't let Norm get his Huh? Oh, I do. I have a question for you, gentlemen. since I'm on the legislative policy committee

MMA and we've been asked for an opinion and I thought I would ask you what your opinion is on there is a proposed there are some proposed legislation to go the route of Colorado people have looked at the tax revenues realized by the state of Colorado for legalizing marijuana statute gives municipalities tremendous amount of control certainly a lot more control than they have over the medical marijuana stuff as far as licensing and tax independent taxing and yes in our town not in our town and the LPC is soliciting opinions for or against

and I thought before I gave them mine I would just ask since we were all on the board of selectment together absolutely against but um medical marijuana if it's a medicinal purpose I don't have a problem with because I mean it it's medicine it misuse of medicine. But as far as recreational, I'm strongly against.

Um, and I guess it all depends on because the federal says it's still illegal, but some of the states are saying it is legal. So, that's something that has to be worked out, right? I think the federal I think the federal is going to they're already looking at certainly reclassifying, rescheduling it. But

basically, you as long [clears throat] as those feds are around, you can do it, but the feds can still arrest you. Well, the DEA has sort of the feds have said in states that have legalized it. know what the other one we're not going to pursue it.

Yeah. For me, and I could be just I see that doctors put out prescription pills a lot of times. I wonder how many of these medical marijuas are just and they may not be, right? But as far as the recreational part, as long as you could somehow

uh be able to test for it like you do with alcohol, I've said for a long time, as long as it's not any worse and it doesn't appear to be any worse than alcohol, and it doesn't go into something further, which I guess it doesn't appear to be.

Why don't we get the revenue far? But you got to be able to, right? And I understand that they have do something like do the test. She's getting the point. I personally don't use it and I don't care. So I have tried it. Unlike Clinton, I did inhale. I don't know how you can try it, but you know, but it's just not for me. But I uh

have you ever been in the Look at it that way. I'd say get the revenues because there's a ton of revenue for it. You got to be able to regulate somehow. We have in our office. We have tough. I was against it for a long time.

We should talk about the 10year contract with the school of record. talking to them up there. They say, "Oh, yeah, go through your the stuff is in order and I haven't just messed it all up. that, right?" But I think that

we're already a little bit late. Yeah, absolutely. I noticed. You ready? Yes. Yes. Anytime, Shannon? Thank you. We'll call this meeting to order. We do have a quorum. Four out of five selectmen are here. Could we please rise for the pledge of allegiance?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Any amendments to the agenda other than what we have in yellow?

Um, just the application for the BYOB permit. Okay. Yeah, he that's written in here. And then the correspondence from Diane. Okay. So, that was going under a consent agenda as well. Yeah, just correspondence. Okay. Um any public comment this evening? And we've got you under an agenda item. So, public comment. Okay. Um consent agenda. And note that under the consent agenda, there are two BYOB permits uh for at the end. That's all.

presented. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. Action and discussion. Uh Tritown track and field project proposal. And if you can come up to the uh mic here. So everybody can hear on the uh recording and stuff.

Yep. Um if they can watch if they have the [laughter] and we put it up on the web. Okay. So when we show we've got some stuff to show. So you just tell me where to hold it so you can see it. I think probably right where you are. We've got a camera right behind me and I think that can be adjusted. Okay. My name is Lisa Bog. I live here in Durham and I'm a member of the Brytown Track Project. Uh and this is John Patterson. He's a secretary, also a board member. And we're here to present to you uh give you information about the project that we've been working on since summer.

Thanks for having us here. We appreciate it. Uh we've been making we made a presentation a couple weeks ago to the panel selectman and we've got a meeting coming up with the Freeport Town Council at a workshop in about uh two weeks. Um,

I've lived in Freeport for about 35 years. My kids went to Freeport School, Freeport High School. And um, my kids don't live around here anymore. So, what we're going to talk about tonight is not going to affect my kids or grandchildren because they all live hundreds or thousands of miles away. Um, why don't I start just by showing you quickly what we are here to talk about and then uh, Lisa and I will bounce back and forth as we explain uh, some of the stuff to you. This is a a blowup of the

current an aerial view of the current high school and the athletic facilities. You can see they're basically not counting baseball which has got a fence around it. There's three fields. This is the field hockey field which is dedicated just for field hockey. If you played field hockey, you got to play it like on a billiard table. So you can't have other sports played on that because it can't it upsets the the way the ball runs through. So these are basically the two fields we have now which are different in size and they're kind of overlapping and there's a softball field up here and uh the situation is such

that that uh these fields are in very bad shape because of tremendous overuse. It it wouldn't seem like that would be the case but Freeport High School was cited at a time back in the it was built in ' 61. So the sighting would have been done before that at a time before they really gave thought the way they do now to high schools. make sure they have adequate number of athletic fields. Um so the as a consequence what happens is these fields with five teams in the fall and six in the spring get really and with all the daily practices all those teams every day and then the all the the home games the the fields get badly chewed up and then when you have the softball team practicing or playing in the spring it it even gets worse because you have to move a team you have to move these teams practices away from the softball field so you don't interfere with the ability of the softball. um uh games to go ahead and practices to

go ahead. So, this that's just a quick overview. I'll come back to it in a bit. This is what we're all about. And as you can see, the the proposal is to put in a track behind the high school. And the effect of putting in a track is actually to to eliminate one of those fields because the track is so large. and the uh to move the baseball diamond over to the uh what is currently the field hockey field. Having the baseball infield there, the softball infield there would make it unusable as a field hockey field. So you could do practices on it, but basically all the games and all the practices and everything from football, field hockey, soccer, everything uh varsity, junior varsity, and freshman would all have to take place mostly on one field. If you left that just as a grass field, it would turn into a mud pit. So that's why this is a track and turf project because the proposal is to turn to make

this into an artificial turf field. Um total cost for the project is $3.2 million. Um let me tell you how how I got involved in this if I might. Um, I think it's kind of an interesting story about how a community effort of this sort started. Um, I do a lot of I don't know if anybody you guys know, uh, Fred Palmer. He's a lives in Freeport. He's a businessman in Yarmouth, sort of semi-retired. Fred and I do a lot of mentoring with kids at risk, boys at risk in the various schools, mostly for odd reasons at Mount Arat, in fact. Um, but he and I would meet once a week to plan our to plan our programs and with these kids and uh we would talk about all sorts of things and one of the things we talked about was now almost a year and a half ago was the proposal by Freeport to withdraw from the RSU and we talked all about that pros and cons and we argued about it and and after the vote was taken the two of us sat sat

together and said, "Okay, you know, we are where we are. We both care about public education. What can we do to make the schools as good as we can as private citizens? We can't go in the schools and teach. We're not teachers, you know. We um what is there what what is there that we can do to help the system? So, we went to see the high school principal, uh new guy named Brian Campbell, who I have a lot of respect for. And, uh first words out of Brian's mouth were he said, "You can build me a track and field." And uh we were a little bit taken back by that because it seemed like a a lot bigger of a thing than we had contemplated taking on. And as we talked to Brian about it and looked into it more, we we learned a lot of stuff. And uh we learned that uh um there have been three attempts both before and after the RSU to have a bond issue passed to build these facilities and they all failed. uh

we got an idea of how much it would cost and uh so we decided to see you know was this something that that we could really take on and I'll transfer it to Lisa and you can talk about what happened next from your perspective. Uh so they they started a working group and they reached out into the communities and were trying to involve people from Powell and Freeport and Durham to be involved um in getting together private funding in order to uh essentially gift to the RSU all the money they would need to build this track and field. Uh the reason I got involved, I have a daughter who's uh she went to Durham Community School for a few years. uh now she's a an athlete at the high school and for my family and for her I think ath athletics is a very important part of of school it it's good for the students to be involved it so we are very supportive athletics in the community for her after she goes I'll

continue to be supportive of athletics in both communities so that's sort of how I came to be involved in the project for me this was an odd project to undertake because I was never much of a sports guy. I mean, I rode the bench in high school. I was lousy athlete. I was more of an arts and drama kind of person. That was what my my love was. And Fred was more into sports. And as we talked about it, we decided we'd collaborate and support each other on it. and and as I looked more into

thought more about the track and field request that Brian had made of us, I I um came to the realization that as Lisa said, it's more than just about athletics. That's a that's a fundamental part of the educational process that's important to have athletics. And I've just brought for you guys if you're interested, uh it's a collection of studies done by the National Federation of State High School Associations. And every study that's been done shows that kids who play ath in our athletics get higher have a higher every study shows this higher grade point averages lower drug use lower tobacco use

lower absenteeism higher graduation rates better post high school performance and given the kind of kids that I work with in mentoring a lot of them who have no no connection with high school at all it doesn't there's nothing about high school which speaks to them, you know, they, you know, trying to teach them about the pelpeneisian war, how to calculate the area of a sphere is not something which they have any interest in. But for a lot of kids, um, it is a connection to school with high school especially because high school is the really hard one. It's a connection to school which they wouldn't otherwise have and it keeps a lot of kids in school and teaches them values which they at the end of the day they may not know anything about the pelpeneisian war but they learn teamwork and self-discipline and uh and the importance of self-sacrifice and hard work and so I became persuaded even though I was never an athletic guy that

yeah I I believed that there was an important element of high school and that and that what we had at Freeport High school for our outdoor athletic facilities was really second rate. Um, second rate because it turns out, and I also learned this looking into it, it's the only high school of class A or class B size in all of Western Maine that doesn't have a track. The only one. And in the entire state of Maine, all class A and B high schools, there's only three that don't have a track. And Freeport's one of them. Um, and we said

that's just, I mean, I came to the conclusion that just wasn't acceptable. It was just second rate that we're asking these kids and the kids notice it. They go to other schools for games and stuff and they notice that other schools have better facilities. They're not stupid and it says something to them about the kind of value that we're placing upon the education that we're providing to them. So I came to the conclusion that this was something that I wanted to put my energy into.

You want to pick up there and what are we going to talk about next? I'm going to forget doing as far as trying to meet our fundraising goal I think was the next area that we were going to get into. We also have Oh yeah. Well, let me let me I got a I've got a just to give you everything we have just that there's a an estimated cost of all of this a budget that we came up with uh working with our building committee. I think I may have had another hand out too that I may have.

from. And we had a there's something over in that pile there that I Oh, that's I just That's your stuff. Okay. My We have a very small up We're doing this on a real shoestring. We uh know you do a capital campaign for a lot of organizations and you hire expert consultants and we're doing this all by ourselves. Uh we've uh I don't we've got a probably an up total operating out-of- pocket expenses of photocopy and the like which are which are uh we estimate this year we're probably going to spend about 15 or $16,000 to do this whole thing. So we're not spending a lot of money on this. Um you want to talk about our fundraising targets? You want me to do that?

You can do that. You want to do it? Me or me? Go ahead. Okay. No. So, um, we sort of started with the fundraising to sort of go with, you know, lead gifts or sponsors that you would call them. And I'm sure you all saw the local the recent press release where uh we were able to get $1 million from Nike to support the project. And if you look at the targets of that we're passing around, um there's also the um

$8,000 from the RSU that's come up in conversation as well. right now is $600,000 uh that is for the grass renovations that would have to go to a vote to be able to sort of repurpose that to go towards our project. Um that's definitely not something that's done, but something that we they've talked about when you met with RSU uh at your meeting.

And then you can see we're sort of working through uh major gifts, uh business community gifts, foundations, uh the board of directors themselves have all every single one of us have contributed in order to put towards the project. Um and then you'll see the section where uh we are going to the different towns to see if they're willing to uh contribute money. You can see Freeport, we're asking 100 uh pound, you said you met last last week. met about two weeks ago probably

uh for a similar uh donation and then we'll be working through the individual communities and families to sort of finish up to get the end of that to get to our 3.2 goal. So you can see we've we've raised and I say raised I don't we have it in hand

where I have commitments for uh 1.2 two. Actually, we are hoping uh to get uh the RSU to use some of the monies in the high school renovation bond for the uh uh track and field. Let me explain that a little bit. The U high school is currently being renovated. The bond issue was $14.4 million. Of that 14.4, for that was $600,000 in the in the bond that was designated to rebuild the grass fields. Basically tear them all up, put in a new base, put in drainage, recontour them, and give them some a little bit of a um a crown. And that $600,000 was already there in that $14.4 million that was embedded in it. And what we've asked the RSU board of directors to consider is um transferring or what we've called

repurposing that $600,000 from building from building fields which a you know which a goat can eat to building fields which a goat can't eat track and field. And uh in addition we think that there may be a slight surplus. I can't be entirely sure of this so I don't want to represent anybody that there's a certainty. Uh it looked the the bids for the high school renovation came in below estimate. So there may be another piece of surplus in there and we've asked the RSU if they would consider transferring or you authorizing up to $800,000 of that to be used as part of the total package, the $3.2 million package. Now, before the RSU before they do that, it's going to have to send that out to a a referendum in the whole RSU for everybody. Uh because they they've got a legal opinion which says before they can repurpose monies in the bond issue, they have to get authorization from the voters. So,

that and we're not exactly sure when they're going to decide to do all that. In fact, they haven't even taken a vote yet to actually do this, although they have postponed uh accepting bids on rebuilding the grass field. So they we've talked to them twice about this at length to explain everything that we're working on. Um

extent that there's some misunderstanding about the $800,000 some people seem to think that that's going to have an impact on taxes in some way. It will not because the that that money already is in the bond issue and the obligation to pay that back already exists. It's simply saying, as I said before, instead of using it to build a an art a natural grass field, using it to build an artificial grass field in a track. Um, so that has no impact on

any budget except that to the extent that the high school is under budget and we don't need all the funds that were authorized for the renovation, funds that were from the bond that were not used in renovation would be used would be essentially returned to the taxpayers by using them to pay down the bond. It would be money that we wouldn't have to borrow.

I suppose in theor Well, I don't know what the bond indenture says. Sometimes you can't re prepaid bond indentures. I I believe [clears throat] last year's school budget reflected a prepayment on the bond to save interest. So I would assume that prepayment is is permissible.

We still have to pay interest on that on that chunk of it. Yeah, that's you're right. Conceivably you could do that. Um question is whether people think that's the wise thing to do, right? I mean uh and and whether you whether you prepay it or not, you still have to pay interest on that 600 because you you borrowed it. [snorts] uh arguably somewhat less interest I guess because you're prepaying it some of it earlier but there was I think there was some belief among some people that you could use it to defay operating costs and you can't do that you can't use bond money to pay teacher salaries or to buy books

uh you either use it for uh well frankly what I think but it has to apply to the way the warrant was worded yes it has to apply to the strict language of the warrant of the bond indenture right yeah I think my own judgment as to what would happen is But suppose the voters decided they don't want to repurpose this for the for the for the artificial turf field and the track, the whole project may very well fail at that point because without that $800,000, our task of raising the full 3.2 would be maybe insurmountable. As it is, we've got to raise 2.4. We're halfway there. We've got to raise another 1.2. If we trying to raise the entire 3.2 too would be impossible I think absent somebody coming along with another million dollars out of the sky. So if I were the high school the RSU board I think what I'd probably do is simply say well okay that was a nice try we'll re we're going to use the money to build

the grass fields. So I think the the likelihood of it being refunded would be No, I didn't mean the 600, but you were talking about I understand that 600 was allocated for field turf field repair, grass field repair, but you are also this this fundraising target indicates 800 from the RSU and

Oh, I'm sorry. I misunderstood your question. 200 in cost savings as part of the high school. We think it's sort of Yes. So whether or not that was the amount that and you were saying that that wouldn't have a tax impact. That was what I was referring to is is if the the bond that was specifically for the high school renovation, if that came in under budget,

Yeah. that 200,000 would either not be borrowed or it would pay down the principal, repay that 200, which would reduce the the indebtedness that the communities are paying. So, so it does have some financial impact on the community. [clears throat] We the we may be being overly optimistic about there being a surplus at all. Um because I think what they're doing is looking at is looking at some things that they thought they weren't going to be able to afford school.

Things that were cut out things that were cut out in there are a few really hideous bathrooms that really need to be and I think they had cut those out and I think they're going to probably put them back in. So we may be being overly optimistic about there being a surplus at all. So that's why I said in the footnote to what I gave you, there's certainly going to be $600,000 which was earmarked just for the grass field.

And uh um one way or the other that's going to be spent either in grass field or or in this project. Um so what's the life expectancy of the uh track and field? Uh in northern states it's longer than in southern states because of heat considerations somewhere around 12 plus years. Um,

somewhere in the four four to $500,000 range, but don't hold me to that. I'm just trying to I'm just dragging this up from memory. What we think is likely is that, and we've talked to the school committee about this also, when you take a look at the uh maintenance cost for the grass fields, if you simply it' be a substantial savings on maintenance because you don't have all the

the seating and everything. So what what we suggested is that they would take that and put in an annual sinking fund and at the end of 12 years probably have enough to replace the turf field. Um there would be some annual maintenance for for artificial turf but not nearly as much. There are machines that you essentially they're like giant vacuum cleaners and they go over it and they pick up metals and you know metal and paper clips and things that fall in and otherwise refurb you know fluff it up a little bit but the maintenance cost for the turf field is much lower than the for a grass field. So hopefully if they

act wisely they'll have that sinking fund to replace the turf field. I answered more than your question for sure. And did the maintenance the maintenance presumably that includes some kind of essentially since it's a impervious surface some kind of sanitizing and we're talking you know bacteria we're talking if a kid gets injured and bleeds on the field. I mean how does that piece in in a regular grass field it all gets filtered out into the dirt and and filter? There's there has there's drainage. The whole thing drains. It drains like a regular dirt field. There's a um there these artificial

grass um leaves the these these these things that come up and there's a there's a stuff they call infill which is serves the it's the substitute for dirt, but the whole thing is constructed so it is essentially porous because when it rains on it, the rain's got to go somewhere. So it goes down in it and there's subsurface drainage on it. So presumably the the bloody knee would go the same place on on the

on this as it would in on a dirt field. Um which takes me Do you want to talk about the infield stuff? The Nike grind. Yeah. I think you probably know more about that than I do. Okay. I'm doing all the talking. I'm sorry.

A lot of time. Yes sir. I've read a couple articles and actually heard something on the news about some of these artificial tourists that had a lot of health risks kind of different than what Sarah had mentioned. Is there been any research on that? In some cases, they've assumed or put out that it could cause cancer some some cases. So,

two answers to your question. The first is we had when we first started, we had a we created a committee to look into health issues and the chairman of our committee was Pat Palmer who was the former principal of the high school. Uh, and her kids went there. So, Pat's not going to cut corners. She did a lit she and her committee did a literature search and it turns out there's no study that says that that uh the that it's called it's called uh uh crumb rubber.

They take old tires and they grind it up essentially make it into like the consistency of dirt. Apparently there there are gases released when you do that. Uh the studies say that those are released at the site where the grinding is done but not but once it's placed in the field it doesn't happen. So there's no study that in fact says that there's uh a risk. There have been some anecdotal reports of it, one of which made the NBC news a few months ago. But

we decided that notwithstanding that because there was enough concern about it, we were going to recommend and in fact as a condition of giving the money to the school committee would insist that they use something called Nike Grind. Nike makes a material which is basically the waste from the making making sneakers and it's ground up and it's used as an infill. Uh of all the artificial turf fields in Maine, high school and college and there are a number of them. Yarmouth, Gley, uh Bowden, uh they all use Crumb Rubber. There are two other fields in Maine that use Nike Grind and we've going to recommend to the school committee that they use Nike Grind. It's somewhat more expensive, but it allays any concerns about health risks.

Well, presumably the million-dollar donation from Nike Nike is contingent on using their product. It's in fact, actually, they haven't given us all the contingencies yet, but we told them we're going to do it anyway. We don't have to use it for the field. Um, it's only contingent with respect to the track. Uh, but we're going to do it for the field because that's where most of the concern, public concern about it comes from,

right? Even the American Academy of Pediatrics speaks to to some concerns about the artificial turf about Nike about not about just about artificial turf in general and the offging and and skin contact with it. Yeah. But they haven't done a study. It's I mean it's a it's an expression of a concern but we've seen studies and I can get you the sites if you like. Um there in we have a website Trytown Track and in there there's a there's reference to it and there are links to some of the studies that we found. Um there's been a there's been some pressure on EPA, although they had a lot of fish to fry. I was

going to say there's [laughter] always pressure on the EPA. Yeah. To do a study of this. Um I don't have nobody seems to know whether or not like they're going to do anything about it. But we said, look, why why have an argument over it at all? They use Nike Grind and that's the end of it.

Is is there a chance that there could be some unexpected cost overruns on this project? Yeah. Not necessarily the field, but the whole Oh, the high school. Yeah. You got me, pal. I don't know. I'm not I'm not on I'm not on the building committee.

I mean, I I'm asking that because you you threw out the 600,000 for the thing and then the 200 that you was kind of hoping, but then you mentioned that they may be looking at the bathrooms for that. I mean, they're tearing into an old building. I'm sure the contractors probably done this more than once. They've tried to encompass everything they might run into, but history shows in projects like that, they usually find something they didn't expect and you know, the budget goes up. So, where do they get that money? They come back to the town's people for that or I mean, how is it going to how's it going to affect the budget they have now?

The operating budget if their bid is a that's what I'm wondering. I don't know how it is. they they they get Yeah, I haven't seen the I haven't seen the contracts they have with the contractors [clears throat] um and whether they're fixedric contracts or not. Fixedric contracts. So, I I I'm not qualified to answer your question. If but if where you're going is this suppose there's no there there's no surplus and suppose they have to eat up some of the $600,000 for the field. Well, at the end of the day, we're not going to make our 3.2. I guess we have to figure out what we do. Is there a potential opportunity to work with the town of Freeport also? Because I know at the beginning of your presentation, one of the things you pointed out was the just the straight up lack of field space that there are not enough fields for all the teams to be practicing and what have you. And and this for all the positives of it

compounds that problem because it eliminates a field. [snorts] Is there any option to work with the town to use the Hunter roadfields? Well, to increase the availability of of practice space and man, uh, the answer is maybe, but a couple of qualifiers to that. The Hunter Road Fields are a little bit undersized because they were developed for community supports. They are technically within the size limits of u of the U high

school playing fields and the soccer fields and all that. They have a minimum and maximum dimensions and it's my understanding that they're toward the smaller end of the dimensions which is not desirable. Uh the second thing is that the town of Freeport has a priority list as to who gets first dibs on the field and uh first one is the community organization. So youth soccer comes first.

So for example, they'd never be available on a Saturday, right? uh for games. Um and um it is a [clears throat] conceivable solution to use those but then again involves putting the kids on the bus and taking them over to

I just was looking if if you're going from not having enough fields and then reducing it with because of the space the track takes up. You're still going to [laughter] be you're going to be down you're going to be down a field as it is. and and if there were any sort of alternative ways to accommodate that.

You put the kids in a bus and you just take time off the practice time where you have six teams. Uh as it is now the track team as I said loses all that time they have to go but during outdoor season they have to go over to Bowden every day to practice. So they lose about a total of an hour a day just in travel time to and from getting rounding up kids getting them on the bus transporting bringing them back.

It's like hurting cats. Pardon me. It's like hurting cats getting [laughter] everybody organized. You sound like a teacher. Uh yeah. Uh could you use those fields? Yeah. We've just concluded it's not it's not the most desirable option.

I don't mean as an alternative to this. I mean as a in addition how how do you accommodate the loss of a field and still have now you've only got one? I think you know what the better guy to ask is is Craig Sickles the athletic director because he's the one who manages all the fields. Um,

we did talk a little bit about that like football would continue to practice over on Powell Road, so in the fall, and that each team would be allotted an hour and a half time slot to use the field to use that field as they wish.

Um, and then I also went over and talked with Mr. hidden because right now the track team in Durham is combined with Freeport and the Freeport community here, but there would also be time for the Durham community school [clears throat] kids to go over and use the track. In spring would be the same thing. You would have boys and girls lacrosse and then the track team. And again, you would say each of those teams would be allotted about an hour and a half after school uh to be able to use that. I mean, I liken it to the gym because right now the gym has, you know, three boys basketball teams and two girls basketball teams and so they have to chop it up in the evening in order to get everybody in. Uh, you would have

Oh, I played ice hockey all through high school and college. So, I I know the the juggle of Anding out I mean with the with the lights I know being able to do, you know, some of your games you'd be able to do in the evening. So then you could get into your practices right after school before those evening events happened. But as far as talking to Mr. sickle specifically. He just talked about that sort of hour and a half time frame divided between the three different sports between the fall and the spring is kind of how he explained that.

Yeah. And I frankly don't remember his explanation. Uh the hope is to have lights too at the field so you can have Friday night football games and uh bleachers. Uh the track would be eight lines so it' be big enough to host regional track meets. So you'd have kids from coming over from all over to participate in in track events.

as well, too. Yeah, I think during non-school hours, you obviously couldn't do it while the kids were in school, have people just coming running around the track, but otherwise I'd be open to the public. Um, I think that was everything that was on our agenda other than having the final shoe drop, which was which Lisa already mentioned, which was that we would hope very much that you guys would consider putting a warrant on the town meeting asking for an appropriation of $25,000. We've asked Powell uh for the same thing and we're going to ask Freeport for $100,000. Um, in addition, this would be in addition to going around and asking people in town to to donate. Um,

[clears throat] you know, I mean, I don't I don't underestimate the, you know, the impact of $25,000, but if you, you know, you were to game plan this and say, "Well, we'll try for another." If this fails, maybe there'd be another bond issue that we'll try again in a couple of years to do this and that passes, the impact of that on Durham is a lot more than than contributing now to a voluntary effort. If you if you if you took Durham's uh prorat [clears throat] a share of uh and I don't know what that calculates out to but to prat a share of 3.2 million for to do this on a bond issue 25 grand on a voluntary basis is probably going to be a lot less per capita than your your bond issue share.

So we're making the same request of everybody. Um the the community family gift of 100,000 is basically your school people are going to be either knocking on doors or selling stuff to raise. Yeah, we're we're going we're we've got we've got three teams. We're reasonably well organized. We've got three teams, one for each community with each each team as a captain. And [clears throat] uh uh Lisa is our captain for uh uh for Dur. It's basically knocking on the doors, calling up friends and neighbors and saying, "Uh, we we'll take three year, anybody listening on television, we'll take threeear pledges. Can you give us $1,000 over three years? You know, 333 bucks a year." Uh, and we're trying to get as many of those as we can uh to eventually work our way through to those numbers. The reason that panels I mean Durham's 100,000 is we just arbitrarily whacked that up on the whatever your prora share is of the RSU

budget. So you can see that pound's smaller and Freeport's the the biggest. As I said, there's no magic to those numbers, but we had to start somewhere to say what can we how can we put together uh uh what's the recipe to put together where we're going to get these monies from in order to come up with 3.2. And initially, you know, we're with I'm starting sort of with like-minded people, other pe people that play sports with my, you know, with my daughter and families that we know, people who who are very supportive of wellness and athletics and starting with those people who just want to, you know, contribute because I think it's a good cause and a good thing for our kids. [clears throat] And and that's sort of the goal of this entire project is starting places where, you know, we're not going to go to try to get money or support from people who don't have it. We want to be supported and those people hopefully will be

willing to help us with a pledge over three years. Yeah. And those are the types of, you know, that's where we're trying to to target our fundraising. And there are on our board a number of people who don't have kids in the system.

As I said, my kids don't live around here and my grandsons in Oregon. So, I'm not getting any benefit out of this myself. I just I just believe passionately in public education. My kids went to public school and I and I uh I love Freeport High School. I love the kids there and uh uh the plain fact [clears throat] of the matter is that with respect I mean they're going to have a nice physical plant there when this renovation gets done. Uh it took us years and years when it was just Freeport to build a gymnasium. When we came to town there was a horrible little place there and it took us three tries to pass a bond issue to build the performing arts center. Um, and when this is all said and done at in the fall of 2017, the building will it'll be a nice building for the first time. There'll be a place for the chorus to practice and the band to practice, a better cafeteria now than the horrible

place they have now. But the one thing they're lacking, which is really second rate, and as I said, the kids know it, is the outdoor athletic facilities. Every place they go has got a track and and they go to a track meet at some other school and they don't even have one in their backyard. And I just uh I'm just for strange reasons because I was never an athlete myself. I just said I want to make this happen. So we're all that's why we're all doing it.

That that field that you showed on the corner there where you're going to move one of the baseball fields to that was the field hockey field. Yes, sir. And you said that for whatever reason because of the way the balls and stuff go that nobody else can play on it.

Is that still going to be a field hockey field? No, field hockey be all the field all be upfront. So, soccer, boys and girls soccer, field hockey, and football will all be sharing that. Yeah, except to the extent some of the teams may practice uh on this system that I don't understand on at Hunter Road.

So, practices out there that being an artificial field while the football field is on Panel Road, the soccer fields are on Hunter Road. That being an artificial field, [cough] it isn't going to matter if field hockey and all them others played on only make the difference because it was a regular grass,

right? And you can it will also extend the season. So what happens now is you know there's mud season and and uh and late fall u there's mud season and dark season are pretty much well mud season and dark season. So it starts to get sloppy and with an artificial turf field you don't have that problem and with lights you don't have that problem either. So the kids can practice later and you know practice it when it starts to get dusk which they can't do now.

Well, it's definitely an aggressive goal. I mean each one of these towns if you get individuals to pledge a certain amount some of them same individuals are going to be paying tax dollars on any of these other amounts if if the town approved them. So it's kind of a

they already paid into or will already be paying into the 600,000. Right. Exactly. So, it's a Yeah, that's already that's already a done deal. That bond that bond issue is already it's already done. It's already built into paying out.

So, we're already paying that and um and that then we're if we put we put this out for um on a warrant and so on and pick that and they decide to do that then then there'll be that payment and that as well plus you'll be looking for uh individual donations as well.

Right. And that's I think the biggest question that I get. You know, most of my questions tonight are questions people in town have asked me as a selectman. And [clears throat] the biggest question that I get, the number one question is why is the that the voters already voted to spend $600,000 and keep the grass fields? And why is essentially the will of the voters being ignored? Is is how

it's not they'll they'll get asked they'll they'll get asked to use it for a different purpose. And if they say no that they want to use the money for the grass fuel then right so it would go would still have to go to a vote and people would still have the opportunity

they had it has to go to a vote before that we've used the word repurposing before that $600,000 that was a part of the bond issue for the rebuilding of the grass fields can go instead to have an artificial field in a track to be be part of that. There'll have to be a referendum in the RSU. Do you want to have the 600,000 spent on grass that a goat can eat or or grass that a goat can't eat? You know, it's just that simple. One way or the other, it goes for something,

right? And if they don't, if they say no, then as I said, our ability to raise 3.2 the full 3.2 million is probably probably a bridge too far. Probably. I mean, as it is, we've still we've got a a hefty goal. Got a heft we got maybe six months more or less. This is a very compressed time frame. And the reason the time frame is compressed is it's it's the work on the high school building is done by September of 2017. The kids are occupying that den. It's being done in pieces so the school's not in not uh disrupted. Uh, and the goal would be to have all this done at the same time, which means that we got a very short period of time to raise another $1.2 million. The gift from Nike was huge, was enormous, and and that honestly was because of John Benoy Samuelson.

Well, I was going to say because that gift had been on the table from Nike several years ago and had not been Yeah, it did. accepted. And so it's great that that who the powers that be were able to to bring that back to life.

Well, it's because of the respect that they have for Joan. I think she's been a a consultant slashVIP athlete for them for well since the 1984 Olympics. I was going to say a long time. So that's she's always on the road for Nike somewhere. And I it was a testimony to their respect for her.

Um I would have been happy if they given us $2 million, but they didn't see it that way. questions? mean you're aware that we're in our budget process this game tonight. Yeah. Yeah. Um we're looking at several major increases this year and um even if we put this on a warrant, I

mean we we could put it on a warrant with without a recommendation um from the from the selectman or or something like that, but my guess is the that it will not be warmly received. Um but and part of that I suspect is timing. As everybody knows, we've just been through a withdrawal battle and I think the rhetoric got rather heated and and um I

I think the lack of civility left a lot of people feeling a little bit bruised and we're looking at withdrawal and there's another withdrawal on the agenda again this year. I understand all that you're telling me. We don't come here absolutely naive and not understanding what the real world dynamics are of this. And [clears throat]

um I guess the one thing I would say would be that maybe it's an opportunity in a voluntary way for us all now to work together for people to kick in money and maybe have a sense of of uh mutual participation in a project which we all think you know would be a great thing for the kids. And uh but I understand the dynamics that you're working with and and uh I understand that a lot of the stuff you heard coming out of Freeport was not probably music to your ears about how free a lot of people in Freeport felt about this about the RSU, but I mean those of us on the

board are committed to it and this is for all the kids. It's you know it's it's for it's for the the Durham kids and the POW kids. It's not just Freeport kids. That's That's why we're doing it. Um, I, you know, we didn't come here tonight seeking a vote or an endorsement. We came here just to tell you.

Sure. I would have brought pledge forms, but I thought [laughter] that might be a little bit presumptuous. I had to hand them out to the audience here and see if anybody would sign up for $10,000. [laughter] Well, we we would if we was going to cons consider, we would have to be careful how we presented it too because we might get a lot of things thrown at us. So,

yeah, quite literally thrown at us. My [laughter] my thinking on this if we I mean [clears throat] we can discuss it as a board but uh we could put it on as a warrant article with no recommendation and it would be up to your group to present at town meeting why you're asking for this and um

borrow a flat black jacket from the police department. Well, I would certainly be in favor of putting it I I think it should go in the word. think the people the voters should have the opportunity to to make that call. I don't feel like that's a decision that that you know the the five selectmen, you know, should be making for the town. I think people should have the opportunity to to make that decision for themselves.

And if if you would like us to come back to be here and answer questions or if that would be help I don't want to intrude on your process. That's not be inappropriate for me. But if you want if you in want us to come back and I'll be happy to do so.

What happens to the money if you don't make your goal gets refunded. A lot of it's pledges. Um so for example Nike hasn't given us hasn't written us a check. they've give us a pledge and if at the uh if at the if the referendum fails it well you know if we if we only raise 2 million and the referendum fails well you know the project fails and we tell Nike thank you the whole thing failed keep your money and people who have given us money we'd refund it to them uh to the extent we have had expenses we'd make some pratta deduction in the expenses are 15 or $16,000 and they get their check back minus a and a quarter or something or whatever it is.

Certainly, if it's going to be on the warrant and and please feel free to jump in and correct me. Um there is usually an opportunity as people come into town meeting to pick up any kind of um handouts or what have you. So, if you guys have a handout that that explains it and and you want it to to be available to voters at town meeting, I wouldn't see a reason why that

that and um as long um if you're a Durham resident, you can speak without being voted, but if if if you're a non-resident, um the the town meeting uh the people at town meeting can vote to allow you to speak. So you can speak to it when when the article comes out.

handouts and things like that available for people to pick up. When is your town meeting? Uh April 2nd. It's the first Saturday in April. Okay. Well, I I don't This is another way of getting, you know, your your information out.

Yeah, that's a great idea. I wouldn't want to, you know, stand up and ask for permission to speak. I don't think that'd be appropriate, but if if somebody wants to invite us, typically if if we know you're going to be there, we we put together a list ahead of time and

the moderator in we we kind of vote them unblock unless somebody [clears throat] has an objection on one or two. So, it's I've never seen them refuse to let people speak. Okay. I keep hoping. Uhhuh. [laughter] At 9:00. Okay. Is it at the school? Yes, usually we we got I mean I assume it will be

since I've been at town. Speaking of which, make a note moderator. So it's April second. Shannon's working on everything. She's okay. I'll make a note. But So, um, [clears throat] so when we come to the, uh, putting together the final warrant, um, we all agreeable that we should put that on there.

I agree with that. I I am, but I'd like to discuss a couple things before we do that. When we get to that point, I am at that point. Okay. Got to see what our whole I mean, we we need to put it we need to put it in our budget packets, too, so the budget committee can look at it as well.

Mhm. I'm not against let the towns people make the decision, but I have some thoughts that we should probably discuss. Do you want me to get you in more detail about the Hunter Road Field usage and what the what the pattern would be? Would that be

Oh, mostly I just was I was looking at at a chart that said, you know, we've got limited field space as it is and then I was looking at a chart that says and once we do this, we're going to have even less. And so there was a there was

a logic jump there [laughter] that that's why a chur field is that becomes necessary. [clears throat] Uh and I don't dispute the value. I mean I I went to a high school that required everybody had to you had to do a sport every semester. didn't have to be a team sport. It could be aerobics,

but you had to do something. Oh, I know. One more thing. I'll just pass these out to you. This is a just a what we call a case statement. Uh just a summary of what it's all about. There's a there is a website, too. Um I think they have enough

trtown.com which has all this information on it. questions? Awesome. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. kind of a jump on this, but [laughter] discussion of disposal site for rabbit animals. I hear there's a field of three [laughter]

late. What does one do with And we've got a we've got an or a letter from uh our acco and a couple of I assume these are from statutes. Yep. Well, they're from the CDC. Yeah. Okay. So, um our acco had to did have to take care of a rabid raccoon. Um I I thought when they took to see if

they were rabbit or whatever, they disposed of them. From from the sounds of his letter, it sounds like uh that it was it wasn't needed. It was um it was rather obvious and um so he he incurred some costs. Yeah. and and he also wanted to let us know that it's really not the acco's um job to to deal with this unless unless uh warden service basically can't do it I think right that my understanding is

right and he was also concerned about public works because they they um get rid of roadkill um and he was concerned that they don't they need to have a specific way of handling um the animals to make sure that if the animal were to have rabies, they would not contract the rabies.

animals then. Is that correct? Really? That's that's what the acco is for is domestic animals. um depending on depending on the t municipality and the acco and things like that. Sometimes they do if there's an immediate threat I think that they can

but these should these calls should be directed to the warden service and that that's who should be dealing with with wild animal calls and the acco really is only to be dealing with only responsible for dealing with domestics. Correct. Do we know how he was contacted? Whether he was contacted directly or through

I think it was directly. Okay. People call me ask me if we have one. I'll just go on the website and get his name. They don't always tell me what they want. He just call looking for one and I don't ask together a policy perhaps and as well as to have a

a site? Yeah, he had mentioned um contracting with an incinerator to try and incinerate these animals, but um the CDC, the lady that I contacted, she said that most um municipalities bury them. And he also mentions that they shouldn't be transported from Durham. And I'm not sure that we have lunch for incinerator facilities here in town. [laughter]

Well, no, I think he was talking about incinerating them in Auburn or Lewon, but starting your burn. I just I just noticed that he said rabbit dead animals should not be transported from recommend since these are wild animals.

Well, they have the disposal and how you bury them and how deep they have to be and I mean conceivably I guess we could take them out back of the the public works department and bury them on Calvin's land. There you go. They have to be very deep enough so another animal won't dig them up.

Yeah, it has to be a couple of uh feet, I believe. concerned about the the public works people and and he was concerned about people in town because the rabies has [clears throat] showed up here. here, the first rabbit animal he's dealt with in the last month or so. I mean, there

was a bat and there were two raccoons in this. Yeah, this one is the street from me. My neighbor, all these calls should be referred to the main warden service. I So, I would think that would be if they call him, I would think that he would she that he should if he's get called directly, he should direct them to the service. Right.

He did call the warden service. There was this long drawn out explanation of why they didn't take care of it and I don't really remember what it was. Um, it doesn't sound like a very good explanation if it's their job. Well, there's only so many wardens, you know what I mean? They're probably pretty busy.

I think he felt it was going to take them too long. It took them too long to show up, so he just took care of it himself. can Do you think we could table the establishment of a rabid animal policy till after we get through the budget?

I would expect um is sounds good to me. I'm good for that. Mhm. So, be careful where you bury him. Stephen King wrote a book about some cemetery. So, this next [laughter] hearing for RSU5 withdrawal vote. My understanding it has to be at least 10 days before the vote.

Yep. And I I put a calendar in here. Um the vote's going to be in the referendum on April 1st is my assumption. So if you count back 10 days, 22nd, I think. Yeah. You come up with the 22nd, which is the Tuesday, which is a board meeting. Um, or you could do it on the weekend, you know, the weekend before if you guys wanted to do it on a weekend.

I was I was wondering about trying to coincide it with our selections meeting unless you thought there would be too much. I think we will have more. I think there's a fair amount of interest in town on the withdrawal vote and so I'm not sure that all of the people would fit in this room.

What if we tried to do it on the 15th at the at the school? Yeah. like uh the week before I could be wrong. We could do that and three people could show, [laughter] but it's I mean I I expect that this one would be higher up than some other

items. You still want to have it here on the 15th? Uh no at the uh actually either either either one that we do it at I would suggest doing it the public hearing part at the school. Right. Okay. Right. Do you think at the school or the Eureka or

um does it matter to you? The reason I ask is because if we call the school and they don't have availability, then I think I think the school would be preferable because I mean is this is one of those ones that you could get um

five or you could get 100 people show up. The Eureka is capped at 50 people, I believe, or 40 or something. Is that floor low, [clears throat] right? I think I think that the occupancy is between 40 and 50 when there's tables and chairs. But I think if you set it up with chairs, I think it's 75. But in any case, the school would probably be preferable.

I'm not sure I want to be standing on the floor if there's distinctions between, you know, whether or not there's tables there. Is that how [laughter] it's loaded? At what time? Yeah, that's probably probably what I would think.

It probably makes sense. He could record it at the school, too. Yeah. I mean, actually, I think we can record it anywhere because we've got the camera. We got the 15th at 7. So, we'll try for the 15th at 7. And if that doesn't work, then should we try the 22nd?

exactly? Um that's so did anybody I did not get a chance to look at the video link that I've looked at part of it. I haven't looked at the whole thing. Um I think from the select boards thing I think we need we need to clearly explain what the vote is. Um you know

what really is going to happen. Um you mentioned that they went down through the steps if the vote goes through. These are the steps that we have. They go through the the legal this is the statute. this is what this entails and then people could get up and advocate either way.

Right. Um clarify this for me because it's been said that if if the town votes to pursue withdrawal that it's all or nothing and we've been through this before and the town had to vote on a plan and if we didn't vote on the plan then we just stuck with the status quo. So

So it's really not all or nothing. It's it's looking at it, right? Well, the first time we went through this, it was just to form a committee to get information out to see if they wanted to. This vote is to either vote to get out or not. If they vote to get out, then they got to do

all the negotiation and planning and then the state has to prove it as well. And if that does happen, then it goes back to the people and then they have to. So yes, there is the first time we went through this prior to this initial vote that we're going to have in April, committees were formed and numbers were crunched and presentations were made and people had sort of a working knowledge

of what it could potentially cost one way or the other depending [snorts] on right but there was the initial vote was what started all that. No, the initial petition started that. We didn't do the initial once the vote happens then we are committing funds which have been estimated at about $50,000 for legal fees for the expenses because once that vote happens then we are required to sit down at the table and start hammering out a deal. So what

it's not it doesn't kick off that that cost analysis that was done last time the last time we did it we actually um but there still the plan would still have to be approved in the end by by both the department of education and the town

but you have to go through you actually have to go through you have to come up with a plan and that actually I think you have to come up with a plan that gets approved by and comes back to the voters right um what we did the last time was before we ever put the first vote out. We put together Ken, the committee that looked at things and um which was actually quite informational. Uh it provided an awful lot of information. But so those are I think our responsibilities. I believe you also said that um the the petition group from Freeport was allowed to was allowed to speak to in at the meeting as well, you know, to present.

Yep. and probably and anybody that was for or against could speak. That's what public hearing is about. Yes. So, um but I think the I think the big things is that we need to be very clear on what this vote does. Um if the vote passes um they they will be committing $50,000 towards that effort for the process and the process starts and it doesn't end until it comes back for basically it doesn't end until it comes back for a uh

for vote for the final vote. I don't but if the town votes it down then we stick with what we had. I don't know if there's an option to say hey we couldn't come up with a deal. No, no, you're supposed to put all the best effort in. But,

and are those generally done as separate warrant articles or are they a single warrant article of to vote to pursue withdrawal and to commit the money or are they It's one single thing. I was envisioning yes, we're going to pursue it. No, we're not going to.

No, it's a single one and basically the state provides us a wording for it. Yeah. You just plug in the numbers in the town. Yeah. And I know from that your research, I think that other towns have have ballparked the figure at about $50,000.

Freeport put forward $50,000 and they spent almost the entire amount. Yeah. school, then we can officially uh set the officially set set the date and time and stuff. Yep. Um let's see. I think can take uh departments and committee out of order because uh so um they can anybody that's not going to be involved in the discussions tonight can leave. Uh chief, do you have anything for for us tonight?

Yep. Tried to make it quick. It's only four pages. [laughter] made it difficult for you to get out tonight. Is it big big writing big letters? Yeah. No, no. This time around make it today 11. training we've discussed before. So, we don't really need to visit that unless somebody has questions. Structure. I talked to you your last meeting about we're getting ready to change some of the way we do business at this not so much that the town people will see it but rather organizationally to hopefully make it a more enjoyable uh

[clears throat] participation and membership for people in the organization. Uh so anyways that the EMS coverage is currently we have four companies done with four companies. It's done based on a rotation not necessarily on a pick when you're available type deal. So we've come up with a structure where it'll be one EMS provider and a driver taking the place of what we currently do with our company assignments and stuff and people will pick it. It'll be based on you know hey you got to do this many week nights this many weekends. Um there's actually no money attached to

the company's coverage or for this your own coverage. I will be honest inevitably it is going to be a discussion that I mean it keeps coming up within the organization periodically that well hey we should get paid for coverage and stuff like that but at this point the membership realizes [clears throat] there's no money attached to it and stuff. it. So, that's one of the changes that's going to happen and I think it'll actually be more conducive for participation. It seems to be being received pretty enthusiastically. Another thing we're trying to do to help [clears throat] retain and maintain membership and hopefully give it a little more of a friendly family atmosphere is actually we're appointing mentors to all of our people. Right now it's just firefighter one and two classes, but when somebody goes out and takes a class, we're actually putting mentors with them and stuff to kind of help them over the

humps and everything. As well as new members. We don't have any new members right now. I do have an application, but we don't have any, but new members during their probationary period. We're going to put a a mentor with them to help them through the the humps and the hurdles. But anyways, that's primarily the reorganization stuff. Questions?

No. Good, sir. Uh that's the other thing we're putting together. I'm not sure when the meeting is going to be, but we're starting to get the pieces together. It's a lot of it will be funded by at the state level as far as some of the classes and stuff that people will have to go through. Um one of the things we don't have is we don't have a staff for uh sheltering or any of

that under EMA. And in the event of a major emergency, I'll use light the ice storm, but the ice storm The shelter was actually staffed with a completely different group of people. EMA wasn't under fire or in rescue at the time. I don't have enough staffing so that if we have an event similar to that that I can focus on sheltering. So it really comes down to really two people that are assigned so to speak to it. Myself and Bill along. Um, so these people hopefully will work into being taking care of those pieces that we don't really have the people dedicated to make it happen in the first place in the event of a some type of disaster. So anyways, we're starting to put that together. We have some people interested. We're working with county AMA to make that happen. Actually, Bill Long's working with county EMA to make that happen. The Homeland Security Grant, Ruth [clears throat] talked about

it at your last meeting about she thought it was and she was correct. It was a bigger amount. It was $10,1681 that we hadn't received yet. In all fairness to them, based on the date on the check, I sent an email with the 26th. Maybe check was actually dated the 21st. So, they did have it in the process to send it down to it. So, they weren't holding it for the myriads of interest that they were going to get off the money. [clears throat] But anyways, that's here now. Um, my classes, we've already discussed about those. The inspector one is done for the most part except for the exam part of it that hasn't they haven't got the final scheduling for that yet. Forestry grant was in hoping hopes maybe the board would consider voting to approve the forestry grant now that we have the revenues in there and perhaps I do have it here but rather than delay the meeting perhaps allow Ruth to sign it on

behalf of the board I can pass it around. [clears throat] Um, permits. Don't necessarily need to make a decision on that tonight, but I did want to put it out there tonight. Permits, if you remember, right back in uh late summer, midsummer to late summer, I talked about Warden's report at uh what you have going around is actually issued by Warden's report. So, it's going to focus on Warden's report. It comes from they generate this and send it out. Counter Durham, we issued 159 electronic permits on Warden's report. Um, which actually we only issued 701 grand total for the town. On your warrant is a $75 to keep our membership for the year

one's report, which I definitely think is a good investment. People seem to be receiving it fairly well. Did we keep both for the second half of the year? You kept some some weekend staffing as well, didn't you, while we made the adjustment? Yeah, it we still have people coming in on the weekend and stuff. My bottom line, my recommendation is the wave one's report is working. Um I know there's going to be some people that it's just going to be difficult. They're not going to have electronic access, but to me that in this day and age that's few and far between. To me, if we see an issue, we should look at okay, how do we fix that issue rather than in all honesty, the guys don't like staffing it. They have to staff at 9 to 11. So plunk at plunk in the middle of the morning. Um [clears throat] and it it's two hours out of their morning. It ruins their whole morning. They do get paid. Grant, you know, they

get paid depends on what their hourly rate is anywhere from 16 to maybe $28 for ruining their Saturday and their Sunday morning. They they really they don't want it. And I actually think we could make the system work fine without it and it would save the town about $2,000 in the

cost. Are we encouraging people as they come? Yes, we are. We have cards and poster here. [clears throat] Actually Diane or at the when we get the elect uh the electronic state permits the notification of that we actually she sends them an email. I follow forward the permit to her, print it and followed the permit to her and she actually will send them an email because their emails attached. So if they give the proper email, we're actually sending them email saying, "Hey, you can actually go to this site and it doesn't cost you $7. It's free." So, so yes, we are actively promoting it. U my recommendation, we, you know, we don't have to necessarily embark on it now or take action. I'd encourage you if you haven't already thought it through to take some time and think about it. Maybe we can revisit it in two to four weeks or something. We have a link to it right from the website. Yeah. I mean,

pardon me. We have a link to it right from the Durham website. Yeah. Because I've used it a couple times. It seems I think people have gradually if you look at that 159 was in what since July, mid July. So, it was 5 and a half months. We issued 159 electronic permits on that site.

And you can see it increasing [clears throat] steadily up until October. And then of course you get into the whole up again pretty soon. It uh you know there's a few glitches with the site and I've talked to Gary the guy that that runs the site and he's going to work on trying to resolve them and stuff. But

well one thing it you know the first day I got two permits. It was like I think one weekend right after another. But the first day I got it. You know I'm all ready. I got, you know, so I go out I go out to get ready to get my tools and start and I and I look over and the pine tree across the road is just, you know, swaying. I said, "Okay, I I I can't burn today." So, the only downside then that's probably one of the few down well couple of downsides with doing electronic permits versus [snorts] paper permit. It's based [clears throat] on the class A issued for the zone for the state. So, a lot of times local conditions may be slightly different. wind conditions, actually even fuel moisture conditions may be different. And the other thing it doesn't allow for is staffing because if we have a weekend that I know there's nobody in town, we actually under the state law do not have to issue paper

burning permits. We can actually set down shut down the state website so that you can't get one there. It doesn't have to be any permits. But uh [clears throat] um yeah, so it uh that's the only downside of electronic permitting unless you and and actually the wardens report versus the state site. The state site gives me a quick and easy method for shutting it down and doing little things and changing requirements. Warden's report doesn't. And that's actually one of the things I talked to Gary about was

you probably noticed it says you need to have two people for certain two adults. Two adults. adult. You have to have two adults. Whereas state law doesn't say you have to have two adults. It encourages two adults and a hose say you have to have two adults.

They go electronically to do these permits. They have to be able to print them off. Yeah. They It says to per print them off. Yes. Somebody shows up there, you do need to be able to show them the permit, right? I suppose the bottom line is you could probably show them it on your phone or your lap.

Yeah. I wanted because I mean a lot of people probably got computers. Not [clears throat] everybody probably has a printer hooked up to it. I'm assuming I know everything gradually going to the point where hey you just show me my your ticket or your uh so it's on your phone or on your iPad or whatever it so I'm assuming that would probably meet the test because the other side of it is we can go on and print any one of those last 159 permits that were issued we can actually still go on and print them.

It's pretty convenient though. It is pretty convenient. So yeah, I think I think it's more convenient for the people for the most part. There's going to be a few that it's going to create make it difficult, but paper permits are available weekdays still and stuff. That would not be my intent that we should change those. Just I don't see the sense in ruining somebody's weekend and bringing them in for a minimal amount of money and creating if you really figure it out. Um [clears throat] it we issued 701 permits. Even if you use our total, we spent roughly $2,000 staffing for permits. If you include electronic permits, we issued 700 permits. That's $3 per permit. If you really take out the electronic permits in reality, we spent over $4 per permit permit

for anybody that chose to come in. And that doesn't necessarily say they even came in on the weekend and got them, right? You got to you go even further to to the weekend. It would be [clears throat] cheaper for us to give everybody a card saying, "Hey, go to the state site with the seven bucks and just charge it to the town of Durham." It would actually be cheaper in the end than what we're paying to issue those few paper pered

No, no, I was following. I'm No, I was I was all set. I just I know that we do have a printer, but not everybody probably did. That's what I didn't know. No, there are going to be people that are going to have a difficult time with it. And I'm sure as those [clears throat] people identify themselves and their issues, I think what we do is we work to resolve those issues. Um, and it

I'm not electronically inclined with all that other stuff. So, I had to have a good time. [clears throat] I am out of necessity. Kind of goes with the territory. Hello, goodbye. That's [clears throat] that's my electronics.

But anyways, I I don't know if the board wants to move on that now or just take it into consideration and think about it. Um, I think most of my offices that are primarily the ones that do the staffing, would love to think that by burn season, which most people once we start to next month when it start to warm up, actually this month, a lot of people are probably already looking around their yards and saying, "Well, you know, I got to get that cleaned up and stuff." And so, probably in another 3 weeks to four weeks, things are going to start to pick up. this. So, I think most of the officers are hoping that instead of setting at the station, they can actually be cleaning their yards up as well.

I have no objection to [clears throat] the total. Oh, I don't know. The the decision part of it too would be great if we could make it before reports, town reports go out because then I can include it in my report and we can make sure we put notices in the town report and really get it out there. So to me, we should do like a month, a month and month and a half, maybe even two months of advanced warning that no, we're going to shut down issuing permits at the station. And I know we're still going to get some upset people. We can put signs at the station. Put it up on the town channel. So So anyways, they [clears throat] go to the neighbor using warden's exclusively using warden's report on the weekends.

Second. Um, if you're not ready for a motion yet, I can No, no. I'm I'm thinking time [clears throat] frame. We should we should set a time frame when we're going to when we're going to do that, I think. And make a definitive date so that we can actually advertise as of such and such a date.

Weekend permits, paper permits will not be issued from the station unless personnel are available due to emergencies or something. See, by by end of May, there's your two months. That's two months after town meeting. So,

June 1st. So, June 1st. That would give us that would give us half a year of savings on that. And that's that sounds good to me. Yeah. Doesn't get you through the spring burn season. But well, you moving forward. I guess that's a big thing.

For a long time, even then, and that's the organizational structure thing, too. For a long time, everything was just kind of status quo and stayed the same. And we need to shake it up and keep it moving forward. So, I think they'll be receptive to moving forward. They're going to beat me up and say, "Well, no, that's not what we really wanted to see." But that's okay.

You want that to be before [clears throat] Memorial Weekend? Okay. I hope that wasn't full. Uh [laughter] um question would [clears throat] would would May 1st be enough notice? I mean, if we started advertising it now and had it in the had it in the town report and mentioned it at the meeting, I don't want to believe it, but the bottom line is is if you think about your own

times trying to burn and stuff, it usually once stuff the snow goes away, which unless things change drastically. I'm thinking by mid-March, we're going to start to see bare ground and stuff pretty much consistently. And if that does in fact happen, probably burning is going to get shut down around April 1st and go through till is Calvin agreeing or disagreeing.

No, [laughter] he probably wants to see it stop now. Sleeping. You're ready for it to stop. Um, you know, so I guess where I'm headed is spring of the year. There's like four weeks that because of the class day that we typically can't issue permits in the first place because of the class day that's posted. um you know so we can still put the notices out there and stuff and and make a specific date but I guess I'm just trying to so that's that's in your thought process that in reality

one I'm going to be telling people say hey we're shutting down May 1st but in reality telling them for the well okay he threw out May 1st and if we if we do May 1st in reality my perception as the citizen of the town is well I couldn't get a permit all April either Man, what do you mean you're shutting down May 1st? You really shut down April 1st or something like that. But I don't think that should steer it. But I definitely wanted to make sure everybody understood.

And people can still get permits. They just can't go into the station. Yeah. they can get them electronically and then during the the weekdays when people are there and actually my intent would be if they we're there for an emergency there's no reason why if we have somebody at the station and the conditions or

right if they just happen to catch someone at the station if they happen to be come by if the you know so everybody should buy a scanner and listen it wouldn't end up on the call to wait a few minutes though so yeah um so do you want to establish a date do you want to establish it You amend it to May 1st.

I can amend it to to that as of May 1st. May 1st, walk-in permits, burn permits will not be available on weekends at the fire department. People will be directed to use warden's report online. They were will still be issued free of charge.

Amended. Second. Any further discussion? All in favor? Motion carries. At the same while we're doing motions, um I'd like to move that we accept the uh the forestry grant uh for 1595 towards a lightweight portable pump and suction.

Second. All in favor? Motion carries. Is that a complete grant or is that a 50% match? 50/50. That is we pay up front and they reimburse. So So it's a 50/50. Okay. And then we got one more the item from the dispatch. Yeah. [clears throat] And it uh unless you got a bunch of questions and I'm sure you have, but I can't answer a lot of them. Dispatch, I kind of reported the other night on the progress we're making with the uh talking to some of the other centers just to give you a heads up tomorrow at 9:00. I have a a meeting with I'm not sure exactly who. I know Chief Brooks will be there for one, but representatives of Lisbon Comm Center to discuss some of the I hope we don't focus on the past issues. I hopeful hopefully we focus on um what needs to be fixed and and how we move forward. So hopefully that will actually be the focus

keep them in that path. That's that's the intent I'm going to the meeting with that I really don't want to go back over any issues or anything that's been in the past. I want to try to look towards the future and see if we can't make it a more amable situation.

Not financially though. I don't think I have any any [clears throat] room on the financial aspect. Just to just to note, we did get a uh a letter back from Lisbon that they're willing to do a 3-month extension at the new rates. Um and we'll probably have it for next meeting. Um so, um and that so

that gives us a little chance, a little bit of room to to find out the information. Yep. I should have my report on costs. um may not be 100% complete, but I'll have enough so I can at least fill in 90% of the blanks and stuff.

Okay, thank you. Thank you. Um did we get a written report from the code official? No. Uh do you have anything? Thanks. All right. Um road commissioner, um do do you have anything that you need to report or should we just go to the budget?

Okay. Um, actually, Chief, I did have one more question based on uh what what we did with the uh the permits and so on. Can with that reduction in us stopping in May, cut the budget, huh? Okay. I didn't know whether we could cut $1,000 out. It

It's up to you. Okay. But I I actually was reluctant to put it to you guys before town meetings because it's like everybody's going to look at this as an opportunity. I I would not recommend it. You definitely can. It's definitely your option, but the bottom line is if you look at payroll and the call volume, I mean, right now, last night, um I think it was either 42 or 43 for the year so far. So, we're gradually going over the

It may fade away, but what I see is the gradual transition so that we're pretty much over one day a day. So, um and I wouldn't recommend it. Not for the savings of $1,000, but that's up to you guys. Yep. Thank [clears throat] you.

All right. uh back to the public works um budget and in particular I think we're going to discuss capital Terra. Does it have X's? It does. Maybe. This has got numbers on it. I wrote those in asteris where I was I just wrote them in there because I didn't get the numbers until like

I didn't notice the numbers on that first one at all. [clears throat] So, it was a nailbiter. So, since our last meeting, you got to spare one of these storms. put that there. If you don't have spare, don't worry about it for tonight. I was just going to stick in in Mike's aisle some point. Yeah. Right there. That's good.

Okay. Uh so what I uh I'd gone out and and physically measured every road and was hoping to have the dollars um cost um completed in these in the option one to give us the exact number of dollars it would take if I have a few more days. I can bring that back to you. That'll be done. But what I've done isve, if you look at option one, right in the middle of the page, option one, action plan, that is what needs to be done to each route.

And [clears throat] this is this is sorted. This is with us doing the work. Nope. No. Nope. This is um this is with well what has happened is um um I've kind of kind of uh in talking with people in the industry um in looking at the roads I think the roads are in better shape than you think um I think that I think if you I think there was a lot of gravel put in these roads [clears throat] um if I look at the elevation that they're above the ground around them and I look at how long it took for the roads to get in the shape they're in. I've gone out with Krooker and I've talked to some other people and we've looked at the roads and we feel that these roads are candidates for um FDR full depth reclamation and adding a little reclaim to it and paving. Um they come in with a big machine and they chew up the pavement and turn it into a an aggregate. They turn it into a with the gravel and it uh it adds to

your road base structure and then we add some more on top of that, compact it, shape it, get your profile and pave it. If it took 40 years for the road to get in the shape it's still holding vehicles. Um it's it's my belief and and and talking with Cooker who's been doing it for more years than I dare guess um that these roads are prime candidates for that and they're doing it all over and it's working. So [clears throat]

um what did the uh have you looked at the engineer report with the core sequels? What did that show? I haven't had time to really study it yet, but one of them one of the options was a foam injection. Um, so instead of um it's it's a more expensive process where they come in and they they grind up the pavement and they inject the foam. It takes the it takes the instead of just grinding it, it takes the material off the road and puts it through a pug mill and then puts it back down with this foam injection. And I have not gotten the cost for that yet, but I don't really know anybody that's doing it. Everybody is just grinding in place and doing this option here with the cement or the liquid asphalt.

I [clears throat] was I was basically asking as far as the core samples what they showed as far as what was there for a base and so on because I know we I know we did them and we might as well uh we probably better look at them to make sure. I will I will be looking at them, but just looking at the road

the I just want to make sure I'm understanding the numbers that are on here. So, it looks like to do runaround pond, the two sections of it based on the to do the the FDR pave add 4 in of reclaim just looking at your notes would be about $700,000. [clears throat]

Right. And to do the whole thing from Rabbit, the section of Rabbit and Runaround would be just slightly over a million. So that entire corridor including Quaker meeting house would be done. Yeah. 1,66,398 mile mark. four the well if you look at it trying to do four miles of road in a year that would be very close to that four miles

and are these Kirker's numbers y so and would there and and I asked this really because I have no idea is there um a capacity to for us to to do some of this work ourselves and reduce the cost or would it be more efficient to use our our labor are elsewhere doing ditching and what have you and just having Krooker come in and do this.

Well, we are going to haul the reclaim. We would be hauling um this cost is just us buying the 4in reclaim and the 4 in of reclaim. We'd be trucking it and they would be spreading it. Um [clears throat] but yeah, Iowa services would be better used ditching and getting the road so that as we build them they last. We'd have to do some ditching here. Uh but these numbers are close to the um numbers that they're not they're not far from the numbers I had given you for us building.

Right. I was going to say they're very very close. So the difference is I mean if you um the difference is it would just take a lot longer to do it. I [clears throat] think and the part one section one is a little is a bit higher but you're doing a lot I think you're doing more to it right because I think you you would said somewhere in the 280,000 or something like that

270 yeah so so this would be essentially equivalent to what you guys did on fit and in and panel no was a rebuild was a complete rebuild and to hire someone to do that you're looking at the going rate for that's about $125 to $35 a foot uh this here is

um they come in, they grind up what we've got and then they reshape it and add 4 in of reclaimment. Does this require us a come back a second year for a finish? Yep. They would put down the base pavement one year and a base pavement um

the first year and then that binder coat would sit till the second season and then they would come back and shoulder. Okay. [clears throat] because we probably if we're if we the only way I see that we can do it is bond. If we're going to bond it, then we probably should include that part. Well, and I'm still interested in the notion and and I don't know if we know the answer yet as to whether or not we could do some kind of draw down bond and have essentially like a line of credit to get, you know, this project done this summer and then be able to jump right in as soon as as weather permits the following summer on the next project. so that we are not going back every town meeting with another bond, another bond, another bond. And I just don't know the answer to that.

Right. I I agree. And um we may have a bit more data in in a couple weeks cuz you're you're going to be filling in more, but we need to we need to propose something for the budget committee. Absolutely. I I believe that runaround pond needs to be a priority and whether we bond it as a sole event or whether we bond it in conjunction with other things. I I think that

we I think it makes you get it done. I think it makes sense to take Rabbit Road along with it too just because that will finish off [clears throat] that whole corridor. East West have to go back through here and check some things out. Um I just just completed the model and I've measured everything and I'm coming up with uh we were supposedly had 40 40

46 miles of road we think. But I've got I've got 52 here. I haven't gone through I've found a lot of roads that were missing. Well, a lot. But I found two or three on this here that were not in our database that were not in our road network that weren't were not being calculated. So I've got 52.62

miles right here. And that's without adding in the piece of um that's without adding about the half a mile that goes from of metal road that goes from swamp route to 125. And then I don't know if there's more roads missing. I just I just took in in going through the um list that we had. I

found some more roads that were not in that list, but I have not yet gone through this to make sure these are all the roads we have in total. I'm pretty sure it is. It seemed like I would have picked it up, but as I did with the other ones,

didn't know we had them. So, um three these three large um pieces here and so on and you still have the 225,000 [snorts] I assume you'd be looking at some shim overlay or something like that and what how many mile or how much do you think how far do you think we could get approximately with the 225,000

that's Uh there's so much depends on the type of shim and the amount of shim needed. But um I I think see ponder road is like 1.83 miles and that's that's a shim and overlay that uh I think that would just under two miles. I think that would probably chew up that uh

you think that is the the highest the the highest priority on the shim overlay or I don't know where I'm looking at the priority in that roads that if we don't do it we're going to lose them right I was going to say that road has declined

and whenever I put a zero next to the when I put a zero in that column see the years I I'm starting to fill that in and that's a priority list if it's zero it means that I it needs to be done yesterday or it's not going to be there a year it's going to be a rebuild. So um so if I say one to two I'm still playing with this model here to come up with but that's what that that's what those numbers represent. It's it's how far I think you can go without

mother nature does from year to year. Right. Right. That mean some of these other numbers you got three to five next year you may look at that and it could be zero to three. Yeah. I hope not, but you're right. The only thing I I wouldn't vote if it was a if it came to a vote on Cedar Pond, I would have to abstain. However,

Oh, you live there. I [laughter] do. Um, but I will say that it has I have been surprised over the last year or so at how rapidly it and it it's compound. It will continue. That's why I put zero. if you don't get to that road like this year or you you're going to pay. Um so I mean that's I'll come back with a priority list and uh

for the for the p for the purposes of of giving numbers to the budget committee. I'd like to put the a bond for a million dollars to do rabbit and and run around. That that won't be enough to do even just the you need or a million66. So 1.1.

Yeah. I I would plus include the second years. Yeah. Yeah. That's what I was wondering is should we include the second year and what would you I don't want to get halfway done and then not what would you estimate the top coat would be for that that

three miles uh the uh finish coat for runaround pond row is uh for the section one is $83,656 uh is uh 83,000. Oh, they're the same because they're both 6100 ft. So, 167,000. Yeah. 8 and then 83 656. 656. Okay. And so, we're looking at somewhere around 1.4ish.

So, yeah, that would be that would be close. That's those two. And then the finish these all come up to about one point one 1.066 basically. So, Plus, there's another 170 there. Plus one. There'd be another little bit more than this for rabbit road because rabbit road's slightly longer.

Rabbit road is for the um 1.4 going to the surface. Surface is uh $83,656 for the It's actually Well, I got the wrong one. Bing bro. Nope. Wrong one. Uh, let me get to Rabbit Road. We got two sheets here. Rabbit Road is um

um So, we're looking at 270 1 point [clears throat] and I'm thinking these prices are going to go down. I based them on $67 for the base. Uh, and 68 for the finish. That's about 1.34 million. I would I would say 1.5. No, wait a minute. I already that that those numbers were included in the first number I gave you.

Oh, those are Oh, this is that includes the top. This is total. Okay. Oh, this is the first part and the overlay for next year. All right. So, make it if 1.62. [laughter] So if it's 1 1.06 I learned that trick 1.1 million,

right? Well, let me let's make sure we're right here because it says the FDR which is what? Full depth reclamation. Okay. And then it says add to foreign reclaim and it's got this price and then it says plus shim overlay.

Well, there was a little section right over the bridge. Yeah, that that include that's just 170 ft. That that doesn't need to be ground. Okay. We'll just go over that with a pavement. So, this price includes that part plus coming back the next year for the finish coat. Y

in this 312891. Yeah. And then the same with each one of these includes the first part and coming back next year. Yes. Okay. All right. So, they show on the same page. Do you I don't want to get in the middle of the project be short money. So, if we do 1.1 million, that's that gives us an extra 33 34 million uh 33 34,000 plus you're hoping to get it for less, right?

I'm hoping the prices are going down and Crook Krooker said that what they will do is the contract that they've got from two or three years ago, they will honor that contract and use the asphalt escalator. um whatever the liquid asphalt prices have dropped since then.

So it' be a deescalator this Well, that's what I guess that's what [laughter] somehow I don't but uh they they will um um they will give us that savings. So it's the same thing less whatever the liquid asphalt price drops. So,

and if we can coordinate timing with I don't know if panel's planning any paving projects or Freeport's planning any if we can coordinate timing with neighboring towns. Is there a potential for some cost savings there as well?

What they did say is there would be some cost savings if we did the whole thing, [snorts] all three sections and they don't have to remobilize. They can just set up and go that they would be. So, these three prices could potentially be a little less if we did all that. Yeah,

they probably will be and liquid. I mean, provided the price of the barrel price keeps doesn't stop back up all of a sudden next week, which it could do who knows when. And in terms of access, do they do one side and then the other? I just there aren't a lot of side roads in that section for for people to

to access. But plus, we could put it on put it out there that that it's going to happen. And I I would be surprised if anybody was not going to be patient now that they see it happen. [laughter] Everyone will adjust. Well, this is a very this is a very fast process.

Do you anticipate having to cut back any trees or anything like that? Any specific area? Yeah, cuz that's part of the problem. Coming up and saw some I got to go paint actually. They're well inside the stone wall, so I'm comfortable with that. They're if it gets in somebody's front yard, then I'd want to go talk to them and we deal with that a little bit differently.

[clears throat] I suspect you will find cooperation among the [laughter] neighbors on that road if they have to lose a tree to Yeah. In fact, there's some that I'm going to have to go talk to the neighbors about and see because if I can't there's some if I can't cut I won't be able to get a ditch and I'm going to have to put an under drain system in that section. So there could be some uh but if I come up 6 in I'm hoping

that I can get the water though. But if you look at the areas where there's no ditch, there is just the road false pot. So that's going to be part of the process. We we're going to be out cutting trees this winter and that's part of what we'll be taking care of. And I've got the 4,000 hopefully in the budget for

I I don't I don't think we cut it any further than I No, I don't think we left. Well, was that So So if we include as part of a capital project, um what's your experience on how long you should bond a road for? I usually don't get involved in that.

Okay. I didn't know if I didn't know if you'd been if you'd seen it because um I mean if you're doing going 1.1 million you if you do a 10 10year bond that's uh $110,000 before any interest is added in a year. Um so you're probably talking closer to 130,000 or something like that per year.

And you wouldn't want to go more than 10 years. You wrote it in the last I I would think you'd want to go less. I always think so too, but but that I mean it's it's going to it's going to be a tax hit, right? I know where I came from, where I just came from. I let the town manager deal with that. There was some issues when all of a sudden my my annual road uh

budget was now going to pay for the bond that I guess nobody thought about paying the payments on the [laughter and snorts] Could you see if MMA has a recommendation on that? Maybe. Sure. I mean, because you don't when you bond something, you don't want to bond it for for the whole life of it or for longer than the life,

right? If it's got a 10 year life, I mean, you really want to squeeze it out to eight years or something, but just to ease up on the taxpayers some, right? And then we'll put a But I, you know, I think we have reached a point where where some of this I just look at the budget. I lay awake at night. I mean, I look at some of the numbers and I know it's going to be a hit, but I also feel like a lot of this stuff has been pushed out for a very long time so as to avoid the hit and

you can't even kick a can. You said you you investigated and that road was originally paved almost 40 years ago and really hasn't had anything much done to it since. Right. So been out looking at roads and you look at when the road like when I put a zero here if the road starts to lose its profile then what happens is that holds water so it's a compound problem that that area now holds water in that spot now the vehicles hit that so now it goes further and then the water gets in and saturates it more so now the vehicles hit it so it's a compound where uh if you overlay them

before that starts to happen you won't have the roads doing this it's not that there's no bottom nearly as much as it is that they've just been let go once they lost their profile. They didn't get they didn't get overlaid.

Well, and it interferes with the ability to to plow them effectively. It interferes with cost us more money in salt. Cost us more, you know, harder for the fire truck. It's it spreads out to everything. Residents vehicles,

residents vehicles, you can pay it in property tax, you can pay it in auto repair, I guess. We find parts [clears throat] of cars on the side of the road all every day. It's like there's a ball joint. I saw a tie rod the other day. the whole time and think if that came out of a car, I don't know what [laughter]

that in front of my house cuz they hit that every time and they don't seem to bother them any. I don't know if they're trying to smooth out a rough spot on the bottom of the frame or what, but there's sand in the bottom.

I think after the first 20 times you'd realize it's saying slow down, but they don't. Somebody is not driving their own car. Driving my mom I mean daddy's car. [laughter] I expect any time to have a knock on the door cuz it's laying in the ditch all a pot cuz I probably not going to be real sympathetic to it. But so for capital, we're going to have this for capital and

we're going to need to put out So we do have we also need to put out for the uh the truck the truck. Um, we do have 230ome,000, I believe, in the capital fund that we can use to help defay some of some of the costs this year. Um,

so do you want to pay cash for the Are you looking to pay cash for the truck or bond? I was looking to pay uh to pay to take a 100,000. Personally, I was looking to take 100,000 out of what we set aside for capital and then um raise the other 100,000 rather than doing any bonding just

Yeah. What I'm thinking is that if we do a bond, the first payment's not going to be due [snorts] until next year. So maybe it would be well the reason why I'm thinking that I'm thinking from from this will be the year that that it hits and then it will stay the same. Basically we'll be putting a hundred,000 we'd put $100,000 aside to replace a truck every two years. And so um so next year we put it

into the capital fund and the year after we'd use 100,000 plus the 100,000 we put aside next year. And so the next you're saying then you'd be paying for the truck. Yeah. And and then that because we know that we have seven trucks, something

like that. Um life expectancy is roughly 10 years. This is actually if you do it if you replace every two years, this is that puts you on a 14-ear cycle. Did we buy one new or two new? Two new. So, we have five old and one of them is considered a spare.

Was something wrong with one of those trucks today? I saw I saw Josh stop at the end of day road and he was getting out looking at the front and then it looked like Scott maybe came up behind him and helped it with something and then they

truck. Yeah. I don't know. I I don't believe so. So, so I mean I I I see this as an ongoing it's going to be an ongoing expense and uh once we get it in there I mean yeah it'll increase as truck prices increase or so and we might have to increase the amount we put aside but it's going to be the first time putting it in there that's going to

So do you want to put $100,000 into the capital account is what you're saying or taking 100,000 out to pay for the [snorts] truck. Well, so in this year you take a h 100,000 out to help pay for it plus 100,000 in taxes, right? So that's the 200,000 roughly.

Next year you put a h 100,000 into [snorts] the capital fund and the year a which would come out of taxes. The year after you you do the 100,000. You take that. So you're always you're always adding 100,000 to the budget. It's either going in the capital or it's going to buy a truck,

right? The capital for the town garage basically. Yeah, we're buying a half a truck every year. Yeah. Okay. And now it might have to we might have to because the the actual quote came in slight slightly more than 200,000. So we'll have to

I just got the uh updated quote. It's 204,000. Um and they had given me a quote of 185, but when we actually sat down and did the numbers over the phone, the number they gave me was 185. But when I sat down and did the numbers, it comes out to 204. So, I've got to talk to HP to see if their numbers got jacked up or what. Uh,

is that B same type of truck that we have? Same exact truck. Yeah, same dealership. Same I think I have the 104 118 396 for the truck plus uh 859.99 for the 886 comes up to 204. Yeah, that that looks Yeah, that's higher than what I had

what they gave you over the phone. Yeah. So, so we we we actually have to plan for for that. So if we took um if we split it in half to half from the capital and half from the other and then the rest of the capital we could use for the first uh that' beundred roughly $130,000 [snorts] left we could use to to uh help out with the first year or or or maybe take a portion of it this year. So, so that you

Well, that's the other thing is if if if we're looking at essentially a half a truck a year, we're going to have to be putting more than that in the capital account because trucks are not our only capital expense. There's going to be bond payment on the road. There's going to be we have other equipment.

Well, yeah, that's what they forgot up there where I came from is the bond payment on the road, didn't they? Right. Right now, the bond payment, we don't have the capital fund. So right now bond payments are going to have to come out of taxes. Um and I don't see

that there's any unless we want to double unless they want to double hit and start putting money aside as well. um any we don't we don't have enough we don't have anywhere we have we haven't been setting aside for that we've only graded it last year

and and I mean we should have probably been either doing the roads or setting money aside a long time ago but we've been afraid to have raised the mill rate at all on our end and so um so yeah you could you could start putting more money aside in it but then you're pay you're still having to pay for the bond on and you're putting money aside and it's it's it's going it's going to double that and um it might be the fis most fiscally responsible way but if when you look at it from the tax side

oh it's brutal. Yes. I mean and this year if if if what we ask for which is what we think we need [clears throat] goes through it is going to be an extremely brutal hit. Um and we've known it's been coming. We've been warning that it's coming. But [clears throat]

well, the thing is if we don't start fixing the roads, they're going to get worse and more expensive. It's a compound problem. So, I mean, yeah, this is actually in in the grand scheme of things, the numbers that you've put forward to do runaround and rabbit to go end to end on that are are

way way better than what we were looking at before. Much more palatable than than I anticipated that they would. And it allows our crews to do it. It allows our crews to do the other things that we need to get. It also needs the the ditching and all the other work that needs to be done.

So, do I mean obviously that's probably going to be the priority for ditching um this year is getting that getting those roads ditched. Are we going to we'll be on that? Yeah, we're going to be able to do all that. [snorts] Well, we'll get we'll end up doing some on the base coat before they put the second coat down in the spring next following year, but we'll stay on it. Uh we'll be faster at it this year than we were last year. But

and then it's just the same question that I had last night when we talked about bonds of you got an answer. H do we have a li our debt? It's um [laughter] it's 7 and a half% of the [clears throat] the um state's valuation and our state valuation is somewhere around 359,000. So basically we could borrow up to $26 million um and still be within our limits. That's not [laughter]

Let's not. [laughter] it did I did hear [clears throat] back from one of the I had another company look at the truck, give me a price on the truck international and u they call me back with a trade number for that truck of like $20,000 which I was surprised. I haven't had time to process that number yet. I just got a voicemail. I got to go actually get the numbers uh and get something from them in writing. But so if you took 20,000 let's say in trade for that for the old spare truck. Um

and anything yeah anything that you do that way either goes back so if you sell it it would go back into the capital fund or if you trade it it takes it off the purchase price. Take it off the purchase price. So then we would be back in the 180

185 range. So feel easier. Yeah. Okay. Um, let us know on because as we get if if we find out that we can get that amount, we can remove that from what we're asking for. Right. So, is that because it would be you said it would be trade in,

right? Though, cuz you can't sell those. The town of Tan has tried it and they always get stuck with them every time. And [clears throat] Okay. Um, was there anything else we needed to look at on public works? cuz I'd like to let him go if

I slept two days ago. [laughter] I think it was Monday and today's Tuesday. Yeah. So, well, I think we did all the other part the other night for the most part. Okay. Um I would follow up with those guys though cuz they definitely were looking at something down there this morning. I mean, he he was this morning.

Yeah. He was stopped for a good 5 10 minutes and he was just he was out looking at the front end of the truck and then he got in and he radioed to somebody I guess and I couldn't tell. looked like Scott. Was Scott in one of the older trucks plowing today?

So, he came down. They both were looking at something and then they turned around and headed out. So, I just can't imagine [clears throat] what, but see. Yeah. I mean, it was the brand new truck. So, so I don't know. It might have been one of the dials, the settings on the dials for the [snorts] salt he puts out.

That could be whatever it was. He he was, you know, once Scott came and did something, they were on the way again. So, it was probably he had to have the dial adjusted on the computer, the puts out the salt. He was having some trouble figuring that out. So,

So, are we all set on roads right now? Yes. And I app I know you've had a very busy week, so I appreciate you turning this around. Can Can we go back to I'd like to try to finish this up tonight so she can put the packets together and

so you want to go administrative because there's a couple things that we need to um these are my notes on um the tri town when we get to the Yeah. Um number one uh we need to look at um what we're going to do with the roads? Are we going to Are we going to put out for the bond for that?

I think we're going to do a 1.1 million. We're going to do the the run. Okay. Run around. Right. Right. Right. So, you guys need a vote on that or did you did I miss that? Well, right now eventually we're going to have to vote on a warrant. Right now, this is we're we're putting this together for the budget committee to look at and then afterwards we actually vote we'll vote for the full warrant. you weren't that sounds like a good plan. You did miss it.

I didn't know if I slept through it. [laughter] So, there we go. Okay. Um, first off, are we going to rest? Are we going to support the codes officer going full-time and push for that? Um, I I I struggle with that, especially now we're just talking about a $1.1 million bond. I mean,

officer is doing is increasing municipal revenues? I'm I'm I'm concerned we're wearing him out. Yeah. And he's he's he's not happy because he's not able to complete what he needs to complete, right? um and um he has shown

that I mean there's been a marked increase in the revenues coming in through that office right um the one thing I would might I might change on what we what we have here if I can find it or if it was it already changed um code enforcement salary

um I would take out the 2% raise because I I would consider consider the health benefits as being the raise. Is this true? And I would if the physician is going to move to full-time, I understand that that with a new comp plan, everybody uses outside consultants and what have you, but I would like at least some of that to to fall.

That's going to be an expanded position. I I would like I would think it would be spearheaded. Yeah. spearhead that and I I I wouldn't I would maybe make it into a town planner slash codes officer. Yeah. Yeah. But what what would be the amount if if we took out the 2% raise?

Um well, he wouldn't go full-time until after town meeting. So if we took out the 2% raise Oh. So, if we took out the 2% raise and took into account that he'd be working his normal hours until after town meeting, you're looking at his salary next year being 37,180

180. So, -7 37180. $744. and that would make a small change on some of the other lines. Um but um it's been put in um each line 2% raise 2% raise 2% raise 2% raise. Um take those out. I would I would like to do kind of do you know do the raise pool. take take that whole amount and put it into the raised pool at the bottom and then we can that way we can determine

um where it goes afterwards where it goes. Yeah. Right. We can have a um session. Another thing to note and you've probably all seen it. The secretary has even it's not in the budget but the secretary has asked for a raise.

Yes. And and that's something we can talk about I think when we talk about allocating the raise pool. Okay. Because hers it wouldn't what what what she has up here doesn't include a raise for there. So so we want to put it in then

or if if um or it just means um that the rest of what we give out might be a little bit lower or something like that. So, [cough and clears throat] bottom line. It's just how we how we uh display it. any other things that we needed to discuss on that?

Because a 2% raise on that line is like less than than $100. It's on on Yeah, it's less on the secretary line. Yeah. I mean, and she I'm not sure exactly. I don't remember what she asked for. She she as she didn't ask for a percentage. She asked for

a figure. Um 3328. For her. Oh, do you have something from her specifically? Yeah, she she had a specific request. I'm trying to see if it's in I thought I had it in here. [clears throat] I was just Oh, yeah. I was just thinking if we just took the 2% and added it to the pool and then sorted it.

There it is. So, she is asking 30 cents an hour, which is actually get you each one of these two slightly under 2%. It's It's very It's very very close to 2%. Well, we just call it 2%. So, and um the the total difference because there's two two departments that she's paid out of um would be $107.86,

but there's two departments that it's paid out of. talked about. Uh yeah, I had already done most of those numbers. The only thing that's not included I I missed any of the conversation about the secretary. Yeah. Um Josh.

If we were going to do a 2% we need to add like $67 or something. Two separate pages here. you got that. You keep it all. something like that to that line just just that it gives us the ability to. Now I'd have to add some into the other lines. Yeah. Very. I mean, you'd have to

or you want to just kind of if you if you [laughter] could just Yeah. If you could figure it out because you're going to have to take some away too from uh or if we uh took away the raise on the code enforcement. We'd have to we have to take away some of that down below, too.

So, the bottom Well, I didn't No, I didn't include this doesn't reflect the race. It It doesn't reflect uh um it only reflects the three full-time people in the office. But um what I'm saying is uh that will affect MEPRS,

right? That those that's already the new Yeah, it's all reflected. Oh, that's already calculated here. Okay. So adding the $67 will adjust those numbers some too, right? Yeah. So really the bulk of the increase I mean looking through it virtually all of the increase in in the administrative is whether or not we make the the change from a part-time to a fulltime

and yeah we've got a couple thousand dollar for workers comp, right? Which we can't control. That premium is established. Uh no, wait a uh increase. No, that was only Yeah, there wasn't that much bro. That was only 654. There was thought there was another large line that but there's Yeah. 20

the increase is on that. tot election payroll was another 4,000 because this year is going to be a big year, right? And there's nothing again that we can do about that. Yeah. So, the only in real terms the the only way to to bring this budget down would be to it comes down to the whether or not we go to a full-time coach

planning position. That's really the only thing that is a variable. So, you know, I've heard from contractors that have said it would be nice if he was available more days so that they could, you know, they wouldn't have to wait a week to get an inspection done and stuff. So,

why did he's available four days a week or three days? Three days a week. They shouldn't have to wait a week, I wouldn't think. Unless Unless he's This was This was back in the spring back in, you know, early last year. So, I mean, it's not a bad thing to have him more hours.

I mean, it's certainly been busy and he seems to be supporting his position. I would think he should if we increase it I would I would like to see him block off some time where he isn't available too so that because there's a there's a lot of things that he has to focus on outside and if he's if he's available to the public and available to contractors the whole time

yeah the other stuff won't get done it can it [clears throat] can suck it can suck his time he had he had talked about wanting to do some of his hours on Wednesday when there there is the office is not open and then he would be able to do paperwork and other assorted tasks that he has to do.

And obviously the more permits and and what have you that that he's issuing and and working with the tax assessor there is some revenue translation into to increased assessed value. mean I I I I support it. I I I feel we have to justify it though on the town floor, you know.

Well, yeah, we have we we've had to we've had this much paper justifying it. Yeah. Several trees, right? I mean it's there's uh when you look I mean when you look at the amount of permits that that have inc how much permits have increased how much that were actually there's communication

to look at historically you know because we have focused on the fact that the number of permits being issued is covering a large portion of the expenses of that position and I don't know if we were to to look back five years and see kind of what the comparison Well, we I think I went back four or five years.

I went back six years. And and um now if you if you went back to the 1990s, there was a period of time when especially just house uh new building permits increased tremendously and uh it was like 75 or something in a year. That's why the moratorium put

eventually they put it limited to 45 or something. Um, I don't think we've been anywhere near that many new per building permits for quite a long time. Right. But I I think also that he's been spending more time with the uh planning board and all that

stuff too than in past and trying to make sure that everything falls in line with what he's supposed to do and that and our comp uh comprehensive plan which is a mess. So, I I think, you know, he's he's really trying to get stuff straightened out, and I know he likes to do a good job. I don't I I I could support that.

I I think And I think spending the time moving forward, everything in order has [snorts] the potential to save us tremendous headaches down the road. Yeah. I think spending the time and making sure everything is the way it's supposed to be could could serve us well in [laughter] the future.

money, but some some point in time you got to be, as Alo put it, fiscally responsible. And you just, you know, it is what it is. I mean, we can't we can't keep making the town side suffer because of other things that we've been putting off that we have to pay first. you know, it's just, you know, we've done that for the last several years and we've got several things coming ahead all at once. So,

it's going to hurt. But, I mean, for what was it, four or five years, we kept taking money out of the overlay to help keep the taxes down to a point where you can't keep growing that forever, right? So, we thought it would help. also really only talking, you know, if this is a 5% increase, it's a 5% increase on 25% of the tax bill.

It's not a and and for the past several years now, part of the reason why is because we've moved items out of administration to other areas, but the administration budget has actually gone down the last two or three years. Um, largely largely due to moving stuff out to another item, but um, okay. So, are we all set on

administration? Is this what we want to present? I think so. Okay. Um, animal control, I think we we're all set on animal control. Assessor, we're all set. Cemetery, I think we're all set. Conservation. I did I did get a response from Joe which I think I gave to you guys

about about the cemeteries and he said that they didn't see that there was anything that they needed to do this year as far as restoration was concerned and if you wanted him to go take another look then he would but yeah I all right

I'm good with yeah I mean I I just want them to keep on top of things cuz um I know when I when I go around with the boy scouts putting the flags out there There's there's one in particular that seems like a lot of the cement work's falling apart to me. Okay. So, [snorts] conservation fine, donations, fine.

What did what did you guys agree with on that? Um, basically going with what we did last year except for seniors plus I think dropping it back,000. And you know, every year there's a discussion with the budget committee and on the floor about whether or not we as a town should do that or whether or not we should allow people to keep that

money in their pockets and make donations where they see fit. However, I I mean the the one thing I can say is the ones that we've chosen have a huge impact on our town. Absolutely. I think that's why we went with them. Yeah. Eureka Graange. Um, did we do something about

We did that. They would be reimbursing the emergency fund. Okay, I put it in there. Capital projects. That's the So, I have a budget of zero. Is it? It's right. We've amended that. 1650. Okay. So, um, before we meet with the, uh, budget committee, can I mean, you're going to be putting together books for them, but could we get [clears throat] fresh co fresh copies and the department heads, uh, give the department heads fresh copies of

Yeah, that would be good. And and also copies of that those PPOS, [cough] all that stuff so that they have Yep. Yep. So, fire, EMA, uh, we did last night. Um, if there was anything more you wanted to do on it, I I wouldn't suggest doing it without the chief here.

Sure. I don't think there's much else we can do with it really. I think we're all set with it. General assistance is good. All right. Parks and recreation. Um, we need to discuss um the recreation request. Um, specifically the Town Wreck League. Um, I I though I I prefer to call it something other than that cuz it

it's called the Durham Boosters is what they orig something I think is there. And what was their full request on that? 7,500 7500 to rebuild the all the to rehabilitate the softball field. So, um them. I think that they provide an in a great community service. They aren't affiliated with the town. They've not historically asked the town for money, but they serve a huge number of families in the town. They they provide if you go by, you know, the little league field or Saturday morning soccer, I think they provide a great sense of community. I think that, you know, just the the fact that kids went and played soccer in Freeport, there was a very few kids did it and it was $75 per kid. they when you they had it in Durham for $40 per kid, all of a sudden there were 130 kids doing it

and it's I guess the one thing I would put on that though, this is I wouldn't expect this to be the yearly. No, this is a one I mean this is totate and then I would expect to see it down somewhere near the uh youth baseball figures or something,

right? I don't I didn't My sense from the the email explanation we got was that this is a one-time let's get that [clears throat] field back in shape. They were able to get a large number of of donations of material and lumber to do the rest of it but they couldn't get the fencing. So, another thing on this I would I'm looking to I mean if we go with that number but also down below on the uh recreation fund I don't I I don't think we should take that much out of there. We we brought the recreation fund down quite a bit last year because of how much we took out and I'm wondering if espec Oh, that's right. I never talked to Joe. I still need to talk to Joe. But if if we're going to do the grand the band stand this year instead of the instead of the boy scout project and so on, I I would think maybe that money should come out of raising from taxes rather than a recreation fund. Well, I did ask um because we got that we got a

request from a school club for funding and I did ask one of our school board members as to why that was not being funded by you know by the school and she explained to me that that was something that's decided at the the school level that the principal makes a determination about what does and doesn't get funded. It doesn't come in front of individual club budgets don't come in front of the school board. Um, but I did make her aware that that there was a club at DCS that was looking to the town to fund it because they weren't getting funding from the school.

Is that is that the [clears throat] outing club or Yes, that's a a So that's a new one, too. Right. And that's strictly a a Durham Community School event. That's not a through the boosters or through the the town. That's that's through the school.

sent a lot of money at RSU5. It seems like they ought to be able to support those things for $700. I I I'm Yeah, I know. But you add that No, I agree with you. I think it should be coming. I don't think that school groups should be having to come to the town for

No, I don't think they should either. Yeah. And and and if we're going to support this at all, we should have this this should have an appropriate name, not something that it's really not because they called it the Durham.

Right. Right. And it's really not because we're not the town isn't really sponsoring that. So, right now they're called the Athletic Booster Club of Dura. [snorts] That's what they're calling us now. This that's what their organization that's what their organization

that's what they are a registered nonprofit [clears throat] and that's what their organization is actually. He just he just called it something else. Yeah. In the email he called it the dur or he has said it acts as a de facto town wreck department because there isn't one. But um

so hey this it might go through but you know I don't know. I mean I know it's 7500 bucks but it's I was I was wondering about funding half of the request but um something bec uh but I don't know. I mean I know they do have it well laid out what they're looking for and why they're looking for you.

You got these guys want money and you got these guys wanting money. I mean, everybody, everybody that sat in this seat in the last couple of weeks has wanted more money. I said to the chief last night, if we put if we gave everybody what they wanted, they'd have all the ambulance run money they could. I

mean, you know, and I know it doesn't sounds harsh, but that's why I said what I said last night. You know, everybody's looking out for their own entity, but we got to try to look out for all the entities, the taxpayers, too. And I know they they do think of that, but they're still fighting for their own thing. And it's, you know, it makes it tough. And then we got to sit up there and say, well, this is why we're supporting that. You know, it's especially in a year where our taxes are going to go hard. I mean,

we're going to start paying whatever the school budget goes up 8% average plus the bond and whatever that's going to come. Well, and the school has done a good job, I think, is here. The new superintendent has done a good job of keeping that in check, at least so far.

Well, let's Yeah, let's see what they come up with. Yeah. sound that town flow where it goes all foy usually. So is is the desire to keep and keep this or change it? Um I was going to say we we we I was going to offer what we offer Cal Ripken.

Well, did we ask Cal Ripken what they were? Yeah, there's paper in here for that, too. What their intent was with the I know that's not very much, is it? But I know that historically the the town had funded softball and then for the last several years,

right? And that's why I was thinking the 3750 um kind of makes I just got an email from Rod from the Cal Ripken. He said uh he said we do use the DCS softball field to practice and play games on and they practice sometimes on the baseball field. Right. that um Mike had asked that about why the softball the didn't use the t the booster softball didn't use the school fields and because the the middle school team the Cal Ripkan they used the school fields every night

and and he states that in here. So yeah, I mean that's the reason why I was thinking 3751 of them is it's been two or three years since we did anything for the softball and um so G it gives it gives it half gives them half of it they can do they can at least do some of the upgrades that they want to do. Um, but

I was just looking for that email and in all the paper that I have shuffled, I don't about can't lay my hands on it. The the email that laid out the expenses for the He's got it here. The field. I just wanted to to make sure that we

I don't know where. Yeah, I got this one here from Jake. That's one you want. Yeah. I just wanted to see that if we were going to do it as a partial that we did it in some way that that made sense because he gave the expense breakdown rather than funding you know part of one thing.

So, if you did the, you know, if you did half, they could do the outfield fence, but they couldn't do the dugout fencing in the back stop. I just rather than giving, you know, it's one of those things that if you [laughter] only give part of

then nothing gets done and then everybody gets frustrated because they say, "Well, we just allocated that money and we didn't see anything." Or they can do items C, D, E, and F almost. Well, they can figure out what's more important to them.

I mean, or they can there's plenty of landscapers. Well, you can't maybe they talk or maybe they haven't. I don't You can't do C until you've done A and B because that's that runs along that's fence top runs along the top of the fence.

could borrow? So I guess we need to make up our minds. What are we going to present to the uh budget committee? request as as issued with the understanding that it is a one time. It's not going to be an every year thing, but it's to get that field back in shape so that that kids can use it.

You're talking the full amount. Yep. I was down to 15. So, we kind of have to negotiate here someway. I had to put a motion on the table to get the ball rolling. Or I guess this isn't motions. This is just a discussion as to what

either that or you can put it on there without a recommendation and let the town people decide and he can get up and and choose for it. Yep. I mean that that's another option. And there may be, you know, a way to to divide it into two projects.

I'm going to do do it as the outfield fence one year and the back stop the following year or you know something to that effect. that would be that would have to be about 5,000 for the outfield fence with the rubber coating on the top would be about 5,000.

rubber coated fence topper. No. C. To prevent injury. Oh. Oh, okay. Oh, that's the extra. Okay. I thought it was in the same line. we could we could support half of it and he can get on the town floor and and mend it if he if he feels strong enough. And I'm sure he does. So, I mean, I don't you know, it's not that I don't want to give him some. I mean, my wife run that one of them class over there. I used to help her and donate stuff and time all the time and I still would, you know, if I have it, but you know,

they're not looking at the budget we're looking at. 1500, but he's willing to he's willing to because that's what we've been giving Cal Ripken. That's why I said that. Yeah. I I was suggesting half of it. 3750. I could probably live with that at this point. Um, you know, move it along.

Even if even if they can only do a one item or or something like that, it gets them along the way. And uh next year maybe we do another or something like that. It's as I I've been encouraging on several of them like with the voting booth, you know, maybe we just maybe we do one this year and one things like that. But

and this is a really tough year. I appreciate that. It's just that's my thought. Yeah, it's every time we turn around it's something else. So if we did that that would take 3750 out of the bottom line. You're just one of them. You got to tighten your belt. Yeah. Got it tonight.

I would take the seven. I don't I don't think it's a school club. It's not open to everybody. You take the seven out, too. I I was I would, you know, it's it's a school. It's not open to [clears throat] It's only open to

kids that are at that school. It's not open townwide. It's not a It's not a town. Okay. So, activity. I would love to be able to help them. I think they do great things, but I feel like that's the school's responsibility.

So, if we did that and we could we add Hold up. No, no. Add the $700 to the to the uh that wreck request and make 44 4450. would almost get that would could um looking at the thing cuz the topper was for the outfield fence and I think for the other fence for B as well

and so they could they could just they could probably finish the outfield fence with the topper and went from 15 to 3750. Now you're asking them to go to 44. All right. No, I mean I just throw that out there. So I I understand. I get you. So, so if if we don't if we just if we everybody's okay with taking out the outing club.

Yeah. Okay. So, if we do the 3750 and take out the outing club, that's minus 44.50. I mean, like I say, he can come to the town and if the town votes to do it, Yeah. somebody can always stand on the floor and increase it.

That's right. So, and I'd like to suggest that we um move half of the uh war memorial flag upkeep maintenance line or we'll call it 2500 to make it an even number from recreation funds to raising because our I I'm afraid we're we may be depleting our recreation funds too quickly

and I would like to see now is that going to used towards the gazebo. What What do you guys Well, that's that's what we had talked about. I still haven't talked to Joe to find out. I would like to see some I mean, this is a a an individual's project towards their Eagle Scout, which is a huge deal, but I I feel like there should be as part of it some fundraising. And um I believe there had been some thought to that for the um

the walkway the walkway kind of a a brick deal like over at the school but I don't know I haven't seen the project plan yet. So um but that could be something that could be started this year and or something like that. At the very least I think we've got to get the the fifth pole

fifth fifth flag pole and we need to do something with the gazebo. Yeah, cuz otherwise why why keep it there? Yeah, I agree. Yeah. And we don't really have that in India yet. We don't have the price of that. Uh we 3 to 5,000 is what Paul was expecting it would be

just to replace the post and stuff to to do that. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Um and um hopefully that would be enough. Uh hopefully there's enough there to do the flag pole and and that or if at least start on it. Well, if it's close, the lady that was pushing for this said she'd help at one point, so we could always ask her. So,

and I would work if we do do the flag pole this year, one flag pole this year, I would work with the I'd suggest we work with the scouts as far as placement and absolutely. I would probably stay consistent with their their plan.

Yeah. And I would I would I don't I'll throw this out there. You might want to keep in mind that of the National Guard flag. I've heard heard that thrown out there and I know that it may not be a direct branch but it's like they have army national guard and they have

well that's all in the umbrella they all fall under each of the other branches right and u now that the reason for that is to keep the symmetry u because they weren't staggered when you put them in to keep the symmetry adding a sixth pole

right there's some talk of merchant marine there was some talk so um and that's something that can we discuss this year. We just need to do the one pole, make sure it gets placed correctly, to look to look right, and to be okay if they do add a six pole as well. But

okay. Um, so with those changes, what would be coming out of the recreation fund there? Uh, so with the changes and with the $2,500 being raised, um, it would be $10,320 out of the recreation fund. Okay. Does the conservation take out of the recreation fund too or is that?

Yeah. Yes, they do. 2150. 2150. How much is actually in it? hand that back to Did I hand you that? I mean, you handed me that. I think. No, I you already gave it back to me. I finally found my own. So, currently it has 16,55.

We only brought in $4,600 or so into the um recreation fund last year, which is um but one thing I'm noticing here, we have um why are we only taking 2400 out of this park fees when we receive 4,500? We could take more. Uh because it looks like other years we've we've we've brought it to zero and then we we bring it to zero and then we what we get from the state.

You replenish okay we could do that as long as we can show it's I think we have to show it's going towards there right or not. Well you know that was my question. Do we have to show that it's going towards the actual park and does it have to be a specific park?

I don't know. That's a good question. Huh? Yeah, maybe find out because that 2400 exactly matches what we're requesting for runaround pond par. Yes. And that's why I did it that way because I thought perhaps you needed to match it, but I don't know.

Find find out. And if if we if we can use it, we might as well use it because that's I don't know why it jumped so much this year. I mean, it it almost doubled. I'm not entirely sure what that money comes from. It's I mean it's from the state but I don't know people that buy state park passes.

What is the per capita? Is that what it is? You think that's true? [laughter] Damn. I took him out. It was good logic cuz he had me. Okay. So, find out about that. And if we can take some more out of that, that that would be good.

Y um, planning and appeals. We need to add in a raise pool for the uh for the secretary on that one, which uh 2% I is going to be what, close to $46, something like that. So, if we're going to give uh the secretary a raise, are we going to give the cleaning lady a raise as well?

I don't think it's going to bust there. Again, I mean, there it's not going to bust the budget if we have to if we move a few dollars here or there, but yeah. So we'll uh when the things pass then we can determine exactly how we'll we know how much we have and we can determine how we'll do it. But

so you want to do it as a raise pool. Is that what you're saying? Yeah. In there. Um I mean it could actually for in that line it could actually go under the planning board secretary line because there's only one right. Yeah.

Right. But as far as the cleaning cleaning Yeah. We might have to adjust. I I don't know. We'll have to talk about it. But yeah, with the cleaning, you mentioned that there's going to be more hours, too. And it also indicates this this 2016 budget um increases the number of planning board hours for the planning board secretary. And I believe her letter specifically stated that it only pertained to two,

but it didn't include planning. No, it didn't include elections. Didn't include elections. Okay, thank you. I knew there was an exclusion. I just couldn't. Okay, so public works is done. Solid waste is done. Telecom is base is done. I think

back up for a second to planning board. Y um [clears throat] because I don't know where else we would put it. I know we have talked about this a little bit, but I want to revisit the idea of if we are going to start moving forward as we have to start moving forward on some comp plan and at least putting a committee and I know we talked about not putting in a big chunk of money, but do you think there is some value in putting at least some money in for a comp plan committee? So, if they've got to do research or make copies or do advertising or do any of those things, we've got some

It does make sense. Yes. adding money at [clears throat] this point, but I do know that a the comp plan does have to be a priority. And yeah, it does. Especially since I was thinking it had already been No, we we discussed

a long time ago. Yeah, we had actually discussed it um at one of our meetings and I thought we had kind of Well, I know you had said getting a meet getting a committee together midsummer, but I just wondered if if even just a little bit of money so that if they have to do

advertising or if if there's anything or maps or if there's stuff that in the course of as they get the ball rolling, mailings for a survey or any of that stuff so that they've got at least got some a little bit of funds to work with

I really don't know enough about sort of how the ball gets rolling in that process, but I know that it's going to involve getting input from the people of the community, which may require either advertising or mailers or some kind of

communication. Was there a number you was thinking of? the cuff thinking about the costs of mailings and what have you. I don't know if like $1,000 or Ruth, do you have any any thoughts? depends on if they need to do any maps, but um well, I mean, if you figure 20,000 is the round estimate that I get when I talk to people about possibly doing a comp plan and you want to make most of that money go towards the second and third year. Well, it's a two-year process, but it so it'd be part this year, all next year, and then hopefully get passed in the town meeting of April of 2018. Um, I don't know. Maybe take take a quarter of it, like 5,000 or

I mean, I'm having a hard time. I mean, we already have a 16% increase in this budget line. Yeah. Uh, Paul's going to be back next Tuesday. Um, it's certainly something to maybe or discuss with the budget committee. I but I I don't want to, you know, I think we are up against the wall on on trying to move forward with that. And I don't want to convene a committee that then can't do anything and it spends months twiddling their thumbs because they don't have the $200 to do a mailing or to do whatever it is or to get a map or

How about we take $1,000 out of the legal line? not going to. No, I to move a thousand from legal to to comp plan expenses or comp plan and I can I could deliver that. Yeah, I guess I could too. Boy, I don't know. It don't take long to eat up a thousand balls. No,

but I mean I'm expecting that. I mean, forget why Paul was suggesting sometime early summer because of something to do. And I forget what it was. There was some timing things he was talking about like, but I forget what it was. Oh, so that they could uh do polling at the uh

the election at the elections. Yeah. Which y Yeah. And uh and also that would give them two full years to have it ready for April 2018 just about. thousand. It gives them it gives them a start. It may not they may they may not be able to do everything

and they may not need it but just so that if as they're getting the ball rolling if if stuff comes up you saying add a th000 as opposed to taking a thousand out. No. Uh take the thousand out of the legal and add it to comp plan.

Right. We're just moving it around. I could live with that. I guess I mean that just that keeps it the same. I mean it's a 16% increase and we increased it quite a bit last year by adding the ordinance review. Yeah. I mean it's a 16% but it's less than 2500.

No, I know. But you know now Yeah. Yeah. It would be 22 still be 2200. So if we did another thousand on top of that then it would be 24%. People got to understand that things are changing in the town you know and we need to have the ordinance review. We need to have a comprehensive plan.

Are we if we if we do that are we set with the budget now? Do do we have um I think solid waste is contract and telecom we've done. Yeah. So so we can get to um that stuff off to the budget committee and they can set up the meetings for us.

Yeah. I'll um I'll do these and make new copies and um I'll email the new ones to those of you who use email and I'll make copies for you. I'll make copies for them, too. But, um, public on uh section 9 or will we do that later at at a later date? Maybe uh maybe at our next meeting. Um, we'll discuss we'll discuss things and then we'll do the a public thing on it. I don't

Yeah. Well, we can we can we can do something on that at a later date, but we'll do the uh executive session tonight. Um but so upcoming meetings um regular meetings here held here Tuesday, February 23rd and Tuesday, March 8th at 2000 at 6:30 p.m. Uh nomination papers are still available for two selectmen, three budget committee members, and one school board member. And the deadline for turning them in is February 16th at 4:30 p.m.

uh is the 15th 15th February 15th in honor of President's Day. The preliminary school budget is available at the town office and online. I make a motion that we go into executive session pursuant to one MRSA 4056A personnel personnel matters treasurer. Second all in favor motion carries and don't forget we have a bunch of things to sign. Yeah, you can go home.