Select Board Meeting ~ September 6, 2016

2016-09-06 · Select Board · 1:19:00 · watch on YouTube →

The board took a presentation from Lincolnville Communications ahead of its regular business, then worked through appointments, a Department of Labor matter, and reports from the fire chief and the road commissioner. Richard Manning and Randall Manning described their company's fiber network along the mid-coast, its Connect Maine grant builds, and what it would take to build in Durham; no action was taken and the board agreed to stay in touch by email. The board approved the consent agenda, animal control coverage for September, a negotiated reduction of a Department of Labor fee, voting credentials for the MMA annual meeting, authority for the AA/TA to sign nomination papers, and two deputy registrar appointments. The fire chief reported on per diem staffing, call volume, completed station work and the fire act grant. Calvin Beaumier recommended taking about 10 squares off the town office roof job rather than reissuing the RFP, and the board asked for a written contract before voting on it. The town's minutes also record an executive session on personnel at 6:00 p.m., which is not on the recording.

What was discussed

1. 0:11
   Call to order, pledge, agenda

   The chair, Jeffrey Wakeman (?), noted a quorum with all five selectmen present and led the Pledge of Allegiance. No amendments to the agenda were offered beyond the items shown in bold. The chair then set public comment and the consent agenda aside so the Lincolnville Communications presentation could be taken first.

2. 0:11
   Lincolnville Communications introduced

   Richard Manning introduced himself and his brother Randall Manning of Lincolnville Communications, a family-owned incumbent local exchange carrier. He traced the company from a small farmers' telephone exchange formed in 1904, through Shirley Manning's management and later purchase of it, to an acquisition of former GTE properties in Maine and the addition of an internet service and a cable headend.

3. 0:11
   Growth into a competitive carrier

   The presenters described the competitive local exchange side of the business, which is not rate-regulated and can operate statewide. They dated the fiber build-out to a project for MBNA in Belfast in the late 1990s that created a loop between Bangor and Portland and a point of presence with AT&T on the mid-coast.

4. 5:37
   Connect Maine grants

   The company described the state Connect Maine fund, which matches roughly half the cost of building in rural, underserved areas, with the carrier funding the other half. The presenters said this is their eleventh grant, that ten builds are complete, and that the Waldoboro project was energized with its first customer connected shortly before the meeting.

5. 5:37
   Company profile and service pitch

   The company is headquartered in Nobleboro with an office in Lincolnville, has about 50 employees, contracts line and engineering work, and operates 27 central offices along the coast. The presenters said Shirley Manning has owned the company since 2008, that investments have been funded from cash, and invited the board to visit the headquarters.

6. 10:54
   Internet capacity, redundancy and peering

   The company added a third internet route through Halifax, Nova Scotia, alongside existing connections to New York and Boston, and said it is the only Maine carrier to do so. It also set up a peering connection to a New York exchange giving direct links to Google, Amazon, Yahoo, Netflix and the University of Maine. Aggregate capacity was given as 35 gig, and Netflix was said to account for 25 percent of traffic.

7. 15:56
   Corporate structure

   Lincolnville Telephone was described as the parent company, with LCI as the competitive carrier appearing before the board, Lincolnville Networks and Tidewater as the regulated incumbents, and a separately branded internet service provider whose name is garbled in the recording.

8. 15:56
   Fiber footprint

   The company owns most of its fiber and builds redundant rings in each community it enters. Its own strand was said to end at the Freeport town line, running down through Brunswick, with leased capacity used onward to Portland until it builds its own. One route runs north and into Nova Scotia.

9. 15:56
   Build plans and 2016 projects

   The company's current focus is between Belfast and Bath, under a three-year plan to add about 100 miles of fiber, with work planned in Bath this fall and spring and projects underway in Brunswick. It has answered an RFP in Ellsworth. Its larger 2016 builds were downtown Belfast and downtown Waldoboro.

10. 21:21
    Approach to communities

    The presenters said they do not enter a town to pick off a few large customers, and will connect residents they pass. Randall Manning recounted advice from a state economic developer during a bid for Bigelow Laboratory in Boothbay, after which the company also began offering fiber to residential customers there.

11. 21:21
    Products and speed tiers

    Products include internet from 10 megabits to 10 gigabits, legacy TDM telephone service, a metaswitch platform for voice over internet and PBX hosting, and IPTV delivered over the same fiber, sold together as a triple play. A selectman asked how many tiers are offered; residential steps given were 10, 15, 20, 30, 50 and 100, with business connections up to 500 meg.

12. 26:35
    Fiber compared with current service

    A selectman said he pays Comcast and gets about 13 megabits per second on a test. The presenters contrasted light over glass with electricity over copper, saying fiber is symmetrical, is not affected by rain or temperature, does not corrode, and does not slow down when many users are online at night.

13. 26:35
    How a build is funded

    The company said it identifies interest in an area, solicits applications, and builds when the business case works, using Belfast's downtown as the example after the town identified it as the greatest need. The presenters said this need not cost the community money so long as enough interest can be shown.

14. 26:35
    Waldoboro build figures

    The Waldoboro project was described as about 7 miles of fiber up Old Augusta Road, built with local door-to-door canvassing and letters of support. The figures as recorded are inconsistent: a $225,000 grant, about $100,000 of company money, and $125,000 from Connect Maine, which the presenters called just under a 50/50 split.

15. 31:54
    Whether Durham would score for a grant

    A selectman said most of the town would be residential rather than business. The presenters explained the served and underserved thresholds and the points matrix used to award Connect Maine grants, and said the state's consultant-built broadband map is not always accurate, so carriers and towns are expected to bring better data. Board members said most of Durham has Comcast with a small portion on Time Warner, and would probably count as served at 10 meg, which scores low.

16. 31:54
    Cost drivers and make-ready work

    Using a Camden map as the example, the presenters said cost per customer passed is the figure they plan around, and that the biggest variable is make-ready work on the poles. Where many carriers are already on a pole, the company may have to pay each of them to move and replace the pole, which they said can reach $20,000 for a single pole.

17. 37:17
    Rockland, Rockport and other towns

    The company described continuing work in Rockland, including a 300 meg connection supplied for a live festival broadcast, and said Rockport has been looking at building its own network but has met with them. A selectman asked about a town to the north discussed in the spring; Georgetown, Long Island out of Portland, Bath, Brunswick and a town named as Bowdoin or Bowdoinham also came up, with no commitments.

18. 42:26
    Close of the presentation

    The presenters said they wanted to introduce the company and would help Durham with a Connect Maine application or any community effort, and offered to keep in touch by email. A selectman said he is interested and would like to see it happen in the town. No motion was made and no action was taken.

19. 42:26
    Public comment and consent agenda

    The chair called for public comment and there was none. A motion to accept the consent agenda as presented was made, seconded and voted.

20. 42:26
    Animal control coverage for September

    Ruth Glaeser reported that the town's animal control officer is away for the month of September and that she has been looking for a replacement. She proposed using the officer who works for Pownal and paying him the September stipend, and asked the board's approval.

21. 47:59
    Maine Department of Labor fee

    Ruth Glaeser reported speaking with Michael Plant, who has received what he needed and asked for a roster of the lockout/tagout training and what the training consists of, which Calvin Beaumier is thought to have already sent. She said he expects to obtain a 90 percent reduction without going through the appeals process, which would take the amount from $550 to $55.

22. 47:59
    MMA annual meeting credentials and nomination papers

    The board designated its voting member for the MMA annual meeting, nominating Joshua Libby with Ruth Glaeser as alternate, both of whom will be at the conference. A selectman also asked that the administrator be allowed to sign nomination papers on the selectmen's behalf, since they must be signed by a municipal official.

23. 47:59
    Deputy registrar appointments

    Two names were put forward for appointment as deputy registrars, Anne Nieman and Duncan Chesley. A single motion covered both.

24. 47:59
    Fire chief report: grant, cylinders, station work

    The fire chief said the SCBA cylinders listed in the fire act grant application have a 15-year lifespan with about three or four years left, and that he will attend the grant training in Augusta on Thursday and resubmit in the hope of scoring above the funding threshold. Trim work and painting at the station are complete, with the contractors adding the red side and some trim on the back at no extra charge. The lights were changed to LED bulbs rather than new fixtures, dropping from 400 to 250 watts.

25. 53:24
    Lighting cost and Engine 22 repair

    The chief said the LED bulb swap cost about a third of what changing the fixtures would have, though the lenses are not made for LED, and that the light level is still adequate for safety and security. Engine 22 came back with the bend in the rub rail and the scratch marks fixed.

26. 53:24
    Per diem and weekend staffing

    Diane continues part-time two days a week and the remaining days are filled by existing members through a text call-out, with 17 of 21 days covered for September and Tuesdays the hardest to fill. The chief wants to build a secondary list of people outside the department willing to take shifts. Weeknights are covered but weekends are the weak point; shifts run 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 4 a.m., and Saturday and Sunday nights are the hardest.

27. 58:43
    Call volume and recruitment

    The chief gave the year's call count as 267 as of that afternoon, against about 250 days elapsed. He said the drop in volunteers is compounded by the volume, that morale has improved under the new system, and that he expects to come back within a month with something to put out to the public and another recruitment push.

28. 58:43
    Town office roof: reduce the job rather than rebid

    Calvin Beaumier said the RFP has already been run and every bidder gave a price per square, so rather than send it back out, which would expose the earlier bids to all of them, the board could simply take 10 squares off the job at the bid price per square. He said the low bidder has already told him he would do it.

29. 1:03:51
    Roof scope and price

    The 10 squares to be removed is the newer office section, two or three years old; the front porch, described as the worst part, stays in the job. The figures in the recording are garbled - a per-square deduction rendered as 32730, and totals rendered as 3273, 295 and 29 - but as spoken the contractor would do the reduced job for about $29,000 this fall, the town has roughly $24,000, and about $5,000 would have to be found. The contractor offered to bill it next year if the money is not available now.

30. 1:03:51
    Summer road work

    Calvin Beaumier said the rubber pads bought earlier have held up and made the season's work possible through the hottest August on record locally, and that culvert replacements on Route 9 are audible under traffic. Ditching is taking up most of the crew's days. Rabbit Road is essentially finished apart from a piece by the road and a shelf of material near the pond that he wants to pull back so water drains from under the road.

31. 1:09:32
    Runaround Pond grinding and paving

    Grinding on the remainder of Runaround Pond Road should finish the next day with paving to follow. Paving that morning was called off because of wet conditions and rain in the forecast, after a previous occasion when loaded trucks had to be sent home. A mitigation letter went out and the response was emailed back that afternoon.

32. 1:09:32
    Posting Rabbit Road

    Calvin Beaumier is still working through the statutes on posting Rabbit Road. The statute cited in the correspondence differs from the one in his book, and the town's existing ordinance from 2011 or 2012 lists two roads, Leighton and Shiloh. His question is whether the ordinance can simply be amended to add another road; he said it appears the selectmen have authority to post when there is threat of damage to a road, and that he would work it out by the next meeting.

33. 1:09:32
    Crew and equipment

    A crew member named Josh is on vacation but will come in to check the layout of the new truck body, because there is no ladder and someone who climbs in cannot get back out; a ladder is being built to fit. Ken is filling in on the crew that day and Thursday.

34. 1:09:32
    Pothole and washout repairs

    Cold mix was used on the hole in Shiloh Road, and Calvin Beaumier described a large hole near the transfer station turn at Graham Road that the town uses as a landmark when giving directions to the dump. Washouts were repaired along the shoulder of Shiloh and in the hills, with more reported on Haskins Road.

35. 1:09:32
    Town line sign at the bridge

    Lisbon is building a stone planter at its end of the bridge, while Durham's side has a rock wall with graffiti on it. Calvin Beaumier proposed a sign set between masonry pillars from a landscape supplier, quoted at about $1,200, at the bottom in front rather than up on the ledge. He said DOT would have to be consulted because of a drainage piece there and footings might need to be poured.

36. 1:14:43
    Hill grade work

    Responding to concerns raised about the hill, Calvin Beaumier said he added 20 inches of material at the bottom and nothing at the top, where it sits on bedrock, built up in stages, using about 200 more yards of material. He said he could not add much more without creating other problems.

37. 1:14:43
    Tracking what the road work cost

    A selectman asked whether the crew's hours on the two roads are being tracked. Calvin Beaumier said he will be asked what the road cost and wants to add the town's own time to the figure he referred to only as 1.1, then divide by the length to give a cost per foot. He suggested getting a contractor price on the next road so the town has a comparison.

38. 1:14:43
    Upcoming meetings

    Regular selectmen's meetings were announced for Tuesday, September 20 and Tuesday, October 4, both at 6:30 p.m. at the town office. The comprehensive plan committee meets Monday the 12th at 6:30 p.m.

39. 1:14:43
    Adjournment

    A motion to adjourn was made and seconded after a brief confusion over an item already covered in the consent agenda. Signing of documents remained to be done after the vote.

What was decided

• 42:26
  Approve the consent agenda as presented. The minutes record the motion by Sarah Hall, seconded by Joshua Libby.passed
• 47:59
  Allow Pownal's animal control officer to cover Durham for the month of September and pay him the September stipend. The minutes record the motion by Joshua Libby. On the recording the motion was made, seconded and the vote called, but no result was stated aloud and the minutes do not record how it carried.outcome unclear
• 47:59
  Approve the fee negotiation with the Maine Department of Labor as discussed, which would reduce the amount from $550 to $55 without going through the appeals process. The minutes record the motion by Sarah Hall, seconded by Joshua Libby; the recording has the chair say the motion carries.passed
• 47:59
  Approve the voting members for the MMA Annual Meeting as discussed, with Joshua Libby as the voting member and Ruth Glaeser as alternate. The minutes record the motion by Sarah Hall, seconded by Mark Blake.passed
• 47:59
  Allow the AA/TA to sign the nomination papers on behalf of the selectmen. The minutes record the motion by Jeffrey Wakeman, seconded by Mark Blake.passed
• 47:59
  Appoint Duncan Chesley and Anne Nieman as Deputy Registrars for the Town of Durham. The minutes record the motion by Joshua Libby, seconded by Mark Blake; the recording has the chair say the motion carries.passed
• 1:03:51
  No bid was accepted for the town office roof. The board agreed by discussion, without any motion or vote, that the low bidder should put the reduced job in writing and that the board would approve the contract at a later meeting.tabled
• 1:09:32
  No action was taken on posting Rabbit Road. Calvin Beaumier said he needs to reconcile the statute cited to him with the one in his own book and check whether the existing ordinance can be amended to add a road, and would report back at the next meeting. No motion was made.tabled
• 1:14:43
  Adjourn. The minutes record the motion by Joshua Libby, seconded by Michael Stewart, and adjournment at 8:53 p.m.passed

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

Motions the minutes record

The town's own written account of what was decided, taken from select_board_minutes_9-6-20161.txt. It owes nothing to the recording or to a model: the clerk typed it, with the vote. Where the summary above claims a decision this list does not carry, the summary is the part to doubt.

• the Board enter into Executive Session pursuant to Title #1, M.R.S.A., ss. 405(6) (A) – Personnel, at 6:00 p.mcarried 5-0

  Moved by Jeffrey Wakeman, seconded by Sarah Hall

• Approve the Consent Agenda as presentedcarried 5-0

  Moved by Sarah Hall, seconded by Joshua Libby

• allow Pownal's ACO to cover Durham for the Month of September, paying him the September stipend

  Moved by Joshua Libby, no seconder recorded; no outcome recorded

• Approve the fee negotiation as discussedcarried 5-0

  Moved by Sarah Hall, seconded by Joshua Libby

• Approve the voting members for the MMA Annual Meeting as discussedcarried 5-0

  Moved by Sarah Hall, seconded by Mark Blake

• Allow the AA/TA to sign the Nomination Papers on behalf of the Selectmencarried 5-0

  Moved by Jeffrey Wakeman, seconded by Mark Blake

• Appoint Duncan Chesley and Anne Nieman as Deputy Registrars for the Town of Durhamcarried 5-0

  Moved by Joshua Libby, seconded by Mark Blake

• Adjourn at 8:53 p.mcarried 5-0

  Moved by Joshua Libby, seconded by Michael Stewart

Worth knowing

• 47:59
  The Maine Department of Labor matter is expected to settle at $55 rather than $550, a 90 percent reduction, if the town supplies its lockout/tagout training roster, and without going through the appeals process.
• 31:54
  Durham is unlikely to score well for a Connect Maine broadband grant. Board members said most of the town has Comcast, with a small portion on Time Warner, and that having 10 meg available would count as served on the state's map, which lowers the score in the grant matrix.
• 58:43
  The fire department had taken 267 calls as of that afternoon, at roughly day 250 of the year. The chief said falling volunteer numbers are compounded by the call volume and that he expects to return within a month with a public recruitment push.
• 1:03:51
  The town office roof would cost about $29,000 after cutting the newer office section out of the job, against roughly $24,000 available; about $5,000 would have to be found, and the contractor offered to bill it next year instead.

Motion language found in the transcript

Located by pattern matching, with no model involved: "I move that", "I'll second", "all those in favour". This is an independent check on the summary above: 3 passages of motion language, against 9 decisions summarised.

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