TranscriptSelect Board Meeting ~ November 14, 2017

the air? Okay. 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. So, we have a pretty full agenda tonight. Um, we had uh we have Ben Smith

uh here who's a uh a planner that we were going to talk to uh about what planning services might look like for the town of Durham. We had originally bumped him up in the agenda um because he had another meeting, but he's now saying he doesn't uh have that. So, um I'm going to uh move the public comment section back to its um normal spot after number four. Uh any other amendments to the agenda?

Okay. Then um we will proceed with the public comment section. If any anybody who has public comments about any issues, please come up to the table here so we can pick you up uh on the microphone. Okay. My name is um Mike Rio. Go ahead and have a seat if you want.

Oh, okay. I just sure uh went went around the getting um petition signed to see if we can get our road uh reconstructed as well as uh re repaved. Um the last time that it was paved was around 30 years ago. Okay. Um and there has not been a lot of of uh

maintenance conducted since. Okay. Uh see the pond road was recently repaved. Mhm. you know, and if if you look at from a like like home density point of view, there's like 12.5 homes per mile on uh Cedar Pond Road and about 32.5

miles I mean homes per mile on on uh on uh Country Lane. Uh so what what we we would like to see done is the the like the road like fixed as well as uh repaved the uh southwest uh pin on my land is is just about the in the uh middle of the road and so like

it wasn't done right you know to begin with you know uh so We we would like to see that fixed too as well, you know. So, this is a list of all those who uh [clears throat] signed and uh is it everyone on the street? Um uh every house that that I went to who was there did sign it. Uh there were three

homes that I went to that they weren't there. That's why. Okay. But but other than that then yes. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Anybody else? Yeah. Uh my name is Joe Crowley and I live on Country Lane and I was there when they started the uh whole project and right from the beginning we had problems with the uh person that was selling Hildebrandt and we with the piece of land that we sold to Hildebrandt we bought from Hildebrandt was supposed to go for paying the road. Well, he didn't pay Larabe and they fought for all that, but it was that way from the very beginning. They they had a stone wall that went through part of it and they they really didn't do a very good job. There was supposed to be a turnaround right at the end for the school buses and they they felt really bad for uh Mr. Hildebrandt and they said, "Well, he's tiring the road. That's enough." Well, the requirement in the uh ordinances call

for taring the road and the town didn't want to push Hilda Brandt right from the beginning. So, they went out and they they got a contractor and they did a lousy job to put it mildly. Okay. And then we finally got them because they had to tie the road. So, Hildebrand had to tie the road in order to sell the other pieces of property. So they ended up tireing the road and doing a very poor job doing it. And then about 15 10

maybe 15 years later they or maybe 20 they tied Cedar Pond Road and they did a fairly good job but they they had to fix it and they've done a great job and they've fixed that all up. Well, if there's just a few houses going by on Cedar Pond Road when you come to our house it's really terrible. I mean, I I don't know what the road commissioner's plan was, but uh he must be tired of hearing us from us and stuff like that because the road is a wreck. It's falling apart completely.

Y Okay. And that's why we're here. All we want is a a road that, you know, without potholes and and stuff with rocks coming up in the middle of the road, we just want a serviceable road. Yep. Understood. um where we at there's believe me uh unfortunately country lane is not the only road that's uh in this type of situation. There's a there's a pretty significant backlog about somewhere between eight and nine miles of roads in town that need a complete rebuild and that that's not including just an annual you know 2 to four miles of maintenance work um that would needs to be done to keep roads from getting into the condition that the country lane is in. So, what we've been uh saying to other people that have raised similar concerns is that, you know, we've asked the road commissioner to put together um a long-term plan uh for that prioritizes

the roads that are in the worst shape and need um work done sooner rather than later. And what our plan is is to come to the town at town meeting in uh in April and with a few options. And really it's a the options will break down to how much do you want to spend, how soon as a town like like how how much of a horizon do we need to spread the work over relative to the amount of money to spend, you know, because I mean it's probably unlikely that we can that the town would be interested in paying for all of that in uh in one year. So are we looking at a two-year plan, a three-year plan, a four-year plan? So the our plan is to bring some of those options to the town and say, "Well, this is what it's going to look like, you know, and if we did, you know, plan C, you know, in year one, you'd be looking at these roads, year two, these roads, year three, these roads, and this is how much you could

expect it would cost in your property taxes." So, we're we don't have that work completed yet. Um, but certainly uh certainly we're aware that that that Country Lane is one of the um is one of the poorer roads in town right now. So, um I know that's I don't know if that's you the answer you were expecting or whatever, but there's there's no mechanism where where a petition is going to have the board say, you know, that we're going to bump this road to the front of the line or that we're going to, you know, um do it, you know, this spring when if we, you know, it has to be done as part of a comprehensive road, you know, improvement plan. So when should we [clears throat] uh see that plan? We'll we'll be presenting uh well we'll be presenting it to the town um at town meeting in April and like most documents is typically available a few weeks before the actual uh town meeting and all the all the selectman meetings where

you know where we have the road commissioner here you know to discussing that and as a board I'm sure we'll be talking about you know different options and priorities because it's it's not just whose pavement is in the worst shape there's other considerations like is the road a major throughway through town? You know, how many people live on the road? You know what? There are some other considerations there too that that we have to balance. So,

how many years we've been waiting or Yeah, that's probably a factor too. Unfortunately, um the the reality is that as a town, um we have not done the work on the roads that we should have been doing over the last really 20 years. And so now, you know, this generation of people that's living here now, we're kind of we're kind of holding the bag on that. And so we got to figure out how we're going to um get through that work as quickly as we can at a pace that taxpayers can absorb. You know, that's because there's only so much only so much we can spend, right, with I mean without taxing people right out of town. Awesome.

So, why was the black top ripp ripped out of Sheeton Road? I'm sorry. They had black top down. They ripped it up, put new black top down, then all of a sudden they put stone down. It was dust all in place and then they came back and redid it again.

Yep. The the we get stuck with that bill with a second toring. Well, that's part of the chip seal process. That's part of, you know, not the way uh paving of roads work. It's it's not just we come through and put a layer of hot top down. You know, some there there are different processes. One process is a is a cold mix which has a little bit more elasticity and longer life and can um it it can't take a lot

of uh high traffic from heavy vehicles like we would never be able to do that on like route 9 or 136 but on a road like Cedapon that's a good application for that. Chip seal is a process where they actually intentionally, you know, put the sand down or the the rock down and you drive over it for several days and then they come back through and kind of, you know, pick up the loose stuff that's left.

It was nice. The black top when they put they put it down. Yeah. Then, like I said, a few days later, I noticed was all gone. They put the dust, you know, dust all over the place. Yeah. That's kind of like the undercoat, if you will, was was that first layer of of of a hot top. So, is there any chance we can have that kind of stone road on Country Lane until we do the flip top? Is it?

Well, that there's pavement there. That's not a stone road. That's a paved road. Oh, yeah. It's just But it's got that stone layer kind of on top of it. It's nice that don't make any dust now. Yeah. So, swept off. Yeah. I think our frustration is coming. where we see it took so long to get Cedar Pond Road done and now they've done it twice and then it was like we're

secondass citizens where they ran out of material on on the road coming into Country Lane and dumped half of it and left the other half and when you got have a bump [laughter] in your turn. I mean and then they said well they ran out.

Yeah. So I know one I can tell you that you know uh one of the most difficult things um uh that to explain to people and that that just doesn't make sense at first glance is well that road's not nearly as in bad a shape as my road is. Why is that road getting paved and why is my road not? And and if if you look at paving road and kind of like you know there's like two buckets. There's like the rebuild bucket, which is what your road sounds like it needs, and then there's the maintenance bucket. And that's where we if we don't uh keep up

with roads that haven't gotten deteriorated to the point that yours has, then they're going to end up like yours as well. So, part of the strategy is to at least stabilize the condition of the roads that are not uh in rebuild status so that they don't get to rebuild status. Um, and that's that type of work typically comes out of just the annual budget. The whatever money is is put in for paved roads. It's, you know, three to five miles a year of repaving roads that are in okay shape, but they just need like maintenance work. Then there's a whole separate bucket of rebuilds and those are typically bonds like so that we did rabbit runaround pond road that was a complete rebuild and that was a bonded project. So what we're looking at when we talk about the backlog of rebuilds and like with Country Lane, we're talking about bonding projects. Um so this we're like what's going to be the term of the bond? How much do we

want to you know uh what kind of chunk do we want to take on and you know what amount of time? So those are the things that we're going to be wrestling with between now and and March, April. So I know it's it's a it's a slow process. Uh believe me, you know, I I I feel for you. the thing we hear the most about um is the condition of the roads

and uh we didn't we didn't get in this situation overnight and we're not going to be able to get out of it overnight either. So, it's just but we got to our our commitment to the town is to come to the town with a plan and some options and then once we as a town decide on it then we'll implement that plan and and uh we'll get it going.

Okay. Could you go over one more time just for me the criteria for how the roads would be judged to to uh to put on a list one to you know to whatever? Well, I don't have there's all kinds of criteria some of not all of which I'm familiar with but some factors are you know how you how much traffic goes uh goes uh on the road on a typical day. Is it a is it a throughway um for like commuters for instance? Is it or is it a um how many how many people live on the road? You know, is it a is it a deadend road, you know, a mile long with four houses on it or is it a you know a pretty busy road that's got houses every 300 feet, you know, that goes for miles. So um those are the types of things and then uh condition of the road obviously and um those are just those are just some of the factors and I'm sure there are others you know in terms of um that probably have that are more you know technical in nature with regard to what

types of roads lend themselves to different types of treatments and how those factors all balance together. But um and and in some some cases depending what the winner does to them the priority may change. They could be moved up or they could be moved down. Depends on [clears throat] what that's you know we're trying to trying to balance that out as well. Should we do this one here? [laughter]

I will say, you know, we have to they may not be pretty and they may be bumpy and what, but we we are we do have to keep the roads safe for, you know, they have to be so that we can plow it and we can get emergency vehicles down there. And if we find that um that there's a condition that prevents us from doing that, then we then we have to do a short-term fix to fix it. We that happened on Bowie Hill Road this year. There was a section of Bowie Hill Road where literally it was dangerous uh to put a plow down the road uh because of the condition of one section of the road. So, um, we had to find the money in the budget to at least do some sort of a temporary thing there and and until that can be a bigger project. So, um, Kevin, when the, um,

obviously the list we're still working on, it's the thing. I just out of curiosity, um, I'm pretty familiar with the road as some of you know. Um, if there was an option for say later on, maybe maybe we can't get to Cedar or Country Lane, excuse me, in four years, but we may be able to budget in terms of taking and regrading that road, taking the hot top that's existing there. Would that be a feasible option to get?

No, not going back to dirt road. Okay, we basically got a dirt road. I know, but at least get rid of some of the bumps and not take out your axle every time you go down. I don't we've got we've got a public works now. Okay. 3:30 in the afternoon, you can watch them down by the river smoking cigarettes. If they come over and they put down some cold patch and instead of just putting it down and driving it over twice with the truck and they actually use a few tamps and a little compactor, they could make a little difference on some of it.

Sure. But they don't do it. Yeah. No, I hear you. It Yeah. I'm not It made a hell of a mess at the end of the road when my road is and there's a hole. I took my tractor and I filled it with dirt. Okay. Because they don't come down there at all unless they smoke it.

Yeah. No, I only I only asked that simply because there there's we were just at a meeting not too long ago and it was it was up for discussion and and and some of the towns were offering that just to just not necessarily to band-aid the situation, but just

no we had bad like I said for a temporary it keeps the dust down. Yeah. Okay. Yes. I have a issue. I've been complaining for probably 15 years now. Um because they put the road over Mr. Rio's property post. Okay. It made it

more of a 90 degree turn. So every time everybody anybody goes down past my house, they go off the road to the point where there's a full travel lane in the dirt off the hot tub. So in the winter when they plow, they go down, turn around, and meet that first pass. They leave me with about eight feet of the hot tub that I have to clean on that curve. I'm right on the big curve.

And by going off on the on the original pass, they also dig down the dirt. They're breaking down the hot top constantly and throwing rocks. And are we saying that the road is built is not in the actual right of way for the road?

That's correct. It goes right over his property. Yeah. The post is in the middle of the road. The metal post. That's right. They didn't do the post correctly and they didn't do the turnaround correctly. I have the original layout of the whole all those properties on the road. It goes at an angle like that.

Yeah. Which affected your which affected your ability to plow the road, turn around the road. So the whole road project was thing and they they just went with it and the selectman at the time said, "Oh, poor Howard. Poor Howard. Poor Howard gave us the shaft and town and everybody else.

Yeah. I don't feel I should have to be cleaning the road. I do all all winter long. I have to clean the road. When they go around, they push back the snow. And I understand because you don't know how much snow's coming. But when they turn around and meet that first pass, I got all that road that I have to clean all by myself. And you know, I'm a widow. I'm getting older and tire.

Yeah. Well, I can one thing I can promise you that you know I think I think that we could probably agree that we can send the road commissioner down there to take a look at that situation. I've had him done he's gone so far as to say you've been maybe put some uh guidepost or any something to keep people on the hot top on the first path.

Yeah. Because there's a whole there's a travel lane you can ask her and she it's her property. They drive on her property. Okay. Sounds like there was a huge ball drop on that project. Yeah, which we may not be able to fix that part.

See, that almost sounds like that road needs to be reserveyed. It does need to be reserved. No, we shouldn't be. That's not going to speed it up. I know. Got to correct the problem because Yep. Okay. 80 years old. I don't want to be out here to blow in the snow.

I don't blame you. I wouldn't want to Toro the road at 50 years old. Okay. anything else on this on this matter that anybody would like to add? plan, not before it goes before the town, can we do any anything like that? Can we meet with the uh commissioner at all or

um Sure. I mean, like I said, the meetings where um the meetings are are all public meetings where the board and the and the commissioner would be would be talking about that. So, those are and there's always, as you're taking advantage of tonight, there's always a public comment period where, you know, um if you if you see a a draft of a plan and you have some thoughts on it, then Yeah, of course. Then the public's welcome to to comment on that. It's not it's it's not none of it secret or anything like that. Yeah.

So, I think you I think the agenda is the agenda posted on the website. I generally toast it post it on the Friday before this the meeting look at the road on the website [clears throat] we could do every other right now we meet every other Tuesday

no to be honest with you I mean okay thank you was there any other was there was anyone here to for public comment on any other issue or matter okay all right well thank you folks better claim it. I just more expensive to maintain. Well, you know, but isn't it? I mean, once it's there, but for a couple we could go.

I know. We might have to look at some of those like temporary. That's not the longterm, but it's the short term. Sometimes it's triage, you know, that's exactly what it's not the best situation, but it's Yeah. He was here the whole time.

Okay. Yeah. No, he he let us know. Oh. Oh, I didn't want to put him on. That wouldn't have been fair. you want this back because who's next? Okay. Town hall guest. Okay. Oh, you can have this. How else? This is the petition to do uh we already did amendments.

agenda. Um is there a motion on the consent agenda? I move that we accept the consent consent agenda as presented. Second. All in favor? Okay. Okay. So, um, next item on the agenda is, um, uh, Ben Smith, who's a, uh, certified, uh, community planner, is a, uh, graciously agreed to come speak to us tonight and talk to us a little bit about the role of a planner, what what

um, services a planner might uh, provide for a a town like Durham. um uh how planner might work with a code enforcement officer um with ordinances with a comp plan um and uh because we've talked about you know do we need to hire a planner in the past but it's uh when I attended the MMA convention a few weeks ago um I met several planners and there are um opportunities to contract uh with

a planner not actually have them as an employee but you enter into an agreement to provide uh planning services. And so anyway, Ben, why don't you come on up and and sit down and uh you can start by telling us a little bit about yourself and your background and then we can maybe just have a fairly informal question and answer uh session here.

Yeah. Uh thank you very much. I'm Ben Smith and I'm a community planner uh in Maine. I went to the Musky School of Public Service at USM and have been um working uh private sector, public sector for towns, uh state, number of different positions over the last 12, 13 years or so. And uh

the chairman had asked me basically to uh come in and talk a little bit about municipal planning. Um it it sounds like you've had some conversations about that in the past and uh planners really can provide uh a wide range of services on a

day-to-day basis. But I think the the main role of a planner is to look at issues uh across departments. Uh lots of times it's very easy in your dayto-day to have your head down and get focused on um what you need to do over the next month or two. Um and the planners bring a perspective across departments as well as uh looking at things on a longer time frame as well. I think so. Um,

you know, planners in general are they do everything from, you know, a lot of people think of planners is development review, planning board support. That's certainly a big part of a lot of people's day-to-day, but there's also uh more policy and ordinance work uh that folks are involved in and longer term planning. So whether it's things like a comprehensive plan or open space planning or things like u uh you know

bicycle pedestrian plans or other kinds of things that a degree they're focused on a townwide basis or maybe even a neighborhood or particular district in town. Um but uh you know everything as well grant writing, grant administration, project management. Uh a big part of my job is uh actually uh not just making sure the plans get through select board and council. It's it's making sure that plans are implemented. So that kind of uh follow-up work is big part of it as well. So I I with that I that hopefully might be a bit of a enough of an introduction and we can get into the back and forth and questions and that kind of thing.

So any of you guys have questions? I've got plenty, but I want to give you guys the opportunity to [laughter] I can get us started. So So um historically this I think uh this time we've kind of you know, almost combined the code enforcement officer and planner role because I think, you know, was it was as you say really focused on um uh you know, site reviews and and ordinance interpretations and things of that sort. So, can you talk a little bit about like the role of planner versus code enforcement officer and and where they kind of complement each other and and and how they're also how they're different? Yeah, I I think that [sighs and gasps] um code officers um are very focused on

building code and uh lots of times things that happen within a building envelope on a particular property. I know uh in a lot of towns the code officer is uh also providing administrative support to board of appeals uh or the planning board or both. Um, sometimes they're doing development review, kind of writing up the the town staff uh review, kind of comparing a project with the ordinances and getting that ready for the planning board. Um, in towns that have uh some

planning capacity in addition to code enforcement, code officers, you know, again, it varies. There's uh quite a range of things, but I think code officers tend to be more focused on uh building specific and building code and you know um inspections versus ordinance and development review is kind of the natural line between the two. is planner typically the person that's actually writing the ordinances or is that is a lawyer typically doing that or what is like if we have we have ordinances that are people love to say you know are a mess in some areas and maybe conflict with each other so what would a planner's role be and perhaps you know dealing with that type of a situation

yep I I think depending on how technical you know a lawyer might be involved in ordinance development certainly. Um here's a non-technical ordinance, a domestic chicken ordinance or a wind energy ordinance. I mean those are examples of things that uh you know can be developed within the community. Um things like growth impact fees uh will very often have some legal

review as well. Um, you know, I when I write ordinances, um, I I think a review by the code officer is also good because there's a natural, you know, how is the where are the enforcibility problems going to be? Is this an ordinance that is even going to make sense to have on the books if it's not enforceable? I think some of the other things that uh

have um you know in my day-to-day interaction code officer will often say you know on an interpretation issue of the code say you know what exactly was the policy discussion around this ordinance um what were what was the intent or the goal behind the ordinance when it was written. um if there's an interpretation issue. So um I don't know if that answers some

of your question. I kind of went back to the code officer a little bit there, but um for a lot of different types of things, a planner is certainly qualified to to write that ordinance. But depending on the nature of it, you might have some other outside folks take a look at it.

And what is you you mentioned uh planning board support. So what would a what would the typical like you know nuts and bolts support for planning board look like? And you mentioned you know is it typically the planners role to review things before they get to the planning board or

I I think that's how a lot of towns do it. Uh that's certainly how I've seen it most often. um where either a planner on staff or a planner that's been contracted will, you know, meet with applicants. They will handle, you know, the submissions when they come in. They will review them for completeness, kind of compare them with the standards of the ordinance and say, "Oh, we need more copies or you didn't address the standard in the ordinance." and and have some uh work back and forth with applicants before it even gets to the planning board

and then be there for meetings to handle questions and those kinds of things. Um you know I have seen scenarios where a code officer uh will you know take on that role and be there for meetings. Um it, you know, I'm not sure what your experience is, but in a you know, a town with maybe one code officer who's out in the field for at least few days a week, it it can be a lot to handle

uh some of the prep work that goes into those meetings. But okay, what about uh switching gears on on to like the uh comprehensive plan type of stuff like for we're we're in the middle of redoing our comprehensive plan and we're we're well into what you would call the um you know the kind of inventory and analysis phase where we're basically documenting current state on all those topics that are required. But then you know phase two is um what this what the state office tells us is really the most important part is like the future land use plan like okay where are the growth areas where are the you know protected areas what type of development is okay or not okay um what type of uh

how might a a planner help with that part of the process? Yeah, I I I think it's not uncommon for communities to handle a lot of that chapter and inventory work uh on their own. Um it like you said, it's basically how have we gotten to where we are? What's the current snapshot of the community when it comes to things like natural resources and the transportation network and historical resources and those kinds of things? But then there's that future looking part of [snorts] the comp plan and that's really what uh was at the

heart of comprehensive planning when it started in Maine is identifying those growth areas and the places you wanted to focus growth away from the rural areas. And um that part of the plan is meant to be built on a vision of the community

and vision for different parts of the community that uh is built on a a public process. And I have looked at uh your website and forgive me it it was a pretty cursory look but I you know I I presume that uh you have had or will be getting into some kind of public process around uh bringing people together or an

online survey or you know whatever it may be to kind of build some consensus that um would become the vision for the community and the plan. Yeah. And then um from there you can um basically show what that vision looks like on a map which is really what the future looks like.

We have we have done that. We don't we don't really have like a lot of other towns have had. We don't have a uh dedicated like section of our website to the comprehensive plan. But we have had um uh facilitated public meeting that was pretty well attended. Um you you probably know Craig Freshly. Yeah. Yeah. So he he facilitated that meeting for us. We have done um we did a townwide survey. Uh we've members of the committee have gone out to various groups around town, you know, you know, churches, fire department, other clubs and and to to develop that vision. So we actually do have the vision statement piece uh you know, pretty far along. Um and like you said, we're kind of in the uh the nuts and bolts of marching through the inventory analysis chapters now. and then um and starting starting to work on goals and strategies a little bit, but we envision another round of public outreach where we're, you know,

vetting goals and strategies with the town and then really getting the town involved in the future vision um piece. Yeah. Um so that's that's kind of that's kind of where we are right now with the goal of of uh having a plan ready for the town to vote on at our April 2019 uh town meeting. So, okay. Yep.

Um, a little bit about how the maybe like how the the contracting process might work. Is there a is there a typical like contract arrangement? I mean, I've seen one contract. I know like that the town of Lisbon has with their planner. I know you're assuming some of those duties, but just for guys, it's basically it's uh a flat it's a

ceiling amount for the year, you know, and then uh there's usually a statement of work where to say, okay, the this contract planner will attend the planning board meetings and you know, whatever other, you know, tasks um to be completed. Is that a fairly typical, you know, contract arrangement or

I I think it can go one of a couple ways where you have that more of a it's almost like a on call or kind of retainer kind of service where um you outline a range a pretty broad range and and it's it's kind of like whatever comes up or whatever needs some attention uh in Lisbon um you know it it's uh some planning board review. Uh it is

uh updating their comprehensive plan. They're in the middle of that process as well. Um retail marijuana is an issue for a lot of communities. That's something you know that we've been spending some time on. And uh you know in the past you know prior to my involvement just part of that blanket contract was looking at a 196 corridor plan looking at you know Route 9 land

use plan. So um economic development work. So it's it's kind of a uh you kind of come to an agreement on what would be a reasonable amount of work on a given week. And it could be anything from week to week depending on the needs.

Another another way to do it would be is if you had a specific project or a specific ordinance and and you more tightly defined it and you know do maybe more of a traditional scope and budget and deadline that kind of thing. Um, but if you're looking at, you know, a range of issues, uh, and just kind of, you know, want to have an arrangement where you can send an email or give a call and,

you know, we got a meeting next week. Can you, you know, that kind of arrangement is close to what we have in Lewon? Okay. Uh, Lisbon, excuse me. Okay. Is that an hourly type arrangement, the contracting or is it a set price for allowed time?

It's a set price. that there's not a per hour amount, but there's an assumption that, you know, some weeks will be, you know, 10 or 15 hours and other weeks might only be a couple. And over the course of the year, um, it kind of works

out. And that's the arrangement they've had for four or five years, maybe six years. of the $1,000 for three months worth of work and whatever we deem as the work in in that amount of time. That's not the number, but just as an example. That's that's the idea is that you would um you

know kind of figure out you know do we think maybe five hours or 10 hours on an average week and you know that flexibility is kind of built in and there's a number that is set for budgeting purposes that is easy to know and it's not trying to budget X amount for a marijuana ordinance and X amount for planning board support and another amount for you a corridor study or something like that. It's it's um an arrangement that has worked pretty well for for that community.

And if if we're looking at um certain ordinances, whatever suggestion might come up or pop up, basically you would probably take that suggestion uh initiate, make up whatever you think that ordinance should look like, and then that'll go through the review to tweak it like you said earlier. So basically, you're going to be the initiator once we say, "Well, we're thinking about this. We don't have an ordinance for it." You're going to start putting that together or or someone whoever we hire,

right? Yeah. A a planner um works with a community and if you have an identified issue, say you have uh backlot ordinance. Back ordinance. I was going to use the [laughter] I was going to use uh chickens running around, domestic chickens, cuz that's a little more uh you know, not quite on the front. bad example.

Yeah. Right. But the idea is, you know, once the issue has been identified, whatever it is, then um the planner would go do some research, come back, uh maybe bring some ordinances from surrounding communities if they're available, and uh you know, work with

this board and the planning board to come up with something that works for Yeah. for the community. Any other questions? Good start. Yeah, thank you very much. I think, you know, we're we're definitely in the exploratory phase and just in trying to learn more about the role of planner, you know, versus code enforcement officer, which is what most of our experience has been with and

and see uh you know where we might need to go a little bit different direction than we have in the past. So, thank you for Oh, did you have one? Yeah, if I could get one in and and maybe it's just too broad to even come up with any type of hypothesis on this, but a town of this size and so forth, what do you see? Like for example, what what do you think someone like us would need?

town, um I know that this is a growing community, right? I know that uh a lot of towns in this region that are growing are facing um pressures around service delivery around maybe loss of open space. Uh a need for recreational amenities. um are looking at having developers

um maybe pay their own way to a whatever extent that that gets looked at. Um I also know that uh I a lot of communities are thinking about where growth happens and how much growth happens in relation to schools, right? and in relation to uh things like uh road plowing and extension of u utilities, those kinds of things. Um but I I live only a couple towns over and I

have been around town, run around pond and use the river a lot. Um, so I know that there's uh assets in the community that that are being used and um a lot of communities frankly are trying to figure out how they can, you know, get more

economic growth to complement the residential growth as it relates to tax base. Um, I'm not sure if that's something that Durham is, I think, so struggling with, but um, it would be nice. I mean, there's there's some people that have been here for

100 years and they kind of like it the way it is. Y and some that have been here for 10, they like it, [snorts] that's why they moved here. But what we need and what we want, there's a couple different buckets there. And some of those things cross over taxpays is all we have to pay for it. And if we're not careful, we're we're not really going to tax them out of the town, so to speak, cuz in order for them to move, probably they got to sell that place. So, somebody's going to have to be willing to move in and pay the taxes. But, uh to have the things that they want

uh and need, we're going to have to look at somehow getting some kind of uh I don't want to use the word industry, but something in here that's going to help pay for that. Preferably, you'd like to have and I this is just an example. So, I'm not suggesting that we have a warehouse show up in town. But you want something that uses very little amenities because we don't have many anyways, but pays a fair amount of taxes. So, this town needs to look at things like that and still be able to grow

controlled so that we don't end up like Portland or something like that. I'm not saying Portland's bad. I like going there, but you know what I mean. Don't want to live there. No, I don't want to [laughter] live there. Right.

Right. I don't want my town to end up like like where I don't want to live. I I think that is part of the reason a lot of communities end up looking at planning issues, whether they have a planner, but they're looking at those issues of what is this town going to look like 20 or 30 years from now and what is it going to be like to live here? Are my kids going to be able to live here? And are they going to have the same kind of experience that,

you know, you've had? Um there there's a lot that goes into that and um how do you continue to grow without wrecking the place kind of thing is u pretty common head [clears throat] scratcher. Yeah. I mean that very in our visioning I mean that's that's basically you know what you hear is that you know people love the town the way it is. they are comfortable with, you know, some amount of growth and some amount of commercial development, but they don't want to lose the the core of what the town is, you know, the the rural character and the, you know, the scale of things here. Um, so, but it is a challenge as Mark said.

Um, I mean, people move come from away sometimes to leave what they got, but they don't want to leave all of it. So, when they get here and find out we don't have any of it, then they want some of it. So, You [laughter] know, we got to be we got to and it's going to grow. I mean, if if we don't if we don't do it while we're watching it, we're going to wake up some money and they'll be a million dollar building sitting out there

making all kinds of money and and once that big business comes in. Yeah. You're you're going to lose it then. You're not because they're going to have the money. So, they're going to be able to do what they want. So, we we do need to grow, but how do we do it? And you know, what's the process to make sure that we do it? that kind of tries to come to the middle to please the 10 year people and the hundredy year people.

hundredyear people to the meeting. I'd like to I think there's a couple [clears throat and cough] of in town. Yeah, I [laughter] know there's some 90s. I know that. Yeah. Any other questions [snorts] from the board? Ben, thank you very much for making the trip over, especially when you when you had uh

you know, your your normal Windom meeting was tonight. So, I appreciate you uh uh getting in here so we can speak with you. All right. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Thanks, man. I'm halfway there. You are. You got to be close to [laughter]

I will be next week. I'm over halfway. Okay. Next on the agenda, uh we have uh Kyle from the Royal River Land Trust. You want to call on up and your accounts. Roof. about tonight? Well, I'd like to thank you guys for the partnership this summer and tell you that we're proud of the work that we've teamed up on and done at Runaround Pond Recreation Area. [snorts] Um, we're just looking to finalize a couple of couple of last [clears throat] items including a a ladder painted crosswalk across Fraround Pond Road on the new trail crossing.

Y um and cleaning up the broken gate and installing a a accessible ballard type feature for the fire department to use. What's a ballard? I don't know what that is. It restricts access across the all over the [clears throat and cough]

you know there you said it's okay. So that's what I thought it might be. I don't want to jump ahead or anything. It could be a rock or a post. It's any So what we're looking at doing is an 8 by8 post on a pin with a lock or a fire department lock so that they can access it. basically just want to continue to discourage the the more elicit use in

that area and show people that we're paying attention to it and that people care about it. Yeah. What side of the road on the on the mill side of the road? We're looking at doing a crosswalk. The most important thing I wanted to talk about today was the crosswalk. It's a with the the new road, it's quiet and fast and and things can happen pretty quickly there. Mhm.

We decided to not pursue a crosswalk at the traditional crossing at the break in the guard guard rail right by the bridge. It's it's way way too fast right there. Um kind of the curve is right there too. It's it's it's it's pretty blind. The [snorts] there's a new trail crossing. I don't know if you guys are familiar with it. Just towards Davis Road y intersection. Yep. not where the snowmobile trail crosses, but just this side or just the the recreation area side of it. Um, and it loops down by the old seller holds seller holes on the on the state land downstream from from the bridge and does end up looping back to that fast crossing near the near the bridge without promoting it or closing it. There's a nice break in the guardrail that people can scurry through. Mhm.

Um until such time you guys decide to do that differently. But at this point, we'd like to just promote that safer crossing and make it safer with crosswalk and signs. And I had met with Alan and I had met with Ruth and and road commissioner and fire chief and um we seemed I think everybody seemed comfortable with moving that forward pending conversation with you guys. So the four of you like the fire chief, road commissioner, you guys are all on the same page

on this stuff. When when we left the room, we were Yeah. [laughter] basically said that we couldn't do anything until the board said it was right. But as far about that cuz I live right there. So I'm just kind of wondering I'm there pretty much every day. [laughter]

So I guess the question I have is the part that you're talking about is set away from the parking area, right? Like the part where the trail, the walking trail crosses the building. Not particularly close to the correct. It's closer to the snowmobile trail bridge.

So I just feel like I mean I feel like people are going to cross with a party. people being people, but we certainly don't want if then then you need to walk down the shoulder to get to the trail. So, I guess depending on what people's goals are, we're we're just trying to provide an access for the trail. I I think it's unreasonable to strike the whole road.

Yeah. No, no, no. Totally. I just I feel like right now most people come there for the water, right? I mean, to cross at that at that crossing near the bridge. Yeah. Is that Yeah. I mean, I I I can see why it's not super practical, and I'm not really saying I I don't have a strong preference one way or the other. I just think it seems like most people come there right now for the water and not for the trail.

That means, you know what I mean? And it may be that there's a lot of people that don't know the trails. Yeah. I mean, the trail's fairly new, right? Well, at least to call it out is fairly new. Crosswalk and the sign, people recognize that it was there was lightweight.

Yeah. [clears throat] So, we we installed a kiosk, which came out to be a little bit more sided than I anticipated, but um it's it's a beautiful structure. So, there's a kiosk right there in the parking lot, and the trail departs from there.

Okay. And goes out along the edge of the pond out to the old runaround and then down across the road there. We're just looking for a way to to move people in a loop without being on the shoulder there. Mhm. So, yeah, I suppose and if you designate a spot that will that will direct some,

they'll they'll at least get curious and walk over and see what it is and it's all well blazed and cleared and and it looks like it's been down there supposed to be there. Yeah. Came out nice. Um, [snorts] unfortunately with this last windstorm, we had to reroute a piece of that trail

closer further onto the state land and had like 50 blowdowns on it. Wow. So, it kind of leads us to another another point which I don't know if you want to go ahead and Well, are you are you looking for permission from us for that crosswalk? Is that

Yes. Yes. So, I mean, the trust is footing the bill. It's just letting us do it. Letting you do it. Or how's that? I'm not sure who was going to pay for the rust walk, but it was I think it was more of a I mean minimal anyway, but

yeah, I mean we can paint it with with our curl stencil just put to put a cover in on one side to create because of the ditch. Just put a short piece of cover in little gravel so they can cross there without caving in the loose banks on that ditch.

Yep. [snorts] Okay. I checked the sight distance from the corner. There's about 500 ft to 400 on the short side. Plenty of plenty of tight. So, do you want a motion for that or up near the Put it in where Calvin wants it.

Get hit by a car. And the [clears throat] cars are a lot quieter. They're not banging and clanging when they come down the road anymore. Calvin, what is that speed limit through there? 40. 40. 40. 40. Yeah. I mean, you kind

65 on that corner. Yeah. 65 on the on the corner. You can do 80 on the straightaway, but 65 [laughter] on the corner. You don't want to do much more than that. Yeah. Unless you got your summer car with the tuned suspension to come around. Yeah.

So, you're looking for a motion that I think Rob was going to give us? Yeah. I mean, I'm I'm not sure I'm in a position to call for a motion. No, Rob was you for approval. I move that we approve the crosswalk and cover installation as Calvin and these guys work out in the field.

Second. Okay. All in favor? [snorts] And I think we need um uh do we need a motion for the for fixing the gate and putting in the ballards as well? Do you want to do that for per our conversation that we have email notes about just so that we're on the so then it'll be removable with the fire department.

Man could change it to just say all improvements. Yeah. Noted. [laughter] Let's get So, uh, on this one, um, I would move that we, uh, allow the Royal River Conservation Trust to, uh, in partnership with, uh, a fire department and and roads commissioner to replace the current broken gate, uh, with one or more removable ballards at the same location as the gate and that the removable ballards would have a lock and key maintained by the Durham Fire and Rescue Department.

Second. All in favor? Okay. All right. So, that takes care of that one. And then we want to discuss the possibility of public works maybe cutting some of the trees. The the other thing, the storm damage, this hopefully one every 10 [clears throat] year type blow or situation. Um, right now there's there's probably a dozen significant trees across the the new trail.

Um, wow. with a with a day's work and a and a partner, I can go ahead and clean that up. I'm not sure if that's the long-term solution for DRM's recreational visioning or planning. Um maybe it's a bigger conversation with with a committee oversight, um parks and recreation or or land use committee or some type of conservation. But in in the short term, it would be it would be good to have some help with that bulk work in there. And I know that Ruth gets pinged every now and then with with volunteer requests. Um that might be better for there's plenty of sticks to pick up and kick out of the way and and rake cuz some of the I noticed some pretty pretty sticky spring poles in there.

I was going to say, are there any unsafe? The whole thing's unstable and strong and it's it's not it's not a kids project, right? Okay. So, uh, I wonder I mean, do we put out a a call for, you know, we got plenty of people that with chainsaws in this town, um, that work in the woods for a living. Do we maybe put out the call for volunteers to see if if somebody's willing to

go in and and do some work on the trail? And Sure. Um, as far as like levels of con of of of maintenance, it would be good to just have that safe and stabilized and open. Yeah. I think for the short term thing and then I and then longer term and Ruth has brought this up a couple times about trying to reestablish our, you know, whether it's a recreation committee or conservation commission or whatever we're going to end up calling it. Um, and I will in defense of Ruth, I will say, you know, we've we've kind of uh um given her the Heisman on that a little bit short term. you know, just because we've got a, you know, you heard the discussion on the roads here earlier. So, we've got a little, you know, some big issues to uh

Well, as that sneaks up on you a little bit more, we'd be happy to, I don't know, noodle it or sit as a as a guest member or how however we can we can help that process. [clears throat] Yeah, that that'd be great. I think it would be very helpful to have um you know that type of institutional knowledge involved in the process that could you know help us get it up and running and and you know like what cuz what should this committee be doing and you know because I don't I don't think we're looking for people to agree to like mow the grass at runaround park once a week. I mean I see that as like you know a public function that our public work should take care of but other trail maintenance type stuff and whatever you know other type of work you you think of. So, um, it's some it's something we need to have u some conversations about, but in the short term, I think we need to, as you say, you know, kind of take care of that

situation in terms of the blowdowns and make it safe before somebody, you know, goes down that trail and do gets hurt. Do you have a contact number so that if Ruth puts that out there that they can just call you directly?

Um, sure. Yeah. Instead of having to call. Yeah. I'm I'm happy to to show them the the job if that is that what you're asking. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That way I mean it just takes the middle person out of it. And if you say you're you're going to be there at 9:00, she's going to call make sure they can be you can just talk directly with them and handle that.

Yeah. Do we have a do we have a good you maybe you guys can work out like you know a good you know short description of the of the work that needs to be done so we we can put it on our website and say hey we're looking for a community volunteer for you know to to help us out clear some storm damage from a trail you know whatever the word

I get an idea a lot of those people probably already the snowmobile clubs have been out there looking so they got to handle what they've been out and about right so that was an expensive storm do we need something on Calvette that Kelvin mentioned

that was included in Roclud that in there. Just making sure throw random stuff mentioned, you know, covers everything. Anything else you want to talk about tonight? No. No. Thanks for for everybody's time. No, thank you. And I had something for you though. Um,

you I was reading through the email here and um you you me and you know you thanked us, but I want to thank your organization as well. I mean, I've gotten so much positive feedback from, you know, how Runaround Pond is looking and the sign and um and just the attention being paid down there and the cleanup efforts and uh so I I want to thank your organization. Um, and you in in the email you you meant there's a line here various contractors and donors and volunteers and partners would be honored by recognition by the selectman and I think this was you for part of the money that was used for that project and I'm wondering like do you have a list of those people that so that we could um you can read back through that if you get back to us if you want.

[cough] Wonder if this is if that is old enough that that flask didn't capture it. No, I don't know. Alan sent that email to me just a couple weeks ago. I'm going to have to Yeah. So maybe check that out if because we certainly don't want to overlook, you know, someone who's or or a group that's, you know, made a significant contribution to the town. We definitely want to recognize that.

We could do a letter and put it on the website. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever it is. So if if there is somebody that or or a group that perhaps we have overlooked and not recognized then it would uh okay that would be good to know.

Yeah, let me definitely follow up on that. Um yeah, we've definitely changed the clientele down there at least. Waking hours happens at night. Well, neither do we. [laughter] Away from that be great. So thanks everybody. Keep going.

Is there anybody here for the the opening the bid opening? Well, besides Okay. opening. So, you want to do that now? Okay. Yeah, that is. So, now we're going to move to the What am I looking at? The opening of the bids for the apparatus. Got like a like a

the fire department just put out bids. Is that why you're all here? A has that requested bids for a new uh rescue and a new uh fire engine and um there's there's more. Why? What? Wait, what? What is this? This is Chief, you're planning on opening them, right?

I guess I can. When were the when [clears throat] were the bids due? Today. Like right now? Didn't know what you wanted for a process? I would say in the future you open them, provide a summary, and then tell us what you want to buy.

for a wheel coach. Is it is it typical that this would be done during a selection meeting? Actually, in the past, it's always come in and been done during a selectman's meeting. You guys haven't done it. And so I was uncertain whether you wanted to do it that way or not. But typically the board always used to open them, record them, then give them back to the department head to review and come up with a recommendation.

That doesn't have to be in a board. It just has to be public, which means done in this building at 2:00 and anybody can review it. But for this round, we've already Go for it now. The tie, right? So in the future, let's let's think of another way to do this.

Yeah. [laughter] Yeah, cuz this is like 25. This This is going to take half [laughter] an hour to do this. I don't see it on the It wasn't on the agenda. It was added. Who's got these added? Killing me. I'm going to have

one from Green. Is that for the ambulance or the truck? Ambulance for a wheel coach. Um it's like Christmas. Yeah, it's a the option pricing is separate, but the vehicles are 22,900. This one is Greenwood as well. This one is for rescue and it is for

Yeah. Still another rescue. Another rescue. This one is $29,980 Yeah. Get your Letterman. I don't have a Leman, but I have a knife for you if you want. Okay. faster? There you go. Help. Yeah, this one is from Minute Man Fire and Rescue Rescue proposal.

Well, I was just kind of putting these with this. We're going to give it back to them anyway. Yeah. Look at all that fell. So, I'm going to let you collect them. Yeah. All right. We got this one is Sugar Oak, which is PL Custom. This one has a paid price,

This should go off as well. Yeah. But is that that was separately packaged. So is that Yeah, I think they probably need multiple books. One one of them. We'll quickly look and see. Yeah, I just double check, right? See what the top one says. And you probably correct. This one is

$190, for a base price Oh, those are all the residual. [clears throat] This isn't a lowest number for brawn. It's not. It has a base price of $213,364 So these are all just a rescue truck. Have you already read this one off? Bill,

we have Did we have something else that was? Do you guys want to see this or you want to just pile it up here? I was going to bring this stuff back. I see. I don't know. I would have thought this would have been better. Maybe a selection or soatus committee from

Professional Vehicle Corporation. Got one. Yeah. Fantastic. It's hard to look in and find the numbers sometimes. Yeah. They don't just print it on the front page. This one is a base price of $192,815. Yeah. check it. That

uh PL Customs Sugarloaf, did you have 219 183? Yes. Yeah. Same bowl. that one. asy triple 190 901? Those are copies of the other ones. Yep. They really wanted to make sure we got it. That's all fire truck. That's Pierce. Yep.

Okay. I believe it was rescue. I think this is Pierce. [clears throat] different price. It It's 536 264. 475 37175 Um by50. So those generally, this is not straight up. I mean, they all have something a little different that they offer or a way that they do.

In general, the RFP [snorts] when I put the RFP out rather than make it if I if I'm too precise on some of the stuff, I end up making it vendor specific. Right. So, some of the stuff is a little open-ended, I guess, and that's really so that it doesn't limit anyone from participating in the process. There's some general things like the the chassis, engine size, stuff like that we may decide ahead of time, but a lot of the

Okay. compartment, spacing, design, and other things. So, we're we're really looking at or what I would like to see is best value. Yeah. So, typically what I would present to the board that uh and I actually thought about this this as we were approaching this that with a different board and everything and this is how the process has always been but typically what I would present to the board is I do a comparison sheet

and we do the comparison sheet based on what we received for material. Part of the reason we go for the RFP in the first place is so that we if we say well you know this really isn't what we don't like what you presented here we have an opportunity to go back and discuss with the vendor and see if they have a options that might work better for the community or if maybe there's something we put in there and because of their cost that it drives it off the chart. So it allows a little bit of give and take going back and forth and stuff a little bit of negotiation. So, typically I'd come back to you guys probably not in two weeks, probably in a month.

Yeah. With a comparison sheet that would actually spell it out that [clears throat] uh each one of our in our RFPs we listed the items we wanted to see and that would be a line across on the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet would answer if

would demonstrate if each vendor managed to meet that or what they put in instead. And with that, you're going to provide a recommendation of Yeah, it does. What your preference is and why committee's recommendation of the committee. Yeah. Okay.

Sounds good to me. Yeah. Okay. I think that's great. [clears throat] Thank you. Thanks, Chief. Don't let that interfere with the Christmas shopping, though. Yeah. Jesus. [laughter] That is his Christmas shopping. As long as you don't forget me.

Okay. Uh, moving to a much different topic. Septic tank waste disposal agreement. Yeah. Yeah. So, [laughter] it's out of the blue, I got this this letter from the Lewon Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority. Uh, and they want us to sign an agreement for management of septic tank waste. Um,

who septic? Why are they why would they send that to us and not like whoever we hire to pump septic tanks? Well, basically the way it's been in the past. Now, Rob may have some insight on this. We dying. He He's trying a bit over here.

I'll let you go with what's in the past and I'll tell you what the future is. We need to have [laughter] a source for whoever does whoever whoever you call to have your set up. If they don't have a place to take it, this is a source. That's what we've been told in the past. We've always had to have have that now. Maybe things have changed and we don't have to. I don't know. I mean, but it was kind of like kind of like when we lost our dump. We need to have something for the towns people. That's why we looked into all these other things. Now, that may be different now. I don't know.

I've never heard of it. I got to give Matt credit for thinking up extra revenue sources like a [laughter] genius. Maybe. And I'll tell you right now that Brunswick will take any and all of it and charge you when you dump. And if you need a letter that says that, then I'd be glad to provide it. But I've never even heard of that.

That was the first time I heard of it when I was on this. That's what I'm going to start sending these out to surrounding towns from Brunswick [laughter] for 200 bucks and see how many come back. Yeah. If we don't if we don't legally have to do that, then I don't think we should.

Is this something we've been doing for several years and just never questioned before? We've paid $250 every year. Yeah. If I can explain I can tell you where that comes from. It's in the shoreline zoning statemandated shoreline zoning ordinance. I can't issue a permit for a campsite for anyone to have unless they show they have to show a contract with the receiving who's going to rece. I have to have a contract showing who's going to receive the waste from that port has to be in writing.

Okay. So, I'm guessing that's where it comes from. So we can just use state man letter though. I mean if Rob's willing to take it then yeah what [laughter] if heard the it always goes back to the contractor though. It has to be a signed contract from the person receiving the So I'm guessing that that's a signed contract.

I'll shoot you an email. Okay fine. Actually I already did [laughter] print that. put it on file. Okay. Well, we'll pass it on. Okay. Okay. That that [clears throat] works. All right. Yeah. Uh I'll be curious to see what Mac has to say, though. If you want to let him know,

will we'll pay you to call me if you want. [laughter] But no. All right. At this time, I am uh I'm moving us into uh an assessor section so that we can u discuss a uh an abatement for a local property. Second. All in favor. Okay. We are we are now assessors.

So, do you want to um I'd like to move. Is there any background on you private or you just want me to read this? Yeah. Yeah, you have it. I Okay. So, uh this is for the property. Um Oh, she doesn't put the map in lot on here. Oh, here. Uh is it just says account number 32. But anyway, so uh I'll just read the letter. This is from um Donna, our assessor's agent. Dear Mrs. Waltman, uh thank you and Jared for taking the time for an interior inspection of your property today. As you know, I have assessed your new construction as complete for the April 1, 2017 tax year. After my review, I changed the classification of your garage to a barn and added unfinished for your living space. This results in a reduction of value of $63,800 in value or uh $1,2263

in taxes. It will be my recommendation to the board of selectman assessors that this abatement be granted at their November 14th, 2017 meeting. Uh if you have any questions, please let me know. I'll be back to see you in a year. So that's that's basically um So is this a new structure or

Yeah, it sounds like they just didn't have it finished. Yeah, it was classified incorrectly and because it was classified incorrectly, the tax bill was um was sent was too high by by quite a bit. So it's still unfinished.

It was unfinished as of April 1st. So now it is finished, but the last tax year it was unfinished. I got you. So recommendation. Is there a second on that? Second. All in favor? Yes. Okay. Then we all have to sign this. I already signed it. You have to move us out.

Okay. And I moving us. Thank you. I'm moving us out of assessor's section. A second on that. Second. All in favor? Okay. We are selectment again. Thank you. [laughter] Cool. Um, rest bit department committee reports. Chief

Okay. What? [clears throat] We'll do the rest of it with the the department and committee reports. The fire the fire chief hiring process in the office. Yeah. Yeah. I figured we just talked to him while he was up here. Okay.

Chief, you're not on here. You're not on the agenda. Well, I'm not. That was one of the adjustments early on. He was [laughter] It's the first meeting of the month. It's supposed to be We were staying in the ad road commissioner.

Calvin, you can go. [laughter] No, he can stay. He's a glutton for punishment. He likes to show up and get used. I need something. Oh, boy. That's why he's here. So, I do my reporter. You said you had something else. I don't have the agenda. There was something else.

No, no. We just want to talk a little bit about um hiring the process and the committee for you. Do you guys have copies of our No, I know. I didn't I must have not been paying attention. Sorry. She was probably answering the 17 email.

I sent it over late. It is. Yeah. Send it over late. She had to process all these this material coming in. [clears throat] Yeah. We're like these huge packages. Yeah. Um well, first thing I wanted to talk about is the PDM staffing. It um it uh it it's going very well. this past weekend, this last Saturday, we actually um started I got one more anybody want. [clears throat] We actually started with having some coverage on the weekend that one of the things I said I had didn't have u was Saturday and Sunday yet, but this group of people that's coming in this time around couple of them want weekend time. So I I think I'll be able to start filling the Saturdays and Sundays, we actually had staffing on Saturday. We have staffing again one of the days this weekend. So it uh nak it's not just the staffing aspect of it. It's had an impact on our response times. Uh I actually think it's had an impact on the morale within the

department. Um you know it uh so overall it I was very concerned. Why do you think it's impacted morale? Why would how would it impact? Because the positive impact is that the people are there. Things are getting done quicker. Our response times are better. It weighs on everybody when we have a call and they're not available and can't go. So my read and we get a

couple three three of them here tonight. You can ask them. But my read is that morale is up. One because I'm leaving but two because [laughter] I had to throw that in but two because of the p I'm hoping more of it because of the pdeium impact. It uh yeah it

good. [clears throat] You know, my take is that it's well worth the investment that we put into it to this point in time. So, I'm I I am really hoping less people going to do this again this weekend. You know, I I would think that that would help for sure.

Yeah. Yeah. I don't want to, but if you do it every weekend, it's taking the burden off them. You know, it uh they don't feel like I I got to do it. I've got to be around. It's taking that weight, that burden. I think they they enjoy their participation in their time more because it's not a case of well hey I got to be there I got to do this or I have to do that because hey I I enjoy doing this. I think I think the fun piece of it is coming back into it a little bit because of that. So I think it

I don't have to do dishes. You [clears throat] know, if you guys agree or disagree, feel free to weigh in, but I I think it's I know I know as a driver in in past get, you know, toned down what I get to the station, you're sitting in the rescue, you got no EMT. So now you you get referred to the next closest town or service, you know, and and the way it's been working the last five, six, seven weeks, uh it's great.

Do you think is it sustainable? Do you think you'll be able to over keep it staffed? The people the people we're getting, we didn't advertise. I told you that we weren't going to advertise. We were going to get friends of friends hopefully word of mouth.

And this this next influx of people there probably five or six there six six coming in and this next influx of people and I Diana [clears throat] and I have talked a little bit about it and one we're overwhelmed with trying to process the people there plus the volunteers. It's about 11 I think there was maybe 11 people on the report at monthly meeting between PDM people and new members to the department. Uh and we just yeah we so we're kind of putting applications on hold. We're taking names but as far as membership we want to wait and see what we need but I think as far as the number of people we actually have one person that's already on the waiting list for if we have openings after the first of the year paramedic. So I actually think as long as we [clears throat] keep our wages competitive that people are looking for places with a positive environment that they can go and we try to keep the environment positive and I

think it is it positive environment and work a shift here and there and stuff. So I I great I think for the foreseeable future as long as we keep the the funding of the system going it uh that it's sustainable and it yeah it's I am very pleased. A lot of times when I do this stuff, everybody thinks I'm just throwing it out there, but I was really struggling with whether I was recommending something that would be as positive as I hoped it would be. And I think it's had more of a positive impact than I hoped it would.

Good. [clears throat and cough] Um, lad test, uh, all ladders have passed. That's done and over with. That's always a piece I swear. The locksmith that, uh, we've discussed having the locksmith come in. and the locksmith will be here next Wednesday to start the to put the keypads on and some of the doors are going to be rekeyed and we'll have the security piece of the station back. Um RFPs, we just covered those at the

[clears throat] um county EMA. We uh Homeland Security Grant 2017 at probably about four or three months ago, somewhere in that vicinity, we put in for 10 portable radios. I just got the final approval today. Um I think we have to accept that grant. I remember seeing that.

Yeah. Um [clears throat] yeah. Yeah. Yep. Uh so we I got the final approval. So we'll we'll uh it's for 4,200 and something and it's fully funded. It's this one's not a matching grant. This is fully funded. We pay up front, but it's reimbured.

Um excellent. I wish all grants were that way. Um [clears throat] it uh next piece I wanted to talk to you about is the personnel policy. One of the things was the it's not going to interfere with PDM but one of the things as I was reviewing it um but I ended up with a question on is if I bring people in under different job descriptions it uh what happens in regard to overtime

benefits and all of that. Um, so it went to the attorney for review and his only concern was not the the overtime, the different pay rates, as long as there were different job descriptions and there was definitely by reading the job descriptions a reason for two job descriptions. It wasn't just to save money that we met all the requirements there. His big concern was in regard to the benefits. it if uh it doesn't clearly spell out. It says 28 hours for a 4-day work week, 35 hours

for a 5day work week of regularly scheduled hours. Um, so theoretically, if I worked two or three job descriptions, regularly scheduled hours, it could be argued that they would accumulate and put me in a position to receive benefits. Follow what I'm saying? You

not really, because you already receive benefits, don't you? Well, [clears throat] no, not me. personally individual not who not names but what the part-time people in the any part-time people we employ for the town of Durham if they work two or three job descriptions and they have meet the

threshold requirements for one of them so benefits I think we need a manager could be argued that they're eligible for benefits we don't have anybody that's in that position at this point in time but I really think and the attorney seemed to think so based on his letter that it perhaps something we should look at. Ruth and I have been working on trying to come up with some wording that would address it and still be fair to the employees and stuff, but would remove that liability or possibility.

Okay. And that's completely the it's from our personal policy who gets covered for the benefits. So, it's whatever our personal policy says. So that's why we're looking at the personnel policy to try and and tweak it [clears throat] so that it works out.

But the goal here, if I'm hearing you correctly, is that we want our policy to hold up and not put us in a position where we have to offer benefits to somebody who's accumulating a certain number of hours because they're working multiple part-time jobs.

Yeah. But and the other side of it is is it limit in the interim it limits employees because obviously I'm not going to do something that could put us across that benefit threshold not because I don't want the employee to get it but because I don't have the funding

not the intent of the policy right now. [clears throat] So it actually limits the employees. You could have an employee that's more than willing to work five or six job descriptions and accumulate 40 50 hours a week and they like that. They're good with that, but they can't do that because of the benefit piece of it. So,

okay. So, you want to be able to allow them to do that if if in fact that opportunity arise, but not not be in position to benefit. Right. So, so I sound like you're going to bring something to us at some point to as a policy change. Okay. We're working on it.

If you want to run it by me, I'll help out with that. Cool. Okay. Yeah. I take it yours already covers that piece of it. Not really, but I end up having to do it. [clears throat and laughter] Yeah. Um, yeah. And I just want to give kudos to the guys on the department. And it uh I don't know if you guys are fully aware of it, but when we had the October 30th storm, I was actually away at uh and so they all kind of pulled together and um

that I think you know I was out and about and you could tell it was a major issue and they they just did a great job. Yeah, I would echo that. as thin as we were and as many calls were coming in, but they were able to respond and

their presence was known and it and it was good and it was good to have them there. So, I appreciate it. Yeah. Well, I based on the reports I got from individuals and from the members, I felt they did a very good job with the, you know, two pieces at the top of the the chain taken out and stuff and they they still managed to pull it together and do a great job going with that. um form sevens have been submitted the information for the form sevens and those have basically that's the requirements for it's the preliminary numbers for declaration of a disaster that's gone in they're doing some site reviews to some of the major areas didn't meet its threshold so but we're still included in the request for disaster if the request is granted um it's important in the the interim to set the stage and make sure that we keep our records really good and that we actually perhaps even I know my payroll. I usually

separate my payroll and so that I can just payroll just for that storm event and things like that. Is it if it is approved what we're eligible for is um see if I can get the breakdown right. I believe it is 75% federal, 15% state,

and then the 10% we end up picking the 10%, but we give 90% of our cost back, which is always nice to have. Um, yeah, we got that in that blizzard. That was We got that in the blizzard. Yes. Yeah, it's it's kind of a Yeah, kind of a nice little boost. It helps. So, hopefully it'll get approved and we'll be able to follow through. One item that did come up from u the storm itself is as we move forward and we change we change faces, we change how we operate and stuff. One of the things I need to make sure I do is come up with an emergency response flowchart that I present to you guys for your approval and stuff. That's probably the biggest thing when I look at it. Um, I said that a couple of us at the top end were missing and stuff and we need to I need to do that flowchart, that algorithm so that it's in place for for future events and stuff like that. So, I'll get that together and I'll get it back to the

board for review and approval. Um, and then the final thing was actually the item you said you guys wanted to talk to me about at the monthly meeting was last Thursday. Um, and the guys [clears throat] that uh I just I want to make sure I say this publicly and on camera. The guys really appreciated you coming over. Guys, when I say guys, it's it's not meant in regards to [laughter] Okay.

But they really appreciated you uh coming over and speaking to them. U it went miles with them and you coming and stopping in and checking on us occasionally that uh they uh probably all run and hide actually over time. Bon it's opposite [laughter] then you're but they do appreciate the presence. So yeah, we enjoy it. But uh

but anyways, one of the big things we discussed and I I have questions about it too, just in regards to the process, the uh application review process, the interview process, the department's involvement and my involvement, then how you want to handle the department's involvement because I can probably go back there and get you 20 people that would be willing to be on it and you don't want that many.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think I wanted to hear, you know, um you know, your thoughts uh because I think, you know, we have um we have what I think eight eight or nine applications. I thought it was um at this point it might be more than that. um meeting

and so I mean we we're going to talk as a committee a little um going to start now it's like what we want the interview committee to look like who we think we should be who should be on it what what level of representation we um foresee coming from the department um I've also um you know

had a conversation with um Rick Emmens who's on our budget committee who's also on the Lewon fire department. Um, I didn't promise him anything, but I said, you know, he's he's interested in being on the interview committee if if we want to have him.

Who is that? Rick Evans. He's Lewon. He's on the Lewon Fire Department. Uh, he lives over in Patriot Way neighborhood. And so I thought it would be good and we talked about this at the at the meeting at the station to have um and I actually think one of your uh people brought it up to have some experience outside of our department but experienced in the firefighting world and EMS world to you know be add another point of view to the committee along with you know the chief and and someone or someone's uh from the department. Um, so that that's really I wanted to have start to have that discussion tonight because on the schedule we're talking about uh at least I think identifying who we want to bring in for interview by at our meeting next you know two weeks from now and then starting interviews in in uh in December. some

well I would suggest that I don't know the committee we don't want the committee of 15 people and nobody's agreeing so maybe we get a smaller committee that narrows it down or maybe the selectman narrow it down and then we involve them with the interviews. I mean, I I definitely want I agree. I want um the chief and I I don't know what the best way to represent the department is if it's one person serves as besides you or

do you have any thoughts on that? Well, I I I've actually sat on a couple of interview committees actually. One of them was recently in the paper and that they've gone back out. But uh but I guess the process in both cases has been very similar where um there's been councils not boards but the councils were never part completely in their entirety part of the interview or review committee. They were actually the final people. Uh most often of any of the committees I've been on and it it's going to come like I'm talking against Rick, but most of the time it's not about Rick. Most of the time anybody that's been present has been a chief admin and an administrator for another department or something like that which

um usually there's somebody in the area that's willing to if that's what the board decides that you know it's a chief or deputy chief in another area department whether it's career or volunteer that would be willing as well. Not saying you should or shouldn't use Rick, but um usually any of the firefighters that have been on the committees with me have been members of the department itself. Uh so I guess my

thoughts [clears throat] is I would love to be part of the um committee and I know there aren't many people in the fire service in the state that I don't know at some level or know of um or even the region for that matter. The other side of it with my experience some of the sometimes when you do resumeumés it uh it makes you the resume makes the individual sound like they they they uh there's no way you should be able to hire that person for the amount of money you're asking in the first place. And when you actually if you actually know what you're looking at in that [clears throat] particular field, it doesn't amount to bunk sometimes.

That's a polite way of saying it. You mean three pages of certifications from one day classes isn't really that important? [laughter] Well, that that that's actually I'm assuming it happens in your world all the time. That's actually what a lot

through the applicants and what a lot of people will do is they don't list the time, but yet if you actually know what you're reading, they've given you three pages of in some cases it's not all one day classes. Sometimes it's two to four hour classes that you have given you three pages of. um you know and and it it's not just that. I usually know who's been in trouble, who hasn't been in trouble, and stuff like that. So, I would love to be part of the committee, but I also think that I talked about morale on the department. And to me, morale is the person you are hiring. Their most important job as far as I'm concerned is not what you think it is. It's actually maintaining the morale and the membership.

I wouldn't presume, Chief B. Okay. Well, then good. I wouldn't presume what we know or what we don't know. All right. I mean, I I definitely foresee you being involved in the process. Um, but I wouldn't underestimate the experience on this board and hiring, evaluating applicants.

Okay. Okay. Yep. But, uh, I didn't mean to put it out as an insult to the board or your knowledge and experience, but there are many things, especially in specific fields, that you can put on paper that don't amount to anything.

Yeah. Understood. And I I think you'll play a uh important role in helping us separate the wheat from the far as the individual themselves. I think it's a critical piece of it to have the department's involvement. I think it Yeah.

Chief, could you just give us the the the the bones per se of the committee that you previously just worked on, how they basically set that up in terms of exactly how that transpired. How many members? How many for the last one?

Yeah. Yeah. Just a real quick so synopsis of six of us. Okay. But it didn't work. Too internal. Yeah, it didn't work. [laughter] I'm just pointing that out. Well, at least we'll know what not to do, right? Yeah. [clears throat]

Okay. Yeah, it was in the paper. All you got to do is go to the Brunswick Times and you can read all about it. It didn't work. There were two internal. I was the only external and there were three from the municipality itself. So, there were six of us on the committee. Uh we also received packets um as well as a scoring sheet in

regard to based on the um job posting that was posted out there and based on some of their requirements there intermediate firefighter 2 different things like that. We received scoring sheets at years of experience and we did the scoring sheets. Um and then based on the scoring sheets we met took our scores and our evaluations of the individuals and their uh um cover letter

and uh did the scoring sheets happen after an actual interview or was that part of the screening process or this was this was to determine who would be invited in for an interview. Um and then once we waited through that piece of it, uh applicants were and in both cases that's what we did. Uh actually even for the community college when I've been on theirs, that's what we've done is we reviewed the applications. It uh weighed the applications based on score sheets in most cases. Um and then uh

do you happen to have uh for reference a copy of that scoreeet? No, but I would hope when I sat on the committee just recently that they'd be more than happy to share it with us if we asked. I don't I I I understand that works. I kind of like the approach of maybe having

somebody with the firefighter background kind of do a little bit of the the weeding for say agreed. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, before they get to this point because I mean we can interview individuals but criteria and our assignment was we called in a certain number to interview them in with the committee and then the assignment was that we were supposed to pick a certain number which went before the council that

and did the council do interviews as well? I I know what I read in the paper. So anybody that read the times know it doesn't say much really. It doesn't say why they whittleled it down to two but then decided neither one of them had what they were looking for. That's all it says.

Huh. Interesting. They must not have had the applicants. We had six people on the committee. So it was uh and that's just how they formed. Yeah. Yep. But I just want to get So it was um you said two were from the two were from internal internally from the department. It was [clears throat] I was the

you were [snorts] the external chief at the And then there were the manager was there and then there were two other town manager is that okay and then there were two other department heads as part of the committ within the town just like

not necessarily related to fire and safety but just other department heads. Well I guess if you want to say public safety yes one of them was a public safety. Okay like fire chief or something or [clears throat] I mean a police chief or something. Yeah. Okay. [cough] All right.

I think that's what we should do is have a a committee to, you know, probably two of us, the chief, one or two member, other members of the department, and then someone from outside. Yeah. Agreed. And so it would be five or six people,

two board members, the chief. What else did you say? So, so someone um at least one other member of our fire department. Yep. Or maybe two. and then someone from an outside want to limit to six or seven people. I think outside department is in terms of like

at the I mean Rick could work or someone from Topsum. Well, there's no chief in Thompson, but uh but somebody, you know, anybody makes a good point about another chief or more senior, doesn't have to be a chief, but a more senior leader, someone who's been in a leadership role.

I'm not trying to beat on anybody or anything like that, but um yeah, if you haven't been in management position, yep, it's different ball game. I I I know a couple that I'll I'll ask if they're interested and if we don't have somebody then

Well, I could ask Kenny if there's anyone in Brunswick that would be willing. Time I think. So, any number of area chiefs would probably Yeah, you could approach pretty much anybody in the area. I used I used to work. Do you guys want to maybe get together on recruiting? Uh

who who do you have in I was gonna touch base with I know one guy from Cumbland or maybe actually Felmouth wherever he's living and one from Panel. Okay. I'll ask if they're interested. Check with them and then I'll go to Brunswick

depending on what you find. Okay. How's that sound? If they're interested, we'll put the name and then we'll just pick whoever. Chief, does that sound reasonable? Yeah, it sounds reasonable to me. So, um would [clears throat] the intention be that I should go back to the department and um ask them to come up with two individuals?

I was going to ask you the process for that. What's your recommendation? Like how do we select? Do you let the department pick their own like two representatives to send to the committee? Met with them. You know who the individuals that that uh I didn't ask questions. I have an idea who spoke up the most, but I didn't ask questions who spoke up the most. But um I have an idea who the outspoken individuals were that were concerned about it. Um I I guess you want me to focus on those or if you want me to go back to the department and say well now I need two names from

I would give the opportunity to anyone actually. Yeah. I mean I whoever maybe select one yourself and then maybe a grand you know maybe who whoever you're you know the idea of the department selecting their two Yeah. representatives to the

just put it up for anybody ask who wants interested and then if there's more than two have a vote. I'm gonna have more than two. I I can assure you of that. But I you know put the names in a hat and draw or you can have a let the department I'll let the members of the department drive it like however they however they want to decide who the two

would be. let them, you know, soon as there assuming there's no violence involved, you know, [laughter] when do you need do you want us there when you're doing that or like cage match for the uh No, I have an idea they'll

two names that have probably come to me and expressed interest in being on it. they have an idea during the process they will probably and it's uh I mean interest is great but um uh and we certainly want that but effectiveness is has to be there too like you know just because somebody might be interested in being involved we don't want somebody who's just whose interest is because they kind of want to be at the table and and get first look and listen we want active engaged

there's no free meals that go with this oh we could talk if you want to bring them [laughter] we have we have we have connections for like sandwiches and coffee. Oh, okay. We can make it rain. I can assure you [laughter] that

I'll make sure the recommendations and I'm pretty sure they would be anyhow. They're going to be individuals that will be participate in the process. Okay. Yeah. And I I just I guess my only thing is like I want I want the I want um I don't want and this is not an I don't want these people appointed by the chief to be on the committee. I want them to pick their own representatives. the department. I didn't want it [clears throat] to come across that I tried to and that's why I'm not sitting here recommending names.

Right. So, okay. Okay. So, as far as as far as timeline, can we um can we get the two names from the department by our meeting on the 28th? I think that that's two weeks away. Can we make that work? Okay. Will you have word by then? Yeah,

I can. So, why don't we have we have a goal at our November 28th meeting to kind of finalize the committee and then we'll and then um uh review the calendar and make you know Ruth has a good first draft, but are those still the dates we want or do we need to make adjustments or whatever? So,

I think that's good. I think you want me to actually email you, [laughter] get the hammer and chisel. Works for Mark. So with me 28th is the closing date for applications as well, isn't it? The 28th. Um, well that's it. Actually, it says candidate evaluation and finalist selection. I didn't put a closing date. I don't like closing dates because if somebody comes and decides on November 29th that that they and they're a really good candidate. I mean, you don't want to go, "Oh, I'm sorry. I can't." They thought they might have a job in Thompson, so they didn't apply, but then they [laughter] don't. So maybe

um I mean, I would expect that that we would need the application before the first round of interviews because you certainly I mean after the first round of interviews is over. It's what kind? I'm assuming the sheets would have to be

tweaked. You asked about the score sheets. I'm assuming the score sheets would have to be tweaked based on um our job description and job posting. That being the case, are you gonna ask the individual for a copy of it electronically? So that who's who's doing the tweaking to it, the committee or are you going to do the tweaking? Um because it really the the score sheets, the initial score sheets, not the interview questions were based upon and actually even the interview questions to some extent were based upon the job posting and the job requirements which what we put out for this position are not exactly. Can you get the ones from Topsum? And we'll start with that.

Yep. And that's why I was asking if you wanted to share an electronic copy or if I wanted Yeah. If if we if somehow if you got electronic copy and maybe re take a first pass at tweaks based upon what's obvious from the job description and then send it out to the board members um

you know and the chief as well for input on where we think maybe changes made and we can um discuss and finalize that on the 28th as well. Okay. Yeah. Deal. and and then also map out the process in terms of okay, this committee is going to, you know, review the the packets and come back with X

number of, you know, candidates that they think, you know, should be interviewed and then, you know, then we'll go from there. We'll kind of lay it out. Sounds good. Okay. Thank you. Yep. That was all I had on my list. The only thing that's not on my list that I just want to make sure you guys are aware of is

December 1st is the date I go out for the surgery, but I will be out for two weeks after that. I'll be around and holler at me asking questions, but I'm really not supposed to go in. Yeah. Will you be able to work on your budget from home?

Perhaps. We'll see. [clears throat] Well, they just they just showed doing nothing, right? On the big storm. They just showed they didn't need you anyway, right? Yeah, they did. They're all set. We don't want We don't want him working on his budget if he's under the influence of painkilling narcotics. [laughter]

No, better. All right. Thanks, Chief. Good luck with that. Thank you. Okay, town administrator Calvin can go first cuz I'm here no matter what. I know he's not on the list, but he says he wants something from you guys. He wants something. Just hit us, man. Just

come on up, Calvin. All right. So, [clears throat] wait till 8:30. You pretty much get whatever you ask for. [laughter] Depends on the time frame. Just just quick I wanted all states uh finished shoulders on Cedapon Stack Pole and Bowie Hill. Those are complete. Uh Croo finished paving on Bowie Hill. That's all done. Uh

what about when the folks were here from um Country Lane earlier, they talked about the transition from uh Cedar Pond to Country Lane was like a mess. What do you have? Do you know what they were referring to? And one of the gentlemen said he had to go fix it himself. I mean, what was that all about?

I don't know. I had him go put I thought he was fixing a pot. I had him go. was um the trans I think originally the transition and Kelvin knew cuz he and I have had discussions about it. Um the transition originally um there was probably a 3 in

three to two to three. Yeah, somewhere in there differential from when they did the saw cut for say from where the two merge um and they have gone back since um originally laying that road and filled that in with some um pro. It it seems fine to me. I don't Okay. I I didn't see um you know while you All State you said is done. I just while I got you you know we've talked about that too before that that dip down by the end of Cedar Pond. Are they going to fix that? Cuz that just seems

discussed it and u how to how to do that and it'll probably be spring before we can get to it. But patch it somehow. Uh we'll patch it or they'll patch it. Well, they'll they'll patch it somehow, but they'll come up with a solution. I [snorts]

Yeah, I'm just always concerned because you kind of bring up like they don't they don't like to get after the punch list for lack of better words. I know. I think they're having some growing pains and I don't think they've really

they don't have the local for sure. Crooer has the they've got a whole crew that just goes out and cleans up the little stuff like this, right? Whereas I think they need to hire a local company to do it. And of course, if they do, that's a paving company that's got their own customer base and they don't want to. So there's some issues that we've had some discussions about, but they said they're working through that. So,

okay, that's fine. I just how just out of curiosity because I we've probably already paid them, but just how do we hold their feet, per se, to the fire to make sure those punch lists get done in the future, they don't get forgot forgotten about.

They they'll they'll take care of it. I Sean was out of town and there was some communication overlap. Do we hold retainers? Do we have a retainer or anything% until no warranty period or anything? I just that that's my concern. It's always a concern paying a contractor in full when you have an outstanding punch list whether it's a road, it's a house or it's a because the chances of oh we're just too busy and then it never gets done and that's

Yeah. So that's something we should look at in future contracts% until final consumption. Yeah, basically because that's a that's that roughness seems like it's grown brand new road. You're going to have to just keep calling them till they get tired of hearing from you. I don't know what they did, but it's almost like they it dips like a

It's It's pretty significant. If you drive it, you you'll feel it when you right after it's almost right um the first house on the left right there. That was um right on the corner of Ceda Pond. If you're on like basically right past his driveway on that side of the road. Um so you're traveling towards Route 9 on the on the right side. It's going to slope just like this.

Yeah. Almost [snorts] like a ramp. I know. which I I still don't know how that happened because the screed should have gone should show at the center line. So I I still baffled how that happened but and no one seems to have an answer but

oh well keep calling they'll have an answer because they'll get tired of hearing from you. I'm sure I'm sure they'll take care I've talked to Sean about since you've been back. He says they will definitely take care of it. Uh we will I mean trying to figure out

how to make that happen without looking like a patch in a new road is so I don't think there's a way of doing that but well we're going to try. So um patch is a patch. Um so storm damage uh that's going to take us weeks to clean that all up. Um and we had to do winter sand and we had so we started then we had to take off. So, I will keep track of that time separately for the EMA and if we do get something back, that'll be great. If not, well, at least we we'll have keep track of what we have for hours involved for that specifically. Um, I've been working with uh on the roads for the list 11.8 miles uh in the rebuild category. And good news is

we're up to 11.8 now. It's growing, huh? Um good news is till next week based on based on using the numbers that um used for this year uh cut that number down about 50% in cost. So I'm down more in the 3 million range. So um getting actual figures that I've been out working on actually getting figures from contractors it's looks like using similar um processes that we did on Runaround Pond Bowie Hill Rabbit [clears throat] Road that they would be significantly lower than the cost per foot just using a generic number. So uh

when you say similar processes what do you what do you mean injections injections fold up reclamations in place? Okay. um you know using our current numbers that we're getting for asphalt in how are you deciding what's a rebuilder using the RSMS from

just looking at the road if the if it's if it's if it's gone I mean there's yeah I mean they're they're pretty obvious when you go when you go look at RSMS doesn't tell you what the road needs it just it just more or less gives [snorts] you maps and Well, it's a condition survey and you keep track of it and update it and it'll spit out the reports for you.

Well, and if you need some help learning how to use that tool, the the guys from All State have offered that help, but I don't I I we need more than well, that looks like a whatever road to me. I mean, we need to have some

we're going to go behind this project. And I and I and I I go out with the experts and look at them, engineers and then the contractors that do this every day and and my years of experience and theirs and and I've talked to uh I've talked to uh Jerry Douglas from all states with the RSMS and he said this product doesn't do that.

It it doesn't tell you what to do to the road. It's more it's more of just an accounting tool. It prints out maps, right? It doesn't tell you the fix, but [clears throat] it tells you the condition, right? You decide how to fix it,

right? So, but we're just saying if we're going to town meeting and saying, "Hey, you guys want to spend $ three and a half million dollars on a bond?" Calvin said the road didn't look good. Yeah. Yeah. They might want some more. I would I would

No offense. I mean, I agree with you. It's 11 miles. Yeah. We need to put it I think we need to use this. This one This road needs ditching for a reason. This road needs I've started running. I've started converting that data from the spreadsheet over to our SMS and we'll be working on that. Uh

so you do have a spreadsheet then. Yeah. And and as and I even met with Jerry Douglas and he said that's not going to tell you what to do for the road. I mean we we all know that's a rebuild. So you just you got to take it. It's more of an accounting tool of it's it's more

that'll help that'll help us at the town meeting saying it's yeah, you know, like like Rob said, we know, you know, but that ain't going to please them. So, if we've got this tool that's there that at least we got something

I I go over them with the contractor and then I go over them with the engineer. We just we come up with this is definitely uh an injection candidate or if it's got boulders coming up through it. We've got a box cut this piece and I mean I'm [clears throat] not going to put a cement injection in or an asphalt injection in something that's got boulders like Country Lane has got we dig rocks out of the road. So I don't know what that was built with but I think they pushed the stone wall in the middle and uh where the pin was supposed to be [snorts] and they built the road over it. So um but we will uh I'll be

working on that but based on the numbers we have um been using uh that cost has come down significantly. So what [clears throat] why why what's well using what's what's different different is um asphalt's good asphalt prices are way down using a generic $100 per foot price is got us up way up there. So, are you are you are you saying you can do 11 and a half miles of road for three something million dollars?

Well, today it was up to 8.9 miles rebuilds. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so I mean it's far better off. We're far better off than what Okay. I had thought. Well, that's there's the difference. I mean, generally a grind, which is what we're talking, grinding and inject and maybe adding some gravel on top and you build the road up.

That's that's not much more affordable than like a box cut. Like, so if you've got an area over a swamp and you got to go dig out, over excavate to get the clay and, you know, muck out of there, then build the road, that's usually what's considered full reconstruction.

Okay. Okay. Right. And that's become less and less in this day and age. It's less common because you don't get much more life out of it versus what we're doing. You know, you might get 30 out of that and we're getting 25 out of this or whatever it is.

You take the you take the cost effective. You take the foot a foot and a half of material you do have and you build on that rather than assuming it's good and you do have some material there. You don't have it. Yeah. looking at uh old Brunswick Road yesterday. There's a section that's So, we're just going to put a 400 foot allowance in there for 400 ft of box cut because there's a section that's obviously got clay coming up out of it. And

what was Do you remember off time he had run around rabbit? What was that? Almost 2 million for about 4 1.1 for 3.8 1.1 for 3.9. So, if you can do the math on well just 250,000 a mile. Yeah. And that was injection and building on top of what we had. Injection, adding material.

It's actually really good pricing. It is extremely good pricing. We did the ditching on that. Yeah, that's extremely good pricing. I mean, compared to what we were getting for pricing where I came from, I was in sticker shock up in you go over in the western Maine where they have no competition. I got what I could do over here for this work. Are you are you thinking that our that our crews would would do the ditching in culverts or or would they

Well, using the numbers that I've just given you, that would be the scenario, but there's no way our crews could do all that. That's what I'm wondering. From a time perspective, if we wanted an accelerated correct timetable, there'd be an additional expense because we'd have to hire some of that ditching order.

Right. So, that's plan on that's my next phase of putting that together. Okay, good. Good. [laughter] What's that? ET has achieved ditching We could hire. Um, [clears throat] so uh the other thing I need uh permission from you to hire uh Brian Wilson uh one of our part-time well he's been with the department since it conception uh is a part-time plow driver uh to hire him as a permanent full-time. I need to

So that's your recommendation? Oh to replace uh David Kennedy. So, did you advertise it or is this you want to do this as basically an internal promotion? Yeah. And how long's he been with the department? Since started. So, he's had a full year as a

Oh, he's got three three years. Okay. And as a part-timer? As a part-timer. And so, so you know what he's capable of? Oh, he's he's he knows it inside and out. He's been attitude's good and you think the camaraderie with the crew will be

Well, that's certainly much better now that there's been some changes and so now that I think would be a it would be a very good thing. Have you gotten any calls from the sign you've had out front there at all? Couple. Yeah. Uh I've had well a few and

I I might change that. What are we going to pay him? I don't know that I can discuss that here. Can I? Yeah. No. Oh, no. I I don't think I Well, it's going to be public. It's going to be public eventually, but we generally don't,

right? Yeah. Probably would just leave that until we've decided then it's obviously it's going to be public. You mean if you guys want to just take a glance at that pay negotiating or is there a pay for this? There's a range.

There's a Yeah, there's a range. Well, we we have to determine the pay, right? Do we or is it up to the department head? As long as they're within the range. make it up to the department head. We can. You can read it. Just don't say it on loud. [laughter]

You're a pretty tricky guy. I forget when something's public. What's public? I know, right? I know. It's hard. Well, it's public, but you don't want to broadcast it. You make someone come and ask for an RFI or, you know,

how close is this to what he's been getting? A dollar more. That was kind of my question. He's going to get a little bit of an increase and he'll be made full-time and he'll have benefits. Yep. Yeah. Well, that sounds good to me. We've got someone that we can bring on board.

So moved. [laughter] Motion by Rich, second by Mark. Start signing it from there. [clears throat] Oh yeah. Okay. in [laughter] favor. It's getting late. I don't want to steal all Thank you for doing your job as vice chair to nudge me when I'm uh Okay.

Who came up with it? Anything else, Calvin? So moved. So moved. When do you think um you want me to redo it? you might have a uh a draft of exactly what it needs to be the the roads and like what you know what your recommendation is and what RSMS or whatever is is saying and

you know sign that some prioritization right when when do you think when do you think we'd be able to start actually looking at not a final by any means but start to see just a ballpark yeah where where I mean I have the spreadsheet that that will tell tell you the roads that are in reblocation.

Send that to us. I mean, was it the same one that we've had for Yeah, I've tweaked it a little bit. Okay. All right. I mean, have they changed, but I don't think I've seen it, but what would be helpful, too, is even, you know, we got 11 miles of rebuild,

11.8, but there needs to be a priority. I mean, Country Lane is obviously one of the worst shape, but again, there's not not a lot of vehicle miles traveled on that road, right? And so we need to justify okay Davis Roads first, Country Lane second. Yeah, I I don't know what it would be.

That's that's what I'm looking forward to. But that's that's where it's helpful. That's, you know, maybe RSMS isn't the answer, but it's like, okay, we got to Oh, and speed limits. The other one, your higher speed limit roads need to be in better conditions. You know, 25 mph speed limits. As soon as you pave the road, people complain that everyone's speeding,

right? But um so those kinds of things, you know, if it was just broken down as a list, it's like, you know, why why this one's where it's at, that's all. Yep. Um so maybe they're bunched. Maybe these four are our first four and these

So my plan for next year was and has been well was for this year and didn't get done, but uh would be Davis and Shiloh were next. Uh, but I mean I think with the numbers I'm getting if you could do old Brunswick and how about finishing the Bowie Hill?

Yeah, I think Bowie Hills it's it's the middle section um is uh I don't have my spreadsheet right here but I that's in far better shape than some of the other ones that I think we need to get to. Yeah, I I think for us to start running some timetable and bonding scenarios with the first thing we need is that prioritize list so that we can start say, okay, if we wanted to do this in two years or 3 years or whatever, you know, what is what does it look like? What are our bonding options? Um, and what does that translate into, uh, potential tax impact? And then

bring options to the town. If we're going to have different standards like that and squeeze the time frame down, we probably want to have in there whatever extra we'd have to hire to do some of the ditching that we wouldn't be able to do in that time frame,

right? Yeah. You have to account for that in a in a in a tighter time frame. Okay. That means, you know, we'd have to you pay for external resources for some of the ditching and stuff. Yeah. That all has to be part of it, too.

Okay. So, you have to be done and I'm all in favor rumble strips. I do rumble strips if you were doing 55 60. [clears throat] I mean, I guess it would work if somebody just didn't realize the stop sign was there. Well, see, if they're rolling up to the stop sign, slowing down, it's not going to rumble.

The only time that would be effective is if somebody didn't know it was there at all, like these people. Oh, you're saying 300 ft. Grab their attention before they hit that stop sign ahead. I just wonder like they do at the toll booth.

I just wonder if people would know what it was for. They might feel a rumble but wonder what's that mean? Means get off your cell phone now gets off. I don't know. I just hit a rack. [laughter] I've never heard of it done on the rural road.

Look at Main Street in Brunswick. You're doing it. Those humps. Yeah, humps. What the heck is that? You got to have those humps, man. I've seen people get that. That's because they have crosswalks, though. Speific horizontal rumble strips and not have the plow tear it up. That's the thing.

I do it on the jump. I've never I've never seen horizontal. Yeah, I don't know what they do out there. I mean, we we moved the sign back after suggestion. I went measured it and it didn't it it was not in line with the rest of them. I called DOT and we discussed put them and I moved that back.

Yeah, I saw that thing. So, we still have an accident. So ultimately worth a try. You know, we can do tons of things, but ultimately it's got to be the responsibility of the driver that got the license that knew that they're not supposed to be driving down the road eating a pizza, smoking a cigarette, talking on the cell phone, and trying to steer. I've seen it happen honestly up on Sun Street in Arbit.

But the thing is is people the accidents that we're having primarily are people that are just failing to negotiate the takeoff. They're looking one way and the other. It's not that they're not stopping. It's that they when they go to take off, they're that's my understanding is that that's what I know that just didn't realize the stop sign was there.

Most people are saying half the time they're seeing people just drive right through the stop sign. See, I I don't And for the state to put stop signs on all four corners, you're going to have all four of them trying to blow through that stop sign

up on 125. Yeah. Yeah. I I don't think that's going to help anything at all. Oh, I think it's going to make it worse. Yeah, these guys will be over there stationed there. Oh, I got a rude awakening in the storm there that uh people called and wanted me to fix the light, the blinking light. I said, "What do you mean you want me to fix it?" D called me. I was like, "Want my light?" They called back said, "It is your light." So, apparently we own that one traffic light in town. And so,

how do we fix it when there's no power? Uh they wanted it had dropped below the 136. [clears throat] So Oh yeah. Yeah. How did it drop? Must have moved. It's pretty wild over that. So anyway, I ended up getting it. I ended up getting DOT to do it. But between [clears throat] DOT and CMP, they pulled something off, but just so you know, we own that light. So

Okay. [laughter] So if something happens down, it's not doing any good. I know. We got to do something at the intersection. Okay. Yeah. Well, so thanks, Calvin. People need to be responsible. I just can't babysit them all time.

All right. What else we got now? We got Ruth's report me. All right. So, I have two things. The first one I'll go through is office renovations really quick. I will try to make this painless. Um, so if you look at the conference room, it's not really drawn very well. Um, but basically, um, we wouldn't be changing the tables at all. Um, because none of the the ideas that came up with I felt were any better than what we have now. Um, so basically we'd be getting new chairs. Um, I want to replace this table and make it look a little prettier. Um, and then we'd get rid of that and the all the metal things. We're going to get rid of the file cabinet and put a a bookcase over there and get some um nicer chairs for the audience. So that's basically everything that would be in done in here.

Yeah, you get new chairs. Don't worry. Um the Thank you. Okay, so the front office um not much is going to change at all. Um the only thing that we're going to change is is that bookcase by Pam's desk by my office um is going to turn into a copy machine. Um, and that bookcase is going to go next to the counters. So, that's the only thing that we're changing in that office at all. Um, my office, I'm gonna get a corner desk, um, which gives me more organizational places

with the overhead. He does everybody's [laughter] a wrapound. A wraparound with overhead storage and um, a tack board so I can tack all my stuff up. because if it's not in front of me, I forget it's there. Um, and then the file cabinets and a bookcase. So, basically the only thing that that's new that's going into my office is the desk.

And that desk can go either way cuz that was one of my concerns. We don't want to get a desk that's specific to Ruth because if she leaves us in the next 25 years, we need to be able to have somebody put it where they want it. So,

um, so then in office 2, we would take all of the, um, files out of office 2 and we would put in a complete wraparound desk. So that would give a lot of space for the code enforcement officer and space um, for the assessor when she's there. um she would have an overhead bin so she can take her stuff and put it in the overhead bin when she leaves and so it'll just be safe for her and nobody is going to mess with it. Um and then the files are going to go into the storage room. I don't know how many of you have actually been in the storage room recently, but you know when we had no power, I was a little bored. So I went in there and I did some organizing. So the map file is going to move to the center of the room. All of the files are going to go against the wall. um next to the code enforcement officers and the there's going to be a supply storage cabinet. So, that's the only things doing in there. And then in the kitchen,

because the copy machine is going to be now in the front office with uh Pam and Shannon, uh we're going to have room for a little table and two chairs so that we can actually sit down and have a break and we don't have to eat at our desks. Um and so that's

in view of everybody. In view of everybody. Yeah. Um, so that along with painting and uh we were going to redo the carpets um because our carpet's in pretty sad shape. So all of the furniture looks like it's going to be around 12,000 to 25 $12,500.

Um the carpet is estimated about 3500. And then Rob and I had discussed the possibility of asking people in the town like the public works department and my department cuz I can paint and um the fire department to come and work here to paint and we would pay them for it and then of course we buy paint.

Just hire a painter if we're paying people. We could. I'm just saying if we've got our own crews and we're this office is closed Wednesdays anyway. If they wanted an opportunity for some overtime rather than going out of the house, come in, get this done.

Yeah, that's there's a little there's not a huge trick to painting, but there's a little bit. If you [clears throat] don't paint rolled things, right, somebody that knows what they're doing, hire somebody. Yeah. tired out.

Um, so furniture, carpet, 16K plus a paint. Now, does this take care of the Sorry. Go ahead. Ruth and I have talked about the carpet. She's talking about squares. I'm not sure I like squares. From my experiences, they don't

I know you can, but from my experience with them is they tend to [clears throat] peel corners and then you got trip head. You're talking like a BC. They seem to be working pretty well like in at beans like double elbow. Those may be glued down if they can still glue down those are not stick downs. It might make a difference. Yes.

Are we talking rug or are we talking BCT? What are we talking carpet? But carpet tiles instead of rolling it so that when you when you have a wear zone, you just put new squares in. You don't you was talking stick downs, right?

We could use glue. Okay. If it's glued if it's glued down, I don't have so much a problem with that. The stick downs just don't cut it. As long as you're not the one opening up, you don't have a problem. [laughter] That's a pain in the neck, man.

But still, I I would I don't think stick downs. But those glue downs would be fine. That's my thought. I don't Yeah, I I just say put a nice heavy duty commercial grade carpet in there and have it clean once every six months.

Yeah, I work for me too. I said the same thing. Yeah, just have a carpet put in whatever whatever they want. Um, and they don't all have to be the same color if that's if that's an issue. I don't care about that. So, all the pricing for the furniture and chairs and stuff is based on state purchasing. They put out a general bid for office furniture and so forth and creative office get got that bid.

So, it's already been So, this is how I purchase stuff through the district all the time. And she sends the price guide and you can I've been gone to the state before and actually checked and made sure that it was okay. the the pricing it's all publicated.

So, it's already been competitively looked at and everything that she quoted was on the state bids. So, that include like carpet too. Is that part of it? The carpet would be separate, but that'll be under 5,000. So, I told Ruth to just get some quotes. Yeah.

And we'll get some competitive cuz they're going to have to lift desk, move carpet, whatever. Right. Painting will do the same thing. We'll get some prices and competitive price and I don't think we have to RFP it. it just cuz it should be. And then the only other thing would be the odds and ends. And if we have some money left over, would we do the uh the tile as well or can we just clean the tile and see what how it clean [snorts] it and rewax it?

I got a floor guy out of Lewon. He does VCT, does all my floors. Um he's very reasonable. Um You mean cleaning? Yeah, for VCT. He does four coats of wax, does the baseboard. Um, have him come give us a price for that because that I mean it's fine if it's if it can be revived.

That's a $200 job. Was there was there um wasn't there a security like locking like you wanted to lock off that part of the office or something? Was that part we used to do that um and there was some issues with that part of the office, but we're we're not going to do that anymore. We've taken care of the issues. Shannon's got her pistol anyway,

but she's not going to I installed the special was the biggest concern with the license plate. I saw special she purchased it and I went and installed it on there and now they lock it with a padlock. So that's another barrier. So

was that what that was all about? It was it was that and I guess at the time there were a lot of issues with people coming in and sitting at the desk and moving things. it space issue at the time, but I don't think that it's going to be such an issue anymore.

Are we taking that spread that all that accordion curtain down? Yeah, that's the plan. Cuz Yeah, good. Cuz it's really Oh, so you won't have any barrier there at all anymore. No, that'll be gone. Okay. But the other that lock that door will lock and obviously that lock we put on that file cabinet which you can check that out in there. So, if we're talking

office, what what ballpark for painter? What? Five grand? Uh, I don't know. This whole building. Um, what? The whole building or what you're talking about? Yeah. The the whole building interior. Uh, I'd say with trim and everything, five, six grand.

Yeah. Yeah. If you want the doors done, maybe even seven with carpet. So, we're around what we do. Well, I have the 30,000 for the that was specifically done as the renovation by the budget committee. So, I don't know if they're going to

Yeah. Well, see, this is what I'm getting at. So, if we if we're like cuz at some point Terry Kirk is going to sit there and he's going to ask, you know, about, you know, what what you said we're going to do. And I think

I think our response because he asked it when when he was here before. Our response is going to be, you know, I think that we basically were able to meet our needs of addressing, you know, workspace in the office area and spruce the place up.

Uh, not rip out any walls, not put in any windows and do it for like 22,000 instead of 30. It's going to be or 25 instead of 30. It'll still be And she had another six grand for I have 5,000 for paint. For 5,000 for paying. So we had 35.

So all right. So take Yeah. So take the five out. So we'll So you're going to save 10 grand [cough] approximately. So that's our that's our sound bite and it'll look and it should spruce everything up and it should look painting. I mean

painting can be very you know obviously you know do you want the holes filled in the walls? You want the probably should actually have a chair rail across the back of You definitely should have a chair rail behind there. [laughter]

You can see where it needs to be. Maybe even Wayne's coat the whole room. What the hell? Yeah. Yeah. Be done with it. But th those are things that we'll have a little extra money when that comes up if we decide we want to do.

Okay, good. Okay. And the other thing I want to talk to you guys about is holidays. Um holiday came up [clears throat] quicker than we would like. Um got that right. Monday is Christmas. Um so [clears throat] I would like to ask that the office be closed on Monday and Tuesday in observance of the Christmas holiday.

Christmas and the day after Christmas. That's what I would like to ask. And what about Wednesday? Well, we would have Wednesday off because we don't So, you want to be closed for three days? Well, we don't usually work Wednesday. So, yeah.

Do we? I don't know. I don't have problems. I'd be more inclined for Friday, Monday. Friday, Monday. No, no, no. Friday, Monday, and then Wednesday, then you work Tuesday and then Yeah. To be honest, Friday is usually the day before the Christmas holiday is usually a really busy day for us because people are coming in and buying um hunting licenses for

presents. I guess how do you how do you tell people to close the day after Christmas, though? It's not like an official holiday. I got to work that day. It's my sister-in-law's birthday. She thinks she thinks you mean don't do much on Tuesdays.

Tuesday or Wednesday? What's your town open on Tuesday? I I get Tuesday off, but they give We're open Tuesday. Yeah, I'll take it off if I want to. Is any town closed on that Tuesday? I don't know that. I don't know that either. I guess I should have.

Now, if we do something here, does it apply to all the other departments, too? Generally, yeah. Well, public works. Yeah. Beans is doing Monday and Tuesday. Yeah, they Yeah, they are. Yeah. I I It's not the Monday and Tuesday. It's the And then when you attack Wednesday onto it, you had the town hall closed for three business days in a row.

That's that's what I hesitate a little bit about. Well, so then I guess I should, you know, voice the next thing. [laughter] So [clears throat] th uh Thursday and Friday are the last days before the the year ends. So we close our books um the last day, which this year is that going to be that Friday. And generally on the days that we close the books, we close early.

Yes. So that you can get the books. So that we can get the books closed before we go home. And I don't have no problems with that. Yeah. And generally it's usually about noon or 1. So I'd be okay with one. We're talking the 28th and 29th.

That would be on the Friday. Friday we would close at 1:00. Friday the 29th. Yes. Yeah. I Or even I mean 11:30, 12. Yeah. Yeah. I don't I don't care. Pick a time that works for you. I think three days in a row is Yeah. I mean,

oh jeez, we're in the same week still, right? Yeah, we are. What do you think about trading trading Wednesday for Tuesday? Yeah. The other departments wouldn't have it off, but you guys in the office could. You You want to uh approve that? If that's what we want to do, then that's okay. Cuz then I can ask

I mean I'm not totally opposed to shutting it down either. It's just I do get Yeah. The three-day things. Three days a lot. Yeah. If you was to work Wednesday instead of that, we made sure we posted that that you know, would anybody come in

so used to being Yeah. closed. Well, I think if you like a lot of places Yeah. But that gives them time to do most stuff. Post your holiday hours on the door like a month ahead of time. you know, Christmas week. This is our special schedule. Close Monday, Tuesday, open Wednesday, Thursday, closing early on Friday.

Put that out there and put it on the website and put it, you know, do you think that's a fair conver? People will still mess it up cuz I showed up I showed up here on Friday wondering why nobody else was here. Well, we all showed up to the last selector meetings wondering how come you called it and you didn't show up.

I know. [laughter] I know. Me and Rich play tag team part of the show. [laughter] That's a good time. It was a development opportunity. We got like 13. We went through 13 agenda items in 8 minutes. Yeah. Well, that's [laughter] pretty impressive.

I I don't know what you guys feel. I would be more than content with them having Tuesday off with the Wednesday option. I think so. In a row, I think that's fair. Take Wednesday and then you can close on Friday. I still don't have no issue with that cuz I know what that entails. You got to

So the holiday hours for Christmas week will be Wednesday, Thursday, and half day Friday. I wouldn't squeak it till the very end in case your eyes I know. I would I would get that on a nice paper on the door tomorrow. Got a nice Christmas tree holiday hours thing I can thing. You can just cut the subway out of the bottom of it. Looks really nice.

Have Tammy put it on the web. Just leave it. Oh yeah, we would absolutely we'll advertise it everywhere. I mean, that's not a big deal. So, so if I bring this back to Shannon and Pam and they go, "No, we want to work Tuesday instead of Wednesday, is that okay, too?"

Yeah. Yeah. They want to work Tuesday. Yeah, that's fine. That's what they want to do. I I just don't want to be closed three days, especially if you're going to leave early Friday and it is in the same week. Kevin won't be able to register his new cars and stuff he buys for Christmas.

Although, it is the end of the month and there are a lot of car registrations the end of the month. Yeah, I would. That's what I mean. I think it would just throw a lot, you know, like this holiday event, man. you mind something like that?

But anybody that comes Tuesday and wants to register something at least they can they read it. They can say, "All right, I'll just come in tomorrow." Um, we have Ruth, was that it? I have two questions for you. We've talked about and I don't know if we need to make like an official,

you know, statement about this. We we want to look at um when we looked at, oh, do we need to replace the heating system? And I think we've kind of came to the conclusion that we don't think we do and we should we should look at a maintenance contract

before we move into that yesterday. What was the issue? Uh so our our heat on this side wasn't working yesterday. So we got Downies to come. Um and there's on the unit there's a door and the door has a latch magnetic switch.

Yes. And the door was not closed. So that's why it didn't work. So Downy's came and they found that out. the door. Fixed it. Yeah, they closed [laughter] it. That's That's all it takes. Thank you. That'll be $300, please.

Down [laughter] east. Was it after hours? No, it was during 85 bucks. But it's it's worth it than going up in that attic. And then Yeah. So anyway, we you know, we should I don't know I don't know how we approach it, but I feel we should be on a maintenance contract with stuff like the heat system. Todd mentioned the generators, you know, things that need periodic maintenance so that we um

Well, I think if we're not going to elect this the system that we have in place now, if we're not going to elect to replace it right now, probably the best bet for continuity of service and so forth, in my opinion, would probably just be continue with the gas service provider

who's been servicing that. You can get a maintenance agreement with them. Yeah. Oh, absolutely. That's why that's why I'm saying I think that's probably the best road if we're going to go if we're going to maintain this current system that we have. They've been the ones working on it.

It probably be the most efficient way to go. Yeah. They'll sell you a maintenance agreement. That'll Oh, yeah. They'd be more than willing. Or do we need a maintenance or just a preventative maintenance scheduled? That's

constant. Yeah. That's all we're talking about. It's that regular I don't know if we need to sign up for the $700 gold package and we'll come [clears throat] changing three times a year, two service calls after hours or anything, but

just something that they're constantly doing a quarterly on is what I do on my units. Quarterly is what we call it should be. Yeah. I stretched it to four months to save money. Yeah. But you're cheap. Tertiary. You guys like

I don't think anybody serviced that thing for 10 years. Well, see that's that's the issue right there. But the beautiful thing is it's not an oil burning furnace. So they don't I mean other than that filter in there, there's not a lot to them things. I mean they don't get they don't get crudded up like a oil burner.

Yeah. How about the one at the firehouse? What does that spend there like that serviced? It probably do. I bet it wouldn't be shocking if one of those guys go over there and mess with There's two or three of them that are talented.

You just got to change the 2 by two filter. Now, my wife does that. Rachel, my wall color is So, what's the next step on the office thing? A more detailed um cost sheet or you just need a green light from us to go or I'm thinking the green light cuz at this point,

you are a month and a half left to go. [laughter] As long as as long as we know that those prices we threw out there for the rug and the painting is within our I would hate to have that come back as a big we'll have to talk about it multiple quotes say yeah you know and we've got you know we can a lot you know I'd put that call it four or five for carpet and another five or six for paint and

if it's more than that come back I don't know if how much running around you want to do but uh the owner of floor systems Rich He He's a real good guy. They do a ton of commercial stuff and they're about the best bang you can buy from search. He's ugly as

you can go through the work, but I'm just telling you he's floor systems and rich. Oh yeah. Yeah. He's he's about as reasonable and good as they come. He's a great guy. I think I've talked to other things in the past. I think pretty reasonable.

Yeah. What for commercial stuff? They're really too dark to do a whole lot. Okay. So that's emotions. Okay. Yeah. So So move up to how much what's the spending limit? What you have,000? I had uh well the furniture was 125.

I had 125 3500 and then um five uh 5k for a little bit of room. I want to do five. Let's do five on the carpet and like 13 on the furniture cuz another table will throw it up, you know. Y 13 on furniture, five on carpet. Um

look at that. Six on painting. And um what's that bring us up to? 24. Let's see if we can squeeze it down. We want nice chairs. Okay. Nice chairs. Yep. So [laughter] up to 20. We say up to 26. We know we'll cover it there cuz that's

26. Up to up to the 30. 24 just within 2500 bucks. How about within 2500 of the 24,000? If it's if it if we bring this project in at 25 grand including the painting, then we're coming we're going to be 10 grand under budget cuz we had 30 for the work and five for paint.

So let's try to get it at 25. Anything more than 25, come back to us. I'm pretty cheap, so I know. [laughter] I know. I gave her plans and said, "Do this, this, and this." She comes back with like a third of it. I'm like, "Are you going to change the paint color?"

Oh, yeah. Not blue, something. That makes me a little nervous how enthusiastic she got with something Walmart. Well, this is what what Rob's um suggestion was. That's a color board that I had done for our Which one is he suggest?

Peter Pinkerton. Well, he he I I liked this for the walls, but Pam doesn't like this for the walls. You can go with that. One of one of those two. That one for the walls and the other one. The next one right to it with the trim.

For the trim. That's what we use for trimming. Can I do this in my office? Yeah, sure. Yeah, sure. Whatever color you want. Um Well, and I don't know if you considered this at all, but if you change the colors in here, we might need to change those out, too.

Well, no, that was the point. We were picking colors. You got to do blue in here. So, well, no, we're going to do green, but the green will go with the dark blue. So, this is the district. Hey, Ruth, it's and I center these pictures all the blinds.

You see, we use the lighter, the cream color, and then there's a second. I'll check the prices on the blind. That's very That's very uh what do you call it? It's neutral. It doesn't do good for video [clears throat] cuz it turns everything yellow.

Mhm. But it's really warm. That's the kitchen. I like that. Beautiful. And then that's the front entryway with the carpet. You can I don't see anything on that palette that scares me. So that's my dart board you guys picked out.

Dart board putting [laughter] that with the I don't know. I'd defer to Ruth. I wasn't going to bring it up. Okay, hold on. Are we still the roof? Well, it's been fixed. Motion to know Rich called. Uh Ruth, what happened with BMW? I got a call saying that we canceled them. Yes, because we are Chief Chief had already called somebody.

Oh, chief. That is not the chief's job. Yeah, because I think we'd already That made me look like a dink. The guy ordered materials. Not the chief's job. He ordered materials. Yeah, cuz I told him to replace the whole ridge vent.

Oh, you told him to replace Oh, I didn't out of that meeting last week that hired BMW having replaced the whole ridge vent. So, we had gone over and we had taken a look at it and I think that part of the problem was that Chief was not around at that point and so then Chief came back and he had already had somebody

come and take a look at it. I wish he would have communicated that out. That would have solved a little problem. But yeah, cuz that's why that's why Rich said, "Well, who do we call?" Call B&W. I said, "Yeah." And then he asked you if we needed to do anything. No, go ahead. So, we did that and that's just kind of

Yeah, he's cool. He'll use the ridge vent. It's just I'm he's looking I'm looking at I don't know what you're talking about, man. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to waste your time [laughter] cuz he was up there on the ladder measuring it and getting the materials and then

and he was going to do it that day and we called him that day and said, "Hey, don't bother after you picked up the materials and stuff." I didn't know he was going to do something so extensive. I thought he was just going to replace

Well, it's really not that extensive. It was You were talking about ridge gap. It's Yeah, ridge gap. It comes in a roll, you roll it out. It's not It's not better than what's up there. He didn't order like 3,000 lbs of shingles or anything. It's just ridge gap and cap. So, probably two bundles of

What do you think? Uh, two bundles. Three bundles. Maybe two. Three bundles. 300 bucks. I'm sure we'll use it. All right. Do we have a motion? Motion to adjurnn. So second. All in favor? No.