Select Board Meeting ~ October 8, 2024

2024-10-08 · Select Board · 43:20 · watch on YouTube →

Regular Select Board meeting of October 8, 2024, with Joe Roy excused. The board reordered the agenda so the fire chief could speak early, took public comment, and voted to sign a letter supporting a permanent seasonal warming centre in Brunswick that Durham residents would be able to use. The president of the Sawyer Durham Cemetery Association asked the town to accept conveyance of the private cemetery; the board took no vote and asked the town manager to return in December or January with a cost estimate so it could decide whether to put an article on the town meeting warrant. The Conservation Commission reported it is reapplying in December for an open space planning grant it failed to win in March. The board also heard that absentee voting was under way, went into executive session on election appointments, and afterwards took votes on those appointments without stating the result on the recording.

No written minutes could be matched to this meeting. The transcript records that the speaker changed but never who was speaking, so any name attached to a statement below is inferred from context and is marked (?).

What was discussed

1. 1:23
   Opening, quorum and agenda change

   The chair opened the October 8, 2024 meeting, noted a quorum with Joe Roy excused and out of town, and led the pledge. The agenda was changed to move the Brunswick warming shelter letter up to immediately after public comment so the fire chief could be heard before he might be called out.

2. 1:23
   Public comment

   A resident of Brookside Drive (?) said she had emailed the town manager that day asking whether the town office could open on a couple of Fridays before the election for in-person voting. She also said members of a steering committee had been told notes and materials would be circulated and had heard nothing for roughly two months.

3. 1:23
   Letter of support for a Brunswick warming centre

   The chair and the fire chief explained that Brunswick and partner towns asked Durham to support a funding request to acquire and develop a permanent home for a seasonal warming centre. It opens when temperatures reach 10 degrees or colder, is overnight only, and would be available to Durham residents; no Durham money is involved. Durham would still open the Eureka Center or the fire station in a storm.

4. 6:52
   Conveyance of the Sawyer Durham Cemetery to the town

   Deb Larrabee (?), president of the private Sawyer Durham Cemetery for 18 years, asked the town to take over the cemetery, saying the volunteer committee and its funds have run down. She said the cemetery was formed in 1918, incorporated as a nonprofit in 1919, holds at least 12 veterans' graves, was advertised for conveyance and sat with the town clerk for 30 days with no objection, and that its perpetual care funds would come with it.

5. 12:05
   Questions on the cemetery conveyance

   Board members asked where the cemetery is (on Route 136, across from the ball fields), how many of Durham's 26 cemeteries the town already keeps, and whether space remains for burials. Deb Larrabee (?) said the older front section is largely full, the back section has room for casket and cremation burials, and that she has a survey, deed and cemetery map recorded at the registry of deeds. She said the gate closes December 1 for the winter, the fall cleanup is already paid for, and she would stay in charge until the town votes.

6. 17:29
   Historic District Commission table at the November 5 election

   The chair said a table at the polls is not something the board approves, but reminded that no buttons, hats or shirts may be worn into the voting place and that nobody at a table should be campaigning. Future requests should go to Devin (?) so space and tables can be arranged.

7. 22:43
   Conservation Commission open space grant

   Roberta Brzezinski (?) and Jess Costa, chair of the Conservation Commission, reported that the town's March application for an open space grant under the Community Resilience Partnership was not approved and that the state gave feedback on where it fell short. They are resubmitting in December with help from GPCOG and are working with FB Environmental, and asked whether a consultant scope of work can be attached given bidding rules. The chair said the town's practice is that work under a threshold does not have to go out to bid and told them to confirm with the town manager.

8. 27:50
   Clerk and board member reports

   The town clerk reported absentee voting under way and roughly 400 absentee ballots processed. Deb (?) reported meeting a GPCOG representative about the services it offers. Heather (?) asked who chairs the steering committee raised in public comment and asked that the board's action item list become a standing agenda item; the chair said a general status discussion every meeting would be too much and that she should request it through the town manager.

9. 32:59
   Consent agenda, upcoming meetings and election appointments

   The chair mentioned an article on the difficulty of hiring and keeping town managers ahead of a coming discussion of the town manager's year, and the consent agenda was moved. Upcoming meetings listed were an executive session Thursday at 6:30 at the Town Hall, the solid waste committee October 21 at the Eureka Center, the next Select Board meeting October 29, a planning board meeting November 6 at the fire station, and a Historic District Commission meeting Thursday at the Eureka Center. The clerk then interrupted to say reappointments of an election warden, a deputy warden and an election clerk had been left off the agenda and were needed before the election.

10. 32:59
    Executive session on appointments

    The clerk asked for a short executive session to discuss the election appointments, cited as being under 1 M.R.S.A. section 405, and the board moved into it.

11. 40:47
    Votes after executive session and adjournment

    The chair said no action was taken in executive session and took a motion to amend the agenda to add the appointments, then a motion to adjourn was raised out of order. The chair said there was doubt about whether the amendment and the nominations had actually been voted on, so he retook the motion to approve the nominations for election clerk, warden and deputy warden. Board members agreed the names did not need to be read aloud in the public session.

What was decided

• 1:23
  Amend the agenda to move the letter of support for the Brunswick warming shelter to immediately after public commentpassed
• 6:52
  Authorise town manager Jerry and Joe Roy to sign letters supporting the Brunswick warming centre funding requestpassed
• 17:29
  Hold off on the Sawyer Durham Cemetery conveyance until the town manager returns in December or January with Calvin's estimate of added cost, equipment and staffing, before deciding whether to put it on the town meeting warranttabled
• 32:59
  Approve the consent agendaoutcome unclear
• 32:59
  Go into executive session to discuss the election appointmentspassed
• 40:47
  Amend the agenda to add approval of the election clerk, warden and deputy warden nominationsoutcome unclear
• 40:47
  Approve the nominations for election clerk, warden and deputy warden for the November electionoutcome unclear

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

Worth knowing

• 27:50
  The town office had processed about 400 absentee ballots for the November election by October 8.
• 22:43
  The open space grant the Conservation Commission is chasing rose from $50,000 last year to up to $75,000 this round, with the next application due in December. Durham's March application was rejected.
• 6:52
  Durham already has 26 cemeteries. The Sawyer Durham Cemetery's annual mowing budget was given as a figure the recording preserves only as "650"; the leading digits are lost, so the amount cannot be stated.
• 40:47
  The names of the election warden, deputy warden and election clerk were discussed in executive session and were not read aloud in the public session. The chair also noted on the record that it was unclear whether the agenda amendment and the appointments had actually been voted on the first time.

Motion language found in the transcript

Located by pattern matching, with no model involved: "I move that", "I'll second", "all those in favour". This is an independent check on the summary above: 3 passages of motion language, against 7 decisions summarised.

Elsewhere

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