Select Board Meeting ~ September 9, 2025

2025-09-09 · Select Board · 57:41 · watch on YouTube →

Regular Select Board meeting of September 9, 2025. The board authorized the fire department to buy a two-door, three-seat off-road vehicle for up to $30,000 from its capital reserve, and to spend the $3,888 raised by selling the town's 20-year-old rescue boat on gear for the new boat. A public hearing was held on the town's two junkyard/automobile graveyard permits, with testimony from one permit holder, and the permits were approved for signature. The board sat as the board of assessors on a property abatement, agreed two changes to the draft employee handbook, and authorized up to $10,000 from the building reserve fund to remove bats and clean up guano at the Eureka Center. The meeting closed with the town manager's report, board member reports, the consent agenda and an executive session on a personnel matter.

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. 3:15
   Call to order, agenda amendment and minutes

   The chair called the meeting to order at 6:30 with a quorum and moved the fire chief's question about the boat to the start of new business. There was no public comment, and the previous meeting's minutes were approved as submitted.

2. 3:15
   Off-road vehicle for the fire department

   The fire chief, Steve (?), reported back after being asked at the previous meeting to compare a larger machine. He said a two-door, three-seat model suits Durham because it is more maneuverable in the woods, costs less and matches the department's staffing, and he repeated the request for up to $30,000 from the fire department capital reserve.

3. 8:28
   Capital plan effect of the purchase

   Asked how the purchase would land in the 10-year capital plan, the fire chief said that, all else equal, roughly $3,000 a year would be added to the capital request over ten years, taking a $180,000 request to about $183,000, with an ambulance still the next planned purchase in 2029.

4. 8:28
   Proceeds from the sale of the old rescue boat

   The fire chief said the 20-year-old boat, originally granted by the Stephen King Foundation more than 20 years ago, sold for $3,888, and that he had documentation from the foundation allowing the proceeds to be used to outfit the new boat. The gear listed included dry suits, rescue equipment, lighting, an ice suit, booties and a helmet.

5. 8:28
   Public hearing on junkyard permits

   The board opened a public hearing on the town's existing junkyard/automobile graveyard permits.

6. 13:49
   Testimony from a permit holder

   Lisa Person (?) said the property is a private collection rather than a business, that cars there also belong to her father, and that no fluids are stored on site. She said the fence panels Allan had asked for were bought and would be up by the weekend.

7. 19:14
   Board of assessors: property abatement

   The board moved into the board of assessors to take up an abatement submitted by Donna Hayes for map 5 lot 78 and map 3 lot 44, described as a correction where the wrong property had been transferred, with no net change in money to the town. The board then exited the board of assessors.

8. 19:14
   Employee handbook: birthday day off and clothing allowance

   The town manager, Jerry, said the HR consultant was still working on edits and a MissionSquare retirement option. The board discussed replacing the birthday day off with a third personal day, on the grounds that birthdays fall unevenly across working days, and combining the public works boot and clothing allowances.

9. 24:24
   Clothing allowance figures

   The current allowance was described as $200 for boots and $200 for clothing, though the figures were repeated inconsistently in the discussion. The board settled on combining them at $500, on the basis that quality steel-toe boots run close to $300.

10. 29:39
    Compensation in lieu of health insurance

    The board discussed a stipend for employees who decline town insurance, referring to a spreadsheet of over 200 Maine towns' practices that the town manager had circulated. No decision was taken; the item was put on the next meeting's agenda for members to review the data first.

11. 29:39
    Policy for the town's text alert system

    A board member said there had been complaints about the use, or lack of use, of the alert application and that no policy appears in the handbook. The chair said he had a draft policy to forward so the board could adopt something in writing and point residents to it.

12. 34:52
    Bat infestation at the Eureka Center

    The town manager reported that bats are in the building and that a cleaner had found two dead bats. Northeast Wildlife Services quoted about $2,200 to install one-way doors so the bats exclude themselves, and about $6,500 to clean up the accumulated guano; Calvin was to seek further quotes.

13. 40:26
    Whether to keep spending on the Eureka Center

    A board member said the building also has a foundation and water problem and questioned spending on a band-aid. The chair said that if the remediation were not funded his next motion would be to close the building to public use, citing CDC guidance that a bat in a room with an unaccompanied minor counts as a rabies exposure.

14. 40:26
    Town manager's report

    The county commissioners voted down the sheriff's office item, so the planned presentation on the numbers is moot. The town manager said the town owes the county treasurer $800,000, that interest does not start until November, and that he is about 95 percent sure the town will not need to use its tax anticipation note. Two people have filed nomination papers for the select board seat.

15. 45:26
    Correspondence on crisis-line signage

    The town manager read an email from Richard Merrill of the fire department, writing on behalf of Sons of the American Legion/AMVETS members, offering to pay for signs carrying a crisis line number at the Runaround Pond boat launch and other town properties, following a suicide at the boat launch.

16. 45:26
    Board member reports

    The chair reported an invitation to the annual meeting of select board chairs with the RSU 5 board in Freeport on December 3 at 6:00 p.m. Josh relayed a question from the solid waste committee about whether to seek public comment on transportation before or after briefing the select board; the board's view was that it should be briefed first.

17. 50:26
    Communications brief and consent agenda

    Rebecca (?) said she is preparing a brief on social media engagement to circulate before the October 28 meeting. The consent agenda was approved and upcoming meetings were listed, including the select board on September 23 (economic development and the insurance question), October 14 (budgeting process) and October 28 (open space plan update).

18. 50:26
    Notifying Eureka Center users about the bats

    The chair said groups booked into the Eureka Center should be told about the bats and the guano awaiting remediation so they can decide whether to use the building. A board member asked whether the fire chief should determine the building is safe first.

19. 55:35
    Executive session

    The board voted to go into executive session on a personnel matter at 7:21.

What was decided

• 3:15
  Amend the agenda to take the fire chief's boat question at the start of new businesspassed
• 3:15
  Approve the previous meeting's minutes as submittedpassed
• 8:28
  Authorize the fire chief to purchase an off-road vehicle not to exceed $30,000, funded from the fire department capital reservepassed
• 8:28
  Approve spending the $3,888 in proceeds from the sale of the old rescue boat to outfit the new rescue boatpassed
• 8:28
  Open the public hearing on the junkyard permitspassed
• 13:49
  Close the public hearing on the junkyard permitspassed
• 13:49
  Approve the two junkyard permits for the chair to signpassed
• 19:14
  Approve the abatement submitted by Donna Hayes for map 5 lot 78 and map 3 lot 44outcome unclear
• 29:39
  Amend the employee handbook to add one personal day, strike the birthday day off, and combine the public works boot and clothing allowance at $500passed
• 40:26
  Authorize up to $10,000 from the building reserve fund for bat exclusion and guano cleanup at the Eureka Centerpassed
• 45:26
  Allow the town manager to work with the group offering crisis-line signage on wording and locationsoutcome unclear
• 50:26
  Approve the consent agendapassed
• 55:35
  Go into executive session on a personnel matterpassed

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

• 34:52
  Bats are living in the Eureka Center roof. Quotes were about $2,200 to exclude them and about $6,500 to clean up the guano; the board authorized up to $10,000. The chair said that without the work the building would have to close to the public as a rabies concern.
• 40:26
  The town owes the county treasurer $800,000. Interest does not begin until November, and the town manager said he is about 95 percent sure the town will avoid borrowing on its tax anticipation note, with the balance otherwise dropping to around $76,000.
• 45:26
  A person took their life at the Runaround Pond boat launch. Richard Merrill of the fire department wrote offering to pay for crisis line signage there and at other town properties.
• 24:24
  Public works clothing and boot allowances were combined and raised to $500, and staff gain a third personal day in place of the birthday day off. The chair noted these take effect with the next budget.

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: 9 passages of motion language, against 13 decisions summarised.

Elsewhere

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