Select Board Meeting ~ September 23, 2025

2025-09-23 · Select Board · 1:50:16 · watch on YouTube →

The select board heard a funding request from Durham youth baseball for a batting cage, took an economic development update from the town planner and town manager, and worked through several administrative items. No vote was taken on the batting cage; the board indicated support in the range of $10,000 to $15,000 from the recreation balance but deferred a decision to the next meeting pending a check with the town's insurer about liability and a question about whether a permit is needed. Sitting as the board of assessors, it approved a $444.94 abatement for two homestead exemptions applied in error. It agreed to have name tags made for board members, discussed issuing tablets to go paperless at about $2,500 for five, and asked the town manager to prepare a November workshop on cash in lieu of health insurance with fiscal impacts at several percentage levels. The manager reported public works is still down two staff despite raising the plow driver rate to $24 an hour.

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. 4:18
   Opening, agenda change and minutes

   The meeting was called to order at 6:30 at the town office. New business item B was tabled to the next meeting because public notice is required first. There was no public comment, and the minutes of September 9 were approved.

2. 4:18
   Baseball batting cage: the quotes

   Michael Clark, president of Durham baseball, presented quotes gathered after the board asked for numbers a few months ago. Rustic Fence (?) quoted about $14,750 for a chain link cage 12 feet high, 14 wide and 60 long with a gate but no netting, which the league would have to source and install. Mainline Fence quoted about $23,410 for the same chain link structure with gates and installed top netting, and around $13,000 for a cheaper version using embedded posts with netting on the sides and top.

3. 9:46
   Siting, access and durability

   The cage would go behind the right field fence in front of the parking lot, and the chair asked that it run parallel to the right field line so it does not have to be moved when the downtown visioning work concludes, suggesting boards on the back could serve as advertising space. The netting is expected to last about eight years; chain link should last far longer. The league said it would be open for public use like the field rather than locked.

4. 14:51
   Why the league wants it

   The league has 105 children this year across six T-ball teams, two 8U teams, two 10U teams and one 12U team. With home games during the week and at weekends it is hard to fit in two practices, and a batting cage would let two teams use the site at once, one fielding and one hitting. Board members said increasing use of the space fits their aim of building more public use downtown.

5. 20:29
   Liability question

   Josh (?) said a separate 12-foot structure children could climb on raises a liability concern for the town and that due diligence is needed before any commitment. Others said they assumed it would fall under the same policy as the baseball field, which already has a taller fence. The town manager agreed to call the insurance company to verify, and the league offered to put up no-climbing signs.

6. 20:29
   Infield rehabilitation

   The league also described work quoted by Sports Field Inc of Monmouth, which specialises in rehabbing fields. The base paths and home plate were built to the wrong dimensions, and the company would realign the bases, cut the infield edges, deal with the weed growth and add top dressing to improve drainage. It would not be needed every season once the bases are set.

7. 26:11
   How much the town should contribute

   The recreation balance stands at $21,242, and the only two requests against it in recent years have been baseball and the snowmobile club, traditionally $2,500 a year. The chair proposed earmarking $15,000 specifically for a galvanised chain link cage rather than a netting-only structure, with an understanding that the league would not come back for the annual $2,500 for several years. Deb (?) said she would be more comfortable with $10,000 given the budget outlook.

8. 31:15
   Whether the fund is sustainable

   Josh pointed out that no money goes into the recreation account annually; the $2,500 comes out of it, so continuing to draw on it will empty it in a few years, and he asked for a realistic plan for refunding it, noting new tax bills are coming in about two years. Others replied the money is already budgeted and the choice is whether to spread it over a decade at $2,500 a year or make a single larger investment benefiting about 100 children.

9. 36:35
   Batting cage deferred

   The board took no vote. It asked the town manager to check the liability position with the insurer and whether a permit is needed, asked the league for a firmer quote on top netting, and put the item on the next meeting's agenda. Any motion would specify the money is for the batting cage and infield work specifically, possibly paid once construction has started.

10. 41:57
    Board of assessors: homestead abatement

    The board convened as the board of assessors and approved an abatement of $444.94 on Map 8 Lot 16 for two homestead exemptions that had been applied in error. The general assistance maximums had been tabled to the next meeting, and the board then exited the board of assessors.

11. 41:57
    Economic development: grant applications

    The town manager reported that GPCOG has applied for two grants on Durham's behalf, one for $75,000 and one for $20,000, looking at alternative energy and agriculture and how the two might be combined. If the grants come through, consultant support is embedded with GPCOG staff; if not, the town would have to budget for professional help in the next budget. Both he and George Thebarge (?) said the town cannot run an economic development committee on existing staff time.

12. 47:22
    Where economic development could happen

    George Thebarge (?) described the area along the power line corridor where the battery storage system was proposed, which already has gravel pits, wood processing businesses and the KOA campground, and relatively little residential development. Durham has no public water or sewer, but it has two major corridors, power lines and a sand and gravel aquifer that could supply a semi-public water source for agriculture or greenhouse operations such as lettuce growing, which would generate more tax revenue than field agriculture. He said integrating natural resource industry with energy should score well with the state.

13. 52:36
    Timing and the comprehensive plan

    Members said the work would feed directly into the comprehensive plan update, with a 2028 timeline. They noted the value of a professional facilitator, drawing on the recent experience with GPCOG, and said an economic development committee without staff support would spin its wheels. George Thebarge (?) warned that development takes a year or two to reach the point of generating tax revenue, so delay in starting compounds.

14. 57:44
    State of the energy market

    Asked whether energy projects are slowing, George Thebarge (?) said a planning board member who works in the solar industry reported that federal support has pulled back but projects are not being abandoned, only refinanced and delayed, since the developers are part of a global energy capital market. He said the state administration is aggressively pursuing alternative energy, which is why the larger grant application targets one of those programmes. Members noted other towns had systems in place and moved faster on battery storage proposals than Durham.

15. 1:03:06
    Interim steps and committee timing

    George Thebarge (?) said Christina Egan (?) had indicated about $10,000 of economic development funding may be available in the interim, which would pay for a staff person from GPCOG, and that some agricultural committee members have contacts at the state departments of agriculture and economic development. The board agreed forming the committee now would be premature and would lose volunteer momentum, and asked the manager and planner to keep developing the plan.

16. 1:08:22
    Going paperless

    The chair proposed issuing tablets to board members so agendas and linked documents replace printed packets, with devices tied to the role rather than the person and kept at the town office in a charging box. Staff research put the cost at under $2,500 for five Apple tablets plus the charger. Staff said preparing and printing packets takes 25 to 30 minutes a meeting; there is no money in the current operating budget, so it would come from year-end funds or the next budget.

17. 1:13:26
    Board member name tags

    Deb (?) raised having name tags so board members can be identified at community events. Staff found kits that can be produced in-house with the town emblem, name and title, in metal or plastic. The board agreed to ask staff to produce them.

18. 1:18:57
    Cash in lieu of health insurance

    The town budgets each position with a full family insurance plan, and employees who decline coverage currently receive $1,200. The HR consultant recommended 50% of the single-insured rate, which members put at roughly $8,500, a large increase with a budget implication that could not be absorbed this year. Four current employees do not take the insurance.

19. 1:24:14
    What the workshop should cover

    The chair asked the town manager to bring a workshop showing the fiscal impact at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50%, past trends on how many employees would have taken it up, and the effect if every employee switched at open enrolment. Members framed it as a recruitment and retention question, with public works vacancies in mind.

20. 1:29:34
    Disagreement over scope

    Josh (?) said this is one narrow issue, that people are unlikely to be leaving over $8,000, and that time would be better spent on the wage table and on identifying the root cause of hiring and retention problems. The chair replied it is an and rather than an or, that the item comes from the draft employee handbook the board has to approve, and that other recommendations can be added. The board agreed to ask the HR consultant whether there are other retention items to address, and to hold the workshop in November with the aim of resolving it by December.

21. 1:34:41
    Manager report: public works staffing

    Public works remains down two people. About three weeks ago the vacant truck driver and plow rate was raised from around $21.73 to $24 an hour, which meant existing staff with six and nine years of service had to be moved to about $26, and there have still been no applicants. The manager said $24 is in line with starting municipal CDL pay in the region and the shortage is not specific to Durham, with private employers and CDL rules both affecting the applicant pool.

22. 1:39:42
    Manager report: other items

    Paving is underway on a town road, expected to take two or three days depending on weather. An employee training and recognition lunch with fire extinguisher training is set for the following day from 11 to 1. The town office will close on October 8 so all three office staff can attend the Maine Municipal Association convention in Bangor. Northeast Wildlife Services will carry out the bat remediation within the next fortnight.

23. 1:45:26
    IRS penalty

    The town manager reported the IRS is proceeding with a penalty over payroll filings that were not completed while the town was short-staffed. After a long call he was told to file a Form 843 requesting abatement of the penalty for reasonable cause, which he completed and returned the same day with the supporting package. The town now uses a payroll service.

24. 1:45:26
    Consent agenda and upcoming meetings

    The consent agenda was approved. Planning board meets October 1 and the agriculture committee October 21 at 7 p.m. at the Eureka Center. The town office is closed October 8 for the MMA convention and Monday October 13 for the holiday. The next select board meeting is October 14 at the fire station at 6:30 to discuss the budget process, and October 28 will cover the conservation commission's open space plan update and a communication policy. An executive session on a personnel matter was noticed at the end.

What was decided

• 4:18
  Table new business item B until the next meeting because public notice is required firstpassed
• 4:18
  Approve the minutes of the September 9 meeting as submitted; moved by Deb, seconded by Joshpassed
• 36:35
  Funding for the baseball batting cage and infield work. No motion was made; the board indicated support in the range of $10,000 to $15,000 from the recreation balance and put the item on the next meeting's agenda pending an answer from the town's insurer on liability and a check on whether a permit is requiredtabled
• 41:57
  Move into the board of assessors; declared unanimouspassed
• 41:57
  Approve an abatement of $444.94 on Map 8 Lot 16 for two homestead exemptions applied in errorpassed
• 41:57
  Exit the board of assessorspassed
• 1:13:26
  Ask staff to produce name tags identifying select board members; agreed with no objectionpassed
• 1:24:14
  Ask the town manager to prepare a November workshop on cash in lieu of health insurance, showing the fiscal impact at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% of the single-insured rate, past take-up trends, and the effect if all employees switched, with the aim of resolving it by Decemberpassed
• 1:45:26
  Approve the consent agenda; moved by Joshpassed

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

• 26:11
  The town's recreation balance is $21,242 and nothing is added to it annually. The batting cage options range from about $13,000 to $23,410, and the board discussed committing $10,000 to $15,000 in place of the usual $2,500 a year to baseball for several years.
• 41:57
  GPCOG has applied on Durham's behalf for two grants, one of $75,000 and one of $20,000, to fund economic development work on alternative energy and agriculture. If neither is awarded, the town would have to budget for a consultant in the next budget.
• 1:18:57
  The HR consultant has recommended paying 50% of the single-insured rate as cash in lieu of health insurance, which members put at roughly $8,500 against the $1,200 paid now. A workshop is set for November with the aim of settling it before budget season, by December.
• 1:34:41
  Public works is still two people short. The vacant plow and truck driver rate was raised about three weeks ago from around $21.73 to $24 an hour, which required moving longer-serving staff up to about $26, and there have still been no applicants.

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

Elsewhere

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