DURHAM – Selectmen decided Tuesday night to hold a special town meeting in early September to vote on a snow-removal contract, Comprehensive Plan amendments and 10 other articles.
Speaking on behalf of the Comprehensive Plan Committee and the Ordinance Committee, Selectman Terry Kirk said he had polled a majority of both panels and they favored holding the meeting after school starts.
The meeting was to have been held July 30, but was postponed at the last minute when it was discovered there was a flaw in the posting of the warrant.
Chairman Wesley Bennett proposed holding it Aug. 13 at the fire station.
Fire Chief Bill St. Michel said he had hoped the meeting would be held in August so he could get approval to buy a used emergency vehicle from Yarmouth.
Kirk said committee members he talked with felt September would be much better because more people would be back from vacation.
If the meeting is held after school starts it could be held at the school gym rather than the fire station.
The fire station location could have been an issue as town officials were expecting between 100 and 150 people to attend due to the number of important articles on the warrant.
Although there is room enough at the fire station, St. Michel acknowledged there could be a problem getting equipment out if there was a fire call.
It is expected the meeting will be scheduled on a Wednesday night. Selectmen will set the date at their Aug. 12 meeting.
In other business, several sealed bids for paving town roads were opened and will be compared and reviewed. It is expected the contract will be awarded at the next meeting.
Tentatively approved, on the recommendation of Jeff Leighton of the Telecommunication Committee, was a bid from Wild Pages of Portland to set up and operate the town’s Web site at a cost of about $6,000. As the bid was in al-a-carte form, the committee will be able to select what they want. The $6,000 is a one-time set-up payment that comes from franchise fees paid by the town’s cable TV provider, Suscom, not tax dollars, Leighton noted. He expects to have a contract ready for final approval at the next meeting.
The annual certification in the amount of $61,320 for local road assistance from the state was approved. Kirk noted it was less money than he expected, commenting that lawmaker’s “didn’t raise taxes in Augusta, so we have to raise the property tax instead.”
Downeast Energy’s low bid of 99.9 cents per gallon to provide propane gas was accepted with the provision that there are no additional charges for equipment changes because the firm replaces the current vendor who bid $1.09.
It was decided to look into the feasibility of surveying a town lot on the Swamp Road.
The personnel policy was tabled to the next meeting. No action was taken on Ernest Jewett’s junkyard license as it was deemed incomplete.
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