KINGFIELD — Selectmen are asking for public support and interest in the community.
The Kingfield Days Committee must find volunteers to step up to the plate, according to board Chairwoman Heather Moody. Many older organizers have retired after years of service, but fewer younger residents have come forward to replace them. The committee works to plan the four days of parades, contests and children’s entertainment.
“If we want to keep having Kingfield Days, we need to have people helping out,” Moody said.
She also noted that the Village Enhancement Committee, headed by Cynthia Orcutt, could use some help to plan additional public parking space in the village section.
Diane and Bill Keoskie, owners of Grand Central Station, had allowed the town to use their parking lot for free. The Keoskies will continue to offer public parking spaces but would charge the town a fee and would require the town to plow the lot. John Goldfrank, owner of Longfellow’s Restaurant, had calculated at a past meeting that there are 25 parking spaces along Main Street. The Keoskies’ private parking lot added another 25 spaces for downtown customers, employees and residents.
In other news, selectmen announced that the transfer station would accept hazardous waste disposal from New Portland and Kingfield residents from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept.7.
Selectmen reviewed changes made by the 125th Legislature to the “open records” provisions of Maine’s Freedom of Access Act or “Right to Know” law. According to Administrative Assistant Douglas Marble, the new amendments took effect Aug. 30. Based on recommendations of the Right to Know Advisory Committee, the resulting legislation offers town government, the public and media some important changes.
Marble presented the Maine Municipal Association’s bulletin that highlighted the recent changes. In addition to requiring a town official to acknowledge receipt of a records request, the new law requires a town official to provide a reasonable but nonbinding estimate of the response time and to make an effort to respond within that time.
A person may copy a record in the town office during regular business hours, but town officials are not required to make or send a copy. Under the new law, a person may also request an official to make and mail a copy, but the town may establish a reasonable copying fee and charge actual mailing costs. A request for a copy need not be made in person or in writing.
The new law requires that access to a digital record be provided as a printed document or in the digital medium, at the requester’s option. Town officials are not required to provide access to a computer file if they have no ability to separate the information to prevent disclosure of confidential information.
The new law allows the town to charge up to $15 per hour after the first hour for staff time, for the cost of searching for, retrieving and compiling requested records. The old law allowed a maximum of $10 per hour. The new law also requires selectmen to appoint an employee as its public access officer to serve as the contact person for public records requests.
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