CANTON — Bids were opened for several town-owned lots Thursday night.
Lot 37A, the old firehouse site, was sold to Steve Elsman for his bid of $5,137. There were no other bids for this lot.
There were no bids for Lots 38 and 39. These lots, however, are presently being used with permission by RoadSafe, which is owned by Malcolm Ray. The board voted to turn these lots over to Ray in compensation for his donated engineering work on the Staples Hill paving project.
Lot 41A had one bid from Malcolm Ray for $3,000, which was accepted.
The Village Ridge property had no bids, and selectmen agreed it would be good to break up the 41 acres into house-lot sizes and try to sell off the land that way.
The pile of granite from the old firehouse drew four bids. The high bidder was Malcolm Ray.
Board Chairman Don Hutchins had requested that all members of the board give their goals for being selectmen. They each responded in writing.
Selectman Russell Adams said he was a lifelong resident of Canton and wanted to give back to the town, as his father and grandfather had done in the past. He said he would like to focus on the roads that have been neglected and get rid of town-owned property to get it back on the tax rolls.
Selectman Brian Keene said he had lived in Canton forever.
“My family members have served on many boards in the past,” he said. “I want to bring more technology to town. I also want to keep the tax rate down and bring in younger families to town.”
Selectman Malcolm Ray said he had lived in town for 15 years, but his family history in the town dates back to 1790.
“I love Canton and I want to get stuff done — big and little things,” he said. “I also want to see more little shops come back to town as they were once. I would like to see an improvement of the tone in town. Angry politics is not productive. I’d like to get everyone in town on the same page.”
Selectman Robert Walker said he had lived in town for about 20 years. He has also served on the Budget Committee.
“I want to see plans for the future, which means putting away money for the future,” he said. “This would include a road plan, capital expenditures plan and bringing business back into town.”
Selectman Donald Hutchins said he was born and raised in Hartford and had lived all over the country, but “there is no place I would rather be than Canton.”
He had watched much of Canton businesses go up in flames and the town slowly start to die. He said he wants to bring that back, promote local businesses, improve all infrastructures and foster relationships in the town.
Hutchins asked, “Why did we do this exercise? It was to show the town who they had elected to lead the town.”
In other business, the board approved a land-use permit for the Canton Trail Riders.
The board also approved a variance for the Victoria Villa Gazebo. The Planning Board had not approved the permit, as it was too close to other property lines, but a representative from the Villa said he had visited the abutting property owners and agreed to put a privacy fence along one of the lines.
The board approved a $100 increase for the water company trustees, a total of $300. No increase had been given since 2009. Hutchins, who serves on this board, removed himself from the table during the discussion and voting process.
The entire board will be going to Maine Municipal Association’s Elected Officials Workshop in Augusta on Aug. 28. The selectmen’s meeting that was previously scheduled for that date has been rescheduled for Aug. 27 at 6:30 p.m.
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