NEWRY — Town elections will be held Monday, March 2, at the Town Office.
Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to choose a moderator, a selectman and two school board members.
Administrator Loretta Powers said Wednesday that Selectman Brooks Morton is seeking re-election in a contested race with former Selectman Jim Largess. Running uncontested for the school board seats are incumbents Bonnie Largess and Whitney Gray.
The town meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, in the Bear River Grange Hall to act on the remaining 44 warrant articles.
If all money articles are approved, voters would OK a municipal budget of $841,714, which is up $11,739 over last year’s budget of $829,975.
Powers said solid waste accounts for most of the hike. The town was over budget to Bethel, which operates the Tri-Town Transfer Station along with Newry and Hanover, “because recycling is not paying what it used to.
“And so, we upped the sanitation budget, and we hope to go to single-sort solid waste collection this year with the Tri-Town Transfer Station upgrade,” she said.
For the upgrade, selectmen recommend raising and appropriating $50,000.
Other articles include two ordinances to regulate parking and road entrances, raising and appropriating $10,000 for the Mountain Explorer shuttle service, and securing a bond to pave and improve Sunday River Road from the Monkey Brook intersection to the end of the pavement. The estimated cost of that road project is $1 million.
Selectmen recommended approving the ordinances, but didn’t make a recommendation on the two money matters.
In other municipal business at Tuesday night’s selectmen meeting, Planning Board Chairman Pat Roma asked the board to contact the town attorney for advice on plans for subdivisions that were approved but the projects weren’t finished in the time specified, Powers said.
Additionally, project engineer Joe Aloisio gave selectmen his preliminary plan to reconstruct and pave the Letter S section of the Sunday River Road. Powers said the board reviewed it and Aloisio will next bring a finalized plan to a selectmen meeting for their approval before it goes out to bid.
“If it gets approved at town meeting, hopefully, this summer the work will be done,” Powers said.
Other business matters involved finding a new bank for town business and asking Sunday River Ski Resort if it will put in some kennels for its condominium owners.
“The bank we use has been charging us horrendous fees, so we want to shop around for a better bargain,” Powers said, declining to name the bank.
As for the kennel matter, she said condominium owners rent their units and children let the family dogs outside but the renters aren’t aware of it, because they’re out skiing all day.
Powers said Newry’s animal control officer must be notified of any dogs running at large and has to drive over from Rumford to handle the matter. Selectmen asked Powers to contact the ski resort and have them address the problem.
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