OTISFIELD — The Board of Selectmen on Wednesday discussed the advantages of having an electronic message sign outside the Town Office.
Selectman Rick Micklon said, “I’m not necessarily saying we push forward with this right now, but I know that the Ordinance and Policy Committee is looking at the possibility of a sign ordinance,” Micklon said. “I don’t want us to have a sign before they have an ordinance, but I also don’t want them to write an ordinance prohibiting us from doing a sign.”
He said he’s been a proponent of an electronic sign for a while, and he wants to have the discussion before making a decision.
“I want the people to talk about it and have their say, and I want to figure out what’s best for us,” Micklon said.
Chairman Hal Ferguson said he’s amenable to the idea but wants something “that fits our town.”
“I don’t want something that’s flashy or something that has bright red letters,” Ferguson said. “I’d prefer something more subdued.”
Micklon said the sign would inform residents of road conditions, among other issues.
“If there’s a tree that fell that’s blocking the road, or a car accident, we can throw up a message on the sign to let people know what they’re driving into,” Micklon said. “I bet we can come up with 20 or 30 different types of safety messages or reminders that we could put up on that sign.”
Administrative Assistant Anne Pastore said with some of the newer electronic signs, messages can be added from home.
“You don’t even have to be at the Town Office,” she said. “You can just go on your cellphone and change the message from your house.”
Micklon said officials could talk with other towns that have purchased electronic signs and see how much they spent.
In other business, the board voted 3-0 to uphold a vote by the Otisfield Volunteer Fire Department on Monday to elect Kyle Jordan to another term as chief.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Jordan said the Fire Department documented 115 calls in 2016, an increase from 83 in 2015.
“That’s almost a 28 percent increase, so we’ve been very busy,” he said.
Micklon asked Jordan whether the increase could be attributed to anything in particular.
“I haven’t gone through the data with a fine-tooth comb, but I know we saw a small increase in the number of fire calls, and a considerable increase in the amount of rescue calls,” Jordan said.
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