Oxford Board of Selectmen
Aug. 3, 2017
Oxford Town Office
Town Manager
What happened: Selectmen Chairman Scott Owens announced the board hired Butch Asselin of Houlton as the permanent town manager.
What it means: Asselin will be paid $78,000 a year. Oxford has been without a permanent town manager since Derik Goodine abruptly resigned in November 2016. Rebecca Lippincott, who is the town’s finance clerk, was named interim town manager in December 2016.
What’s next: Asselin will begin work Aug. 21.
Deal
What happened: Town officials and the town’s sewer engineer struck a deal with local developer Chuck Starbird after a wastewater treatment pump station was built at least 3 feet into an easement and right of way on his property, causing a number of problems.
What it means: The pump station is off of King Street. The town and Starbird will swap land, and the town with pay roughly $9,000 to cover connection work Starbird paid for. The money will come from the sewer account. The Fire Department will see if an engine can turn around on the road leading to his subdivision at the former woolen mill and either sign off on it or the town Public Works crew will move the road. Brent Bridges of Woodard & Curran agreed to pay Starbird’s $3,500 surveying fee if he could look at the work Starbird’s surveyor did, along with paying for rewritten deeds.
Welchville Dam
What happened: Selectmen tabled taking any further action on the replacement of the Welchville Dam until their next meeting.
What it means: In June, selectmen hired Myron Petrosky of MBP Consulting in Portland to develop specs to replace the dam, which he reported is in imminent danger of failing. At Thursday’s meeting, they received his proposal for the dam, which is near the intersection of Routes 26 and 121.
What’s next: Selectmen will discuss the dam project at their next meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, at the Town Office.
Assessing contract
What happened: Selectmen signed an assessing contract with Maine Equalization Consultants Inc.
What it means: The contract covers the 2018 tax year and is for $33,600. The town will pay $2,800 a month to the company, which will maintain the town’s assessing records and review property assessments, building permits issued and abatement requests.
Permit/licenses
What happened: Selectmen approved a mass gathering permit for the Oxford County Agricultural Society, along with one game of chance license each for the Agricultural Society and the Norway Firemen’s Relief Association.
What it means: The mass gathering permit is for the Oxford County Fair, which will be held from Sept. 13-16. The game of chance licenses allow for the firemen’s dice game and the Agricultural Society to sell sealed tickets.
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