TURNER — Residents rejected a proposed amendment to the ordinance regulating solar farms and instead approved a 180-day moratorium Saturday during the annual Town Meeting.
The five-page amendment would have specified where and how solar farms can be built in residential areas. Few expressed why they voted down the proposed ordinance, however one man said the five-page document left many of his concerns unaddressed.
The amendment will return to the Planning Board for reconsideration. A member of the board told residents that not one person attended a recent public hearing regarding the proposal. He encouraged residents to attend a future meeting to share their opinions and concerns.
The moratorium will not impact projects which are already in development, said Town Manager Kurt Schaub. After 180 days, the Board of Selectmen may consider approving another 180 day extension so the new version of the ordinance can be voted on at next year’s annual Town Meeting.
In total, 96 voters were in attendance in the Leavitt Area High School cafeteria for the annual Town Meeting. Four of the 52 articles on the warrant were rejected, including the proposed solar ordinance.
Voters approved the $3.6 million spending plan, a 9% increase over this fiscal year’s $3.3 million budget. The estimated tax impact was not available.
Turner Fire/Rescue Chief Lisa Bennett answers a resident’s question Saturday about the department’s equipment fund request during Turner’s annual Town Meeting at Leavitt Area High School. Vanessa Paolella/Sun Journal
The town received 129 votes in its municipal election Friday. Peter Ricker won the only contested election for a three-year term on the Maine School Administrative District 52 board of directors with 90 votes. Current director Tammy Fereshetian, however, will remain on the board after winning the one-year term as a write-in candidate with 27 votes.
Ricker has previously served on the board, but left six years ago when his son entered high school. In a conversation Saturday, Ricker said he didn’t run with any one issue in mind, but he hopes to increase opportunities for students, especially those with B or C averages who he said are often left behind.
Warren Hood will remain on the board of selectmen for another three years after winning an uncontested election with 110 votes.
Incumbent Megan Ricker and Susan Shaw each won three-year terms on the Budget Committee. Elizabeth Bullard will also serve a one-year term on the committee. Both Shaw and Bullard were write-in candidates, with 7 and 2 votes, respectively.
An article which would have delayed the start of a newly elected MSAD 52 director’s term to July 1 soundly failed. Currently, Turner directors join the board immediately after an election is held.
Jessaka Nichols, vice chair of the board, said the article would have aligned Turner’s terms with those of Leeds and Greene. Fereshetian said she supported the article because it would mean that new directors aren’t joining the board in the middle of annual budget discussions.
Residents rejected two other articles that would have authorized the town to sell the former Natural History Club property at 442 Turner Center Road, the property next to the historic town office, and deposited the revenue into the Leavitt Institute Building Fund.
The former Natural History Club property at 442 Turner Center Road was the focus of a warrant article Saturday during the annual Turner Town Meeting. Selectmen say the building would be too costly to repair and will eventually need to be torn down. Vanessa Paolella/Sun Journal
Numerous people said they felt it would be a waste to sell the property in the heart of Turner Village. Many said they would like to see the property turned into a public green space.
Last year, voters authorized the town to sell the former Natural History Club building, however Board of Selectmen Chair Kurt Youland said no one was interested in purchasing it.
Youland and other selectmen said the building would need to be torn down if the town intends to do anything with the property. The aging building has a poor foundation and needs a new roof, both of which would cost the town far more than it is willing to spend, he said.
Residents voted in line with selectmen every time their recommendation diverged from the Budget Committee, except regarding whether to appropriate funds for the Pond Conservation Reserve.
Selectmen suggested no appropriation, because the fund currently has $4,000 in it. The town ultimately approved an additional $2,000.
The meeting was moderated by Vern Maxfield of Norway, the town manager of Woodstock.
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