FARMINGTON — Selectmen Tuesday night, Aug. 8, appointed Stephen Eldridge of Monmouth as interim town manager.
Stephen Eldridge of Monmouth was to start Thursday, Aug. 10, as Farmington’s interim town manager. He is seen in 2015 after having been named town manager of Vinalhaven. Submitted photo
Following a closed door session at the July 25 meeting, selectmen voted to reopen the search for a new town manager after a candidate withdrew for personal reasons during negotiations.
Cornell Knight of Carrabassett Valley was hired as interim manager in February following the unexpected resignation of Town Manager Christian Waller earlier that month.
Eldridge is a retired town manager, Knight said. “His last fulltime gig was for the Town of Berwick, he was there six or seven years,” he noted. “Previous to that he was manager in Lisbon, Rumford, Vinalhaven and Etna. He has a masters in public administration, has done interim stints in Bethel. Most recently he just finished last month in the Town of Winthrop.”
Knight said he has known Eldridge for years.
Eldridge will be paid $600 a day, pro-rated for the amount of time served. Knight said he assumed time sheets would be completed for the hours worked.
There is a clause in the draft agreement stating either party can cancel after two weeks, if Farmington’s manager search goes longer than Eldridge wants, Knight indicated.
Eldridge will start Thursday morning, Knight will spend the morning bringing him up to speed, will be available afterwards if needed.
Applications for the town manager position are due Aug. 17. The search will probably take a couple of months.
Selectmen also authorized requests from the Police and Fire departments.
Police Chief Kenneth Charles was given permission to enter an agreement with Franklin County Agricultural Society to provide police services during Farmington fair.
According to the agreement, “Farmington Police Department will be reimbursed for all associated costs to performance of the coverage. The exact cost of the detail will be provided at the time of billing. Payment for services will be paid no more than two weeks following the conclusion of the fair. Based on the current schedule of 290.5 hours, the cost of the 2023 season is estimated at $17,116.62.”
There is an overnight component, depending on the activities and fair organizer preferences there may be a couple extra officers, Charles noted. It can be negotiated, he added.
Charles was also authorized to sell a utility trailer his department obtained through the military transfer program. He suggested the sale could help offset costs of upcoming vehicle purchases.
“It really never got used, it’s in fantastic shape,” Charles said. “The generator works great. It was essentially set up as a classroom. It’s just an all enclosed standard gray painted utility trailer. The unique part is the motorized awning.”
Charles initially proposed finalizing the sale through municibid.com, an online auction service that had been used for prior sales. Listing it on the town website would be easy to do, he noted when asked.
Fire Chief TD Hardy was permitted to put the 2010 F-150 out for bid after the low bid for a new utility pickup truck was approved.
Specifications for the new truck were sent to six companies, three bids came back, Hardy said.
The company, location, model and price were:
• Ripley & Fletcher Ford, South Paris, 2024 Ford F250 Crew Cab for $60,752.72
• Ripley & Fletcher Ford, South Paris, 2023 Ford F350 Crew Cab for $60,318.34
• Hight Chevrolet, Farmington, 2024 Chevrolet 2500HD Crew Cab for $50,692.99
“Hight is the best deal, would have to order the truck,” Hardy noted. There is a two to four month delivery time, the same for the Ford 2024, he stated. There might be a few minor costs to change models, most gear to outfit it will be taken off the 2010 truck, he added.
Selectman Joshua Bell said he was pleased a local dealership was getting the bid.
Hardy said he would use previous advertising methods to sell the 2010 pickup.
Proceeds from the sale of that truck will go into the Fire Department Vehicle Reserve Account. There wasn’t a lot of interest in a trade-in, Hardy noted.
In other business, selectmen voted to send out a request for legal services. It will be posted on the town’s website, the Maine Municipal Association site’s notice board and Knight may contact firms he knows that have municipal departments.
Current town attorney Amanda Meader has given 45 days notice, proposals will be due Aug. 29, Knight said.
Knight also said Public Works Director Phil Hutchins is having some trees cut along Fairview Cemetery. Hutchins tried to get the work done last year, there were no contractors available, Knight said.
“The reason is some hazard trees have been falling on High Street, last year one fell during fair week,” Knight noted.
“One-third of the trees are already gone from the cemetery,” Selectman Dennis O’Neil said.
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