MINOT — Selectmen on Monday learned that the Center Minot Grange No. 266 is disbanding and that Grange members have voted to donate funds remaining in its accounts to the Arthur Harris Scholarship fund.
Selectman Eda Tripp, who is a member of the Center Minot Grange, told the board that the Grange agreed that Arthur Harris Scholarship fund was a fitting use of money that had been raised to benefit local causes.
Tripp noted that members would like to see if the title of the fund could be modified to reflect the addition of the Grange’s donation, possibly renaming the fund “the Arthur Harris/Center Minot Grange Scholarship.”
“That way, the name of the Center Minot Grange wouldn’t be forgotten,” Tripp said.
Selectmen voted to accept the $2,500 donation and add it to Arthur Harris Scholarship fund.
The board also agreed to contact members of the Harris family to see whether the addition to the fund’s title was acceptable.
In a letter from State Plumbing Inspector Brent Lawson to Town Administrator Arlan Saunders, the board learned that the town’s code enforcement officer, Ken Pratt, had acted appropriately when he determined that he couldn’t issue the Wedding Barn permits for internal plumbing.
“We should not issue any permits for the Wedding Barn until they become compliant,” Saunders told the board.
Selectman Dean Campbell noted that, because the Wedding Barn was place for public gatherings, the rules are a little different and that Lawson had clearly ruled that the structure of the Wedding Barn, which lacks a septic system, couldn’t be used.
“These are permits issued by the state, not the town,” Campbell said. “He can set up a tent, but he can’t use the inside of the building.”
In this regard, Lawson’s letter to Saunders reads: “This structure is presently not suitable for licensing. The Wedding Barn has not met the sanitary requirements for regulated means of sewage disposal and the requirements for the internal plumbing, specifically permits for installation and restroom facilities.”
Highway Supervisor Scott Parker reported that his crew has finished ditching on Death Valley Road and everything is now set for paving. He said paving should begin either this week or next, depending on the weather. In addition to Death Valley Road, Marston Hill Road is the other major road scheduled for paving.
Selectmen also approved signing a contract for 800 tons of salt for winter roads through the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments salt bid. This year’s bid is for $55 per ton, which is 10 percent higher than last year, but still about $7 per ton less than the estimated MDOT bid.
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