Board of Selectmen Meeting, July 15, 2024

Town Beach

• Several people—mostly non-residents—were locked in at Town Beach over the weekend after the 7:00 p.m. gate closure, which required the police to come and open the gate. No one checks the beach to see if it is empty before locking the gate. At present, there are no fines for non-residents using the beach or for not leaving the beach before closing time.

• Swimline markers will be delivered soon and installed at the beach. 

• A resident pointed out that the entrance to the beach does not clearly signify that it is for residents only. Also, the sign with the rules for using the beach is not in an easily seen location.

• The water quality at Town Beach is not tested. A few years ago, the Town used to test the water, but saying the beach was closed due to poor water quality did not deter people from using the beach; instead, it just created complaints.

Budgeting

• At the end of the second quarter, all of the Town’s departments were within their budgets with the exception of the Highway Department. During the first quarter, the Highway Department used up 54% of its annual budget. By the end of the second quarter, it had used up 66% of its annual budget. While the department’s spending is now on track to stay within its annual budget, a major early winter snowstorm could easily ruin that.

Police 

• A new police officer, Seth Cornell, starts work on July 16.

• The Police Department remains understaffed.

• The new police cruiser has been delivered. It will take a couple of weeks to get it outfitted. 

Other Issues

• The board adopted a no-smoking policy on all Town property. New signs will be put up making this policy clear. 

• The board approved new inspection fees for solar panel installations: $75 for roof-mounted panels and $100 for ground-mounted panels. 

• A resident complained about how noisy the watercross event is. The resident asked if the town has a noise ordinance. It does not. Selectman Morin pointed out that noise ordinances have downsides. For example, if the town were to have a noise ordinance, it would prohibit fireworks celebrations on the lake.

[Sorry for the delay in publishing this article. I went on vacation and I came back with Covid.]

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