Board of Selectmen Meeting May 15, 2023

New concerns about the ongoing investigation of the Fire Chief & Lieutenant. Required special election not budgeted for. New equipment needed at Recycling Center. Segment of Lamprey Drive approved.

As with the prior Board of Selectmen meeting, turnout was again large, but this time was within the room’s capacity. Selectmen Bartlett and Welch were absent. The Town Administrator said that Bartlett was attending mandatory training and that Welch had a long-standing prior commitment. 

Fire Chief and Lieutenant Investigations

A large number of people in the audience were concerned that the investigation of the Fire Chief and Lieutenant that began on March 23 remains unresolved. 

Board Vice Chairman Morin reiterated that this is a personnel matter and that the board cannot discuss personnel matters with the public. The board is following the advice of the town attorney. The investigation is being performed by a professional investigator with 30 years’ experience in investigations. 

Audience members tried to get additional information. Some of the questions appear to have been based on details from a letter sent to Sandra Vilchock from the town attorney that was published on Facebook. A copy of this letter is included at the end of this article.

What criteria for our investigation of the Vilcocks are we using? - The town’s lawyer is responsible for that.

How long is this investigation going to take? - We don’t know.

How much is this investigation costing the taxpayers? -. The town does not have a figure on that yet, but when the bill comes in that will be made public information. 

Is there a reason that a written statement cannot be provided to the accused? - The Town Administrator said we can’t disclose personnel matters. Vice Chairman Morin added that that’s the job of the investigator

Why can’t the accused have legal representation when they are interviewed? - No answer.

It has been said that the complaint was anonymous. Is it anonymous or is it from someone whose name is being withheld? - No comment.

Has it been straightened out that volunteers are not employees? Selectman Shirland clarified that the restrictions placed on the Vilchocks were that they were prohibited from speaking with town employees about anything related to the investigation. They were free to interact with employees regarding their normal course of business, such as they could go to the Town Clerk to register a car. 

Staffing at Fire & Rescue

Concerns were expressed about whether Fire & Rescue was adequately staffed. Vice Chairman Morin said that all shifts were appropriately staffed. He conceded that the town has two EMTs fewer than it wishes to have, but the town has had similar staffing shortfalls in the past and has been able to deal with them, as the town is doing now.

Special Election

The state will be requiring that the town hold a special election to fill the seat vacated by Selectman Bartlett’s resignation from the House of Representatives. Supervisor of the Checklist Dee-Ann Decker and Town Moderator Dawn Fernald discussed the implications of this with the board. 

The primary will probably be held in July and the general election in September. The state will set the dates and will inform the town in a week or two. 

Dee-Ann Decker projected that the two elections will cost the town a total of $10k. In the 2023 budgeting process, funds for a possible special election had been requested to be reserved in the budget. These funds were removed from the final budget so that the town could meet the 4% tax cap. As the town is legally mandated to hold the election, the Board of Selectmen must find $10k elsewhere in the budget to fund the election. The Town Administrator was assigned to make a proposal to address this at the next board meeting. 

Recycling Center Issues

The Director of Public Works Shawn McLean said that the Recycling Center’s aluminum can flattener was broken and could not be repaired. He presented two alternative solutions. 

• Buy a trailer for $10k and use the utility truck to tow it. 

• Buy a baler for $16k. 

He recommended the baler because the utility truck is near the end of its useful life and won’t even be needed once the Recycling Center’s new backhoe is delivered, allowing the town to sell the truck. The baler will reduce the number of deliveries of recycled materials the town must make. 

Unfortunately, the baler quote that McLean presented to the board had expired. He was requested to present an unexpired quote at the next meeting so that the board could approve it. 

McLean also requested $2.8k to purchase a used 8’x20’ container to be used for tire storage. The town has not been storing tires in a way that meets current storage standards. Tires are left in the open, allowing water to get into them, making breeding grounds for insects. Current standards require that the tires be enclosed. Previous solutions for this had been discussed but they were not approved because of the expense. This used container had recently come onto the market allowing the town a much cheaper solution than was previously available. The board unanimously approved the purchase.

The board discussed the need to update the town’s Recycling Center policies, last updated in 2009, pointing out several inconsistencies between the written policies and current practices. The board requested updated figures on disposal costs for items the town currently charges residents to dispose of such as tires. The board plans to hold a public session in the near future to get public input on these policy changes.

Lamprey Drive 

At the prior meeting, the board had requested the Director of Public Works present to the board his reasons for recommending against town acceptance of the newly constructed short segment of road connecting the two previously unconnected segments of Lamprey Drive.

McLean said that the town should not accept the new segment because the petitioners failed to submit a site survey prior to construction. He recommended that the segment be considered a private road and that should not be maintained by the town.

Selectman Morin described how the creation of this segment of road improved public safety and that this section of road was approved decades ago by the town. It just hadn’t been built.

Selectman Shirland said he visited the spot and thought it was the best-constructed portion of all of Lamprey Drive. McLean agreed that it appears to be well-built, but pointed out that it had never been inspected. [Presumably meaning by an engineer, despite the board’s request to have it inspected and despite CMA Engineers being engaged by the town to inspect it, after which they submitted a report that did not include an inspection of the road.] 

Selectman Dabrio asked the Director of Public Works if he had reviewed the documentation about the construction of the road provided by the contractor showing that it met the town’s standards for the construction of roads in new subdivisions. Mclean said he had reviewed that document. 

The board voted unanimously to accept the newly constructed segment of Lamprey Drive as a town road.

Other Issues

• The board approved the $504k quote from R&D Paving based on their being the low bidder and on three letters of recommendation from surrounding towns. 

• Repairs in the Town Hall gym are proceeding on time. The location of the broken drainage pipe was identified and is being repaired. Ceiling lights are being replaced with LEDs and broken ceiling tiles are being replaced. Work should be completed by the end of May. 

Meeting video.