Buckfield Board of Selectmen

Nov. 20, 2018

Municipal Center

Comprehensive Plan

What happened: Selectmen tasked the Planning Board to review the Comprehensive Plan and the Economic Development Committee with narrowing the scope of downtown revitalization.

What it means: These tasks came from last week’s idea-sharing workshop with selectmen and committee members. Town Manager Joe Roach will work with the Planning Board to review the Comprehensive Plan, which was penned in 2006 and needs to be updated. Selectmen also approved the Committee Leadership Pilot program, where a delegate from each committee will meet with Roach regularly and the program will be reviewed in six months.

What’s next: The Comprehensive Plan review will take place over the next 16 months and regular updates will be given to selectmen. The goal is to present the updated document to voters at the annual town meeting in June 2020.

Committee workshop

What happened: Selectmen set their third workshop with the town’s committees for January.

What it means: The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, at the Municipal Center, 34 Turner St. This is part of planning for the town’s future, and committee members can give updates and weigh in.

Sidewalks

What happened: Roach told selectmen no one submitted a bid for plowing sidewalks so the town will rent a machine.

What it means: The sidewalks have been cleared recently by town trucks. The company the town has contracted with in the past, Northland Holder, had trouble finding someone to run the machine. Public Works employees will operate the machine after each storm.

What’s next: Roach will finalize the rental agreement this week.

Winter Sand Policy

What happened: Selectmen approved the updated winter sand policy.

What it means: Each household is allowed two, five-gallon buckets of sand per storm.

What’s next: Roach will post a laminated copy of the policy to the outdated sign in front of the sand pile, which is covered by the washed-out culvert from Shed Hollow Road, at the Public Works facility on Route 117.

Tree lighting

What happened: Selectmen will attend the annual tree lighting before their regularly meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, in front of the Municipal Center. The event is presented by the Beautification Committee.                       

January meetings

What happened: Selectmen changed their January 2019 meetings to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 6 and 22, at the Municipal Center because the first meeting was originally scheduled for New Year’s Day.