Buckfield Board of Selectmen

Jan. 8, 2019

Buckfield Municipal Building

No ambulance

What happened: Town Manager Joe Roach announced he and Rescue Chief Floyd “Chip” Richardson had decided against accepting a donated ambulance because it needed repairs.

What it means: After being checked by a mechanic, it would take roughly $6,000 in repairs to get the ambulance on the road. The now-defunct Tri-Town Rescue wanted to donate the ambulance to the Buckfield Rescue Association after Tri-Town went out of business. “We decided to not pursue that,” Roach said.

Public hearing set

What happened: Selectmen set a public hearing on the No Thru Truck Traffic Ordinance for Tuesday, Feb. 5.

What it means: Roach said a resident of Sodom Road discussed the issue with him in December. GPS sometimes sends tractor-trailers down Sodom Road, which turns into a dirt road on its way to Hebron and at times the drivers get stuck when trying to turn around.

What’s next: Roach will bring  to the Jan. 23 selectmen meeting a list of roads that could be added under the ordinance.

Town manager evaluation

What happened: Selectmen scheduled Roach’s performance evaluation for Tuesday, Feb. 19.

What it means: Roach shared the proposed evaluation procedure, which includes selectmen filling out evaluation forms ahead of the review, meeting with Roach in executive session, a member of the board submitting a summary of the evaluation for Roach’s employee file and any action needed to be taken in open session after the executive session.

Holiday contest winners

What happened: Roach announced the winners of the first Holiday Lighting & Decorating Contest.

What it means: The contest was overseen by a n ad hoc committee. Winners include Starr Bonney for Christmas Fun!, Don and Linda Cooper for The True Meaning of Christmas, Terry and Rick Foss for Classic Christmas, Tracy Gammon and Matt Dunham for Peace of Earth and Sara and Will Klotz for the 2018 People’s Choice Award.

What’s next: The contest will be held again this year.

Networking workshop

What happened: After a discussion with Roach, selectmen decided on topics for their networking workshop next week.

What it means: Selectmen want progress reports on the comprehensive plan review by the Planning Board; downtown/village revitalization efforts by the Economic Development Committee; and committee leadership meeting with Roach. They also want to discuss referendum voting. The networking workshops were set up as a way to plan for the town’s future.

What’s next: The workshop is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Buckfield Municipal Center, 34 Turner St.

Draft audit report

What happened: Roach announced the town auditor will attend the Board of Selectmen’s meeting Jan. 23 to present a draft audit. It is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Municipal Center.