PERU — The Board of Selectmen on Monday night voted 3-1 to give Selectman Dickie Powell 90 days to bring his junkyard into compliance and apply for a permit.
Powell abstained from voting; Selectman Kathy Hussey voted against granting the 90-day period.
Chairman Tim Holland told Powell, “Dickie, your junkyard is not in compliance. It’s been brought up several times in the past, and it’s been brought up recently. Basically, my thoughts are that we’ll ask you when it will be in compliance, and you give the board a timeline.”
Powell replied, “Any time you want.”
Holland made the motion to give Powell 90 days to bring his junkyard into compliance.
“I won’t need 90 days,” Powell said.
“The 90 days will give you March, April and May and give you a chance to dry everything out on the lot and take care of anything that needs to be taken care of,” Holland said.
Selectman Ed Ferland asked the board if there was anything wrong with Powell’s junkyard.
Holland replied, “Right now, I’m not the expert. The code enforcement officer is going to have to take a good look at it and figure out where it has to go. But right now, we’ve got nothing.”
Holland added that Powell’s junkyard permit initially ran out Oct 1, 2012.
Ferland asked Powell why he didn’t renew his permit in October.
“I don’t know,” Powell replied.
Hussey said she thought 90 days “is way too long.”
Holland reiterated that the 90 days will give Powell time to let his junkyard thaw out so he can get everything into compliance.
“By the time the 90 days are up, it’ll be time for him to renew it again,” Hussey said.
In other business, Town Clerk Vera Parent told the board that in light of the March 4 vote on recalling all five selectmen, she has begun looking into policies that would prepare the town for a situation where a majority of the board were voted out.
“A policy was done back in 2001, and it was adopted by the Board of Selectmen,” Parent said. “It’s a policy to create limited disbursements, in the event that more than a majority gets recalled. At least we could still do business in paying the bills.”
Powell asked Parent whether the policy was drafted by the town or adopted elsewhere.
“I don’t know where it came from,” Parent said. “It was done in 2001, so I do not know. This policy would cover the bases, to get the school paid and get the bills paid.”
Ferland suggested that Parent send an email to the Maine Municipal Association to make sure the policy will work out.
Selectman Laurieann Milligan said if the board wishes to, she could forward them a copy.
“This policy hasn’t been tried and true,” Milligan said.
Parent replied, “This is something that you kind of want to have on the books, just in case, but you hope you never have to try it.”
Holland also informed the board that due to the recall vote, the board will meet at 5 p.m. instead of 6 p.m.
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