LIMESTONE, Maine — With summer in full swing and budget season in the rearview for the town of Limestone’s selectpeople, there were some new agenda items up for discussion during the July 16 meeting.
One of the decisions to be made at the last regular meeting was in regard to contract bids the town had put out for the refurbishing and paving of the town’s sidewalks. The town has been discussing the idea of fixing some of the more damaged parts of roads and sidewalks throughout the town for some time and has now made the decision on who will be awarded the contract to repave these spots. The board voted on and unanimously passed a motion to award the bid to Trombley Industries, a local paving contractor.
The issue of repaving arose after the board was informed that the Maine Department of Transportation would only agree to fix part of the sidewalks. According to board chair Tom Devoe, this was not the best option and hiring a private contractor would be the more efficient and beneficial way to go about the repaving process.
“If we’re going to fix them we might as well fix them right,” said Devoe.
The board also discussed at some length the hiring process that will soon be underway at the town office. Town Manager Donna Bernier will soon be retiring from her position, and along with Bernier’s departure, the board also accepted the resignation of town clerk and tax collector Vickie Evans, which left an opening for the town clerk, tax collector and deputy treasurer positions.
The town will also be interviewing for a truck driver with the town’s public works department. The board originally decided to hold interviews for the position of town clerk on July 18, while the truck driver interviews would begin on July 21. However, the interviews were moved until July 21 and 22, respectively.
Board member Marilyn King made the suggestion that, with Bernier’s inevitable departure, it may be beneficial if the selectpeople were present during the interview process for both positions. Fellow board member Jesse Philbrick reiterated King’s statement by saying that all those board members who could attend should do so, in order to make the transition as smooth as possible for all parties involved.
“I think having the board present during the interviews is something we should really think about,” said Philbrick. “It’s the only way to be fair to all the applicants, as well as the board members.”
Board members Tom Albert and Philbrick both excused themselves from being present during the interviews due to a conflict of interest with prospective candidates.
The next regular meeting of the Limestone Selectpeople will take place on Wednesday, July 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the town office.
