Harpswell Select Board Approves Docks, Fire Staffing, Hunting Policy

[0:23] Select Board Chair: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Adoption of the agenda. We good? Yep. I thought we might be. [0:45] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): We got a couple things under other business, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. [0:49] Select Board Chair: All righty. Public comment? Yeah. Don't fight. [1:00] Gary Vincent, Harpswell resident: Hi. Gary Vincent, Harpswell. In the July meeting, there was an action that had been taken, I think, with Selectman Gilly and staff to look at the timing of the next MOA or MOU with the TV station. I was wondering if anything had been taken in terms of action on that. [1:18] Town Administrator (likely Kristi Eiane): Well, we're setting up a meeting with the board member, Don Miskell, Selectman Gilly, and myself. And we're looking at doing that on Friday, October 2nd. Okay, and will that be public meeting there? That will not be that will be kind of a Staff member one select board member. We will report out at a select board meeting when we have something to report out. [1:40] Gary Vincent, Harpswell resident: The reason for bringing it up is I wonder if there's that adequate time to do the work. That's needed to be done between now and town meeting, and it was actually going to suggest that it may be another approach would be to extend the MOU through April of 2028, and then task a task gate actual committee to work on options and alternatives with the TV station. One thing would be an example of in that same meeting the discussion of broadcasting more of the committee meetings brought up, and that was a five thousand dollar investment at the same medium we spent thirty thousand dollars on the TV station. So I think there's a lot of opportunity for the town to develop a strategy with the TV station, and how we can leverage capital and leverage the ability to increase the visibility and transparency that we have as a town. I'd be glad to take a take an opportunity or take a shot at to drafting a plan to do that, and maybe even a draft warrant item for this year that would allow us to fund some research to actually understand who uses TV and how they use it, because Harpswell TV has no idea, the town has no idea how the services are used and what value we get for the hundred thousand dollars. So I think anything we do short of getting that base data is potentially wasting a lot of time and effort. So just a suggestion to go slower to go faster and actually have some data rather than this continual every time we talk about it we're gonna do it we're gonna do it we're gonna do it we're ten Years of doing it now and have never done it, so just a suggestion, thank you. I [3:36] Speaker E (unidentified): want to [3:37] Pete Nicotis, Bailey Island resident: put my timer on here, and it is not lost on me that the last two times I came to select board there were people sitting on either side of me, and now no one wants to sit there, so I feel like I need to be traveling with a security squad, but Pete Nicotis, Bailey Island, thanks very much for the opportunity to participate in public comment tonight. As I think about the fire and rescue discussion in town, it occurs to me that sometimes the discussion sort of resembles the weather pattern, right? It begins in the west, oops, and it moves east. These ideas, suggestions, and proposals all seem to start that way and kind of come over here, and my primary motive for attending tonight came out of the September 10th fire and rescue meeting. I did not have a chance to listen to the one today, so I'm current through September 10th, and at that meeting an EMT from Harpswell Neck presented his analysis of his own medical call data and concluded that municipal EMT response in the Harpswell Neck region was of no value. That phrase really jumped off the page, because, you know, even a grub has some value. I'm not sure I agree that there's of no value, and if that was the conclusion that Harpswell Neck felt that they don't need to, well, the West, I should say, didn't need to avail themselves of any town supplied services, that could have been the end of the discussion. I don't, I could be corrected, but I don't get the sense that any one of these departments has agency over the others. If that's the case, I stand corrected, and I'd have been fine if they just said, look, we just, we're in great shape, we don't need the help, which is what they said, by the way, by the end of the meeting, not just the West, but by the end of the meeting municipal EMT response has been limited exclusively to echo level calls. So it doesn't matter where you are in the town of Harpswell, if there's a 9-1-1 one call that requires a rescue response, the appropriate volunteer agency will respond. And unless it's an echo-level call, which the way it was explained at the meeting, that means chest compressions have begun, we're not going to take advantage of the resources that we're paying so dearly for. A little bit of a concern there for me. I'm a little disappointed that policy in ten minutes – and by the way, there was no report submitted. We weren't able to look. You wouldn't be able to look at anything. It was just this is our conversation and here we are that mean that may warrant a revisit. So if you look at each of the decisions and things that have happened over maybe the past six to ten years, by themselves they all kind of look pretty good and they make sense. If you string them all together, may tell a little bit of a different story, different picture. Anyhow, so we began right now the West talked the town into, because of a labor shortage, hiring two positions for five days a week, 12-hour shifts during the day, but from the jump, no EMT participation. We're paying for it, not using it. Broad terms, medical calls are about 75% to 80% of the call volume that comes into Harpswell. We're paying for 100% of it, but they restricted the EMT thing from the jump. There was a serious overnight fire, the second of two, and the West was overheard as saying, you know we're gonna have to go to seven-day coverage, which struck me as odd because quoting Ben Wallace in the anchor recently, I believe he said 13 out of 14 the number night might now be 15 out of 16, over 90% of the structure fires that have happened in Harpswell recent past are happening at night. So we've built this policy to staff during the day, we have no staff at night where there's 90%, 94% of the demand and we're telling the EMTs that we've hired you aren't going out unless the patient already has chest compressions. A lot of contradiction there. I don't know how an overnight fire triggers a discussion to expand daytime coverage from five days to seven, it just seems pointless. Gotta be careful, it was when Frank came into the discussion that they started to use things like prudence and judgment, you know if in your judgment it makes sense to roll, we go ahead and roll, and that sort of makes sense to me. Then along came, well, okay, so I'm seeing some contradiction, a little bit of arbitrary stuff, some inconsistency, right? We go to five days of municipal coverage, arbitrarily go to seven days, continue to restrict the role of EMTs. I don't understand why that's happening. All the data points to, you know, you go to a Dunkin' Donuts, they've got 13 people working at 8 in the morning, 3 in the afternoon, there's only two people in the place. We should be looking at the data. If the West wants to rely on data to eliminate the role largely of EMTs, then we should be looking at the data to staff for need for fire. All right, if we open that new building today under what we have right now, we're gonna have two people working in that building. Thankfully, they'll be there to help us with fires, no EMT coverage. That seems like a monstrous project to me for a very little gain. I don't want to get too carried away on the new building part. Suffice to say, whoops, lucky you folks. Suffice to say, with the data that has now developed and the evidence that has presented itself and the use cases that have risen since we voted for this new building, there's a fair amount of contradiction. There's a lot of arbitrary stuff in there. There's some inconsistencies. This may be a time for select board administration, fire administrator and the other stakeholders to get together and say let's take a beat and let's make sure that what we're doing here is we're building a program to what the data tells we need tells us we need not just a lot of hand waving and emotion about who wants to have a station here and who wants to do something over there. Look forward to being back here in two weeks to continue the discussion. Thank you. Anybody else? Tonight's my last night as [9:49] Speaker E (unidentified): the steward Mitchell field. So I just want to say that after I don't know 25 [10:06] Pete Nicotis, Bailey Island resident: 30 years it's been a privilege to work in the town we love what we do. We in a group of volunteers behind me take good care of the place. I had somebody walk up to me the other day and say here's my donation and he handed me a hundred dollar bill which I gave to Tina to deposit in the thing. Thanks for the privilege. I only have one thing to do it's a donor sheet. I hereby donate my tools the gloves the paint the nails the wood [10:57] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): I have to say, Dawn, I don't think Mitchell Field would be Mitchell Field without you. You've made all the difference down there. You know, I'm going to say one more time about signs. Signs. Maybe it'll come home sometime, but I'm still seeing business signs out there occasionally. And you know, years ago, those of us who have been around for a while remember that Maine made billboards illegal. They used to be everywhere, billboard signs. And so now we're seeing them in a smaller scale, these little signs that appear on the corner owners roads, and now right now it's campaign time, so you see an awful lot, I think this year more than ever, campaign signs out there. Those are allowed by our ordinance. Real estate signs are allowed, and event signs are allowed, but those little business signs are not. They there's a potential $200 fine that goes over that, so just they just and do not ever attach anything to a utility pole. Those are that's private property. You see that a lot, things are yard sale next, you know, down the road here, things like that. Don't don't do that. Anyway, that's one more time I'm trying it [12:18] Select Board Chair: good luck. Anything that nothing the town finished ready to report? Oh [12:25] Greg Toby, public commenter: climb up there. Yeah, so we can hear you now. State your name if I have. Greg Toby. Okay, I'm a total amateur at this. Just a question about that. Let's say hypothetically I got a job going on here and I put my sign out so the lumber [12:43] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): company knows where I'm going. Yeah, that's not addressed in the in the ordinance, but we've allowed that. Okay, as long as you're there working, so that you know vendors know where you are, and take the sign down, we leave. Please. Yes sir [12:55] Greg Toby, public commenter: all right, anyway thank [13:04] Town Administrator (likely Kristi Eiane): you Mr. Chairman. I didn't that Don Miskell was gonna get up and tell us it was his last night as the Mitchell Field Steward, and I do want to thank him on behalf of the staff and the town for all that you've done over the number of years that you've taken that position on. So I know you're taking that hat off, but then you're gonna offer up to meet with us and to go over the Harpswell Community Broadcasting Corporation MOU, so I really appreciate you doing that, and I look forward to [13:33] Speaker E (unidentified): working with you in that capacity. Thank you John. One of his many hats is as a board member of the [13:38] Town Administrator (likely Kristi Eiane): TV board of directors, and the other thing I'd like to just mention is the architect and the construction company right Ryan, they've been working on the town's concept drawing for the emergency services building, and it's getting to a more detailed phase now. The site location is going to be kind of up beyond the community TV station. So you would turn into community drive as if you're going to the recycling center, and you're going to take a right next to community broadcasting, and you're going to go up about 200 or 300 feet. And there's a plateau. There's a little wooded area. And that's where they're planning to site it. So in the next month or so, they plan to go before the planning board to seek permission for that location. Sure no yeah there's it's been months studying the exact location for this building I think it is we were up against some challenges with some wet areas the building is I think just under 11,000 square feet it's been pared down a bit and the construction costs are obviously coming in higher than we expected but the town has voted for six million we have applied for congressional funding from Congress in the tune of 1.5 million. So between those two revenue sources, we would be able to afford this particular building. Perhaps not with all the bells and whistles that people might want, but it's going to service the town very well. So whether or not we have the architect come and kind of talk to the board before the presentation to the planning board, I don't know if that's gonna happen, but if you want it to happen, we can make that happen. If you have any feedback that you might want to provide before that process begins or if you want to let that unfold and it will you know make its way back to you at some point yeah well I'm sure we can jump in at any point right yeah but I didn't know if you wanted a specific presentation but you can certainly watch the planning board presentation you're welcome right because [15:49] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): Right so it'll be televised and so yeah that's that would be my concern so do it at a meeting [15:55] Town Administrator (likely Kristi Eiane): Being where it's televised I just wanted you to be aware and I know the chairman's involved in that committee meeting so he's quite on top of the issues the figure we got today for this site location and for that size building is seven million now that's still with a lot of estimates about site costs because they can't pin things down at the moment but that's where we're at [16:19] Speaker E (unidentified): Thank you Mr. [16:24] Select Board member (likely Selectman Gilly): Chairman okay Mr. Chairman may I ask that you remove or let me make a comment on the actually could you remove the planning board appointment sure for a separate discussion after you adopt your consent agenda I move the [16:43] Select Board member: Consent agenda then, which is the approval of the minutes, the Planning Board resignation is still all right, correct, Main Local Road Assistance Program certification, the Main Valuation Return, the Cumberland County tax assessment, and the authorization of the warrants. Second, good job discussion. I knew you were giving me that one when I saw how long it was. [17:07] Select Board member (likely Selectman Gilly): So Mr. Chairman and Select Board, the reason why I asked that to be removed is the planner has updated us that at the last Planning Board meeting, they had a discussion, especially with the most recent resignation, the two current associates, Jim Babarski and Lori Falcone, would like to step up into a full membership. And then your new applicant, if so, agreed to by moving up the associates, then your new applicant for consideration is for an associate position. So [17:45] Select Board member: Can we act on that now based on my move that we appoint the applicant as an associate and move the other two members up to standing members or voting members, I guess would be the correct term. [18:02] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): I will second that contention on her accepting the fact that she's an alternate associate. [18:09] Select Board member: I think she had applied under the guise that she was going to be. [18:12] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): I second that. [18:14] Select Board Chair: All right, is there any discussion, all in favor? All right, Community Resilient Partnership Re-enrollment. Don't [18:27] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): fight girls, don't fight. Hi, [18:38] Margaret McIntyre, Harpswell Town Planner: Good evening, my name is Margaret McIntyre and I'm the Harpswell Town Planner. This is my first re-enrollment cycle with the Community Resiliency Partnership and so it's been a learning curve for me. But I tried to make a little summary in the memo that I sent to you. It's the partnership, it used to be the GO-PIF Government Office of something,, something, I can't remember right now, and now it's under MOCA, but basically it does – we do a lot of resiliency work and we get a lot of resiliency funding, both environmental resiliency and a lot of energy efficiency grants. Grants so we would like permission to apply to re-enroll in the partnership to do that we have to update our list of Community actions and do this self-assessment yeah it's my first time so if you guys have any feedback we're happy to hear it and if it's okay we'll re-enroll [19:44] Select Board member: I have a question about some of the strategies under strategy area A, embrace future transportation. Number two, promote the installation of EV charging infrastructure. That was discussed at length in the comprehensive plan, and we decided to remove that from the plan. So why are we going forward with it when less than 10% of the population has an electric vehicle? It doesn't seem, are we gonna build diesel and gas stations as well? I think it would be [20:17] Margaret McIntyre, Harpswell Town Planner: Only on municipal property, if we were to get funding for this. It would be only allowed to be on municipal property. We could do other, we could also apply for funding for research or studies or promotion of EV chargers, but as far as the installation of them, the grants that we apply for only impact municipal owned land. And I think Terry and I had this conversation recently about EV chargers and the whole point, and I'm not supporting them or not, but the whole point of adding EV chargers here, kind of this out of the way place, is because people won't buy EV vehicles unless there's infrastructure to support them. So the more connected places you can drive that you can charge your vehicle, that will encourage more people to feel confident in buying EV vehicles. That's just, I think, I think the state was, the state was to promote them, the state wants to promote them, so we don't have to. I'm happy to take it out. I think that it's just something that's kind of perpetually on the table for us, the energy and the Energy and Technology Committee is against EV chargers because of the elect, Howie Marshall has this whole spiel about this. When you reach this certain peak of electricity use, when you're using this EV charger, then you get charged this peak fee for the whole month, and it would significantly increase, which is why they always say no. What this is, that's why ENT always advises us against it. I'm happy to remove that and just put it in this first section of community actions completed, or weren't, say that we're not taking it off the table, we don't want to commit to working on it in the next few years. Well, there are EV chargers where [22:09] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): you use your card to, you know, you pay, you pay for the electricity, for the use of it. I can't find it right now, but I know I've read it said something that would be examined, real, it were re-examined, I think that was the word. [22:25] Margaret McIntyre, Harpswell Town Planner: Yeah, I think we're just always re-examining it as technology changes, rebates change, credits change. Well, certainly nothing wrong with re-examining it, so yeah, and Howie and the Energy and Technology Committee stay up on that sort of thing so the rest of us don't have to. I would be fine with re-examining [22:44] Select Board member: it. I just don't like the language promote. Cool, how about [22:55] Margaret McIntyre, Harpswell Town Planner: examine the feasibility? There we go, this is why you get the big box. I learned from the best, Mark Ireman. [23:11] Select Board member: Any other input? I like a lot of the other stuff, a lot of the other new stuff in there. [23:19] Speaker E (unidentified): Everything else looked really well written. Does that mean you [23:22] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): move that we reapply? Yeah, I'll move that we reapply and I will second it. [23:26] Select Board Chair: No discussion anymore, all in favor? [23:29] Margaret McIntyre, Harpswell Town Planner: Before I leave the podium, I do wanna update you on a grant that we got through this program. We applied for it, I think in August, nope, March or something. We've ever applied for a lot of them. It was for energy upgrades to the town office. We did get the grant. It included a provision. It's mostly like insulating around windows, doing storm windows, replacing some exterior doors, replacing some glass in the vestibule, so we got that grant and it did include provisions to replace a heat pump over at the TV station and that part of the grant was not approved, so we had to go back and revise the grant and take that part out but the and I don't know why they didn't give a lot feedback but they just said it wasn't supported by the grant so we took that out and then we'll [24:27] Town Administrator (likely Kristi Eiane): do the rest of the work to the town office. Do you want to indicate how much that grant is for? [24:32] Margaret McIntyre, Harpswell Town Planner: I think it's 72 000, I believe so, yeah, so that's really exciting for us and ent and resiliency both did a lot of work on that application. We also applied for a grant to replace a garrison cove boat launch through a dot grant and we did not receive that, so we're hoping to work it into budget discussions. Yeah, and we haven't heard about the lookout point. Great, yeah, any day, mm-hmm, right, thank you, work [25:10] Select Board Chair: applications good [25:20] Kelly Water, Flycatcher (wharf applicant representative): evening, I'm Kelly Water with Flycatcher, I'm here on behalf of two wharf applications this evening. The first is for David and Laura Abel of 209 Piehead Road. They are proposing to construct a residential dock that consists of a landing and stairs that connects to a five foot by 24 foot long pier, a three foot by 42 foot long ramp, and a 12 by 20 foot long float. Let's see, it will span over the upland and rockweed ledge. In the off-season, the ramp and float will be stored off-site in an upland location. No eelgrass or salt marsh will be impacted. All timber bents will be pinned to ledge. And we did have a site walk, was it last Friday, and no abutters attended. [26:24] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): So we have two of these high heads, and in the past we've been around and around about subdivisions and the requirement to use a common dock and this seems to be an issue here I would like I would like it explained so that everyone understands that this is either not a subdivision or is not considered a subdivision apparently their attorney was involved in this so I just would just to clear it up for everybody just hi [27:02] Margaret McIntyre, Harpswell Town Planner: Margaret McIntyre town planner again this did go in front of the planning board both of them did it piggybacked kind of off this application for from the hegartys i think in 2025 that was denied in part that one was denied because it was a mem it was part of high head and it had gone that lot itself to clear up a title issue had come in front of the planning board for a subdivision amendment these lots had not done that the planning board tabled it a few times tabled these applications a few times really batted it around pretty thoroughly and ultimately i think their conclusion was that there wasn't clear evidence that these lots had deeded right title and interest to a community doc and it has to do with the community doc definition and their rights to use what everyone calls the high head yacht club and whether or not that constitutes a community doc and i just don't feel it not to speak for them but i don't think that there was like that they felt like that standard had been met So ultimately the planning board approved both of them. We did talk about some ordinance amendments, but we decided to hold off until March to further develop them. Okay. [28:28] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): Okay, sounds good. [28:35] Select Board member: We're reviewing this for interference with fishing, following, and navigation, correct? Right. Is our, I have concerns with all three when it comes to fishing. In the current algae bloom that we're in, I think it's irresponsible for us to be developing anything on the shoreline. And that is the only filter system we have to filter the nutrients that this algae bloom is running off. So by getting rid of that filter system, we're only prolonging this algae event longer than it needs to be. I think we should be operating with extreme caution because our clam harvesters are already facing tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars in lost product. Lobstermen are losing lobsters. I myself have lost a couple hundred pounds in my tank over the last couple months. [29:27] Select Board Chair: That's my main concern. I don't share that concern. I don't see where that's gonna be that big of an [29:34] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): impact. Can you address that? Do you have any expertise in that area? I mean, I would agree. [29:41] Kelly Water, Flycatcher (wharf applicant representative): I don't see these two specific doc projects really impacting it as you described. I [29:55] Select Board Chair: know towns done a lot of work, planning boards done a lot of work, town planners [29:58] Select Board member: done a lot of work on these, but I mean, this algae bloom is something that came up after it was, that after the planning board approved. I don't, I don't know how [30:09] Select Board Chair: one things, anything to do with the other. Didn't cause the algae bloom. The algae [30:14] Select Board member: is feeding off the nutrients that are coming off the land. Every time it rains, the bloom gets bigger. So and the more filters we have to prevent those nutrients from any entering the water system, the better off we are. I don't [30:24] Select Board Chair: see how a town doc is gonna, what runoff is gonna happen there. The less soil and [30:31] Select Board member: plant life that there is to absorb those nutrients, the more nutrients that into the water system. Buffer you're talking, right? It's a buffer. The more buffer we have, the better off we are. I mean, I'd share this concern going forth until we at least understand how we fix the algae bloom or what its direct cause is, but we're still learning all those aspects, and I'm erring on the side of caution. [30:58] Select Board Chair: I didn't hear any complaints from our arbor master. She's a scientist. She didn't raise any concerns to me about this. [31:08] Select Board member: I'll raise mine. [31:13] Tony Simmons, Code Office: Hi, Tony Simmons of the code office. I just want to say we do have a letter from Darcy, the harbor master, saying that there was no obstruction to navigation. Now, this was signed before the bloom. Well, actually, this is signed September 21st. [31:32] Select Board member: I'm not sure when the bloom came. Okay, so that's after the bloom then. Yeah. [31:36] Tony Simmons, Code Office: She does not address it here. Right. It all had to do with navigation, but Darcy did sign off on it. [31:47] Select Board member: I think it's something, I mean, I can see the writing on the wall here, but I at least wanted to get my two cents out there. [31:58] Marine Resources Committee member / public commenter: I would like to make a comment. I serve on the Marine Resources Committee. I know it might not be directly related. However, when what is going on in the Bay right now with the with the plankton, it might, we be able to hold off at least until, you know, next season to see what is happening. I mean, they have lost so much and it's it's killing even the smallest spat that's down there that's [32:42] Select Board member: all I'm asking for is that we slow it down a little bit, wait for this to run [32:46] Select Board Chair: its course. Well, did these all three of these permits have run through the course and but the algae hasn't. No, but Darcy didn't weigh in on it, so I'm gonna make that motion. I'll [33:06] Select Board member: do actually I had, can we do just the high head ones because I had something else I wanted to talk about when the stage room one. All right, is that all right? Yep, so [33:19] Kelly Water, Flycatcher (wharf applicant representative): move forward with all right, so the second project here on behalf of Chris Muddy, proposing a recreational dock at 187 High Head Road. So this project currently have a access stairs that will be removed and we'll use that same footprint print, put a series of stairs and landings. It will connect to a pier ramp and float. The pier will be actually a piece of it will be a wooden pier that connects to the stairs and then there will be two aluminum pier sections that are 5 feet by 50 feet long. The ramp is 350 feet and the float is 12 by 20 feet long. Let's see, in the pier is long enough that the ramp will be stored on the pier and the float will be stored in the upland in the offseason and same with the other High Head project. No butters attended the site walk last Friday. [34:30] Select Board member: That's my question again, you missed it, Darcy. I have concerns permitting these dogs, you don't go up there. I brought up concerns were permitting any new docks right now with the current algae bloom that we have going on. In my mind we shouldn't be developing anything in the shoreland zone until this algae for loom is at least one it's course. We need all the buffer and that we can get to absorb any nutrients that may be coming off the land entering the water system. In the idea of developing the shoreland zone until we have a better understanding of what's causing this algae bloom and either how to slow it down or how to track it better. I would prefer to err on the side of caution and not be doing any shoreland development. I disagree. I'm [35:25] Kelly Water, Flycatcher (wharf applicant representative): In the middle, I'm waiting to hear what you have to say. Okay, this is a pretty severe event that we're experiencing. There is, I've been working a good chunk of the day getting more information and filling in some gaps on stuff. We do suspect that the large satellite image offshore is an extension of the same bloom, and with the Northeast winds that are about to come hit us this weekend, Ekman Transport, you guys can Google that to figure out how it all works, but basically Northeast winds means anything that's in the ocean gets blown directly into our coastline in Maine, the way that everything's angled. So I'm expecting that we're about to get hit with another round of an even bigger hit of the stuff that we've been experiencing, and the rain will help either. It's going to cause a lot of chaos. We don't quite know how it's all going to shake out. So a lot of unknowns, a lot of potential new and more serious damage to the to the shellfish resource, unknown at this point. I don't know that you guys have any actual, you know, criteria to decide if you wanna pause on anything. From an ecological perspective, this is a really unusual event and we really don't know how it's going to end up. So it's really in your hands how you wanna manage that. [36:47] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): I can't remember when you came in, we were proposing, there was a proposal to wait, hold off until next spring, which I don't know when the construction would start on these anyway. [36:57] Kelly Water, Flycatcher (wharf applicant representative): I believe it would be next spring. I know it would be Bob Waddle, and I think he probably would either maybe start some things in the winter, but most likely in the spring anyway. [37:11] Select Board Chair: I'm still trying to wrap my head around how these wharfs would have any impact on the bloom and how it would restrict any of the nutrients coming off the land. There's a lot. It's such a small footprint. [37:23] Kelly Water, Flycatcher (wharf applicant representative): There's a ton of moving parts right now. There's a huge number of people from all over the country that are putting all their brains towards this because it's such an unusual Event. So I would say that after the big storm comes through and we see what happens in like the week to two weeks After that, we'll have a much better idea about how things are looking and how serious it is. So, you know, within a month we may have an assessment of what's going on. We might have more information about [37:50] Select Board Chair: The best way to handle stuff. Can you explain to me what the impact would be on these works? [37:58] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): Six foot cut in the buffer [38:01] Kelly Water, Flycatcher (wharf applicant representative): Yeah, like at this point we really honestly don't know what could potentially make this worse or better. So if you want to just be purely safe and just halt anything different than what's going on now, that's an option, but I couldn't point to specific scientific evidence that says, oh well if you don't do that then you'll have this, so it's really it's a very unusual situation that [38:24] Select Board member: we're in. Could we, this might be out of our purview, but could we approve it under the agreement that construction is held off until next spring? Is that something that we can require? Even like I'd be more fine with it if we were able to do that. I'd vote to approve it. I still can't prep my [38:45] Kelly Water, Flycatcher (wharf applicant representative): header. It would be very limited soil disturbance. It is. I just can't, let me do it this way. [38:51] Select Board Chair: I think I'm going to make a motion and then we'll decide which way the board votes on it. I move to approve the application as the harbor master indicates there's no hazard navigation, no injured right to others in relation to fishing, following and navigating. [39:14] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): Now, which one of these, both the high heads, you're- Both the high heads. Okay. Yeah. I will second it for the purpose of discussion. [39:24] Select Board Chair: Any more discussion on this? Well, we vote on it. [39:30] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): All in favor? I'll vote for it, but I would like to see it held off to as much as possible till next spring. I think it probably will be anyway. Yeah. [39:44] Select Board member (likely Selectman Gilly): All right. We have another one. Do we have to say all of it? ASSUMING SELECTMAN GILLEY IS OPPOSED FOR THE RECORD. OKAY. [39:55] Select Board Chair: TIM, DO YOU WANT TO PRESENT THE NEXT ONE? TONY. TONY. ONE OF THE T'S. TIM JUNIOR. YOU'LL GET THERE. [40:14] Tony Simmons, Code Office: TONY SIMMONS, DAKOTA OFFICE. WE HAVE AN APPLICATION FOR A WARF RESIDENTIAL SYSTEM AND A four-foot access stair on what is our address here, thank you, well set back from all property lines, 75 foot wharf with a, oh trying to find all my information, 16 by 12 flow attached with a show long as our ramp here, aluminum ramp 36 wide by 36 feet long, and we seem to have no issues with the setback. The original application has been amended as you might see, I don't know if you have it on there, they originally wanted a four by eight. platform before you entered the wharf, which is not acceptable by state standards or our local standards, so that's been amended to be eliminated. There was also originally a haul-out, a permanent haul-out, that's been changed to a location further around the cove and a set of temporary rails to be laid down in the fall for the hauling of the float stored above the high water line and then removed in the spring and the rails be stored upland by the house. I [42:23] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): would think, Matt, that you would have the same objection with this [42:25] Select Board member: one i do but i have a question about this one too i'm a little confused when looking at this drawing here it shows the rate or the pier extending below the low watermark which a recreational pier isn't allowed to extend beyond the low watermark so is it below the low watermark above the low watermark where is it 's our [42:58] Tony Simmons, Code Office: our understanding on the site visit that it is above the low water mark and the ramp should lead it down below. Well, there is really not, yes, they're admittedly not a good measured drawing of exactly where it's landing there, and I think we could amend that if needed be. Am I right? Yeah, [43:21] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): yeah. Any questions? Yeah, so the next to last page has a drawing of the of the wharf basically [43:29] Select Board member: Greg Toby here again. 75 feet long, is it ending the piers and in above the correct? Okay, [43:37] Greg Toby, public commenter: yeah, I mean low water, it's about at least three feet away from the edge of the water, so it's pinned on a ledge that's not only this way but it's also up higher. Okay, away from the one I was [43:49] Select Board member: just curious because it looked like in the drawing too that I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be [43:52] Select Board member (likely Selectman Gilly): water or not. Just a documentation question though, so Tony said something was crossed out and then you summarized a different change. Is this all reflected in the file? They are not just a cross out, I mean, is this all some initial now [44:22] Tony Simmons, Code Office: if I think that was something I just came upon today and realizing that was going to be shortcoming in this presentation, so I think Greg will be happy to set us a new scope of work with a drawing that describes those changes [44:40] Select Board member (likely Selectman Gilly): that would be great. We just really need the file to be very clear, and so some cross outs and some maybe Tony understands it, but who will in ten years from now, and just we just really need it to be accurate before being permitted [44:57] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): thank you and you plan to start next spring on this or actually no I really [45:03] Greg Toby, public commenter: Want to start, I'll be out there with a headlight if I have to. This is a big job for me and I plan my whole summer around it and the DEP is taking a long time as you know and I've got other jobs that are round around and I don't schedule. I'd really like to get started on this like as soon as the weather clears up next week so and as far as impact I may, I may just create enemies here but I've earned a living for the past 15 years harvesting rockweed. I know all about impact. I also know about buffers, I know about rockweed, I know about its filtration system and I could fill the room and talk hours about it but I won't. What we're doing here there is zero impact. We're talking six by sixes going down the shore and absolutely no shoreland disturbance whatsoever, okay so [45:49] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): to ease those minds you're in a relation to Carol Toby by the way, ah great guy [45:56] Select Board Chair: Carol, all right, I move to approve the application as the harbour master indicates this no has navigation no injuries the rights of others in relation to fishing following or navigating and I'll second it. One last [46:10] Greg Toby, public commenter: question, how do you want, what do you want the documentation to reflect the [46:14] Speaker E (unidentified): process that we did can work with the codes off office, okay. Any more [46:25] Kelly Water, Flycatcher (wharf applicant representative): discussion? I second it. I made a mistake and I should have also said that this is actually next on Bob's list one of these projects so if there's any way we can also you know skip that condition because it is well we didn't officially [46:46] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): put that condition, okay. I just wanted to make sure we're just addressing our [46:49] Kelly Water, Flycatcher (wharf applicant representative): concerns because I don't want to make people unhappy so I'm sorry you're good [46:54] Select Board Chair: but you tell your cousin he's okay. Any more discussion on this? All in favor? We've got to be consistent. Oh, yeah. If it ain't broke. All righty. Draft hunting policy on town properties. Did you draw that on that? I hope. [47:21] Katie Neal, Parks and Recreation: Hi, Katie Neal, Parks and Recreation. Following the 2025 hunting season, the town lands drafted a policy to ensure proper documentation of tree stands and game cameras so this draft policy is not looking to change any rules around where folks can or cannot hunt in town but merely that when individuals are installing infrastructure on town property that we just have some guidelines for that and documentation on where those things will be [48:02] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): so i know we have an ordinance but it should mention in here somewhere about shotgun rim [48:09] Speaker E (unidentified): fire and bow only should mention it at least i think i'm happy to reference the ordinance [48:16] Katie Neal, Parks and Recreation: That clearly outlines there you go, you should do that, there you go, great. So who's the applications coming to? That was a question that, as you can see, number five, it talks about contacting with just the general number, and then there's no email address associated with it, and I just wanted to open it up to a conversation on who you felt was most appropriate to track this information, and I'm happy to have it come to me if that makes sense. You were just volunteered. [48:54] Select Board member: Great. I move that we accept the hunting policy. [49:01] Select Board Chair: I second it. Any more discussion on it? All in favor? Thank you. Recommendation to reclassify existing and hire additional firefighters. Firefighters. [49:24] Frank True, Fire Administrator: Frank True, Fire Administrator. I come before you tonight to ask for your consideration to hire up to two additional firefighter per diems and to allow me to make a couple adjustments to a couple of our existing staff. As you know, we've been operating at one less per diem since Mike's passing, and because of a policy that I put in place when I took over to try and minimize or our overtime, we've run into a few operational issues with our full-time staff that we have right now, which means they're in a use-or-lose situation with their with their with their annual leave, or at least one of them is, as well as some other operational impacts, such as operating with only seven members leaves very little float to absorb unexpected medical leave or sick time or family emergencies, minimizes the capabilities for emergencies that require the recall of off-duty firefighters. Fighters. We have one full-time guy that may be going on some extended sick leave. So all those issues that could be coming up, I'm looking to bring on one to replace the one per diem that we've been down one and bring on one additional one. As far as the two staff that we want to make adjustments to, they 've been working as a full-time, basically both been working full-time firefighters for quite a while, so I think it's only right that we make them full-time so they can earn the benefits that they deserve. However, although the salaries that we can absorb that in the budget because it's already there, by doing that I want to draw your attention to this part that there may be some impact on our benefit budget by making that move so I think it could be, it's just a little, may I don't want to say a little impacted, but I'm not I'm not sure how much of the impact it may be but [51:49] Select Board member (likely Selectman Gilly): Take some tweaking. Well, there could be some. Thank you, Frank. If you proceed with this, we just wanted to make the Select Board aware that the benefits budget may be exceeded depending on the selections made and may need some use of contingency, and it may not, because, you know, some other elections have been less in the retirement area, but this was not budgeted in the health care section of the benefits. So just making the board aware of that. It's one full disclosure. [52:27] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): So, Frank, you're showing why we hired you. This is a professional, articulate, and we hired you because you have the training, experience, and the personality for this job. I think you've done a great job, but I have some questions about the budget. This seems like you're one staff more than we budgeted for, salary wise, not just, not just benefits. [52:55] Select Board member (likely Selectman Gilly): So you guys have done the math and we think, we think the 3230, the fire staffing budget, can absorb that with the changes and with some, the loss that we had this year there, and Frank has really come in and reevaluated certain things, and there are some areas that have not been expended as Frank is really taking his thoughtful time analyzing what's needed and what isn't needed. So myself, Christy, and Frank met, and we do believe that his budget can absorb these employee changes. It's really the possibility of the benefits budget that may exceed it. [53:38] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): Sounds like you're on top of that, though. So you need our permission to go forward with this? I will move, I will move that we give you that permission. I will [53:47] Select Board member: second it, and I will just read or reiterate David's point that was, your memo was exceptional, and this is something that I struggle to understand sometimes, and you laid it out in perfect layman's terms that anybody that reads this can understand. Excellent. Don't let this go to your head, Frank. Articulated. Thank you for that. Makes my job easier. [54:14] Select Board member (likely Selectman Gilly): May I just ask, so the Select Board just moved to reclassify two employees' classifications from part-time to full-time and to advertise for hiring two per diems. What effective date are you considering for the conversion to the two full-time employees? [54:34] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): What would you like to see, Frank? [54:36] Select Board Chair: You can tell us. Yeah. [54:37] Frank True, Fire Administrator: I think it's the 29th that we're looking at this payment, pay period. [54:49] Select Board member (likely Selectman Gilly): Okay, so September 29th is a Tuesday, so did you, did you want to start effective this Sunday, the 27th? Yeah, is that part of the board's approval? Yes. Okay, thank [55:02] Frank True, Fire Administrator: you. Thank you. Proclamation [55:10] Select Board Chair: of Constitution week, September 17, 23rd. I [55:14] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): I will read this, and I will move. I knew you would. I could get mad to do it. [55:20] Select Board member: No, I already filled my quota with the consent agenda that means you. [55:24] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): I move that it is the privilege and duty of the American people to commemorate the 239th anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution of the United States of America with appropriate ceremonies and activities, and public law 915 guarantees the issuing of proclamation each year by the president of the United States of America designating September 17th through the 23rd as Constitution Week which we're almost it's almost over it's over ended yesterday so by virtue of the authority vested in us as selectmen of the town of Harpsville in the state of Maine do hereby proclaim September 17th through the 23rd to be Constitution Week that's my motion I'll second that motion all in favor and by the way all week our community TV has been playing [56:13] Speaker E (unidentified): Constitution things do you play the bill on Capitol Hill Schoolhouse Rocks [56:20] Select Board Chair: yeah right yeah there is a bill on Capitol Hill where's Ellen Bridge wharf lease for last buttery spot [56:39] Kelly Water, Flycatcher (wharf applicant representative): Darcy Kutcher harbormaster you've got the last wharf lease in front of you to sign off on this is the miracle transaction that select McGill a was very instrumental in working with me to Convince Harold may need to peacefully let that pass to the person in the lottery. They are best of friends now It's all gonna be very peaceful. I think Matt had something to do with that. Yeah Yep, so that ended very well. So this is this will complete this will complete the transfer of the vacant war fleeces into new hands [57:14] Select Board member: I'm gonna move that we sign that. Oh, yeah lease agreement. I'm gonna beat you to this one. I [57:20] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): Second it. That's a very good resolution All right, [57:26] Select Board Chair: we just set a public hearing for general assistance ordinance maxims an [57:32] Town Administrator (likely Kristi Eiane): annual situation the general assistance ordinance is one of the few ordinances that the select board or the municipal officers can approve in a municipality and so we are proposing that you adopt the most recent one but we have to have a public hearing also each year they update the maximums that we are allowed to provide to those who are deemed eligible so we just ask that you set a public hearing for October 8th at 6.15, and we wanted to post this ahead of time so people might have the ability to look at it and see if they had any questions, come to the meeting, but we need you to officially set the public hearing. I so move. I so second. All in favor? And I might just quickly say we are concerned about the cost of heating fuel, and we do have our own program here in Harpswell. It starts on October 15th, and so we do encourage people to reach out to Katie Neal, who's our Parks Rec and Community Services director, and she handles and manages that program. It's really a wonderful thing that Harpswell can offer this very specific localized program to people in our community, so we want to make sure we get the message out, and I think Katie's working on a sign that will be at the town line under our welcome to Harpswell sign letting people know that [59:02] Select Board Chair: the program has started. How about starting accepting applications October 1st, heating oil? And I filled up a week and a half ago, it's gone up 50 cents. [59:14] Select Board member: I filled up yesterday, I got 276 gallons, it was $1,100. I'm glad I have a heat [59:25] Speaker E (unidentified): pump. I mean, you certainly have the authority to do that. We're about to find [59:47] Katie Neal, Parks and Recreation: out, Katie. Now, yes, of course, I'm happy to help provide assistance. It's a confidential application, only Terry and myself see the information, so I do hope that folks in need reach out, and it's not just heating oil, it's also wood, we're able to deliver a cord of wood. I, you know, I am grateful for the fundraiser that Cooks does, and I always have concerns about money running out, but I think it's a tough year for a lot of folks, people not making money right [1:00:30] Select Board member: now, so are you okay with us opening up the application period starting October [1:00:36] Select Board Chair: 1st? I am okay. It Cooks is October, December 5th this year is fundraising [1:00:44] Katie Neal, Parks and Recreation: for the next fiscally item, public [1:00:50] Select Board Chair: comment. Do you want to make, I think you [1:00:54] Select Board member: should make a motion that we open up applications on October 1st. I'll second [1:00:58] Pete Nicotis, Bailey Island resident: it. I was just gonna add that the, it's not generally known probably, the Lobster Boat Race committee presented a check to the Santa Fund this year for thirty six thousand, which was six thousand more than we raised last year, so we're gonna [1:01:20] Select Board Chair: any draw. Well, hi, [1:01:27] Marine Resources Committee member / public commenter: Marianne. I just wanted to, I kept thinking about when we were talking about the doc situation and how it's important to get these things started because you've got contracts. However, we are, we have a sign that says we're a fishing community, and it would seem to me we are so late in the season for people to use it that these are going to be residential box, they're not going to be used until next year. It would seem that we would should be able to put some type of a moratorium on for the rest of This season, just to get past this is a really big issue that is really affecting the clam harvesters and the shellfish people, and I believe it's also, as Matt says, affecting some of the lobster as well. It would just seem to be prudent if we could put some type of a, just a hold until the spring, rather than to starting to dig around and move the stuff, just as part of the, of what's going on. But thank you for listening. I [1:02:50] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): would like to examine the situation more than we have. I would certainly like to do that, and if, and if the recommendation coming out of that examination is moratorium, then I would certainly go along with that. So it will be too late at that point. Yeah, well, the way the gears of government turn slowly, I know, but we could, we could look into it [1:03:12] Select Board Chair: pretty quickly, I think. Anybody else for public comment? Yeah. [1:03:17] Pete Nicotis, Bailey Island resident: Terry just reminded me that the Santa Fund does support fuel purchase. All [1:03:27] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): righty. Other business? I've got a couple things. One is I would like to put a workshop together with you guys and people from the Resiliency and Sustainability and the Energy and Technology. Jeff Wooten, who is a solar engineer, put together a proposal which is recommended on page 3 of this document, which we had tonight in the community of the community action proposal. He's already done it, and he did it, he did it for free. So I would like to put together a workshop that will be televised so that we can get it out to the community sometime fairly soon, if we could. So there's that, and I, there's going to be a zoom, Marianne might want to address this, with the Island Institute. There's a meeting coming up on the 28th to deal with some of possibility of getting some aid from them, from for doing solar. And then so let's address the workshop issue. No, we didn't, we did, we voted not to put them at Mitchell Field. So the proposal is to put them on the up at the recycling center, which is an industrial area anyway, and nobody should complain about that. So but he's got a great presentation with all the numbers and the costs and the facts, and I think we should all look at it. I've looked at it once, I, you know, [1:05:17] Speaker E (unidentified): I think we should all see it. I'll take a look at it. Is that it? Well, I wanted to mention the [1:05:24] Town Administrator (likely Kristi Eiane): Town planner informed me about the Island Institute zoom meeting and she's attending that, and there's a possibility you can get a grant to study the solar issue. So I know this gentleman did this pro bono for the town, but he contacted the chairman of the committee and said I want to put this proposal together and I want to present it to your committee. The town didn't offer to pay for this ahead of time or up front, but so it is one person and we didn't do an RFP, we didn't investigate, you know, so We are looking at maybe applying for a grant so we could study this solar [1:06:09] Speaker E (unidentified): issue at another site, not Mitchell field necessarily, right. Absolutely, oh I was [1:06:21] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): what I was with him on that one, but he would like to make his proposal on the energy and Technology Committee would like him to make the proposal to you [1:06:30] Speaker E (unidentified): guys so you can see what we're talking about, what works for people, like five [1:06:44] Town Administrator (likely Kristi Eiane): o'clock in two weeks, and the [1:06:54] Select Board member (likely Jane Covey or similar): other thing is on Saturday the 17th of October Damariscotta has acquired one of those things that we were looking at for the head of Mackle Cove. Remember that temporary barrier that you throw out when the tide? They have one of those and they're going to be training with it on the 17th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Right, I might actually have to use it, so if anyone would like to go to that and I think probably the RNs committee might, somebody from that might go, yeah. What day of the week is that? It's a Saturday. Yeah, I'm kind of stuck working at Hempy on Saturdays these days, so if but that's, you know, if somebody would like to go and see what the kind of thing that, huh, it's the 17th, it's a Saturday of October, so I think would be a good idea to take a look at one of these things and see how they work and see if that's something we might end up doing, so see if anybody on the RNs wants to do that and that's good, that's it, you're done, I'm [1:08:25] Select Board Chair: done. All right, anybody else? Nope. In that case we're adjourned.