Pownal Select Board Approves Warrants, Stetson Farm Contracts, and Appointments

[0:00] Jesse Peters: Good evening. [0:03] Select Board Chair: I'd like to call to order the Select Board meeting on Monday, September 28th, 2026. As is our custom, if you're able, would you please rise and pledge allegiance. 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. Thank you. Next item on the agenda is accounts payable warrant number 10 in the amount of 410,792 [0:39] Select Board member: and zero cents. I move that we approve fiscal year 27 account AP warrant number 10 in the amount of 410,792 dollars and zero cents. Second. It has been moved and seconded to approve AP warrant [0:56] Select Board Chair: number 10, the amount of 410 thousand seven hundred ninety two dollars and zero cents. [1:01] Select Board member: Is there any further discussion? I noticed in the legal line that there is a line specific to Stetson Farm subdivision. I was wondering whether legal fees for conservation subdivision are [1:17] Town Administrator or Town Manager: the responsibility of the town. Would you like me to answer that, John? Please. They are not the responsibility of the town per our ordinance, and I don't have the section in front of me, but as part of subdivision plan the developer does pay the legal fees. Mr. Cram has already submitted his check for this particular bill that we got, and now we're paying Drummond Woodson. Thank [1:43] Select Board Chair: you absolutely for the clarification, Becky. Any further discussion? Seeing that, all in favor, motion carries. Next item in the agenda is payroll journal number 128, the amount of eight thousand five hundred and thirty two dollars and twenty cents. Move that we approve payroll [2:04] Select Board member: journal number 128 in the amount of eight thousand five hundred thirty two dollars and twenty cents. [2:10] Select Board Chair: So I'm gonna move and second it to pay payroll journal 128 in the amount of eight thousand 532 and 20 cents. Is there any more discussion? Seeing none, all in favor, motion carries. Next item on the agenda is the minutes of the previous meeting. It's the minutes of May 26, 2026. I move [2:32] Select Board member: that we approve the minutes of May 26, 2026. Second. It moved and seconded to approve minutes of [2:39] Select Board Chair: of May 26th, 2026. Just [2:46] Town Administrator or Town Manager: realized that was a while ago. These were the ones that were pointed out two weeks ago that weren't on the website, and it turns out we had them done, but I never got them on the [2:55] Select Board Chair: agenda for approvals doing that Becky is there any further discussion seeing that all in favor motion carries next item on the agenda is public comment on non-dagenda items an opportunity for any member or the town of panel to stand and be heard by the select board are there any people seeing none department reports department head reports can be viewed on the respective website click on the website and the department has submitted the reports to the select board have any questions for all three department heads which were here? I don't have a question [3:36] Select Board member: but I do have a comment for the road commissioner. Thank you for doing such a nice job on, I noticed the grader was back up and running and Poland Range Road looks great this week. I had a call from a resident who was concerned about the condition of the road and she was very impressed that it got done in a timely way. Oh, it's nice for compliment, George [4:05] Select Board Chair: Nothing, nor do I. Does the select board have anything to report at this time? [4:12] Town Administrator or Town Manager: Can I ask a question? Did anybody attend the RSU5 Q A forum last Friday? Just curious about [4:20] Select Board Chair: attendance. I haven't gotten any feedback yet. I attended one in, I'm assuming they're all similar, I attended one in Freeport. You went to the report one? Yeah. Would you like to hear? I'm just curious [4:31] Town Administrator or Town Manager: what the panel turnout was. We tried to advertise it, the date got moved, you know, at Freeport [4:38] Select Board Chair: the majority of people at Freeport. Yeah, great. So it was a, they have a consultant firm Zest, I think they're trying to gather comments about sustainability and what the population would like the RSU, I suppose, I could talk at length, probably not on public record of my feelings, but that's what it was. [5:18] Town Administrator or Town Manager: So they have sent out a survey, a follow-up survey, which we posted and just looking at the clicks from the constant contact, I think we've had 15 or 17 clicks on that, so hopefully those people are completing the survey that the RSU put out after the Q A forums. Well I did [5:36] Select Board Chair: talk to them saying that the they had set the surveys out to people who had children in the school, but I mentioned that you know panel has a lot more residents who don't have kids in school [5:49] Town Administrator or Town Manager: and maybe they should send that out. I saw it on their Facebook page and I immediately shared it and then Jaylene has done a couple more follow-up posts. Okay, yeah [5:59] Select Board Chair: So attendance recorded, all right. And at that meeting, well, no, I'll talk about that in correspondence. All right, under new business, US impact fees, you have before you a memo from Natasha about our workshop with Natasha. I'll give you a minute to read it and then we can talk about it. This came in this afternoon, so you [6:40] Town Administrator or Town Manager: none of you have had a chance to really review this. Yes, I'm [6:47] Select Board Chair: going to read out loud just so it's public information. Hi Becky, sharing my feedback below re responses to questions from the impact fee workshop with the select board on 9 14 2026. Debts, impact fees can be used to either one, pay for a project up front where you're saving impact fees for planned improvements, or two, pay off bond borrowing for an improvement that has already been made, so long as the improvement adds a capacity to that the new development benefits from. Two, open space outside acquisition of new land, impact fees could cover the cost of expanding or creating publicly owned parks, trails, and recreation facilities, for example. Three, conservation land, yes, you could allocate funds to purchase conserve lands. Further, our sense is yes, the impact fees could be used to pay the fame fair market value and listing fees, but the attorney could give a definitive answer. To assist with creating a CIP template, I would suggest starting with a very basic spreadsheet with the following column headers. Department, this would serve to categorize the expenditure. Capital need title, project assessed asset improvements, identify the expenditure. Action, indicate whether it's to construct, replace, or purchase, etc. Appropriation, estimated cost of the project improvement. Fund source, this spreadsheet could be expanded beyond impact fees, and this input would indicate the funding source. In years, indicate which year the project is slated for and within the next five years, fiscal year, with a column for each year. Thank you Natasha. [8:23] Town Administrator or Town Manager: So that's a really good start. That kind of aligned with what I was thinking in terms of looking at the capital asset planning spreadsheet, a much more simplified version of having those columns on there. I think it's a good start. Yeah, I also did send her updated information on the construction cost of the co-located public safety slash public works building, so she can update that calculation. And then in reference like the conservation land, the question I had asked is if we foreclose, could we use open space to pay the fair market value on a piece of property we of just land that we might foreclose on and looks like without attorney guidance they're feeling that might be a right direction that we could go in but we would definitely want to [9:14] Select Board Chair: check with our town attorney there good so i would really like in maybe you and i could workshop a spreadsheet because there are a couple things that you know i think we should make sure to get on there you know obviously with town approval i think the salt shed is a perfect place to direct impact fees i mean that's something that is staring us right in the face not that the public works and public safety isn't but they've already started their fundraising for that and spreadsheet were kind of would be interesting to see what that might look like so george has done a lot of preliminary stuff on what repairs would cost and what a new one would cost so and there's another project which so the rsu is looking for space to they have to educate three-year-olds next year with special needs so they need space for them so the conversation has begun to start up so what would happen if the irishu and the town partnered and buying the north pond community club and using that space co-using that space for not only for classroom for you know third and fourth year olds but also public events so anyway that might be something else that we could talk about i'm sure as we brainstorm there'll be a lot of projects but those are just two that have percolated up right off the bat so i talked with the chair of the [11:16] Town Administrator or Town Manager: recreation committee after the workshop and i did make the suggestion at their next meeting if they would just brainstorm just write down the ideas first and then we can look at the ideas that they come up with and determine if they fall in the category of what's allowable under the fees so first thing let's just throw you know sometimes in the brainstorming the best idea comes out of that so kathy felt like that was an easy first step that the recreation committee i've not had a chance to have that same conversation with the conservation commission but i think that might be a starting point for them where they can get the ball rolling with some thoughts and ideas on paper and we just look at them and determine if they fit absolutely like you know with a [12:00] Select Board Chair: Conservation Commission if they would like to consider, you know, a trail system through town and land. This is a perfect opportunity to allocate some money and, you know, maybe get some volunteer help but pay for the supplies and develop a trail system through some of this stuff, connect with World River Land Trust. I mean, there are all sorts of opportunities now that we have some direction on that. Right, George or Kate, any thoughts at all about this? All right, we'll keep working on it. Next item on the agenda is the SW whole contract agreement for constructing materials testing and observation services for the Stetson Farm subdivision. Introduction, this agreement is made effective as of August 28th, 2026 between SW Coal Engineering and the Town of Panel for the provision of construction materials testing and observation service related to the Stetson Farm subdivision Road located at the Poland Range Road in Pono, Maine. Project overview, we understand the project includes the construction of approximately 1200 feet of new roadway. Construction is expected to start soon and be completed in the fall of 2026. We understand construction activities relative to our involvement will not, will include aggregate placement for pavement and asphalt payment. This agreement consists of the following documents which are incorporated here and by reference, SW Cole's scope of services exhibit A and charge rates schedule attachment A, terms and conditions for construction materials testing and observation services attachment B, roles and responsibilities. SW Cole provides testing and observation services without authority to approve or reject contractor to work. Client is responsible for notifying project parties about SW Coal's role. Schedule request 24 hours notice to schedule field services. Scheduling requests should be directed to. Reports will be provided to the client and SW Coal will charge for services rendered on a unit rate basis according to the attached rate schedule. Invoices are due upon receipt. Seat and it goes on but I should read the fee. Has everyone had a chance or is this new material for [14:39] Town Administrator or Town Manager: The select board, so this is the peer review that we requested and the ten thousand five hundred and eighty dollars or ten thousand eight hundred and fifty, I can't remember which one, that we've put in to escrow first that's in farm already under the town of panel's name. This has been vetted by the attorney with suggestions sent back, one of them being the ownership of all the documents. SW Cole accepted all the amendments that the attorney put in regarding liability, ownership of the documents so this is the final piece now coming before the town, okay so [15:20] Select Board Chair: I'm going to move that we accept SW Cole's contract and sign it here with second and move in second to accept SW Cole's contract sign here with. Is there any discussion [15:40] Select Board member: so Kate Day panel Poland Range Road 143 Fallen Range Road I'm in a butter so I'm considered a resident in this situation so this is a contract with the town but the town is not responsible for building this road correct this is a peer review so this is a third party review [16:03] Town Administrator or Town Manager: of the work that's going to be done there and that was part of the original agreement moving forward in this development was to have a third party peer review on this part of the process and the developer has escrowed the money to pay for this contract great thank you all [16:23] Select Board Chair: right see no other all in favor okay motion carries I [16:38] Town Administrator or Town Manager: think it's just on the second page for signature if you flip the first one it's two-sided all [17:02] Select Board Chair: right off we go next item on the agenda is donation of air packs to Mount Vernon Chief Peters is probably going to have something to say about this [17:21] Jesse Peters: Jesse Peters 370 Poland Range Road so the old air packs that we replaced a year ago have been sitting at the central station taking up space badly needed space I've been contacted by Mount Vernon and they're in need of air packs and they're willing to take the old ones off our hands are [17:49] Select Board Chair: we passing along a problem to them we're going to use them so we [17:54] Jesse Peters: are passing along a problem to them but they have a certified air pack technician on their staff He's actually the guy that does our air pack flow test every year and He has the ability to repair anything that goes wrong with him We were spending a lot of money every year paying somebody to replace parts and stuff on him. So it would benefit down among burden it would and it would benefit us by getting him out of there [18:25] Select Board Chair: Okay Ward any thoughts or questions? That sounds good to me, George. I would agree with Kate. Well then, I don't think we need to vote on this one. All right, I move that we allow the fire department, fire department to donate how many air packs? I think there's 10 air packs that are not being used currently or will ever be used in future, right, by the town of Panel Fire Department to the Mount Vernon Fire Department. Second. Moving second to allow the donation of 10 plus or minus air packs to Mount Vernon Fighter Bar. Any further discussion? All in favor. Thank you for doing that. Thank you. Yep, next item on the agenda is Map 8 Lot 9. This is Mr. Edgely. Mr. Edgely has requested a review of the town's position of Map Eight Lot Nine. Becky has provided an email from our former attorney Natalie Burns that was dated September 5th, 15th, 2026. I don't think anything has changed unless anybody has any information otherwise stated. So then I'm going to move that we have the town administrator hand a letter to Mr. Edgely stating that the town rests on this letter that states that the town owns that piece of land. So I move that we direct Becky Taylor Chase to author a letter and to do it actually stating that [20:34] Select Board member: I just, is that the best thing to do in this situation, to have a motion and write a letter? [20:42] Town Administrator or Town Manager: Yes, I think for the record, because you're giving me a direction to send along legal information regarding this matter. I second. We did accept this is [20:59] Select Board Chair: there any further discussion? Staying down, all in favor. Not that you have time, but when you have a moment, you do that. Thank you for bringing this back. We have some oath. I move that we appoint Bradford Holden to the Future Facilities Committee. Appointment to the position status September 28th, 2026, and expires June 30th, 2027. I second. Moving second to appoint Bradford Holden to the Future Facilities Committee. Date of appointment 2028, term expires June 30th, 2027. Any further discussion? All in favor. Thank you, Mr. Holden. I move that we appoint Paul Schuman as an election clerk. Date of appointment, September 28, 2026. Term expires April 30, 2028. [22:08] Select Board member: New speaker. I second. [22:09] Select Board Chair: New speaker. Moving second to appoint Paul Schuman to election clerk, appointment begins September 28, 2026, expires April 30, 2028. Any discussion? All in favor? Thank you, Mr. Schuman. And I move that we appoint to the Echo Main Board as a representative, Leslie Tasey, appointment to position September 28, 2026, term expires June 30, 2027. [22:43] Select Board member: New speaker. I second. [22:44] Select Board Chair: Move in a second to appoint Leslie Tasey to as a Echo Main representative position begins September 28th 2026 term expires June 30th 2027. Is there any further discussion? Seeing none all in favor. Thank you Miss Tasey. Next item on the agenda ADA website and recorded them's compliancy. [23:12] Town Administrator or Town Manager: This must be a Becky Taylor. It is so I just wanted to take a minute to or two to just bring you up to where we are. So as a recap the Department of Justice has handed down new guidelines regarding websites that also includes email correspondence and we hired Durago Interactive earlier in the year to do an assessment on our website and tell us the really critical needs that need to happen and sort of a tiered thing which they've completed and we found there were two very critical needs and one Viewshed has jumped right on that and is working on bringing that up to date with color contrast and font and things like that and if you go on our parcel viewer you'll probably see the changes and then the second was initially they thought Town Cloud because they were looking at the PDF version of the agenda not the HTML so I think we're on the right path there. Jaylene and I then attended a couple of trainings recently that GPCOG had with Drago Interactive. First one was very informative. We felt we walked away with some very simple tools to start working on our website to make it accessible if someone was using a screen reader. Second one was completely out of my wheelhouse and that's how to program a PDF or a portable data file and that's going to be a much bigger conversation but coming out of those meetings simple things they talked about in recorded meetings because I can't go on to this MP4 and write alternative text for a picture that we might display for someone who might be sight impaired at home or even in the audience so you'll notice I've turned closed captioning on while we're here in Zoom so if we have Someone in the audience during the meeting that is hearing impaired they can read along and I've been watching it and it's fairly accurate with what we're saying as we go so that was one thing that they suggested the second thing they suggested and I will be visiting all the meetings coming up that record their meetings is if you put something up on the screen whether you're sharing it in the video or not we have to pause and briefly in a few words describe what it is so budget season when I Put a spreadsheet up. I'm simply going to say I'm projecting the general government budget tab because we're going to go line by line in it. So if you're site impaired at home, you're going to be hearing the information. Planning board, if they put up a preliminary site design, they're just going to say this is a map of the preliminary site and they're probably going to discuss that. So it gives context to someone that might be site impaired. Then there's the hearing impaired. So one of the things that we have to think about in terms of our recording is these don't project in the room. So someone, if they're hearing impaired in the room, might struggle to hear us. So, you know, it's just our normal, our teacher used to tell us sit up straight, enunciate our words, but also for the recording, because we were also told that I have to correct the transcription on YouTube. And that would be several hours cores of work. So there's a lot we're learning. We're going to talk in further detail as we get a little further into this process about the website and PDFs and how that will work and what the future of our website looks like. This is going to come at a cost. This is an unfunded mandate coming down from the federal government that every town and city in the United States has to comply by. We have till April of 2028 to get to a 2.2 double A standard or as conforming as we can. So the other piece is it's just important to once in a while document this in a public meeting of the steps that were we've done and the steps that we're looking at taking so we kind of have a timeline tracked of the work that we've done as we get closer and closer to that deadline. It was pointed out as a reminder the website is not an official place by statute of posting minutes or agendas or anything. It's what we do to get information out to the residents which has huge value. So we just will have bigger conversations about how we make documents be accessible. Emails same thing. So we should be sending emails that have a 16 pixel size which translates to a 12 point. So we should never be writing in anything under 12 point when we're responding out to people. So it's Got large enough text and then if we send an attachment it has to be able to be screen read, so Derigo Interactive does offer that service, so it's probably a conversation I'm going to have with them what that cost looks like for them to help us tag all this in the back end. Jaylene looked like it clicked a little bit more with her than it did with me two weeks ago, but this would be a lot of added time and I'm not sure she has a capacity at this point, not a conversation we've had yet, so just kind of telling you where we're at and things I'm looking at for the future. I'm [28:27] Select Board member: just sort of curious, it's a little bit off topic but related, do you get much feedback from residents about how accessible the information is regarding recorded meetings and the website? Most of the feedback that I get is more people [28:43] Town Administrator or Town Manager: forget to turn their mics on or they're not talking loud enough into the mic, so it's hard for them to pick up what we might say. I mean, the planning board is hard because they're sharing mics because they're all really, we planned it for seven planning board members and we have more people sitting at the table along with the planning board, so that one sometimes gets muffled, but as far as just a regular email or a document I've sent, I've never gotten any feedback that someone struggled to read it. However, the Department of Justice has said, you know, we need to comply to this, so we're working towards conformity questions. [29:23] Select Board Chair: So we could eliminate [29:28] Town Administrator or Town Manager: terminate televised meetings. The televised meetings aren't really the large problem, it's more any PDF that we put up is the bigger problem. You know, I'm just suggesting that fiscal [29:48] Select Board Chair: responsibility inside of me says, well, listen, this is just, this is just to benefit the public, and if the federal government's going to come in and suggest that we do it in an ADA compliant way, we could just say we can't afford to do that, we're not required to record our meetings and [30:05] Town Administrator or Town Manager: we're not required to have a website either. The website is not an official document, correct, so [30:10] Select Board Chair: we're not required, ADA cannot possibly force in something that's done as a service and not as a something to, I feel, is always important to have a pushback position. So anyway, that'll be for another time, I'm sure. All right. Any other questions for Beckie? Okay. Another CRP grant acceptance letter. Beckie? [30:44] Town Administrator or Town Manager: We applied for a second round through the Community Resilience Partnership Grant Program, and we were awarded that grant funding. And that is to replace a lot of the lighting in this room, adding more and replacing in the office, the lobby, the entryway, and then do a lot of outreach reach with the community. So if you want to just authorize me to sign the acceptance letter, that will get the ball rolling for the check to come in, and we'll be on our way with the second [31:13] Select Board Chair: upgrade to Mallet Hall. So exciting. I move we accept the Community Resilience Partnership grant of 48 750. [31:23] Town Administrator or Town Manager: And authorize the town administrator to sign it I [31:28] Select Board member: second [31:30] Select Board Chair: seconded to accept the Community Resilience Partnership community action grant of forty eight thousand seven hundred fifty dollars and to authorize our town administrator sign it. Any further discussion? All in favor. Thank you Becky for all the work you've done on that. 's great. This whole hall's coming around. Next item is the land management plan for the Stetson Farm [31:59] Town Administrator or Town Manager: Becky, this is the land management plan that has gone through our town attorney and has become acceptable to developer. The CEO has reviewed it and the town attorney, so the select board just has to determine their acceptance of it, and that will be another piece completed in all the final pieces for the approval. Any [32:25] Select Board Chair: questions about the land management plan for the Stetson Farm Preserve? The select board merely needs to accept it, then the town steps away. And is there an agreement between the landowner and Royal? All right, then I move that we accept the land management plan for sets and farm preserve. Second. Move in second to accept the land management plan for stats and farm preserve. Any further discussion? See none. All in favor. Carries. You want to sign this? You want me to sign? I guess I have to. You can sign it [33:18] Town Administrator or Town Manager: So there's only one final piece left, and that's the letter of irrevocable credit. It that has just been sent back to the attorney for review, and once I get that piece done, we have completed all those pieces that were contingent on the approval that the planning board did on August 19th. That'll [33:40] Select Board Chair: take you look and make sure that's all the signatures you I [33:43] Town Administrator or Town Manager: Believe it is. Yeah, actually I might print a new one because they sign on the top, you sign on the bottom. I'll, I'll get your, I'll print a new one and I'll catch up with you this week because their signature was the top and yours was on the bottom. You signed where they signed. That's a, it probably is not a big deal, but I can just get a fresh one and we'll catch up. [34:09] Select Board Chair: I'll be in. Sorry, no worries. Is there any other new business? [34:16] Town Administrator or Town Manager: Thank you. I have one quick thing. Next Monday night I am participating in an open election collection Forum Q A at the Freeport Performing Arts Center, which is Freeport High School. It is from six to eight. Public is welcome. The deputy clerks have both expressed interest in attending that, so I am requesting that we close at 5 30 next Monday so that they can come and attend the forum. [34:46] Select Board member: Sounds good to me. Great, we'll get the word out. Any other new business? Any old business? [35:00] Select Board Chair: Correspondence, celebrating community service. You and officials for all Cumberland County municipalities are invited to a ceremony celebrating community service in this county, especially law, especially longevity of municipal service, on Wednesday, October 28th at 1 p.m. at the North Yarmouth Community Center, 120 Memorial Highway. So that usually falls on junior select poorly. [35:40] Town Administrator or Town Manager: It could be for fire chief, road commissioner, the deputy clerks, myself, select board, any of the other community committee members, I. [35:54] Select Board Chair: Know I'm not, probably should go there. [36:00] Town Administrator or Town Manager: They want notification publication ahead of time too, so that they can put a special shout out in any publication. [36:09] Select Board Chair: Yeah, I don't see food listed here, I. [36:17] Town Administrator or Town Manager: Thought it was, maybe there's no food, it might just be a gathering. Okay. [36:29] Select Board Chair: Well, it's October 28th for all new affected people on the back. Any other business? Being none, I'll move we jump into executive session for one MRSA 405 6a personnel madness. A second.