[0:00] (gavel banging) Call to order
[0:04] of the select board meeting of November 18th,
[0:06] 2025. Please stand for the Pledge of
[0:10] Allegiance. (chair creaking)
[0:14] I pledge allegiance to
[0:16] the flag of the United States of America.
[0:18] And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under
[0:22] God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for
[0:26] all.
[0:27] Maybe there was a little snow on that one.
[0:30] (laughs)
[0:31] (laughs)
[0:31] Poked my eye out here.
[0:32] Where is Bob? I think he was back (laughs) home.
[0:35] I didn't realize it.
[0:37] Well, thank you. Hmm. All right. First item of business.
[0:40] (paper rustling) Do we have a motion?
[0:44] Yes.
[0:46] (laughs) Give me a second.
[0:49] (laughs)
[0:49] (laughs)
[0:50] Yeah, we're going to... Where the heck is it? Here we go.
[0:54] Uh, motion to move into executive session per MSI
[0:58] Title 1, Section 405 (6)
[1:01] (A) .
[1:05] Personnel.
[1:06] Personnel.
[1:08] Second.
[1:09] All in favor?
[1:10] I was reading to get out of executive session.
[1:12] 
[1:12] I didn't read them to move out.
[1:14] For those of you watching at home, Dan Hardin is, is, is away and will not be,
[1:18] not be attending.
[1:22] (coughs) Yeah, nice to meet you.
[1:24] Yes,
[1:26] it is. I'm sorry, Paul. All right, we're back. We're back. All right.
[1:30] We're back. Can I have a motion?
[1:32] Motion to go out of executive session.
[1:35] Motion
[1:35] Second.
[1:36] All in favor? Mm-hmm. One-nothing.
[1:40] All right. (paper rustling) Oh, sorry. All right.
[1:44] Action items following executive session.
[1:48] Move to approve the appointment of
[1:51] ... Fill in the name.
[1:54] Oh, Ashley Millet.
[1:56] (laughs)
[1:58] I'm sorry.
[1:58] As community development director.
[2:01] 
[2:01] I'm sorry.
[2:02] Second.
[2:03] All in favor?
[2:05] Ashley, can you step up to the mic and just give us a ...
[2:08] (clears throat)
[2:09] People on the TV a brief, brief overview. That's right.
[2:12] 
[2:12] Absolutely. Well, good evening, uh, chair members of
[2:16] the board. Thank you so much for having me here this evening.
[2:20] Um, I'm very excited to be here. Um, just a little
[2:24] quick bit about me, um,
[2:26] I have a very strong background in economic development,
[2:30] recreation, community services.
[2:32] Um, so I'm very excited to be starting this position and lend
[2:36] some of my expertise to this community.
[2:39] Um, I have family here in the community and I'm looking forward to,
[2:43] uh, contributing in the best way that I can.
[2:45] So thank you guys so much for having me. Really looking forward to it.
[2:49] Welcome.
[2:49] Welcome.
[2:50] Thank you very much.
[2:51] Welcome, Ashley.
[2:51] Thank you.
[2:56] (paper rustling)
[2:57] And Ashley is starting right in. (laughs) Cool.
[2:59] (laughs)
[3:00] To say, to say the least. She's, she's starting before she even started something,
[3:04] you know? (laughs)
[3:04] That's true.
[3:07] Well, all right. Approval of minutes.
[3:10] Move to approve the October 28, 2025, select board
[3:13] minutes.
[3:15] Second.
[3:16] All in favor?
[3:18] One-nothing.
[3:20] And again, for those who just came in, Dan Hardin is not here tonight.
[3:23] He's taking a well-deserved
[3:25] vacation. (paper rustling)
[3:29] All right, number six, committee liaison reports.
[3:32] Open Space Committee. I, I am the liaison with the Open
[3:36] Space Committee, so I just want to give a few highlights from
[3:40] a, uh, the recent meeting that they had.
[3:44] I won't talk about everything that they talked about because
[3:48] then it would be too long.
[3:49] (laughs)
[3:51] But the, the, the key items that I did want to mention,
[3:56] one related to Pondicherry Park, and there's a few,
[4:00] there's a few pieces to that. And the
[4:03] first one that was discussed was to
[4:07] simplify,
[4:09] potentially simplify, the involvement of
[4:13] both the Open Space Committee and the Pondicherry Park Stewardship
[4:17] Committee. And I believe the intent is to have
[4:20] a joint meeting in January before those two committees
[4:24] and see if we can't, see if we can simplify
[4:28] that somewhat since
[4:31] we have
[4:33] (clears throat) two committees, and, and I know
[4:38] that's under discussion. Hmm,
[4:42] uh,
[4:43] also talked about access to the, to the Ham Complex Bridge, and people
[4:47] are happy with the signs. So we seem to have
[4:52] gotten through that issue and we have signs up, and
[4:56] that seems to be working. Um,
[5:00] the ... They also are trying to put a
[5:04] placeholder in, I guess, ahead of time for the
[5:07] '26/'27 budget for some work that needs to be
[5:11] done at, at Pondicherry relating to trails
[5:15] and, and access improvements. So I, I, I
[5:19] think when we do get the budget together, and Don- Mm-hmm.
[5:23] I don't know if they come directly to you or they come to Georgina.
[5:24] Well, they'll get, they'll come to us. Yep.
[5:26] Mm-hmm.
[5:27] I wrote that down. That, that they are probably gonna be looking for
[5:30] $50,000. So just
[5:34] early, early warning on that one. Yep, I appreciate that. Okay.
[5:37] In my notes. Um, the second thing that was talked about at
[5:41] length was Solid Point
[5:45] Beach. (clears throat) And, you know, access issues
[5:49] down there, uh, concerns about whether it was
[5:53] really, truly
[5:55] as accessible as it could be in terms of the road, in terms of
[5:59] parking, in terms of really the-...
[6:03] citizens and taxpayers of Bridgeton getting the most use
[6:06] that they could out of it. Um,
[6:10] and I, I think that that's a to-be-continued item
[6:13] around, like, long-term thoughts
[6:16] around whether there might be some changes down, d-
[6:20] down there and, and try to get some input from people about what they think
[6:25] is possible and what's, what's the best use of that
[6:28] beautiful space down there. So, that
[6:32] ... Those, those were the two key items
[6:36] that, that, that I pulled out of that meeting that I wanted to
[6:38] share. And the next one-
[6:42] Paul, before you go on, can I ask, um, a
[6:46] little bit more, uh, what they're
[6:50] looking to do down there or what they'd like to see happen down
[6:53] there? Seeing that's really not
[6:58] ...
[7:00] It's an enterprise fund.
[7:02] It's?
[7:03] Enterprise.
[7:03] Yeah. No, I understand that. Um,
[7:07] so anyways, what, w- w- what's this committee looking
[7:10] at?
[7:12] I, I think the, the kind of shorter term thing is, is
[7:17] access for, for people down there would, that I,
[7:21] you know, it's hard when you walk down that little
[7:25] trail in the woods kind of thing, um-
[7:28] Well, it's sort of like a mini Pondicherry Park walkway,
[7:32] you see? (laughs)
[7:33] (laughs) It's, it's very mini.
[7:36] Yeah.
[7:36] I think, I think the mini part of it is holes the best.
[7:40] (laughs)
[7:40] (laughs)
[7:42] Then, then I think long term, I mean, I, it-
[7:44] I mean, they're looking for handicapped, they're looking for dogs.
[7:47] They're looking for ... I mean, what are they looking for?
[7:49] Well, I don't ... Uh, I don't, I don't think anyone was looking for dogs.
[7:52] That's good.
[7:54] (laughs)
[7:54] That's good.
[7:55] Mm-hmm.
[7:55] They might go there, but ...
[7:57] So yeah, I, I ... Again, the short term is more access
[8:01] and, and, and the longer term, it, you know, it's
[8:05] how do the citizens of Bridgeton or the taxpayers of
[8:08] Bridgeton get the most use out of that particular property down
[8:12] there?
[8:12] Mm-hmm.
[8:13] So, again, it's a, it's, it's very much a
[8:16] to-be-determined kind of thing and-
[8:19] Okay.
[8:19] ... collect people's thoughts.
[8:24] Does Rebecca work with Scott in her finance position
[8:28] like Jenna did?
[8:30] Yes.
[8:30] Okay.
[8:33] All right. Um, Eco Maine.
[8:36] Maybe, Carrie, you could talk a little bit about Eco Maine and give us a-
[8:40] Okay. Well, we've been mentioning, um, for the past few years the,
[8:44] um, soon-to-be-mandated implementation of extended
[8:48] producer responsibility, which is
[8:52] going to, um-
[8:54] (clears throat)
[8:55] ... reduce recycling fees and tipping fees for
[8:58] recycling for member towns of Eco Maine.
[9:01] And that is a state program. Um, it has, it
[9:06] started in Europe. Vermont was the first state in America to implement
[9:10] it, and it makes large packaging
[9:13] producers, Amazon, Pepsi, all the big
[9:16] corporations, have some measure of reimbursement to
[9:20] towns for their cardboard and, um,
[9:24] packaging recycling. So that's gonna require some work.
[9:27] They've offered to do outreach. We can have a workshop or question-and-answer
[9:30] session. They'll probably reach out to Forrest or the public
[9:34] services director also to explain to them what's needed. There are ...
[9:38] You know, there's some extra work on that side, but
[9:41] ultimately, it is going to result in towns getting some
[9:45] reimbursement for the cost that we are now paying to
[9:49] send all that cardboard to Eco Maine.
[9:51] There's going to be some corporate reimbursements.
[9:55] It's a little convoluted to explain, but they're going to send an emissary out
[9:59] after the holidays to give us a real more academic overview
[10:03] of it. This is just distilled.
[10:05] (clears throat)
[10:05] But another big thing we've done is, um, the Eco Maine board
[10:09] voted unanimously to raise the recycling rates
[10:13] based on that implementation, balancing the
[10:17] tipping cost for recycling. Hasn't been implemented yet,
[10:21] but they are building a $30 million recycling
[10:24] upgrade at the Eco Maine facility on, in, on Blueberry Road in,
[10:28] um, Scarborough. And that was necessary because the, it was
[10:32] outdated. And it's gonna run cleaner, and it's gonna be just a better
[10:37] project all around. And another thing we've done is added three
[10:41] new member towns, Sanford being one of them, which adds
[10:45] a lot of population to the Eco Maine community.
[10:49] And Eco Maine works a lot like our wastewater program does.
[10:52] The more members we have, the lower the fees are for each
[10:56] town. So we're having, we're growing for member towns, and we have a lot
[11:00] of satellite auxiliary towns stepping onboard too.
[11:03] And to improve the Eco Maine services is just a benefit to
[11:06] everyone.
[11:09] It probably would be good if they (clears throat) did send someone
[11:13] for the, maybe the first, first meeting in January, because
[11:17] I ... And, and I know they, they sent this
[11:20] note. It wasn't clear to me if, if, if they've
[11:24] already borrowed that money and are paying it back, 'cause it sounds like from this
[11:28] note that they've borrowed the money and the rate that they're going to
[11:32] start charging
[11:34] incorporates the, I guess, debt repayment
[11:39] and-
[11:39] This is confusing. I understand that the money, the $30 million
[11:42] bond that we voted on is for the new recycling
[11:46] facility. They're using what, I, I hate to
[11:50] say projected revenue because it is gonna be an implemented
[11:54] program, and it does work for reimbursement.
[11:57] But they are expecting those revenues that come back to
[12:01] balance out the......
[12:05] increase in member town's responsibility to Eco Maine for
[12:08] now, so they could cover that bond to build that facility.
[12:12] But yeah, they will ... Kevin will come out.
[12:14] The CEO will come out and explain the-
[12:15] Yeah. That, that would be
[12:16] 
[12:16] 
[12:16] good. ... Yeah. ... or something so specific. Because it is a lot.
[12:18] You know, there's, there is a lot to it.
[12:21] Right. And, and, and particularly, it seems like it's a sh- sh- short term.
[12:24] (paper rustles) I'm not ... Again, I know we're good to have him come on.
[12:27] I'm not sure, 'cause I'm not sure when we're going to
[12:30] see the reimbursements, but that,
[12:33] you know, the memo from them talks about a new rate that is
[12:38] ...
[12:38] $25 a time higher than it was before-
[12:41] Right.
[12:41] ... so you might want to look into it.
[12:42] And, and not only, not only is it a significant increase in the rate, it ...
[12:45] It also seems to discourage recycling, in that
[12:50] they've moved the, the rate we pay to the same rate we
[12:54] pay for, for trash. So it would seem like
[12:58] it's a little counterintuitive as to how rec-
[13:01] recycling is gonna be encouraged if they've raised the rate to
[13:06] the same rate
[13:08] as, as the, uh, trash
[13:12] was.
[13:13] So ...
[13:14] So, so I hope, uh, the money comes in from that fund better
[13:18] than, um, the money from the marijuana
[13:21] revenue sharing,
[13:24] which we have still yet to
[13:25] see. (laughs)
[13:29] 
[13:29] (laughs) We lack of.
[13:31] Yeah. That, that-
[13:33] It's, it's legal. It's the law, but it's not appropriate.
[13:36] (laughs)
[13:38] Is the ... Is the member
[13:42] ... Is the, uh, member rate the same as
[13:46] ... I mean, is the owner rate the same as the
[13:49] contract members?
[13:52] No. And one of the benefits of being an all-in owner is, th- this is
[13:56] a nonprofit. We all, as member towns, have a
[14:00] share in
[14:02] Eco Maine. So we have a voice. Every member town
[14:06] has at least one rep, and that is based on the percentage, the population, so
[14:10] Portland has four. Most of the smaller towns, Bridgeton included, have
[14:14] one. Currently that is me. And we have had some
[14:18] workshops on EPR, and I know it is a little bit confusing,
[14:23] but he's gonna come out and explain it more to us.
[14:25] As far as the, the rate increase, I understand that it probably does
[14:29] discourage recycling, which is unfortunate, but that was the
[14:33] way to raise money to get the improved recycling system,
[14:36] because the one they had was not, was not passing certain
[14:40] emissions, new upgraded em- emissions
[14:44] requirements, standards. And it, it just had to happen,
[14:47] so. I'm not-
[14:48] Uh,
[14:48] let me- ... trying to be obtuse, but that's really what I can say right now about it.
[14:51] We'll have him come out,
[14:54] explain.
[14:55] Uh, I think my, my question was, is
[14:58] the owner members
[15:01] and the contract members, are the contract members paying
[15:05] the same fees
[15:07] as the owner members?
[15:10] So if we're paying 110, what's the contract member
[15:14] paying?
[15:15] I don't know.
[15:16] Okay.
[15:22] I think, I think we will have some maybe detailed questions-
[15:25] Yeah,
[15:25] me too. ... when, when, when, when they come out.
[15:27] Again, I think particularly for budget purposes,
[15:31] we're gonna need to know
[15:34] the, the, you know, where the rubber meets the road.
[15:36] (laughs) What, what, what is it gonna cost us next year and will we have,
[15:40] will we have any additional revenues in next year that, to help
[15:44] reduce that burden? 'Cause otherwise, it, it
[15:47] again, it's a significant, significant increase,
[15:51] uh, not only on the re- the recycled, but also
[15:55] on the, on the regular trash.
[15:59] Um, this is, this is not just Bridgeton that's asking these questions.
[16:02] Every-
[16:03] Oh,
[16:03] Every member town is asking the same questions, and that's why they've offered to
[16:06] send someone out. I'm just gonna go, I'm gonna really distill the bullet points of
[16:10] Bob's question. Member towns have a long-term, 30-year standing
[16:14] agreement, and they have advantages to lower tipping fees.
[16:17] So the member towns do pay lower per-ton tipping fees
[16:21] than commercial and non-member contracted towns.
[16:25] For example, the previous rate of a member town was 88 doll-
[16:28] $88 per ton, while the commercial haulers would pay
[16:31] $130. And it goes on to be a little more descriptive.
[16:34] The contract town fees, meaning towns like Fry Island,
[16:38] Fryeburg, Brownfield, they have negotiated prices that
[16:42] are negotiated subject to market fluctuations.
[16:45] They can be higher and less predictable long term.
[16:47] They're not locked in because they aren't full-time member towns, subjected to
[16:51] contract renewals depending on external factors like landfill
[16:55] capacity. Um, short-term contracts may seem cheaper
[16:58] initially, but the benefit to being a long-term member pricing is higher
[17:02] than the ownership model. Contract towns don't have a seat on the Eco Maine board
[17:06] or a direct say in the tipping fees.
[17:08] And I don't know any specific prices right now, but that's just a general overview
[17:12] of it.
[17:13] Thank you.
[17:14] Sure.
[17:16] All right. We look forward to
[17:19] having someone come.
[17:20] Yeah.
[17:20] Give us, give us all the, all the glory details. There you go.
[17:23] Sounds good. Sure.
[17:24] (clears throat)
[17:26] All right. It's not quite 5:30, so we're gonna skip
[17:30] through number seven and come back to it, public hearing at 5:30.
[17:33] We're gonna skip through eight. Action items following public hearing,
[17:37] we're gonna move to nine, awards and other administrative
[17:41] recommendations, which we have none on the schedule
[17:44] here. 10 is new
[17:47] business, and we have nothing
[17:50] there. And-
[17:54] 
[17:54] Bye. ... we move on to number 11,
[17:58] business licenses and events requiring board
[18:01] approval.It
[18:08] is odd.
[18:09] Do you want me to just start reading them-
[18:10] 
[18:10] Yeah. ... individually and we'll just go through it?
[18:12] Yeah.
[18:12] Move to approve a victualler's renewal permit for Mainely Melts Bad Dog
[18:16] LLC at 257 Main Street, Suite 2.
[18:21] Second.
[18:22] All in favor? One-nuthin'.
[18:25] Move to approve an adult-use marijuana store renewal permit for Rugged Roots
[18:29] LLC at 1 Beaver Creek Farm Road.
[18:34] Second. All in
[18:37] favor?
[18:40] Just for,
[18:40] Three f- three, four-
[18:42] Just, just, Mr. Chairman-
[18:42] Three in favor, one abstained.
[18:44] Mr. Chairman, just for TV land,
[18:48] um... Where did I go here? I
[18:51] lost it. Uh, this is a adult-use marijuana
[18:56] store renewal. Just didn't want them to think it was a restaurant
[19:00] or a truck or something of that nature,
[19:02] so...
[19:04] Okay.
[19:04] Just reading along. That's all.
[19:10] Okay. (clears throat)
[19:10] Are we good? Move to approve a victualler's renewal permit for Player Sports
[19:14] Bar at 224 Portland Road.
[19:16] Second.
[19:18] All in favor?
[19:20] One-nuthin'.
[19:23] Move to approve a mobile food truck renewal permit for Beacon Bar &
[19:26] Bistro.
[19:28] Second.
[19:29] All in favor? One-nuthin'.
[19:32] Is this new? It says it's up at Sports House.
[19:35] What's that?
[19:36] It, it says it's up at Sports
[19:37] House. It's a new location.
[19:39] It's gonna be seasonal?
[19:39] They've been, they've been to Music @ Main, but now they're gonna, now they're
[19:42] gonna be up at Sports House for the, uh, ski season.
[19:46] Great.
[19:48] Move to approve a victualler's renewal permit for Magic Lantern at Nine Depot
[19:52] Street.
[19:53] Second.
[19:54] All in favor? One-nuthin'.
[19:57] Move to approve a victualler's renewal permit for Nouria at 443
[20:01] Portland Road.
[20:02] Second.
[20:03] All in favor? One-nuthin'.
[20:07] (whistles)
[20:08] And we probably-
[20:09] You've done a great job of seconding only, uh-
[20:12] (laughs)
[20:13] (laughs)
[20:13] We got, we got 10 minutes for public comments on town
[20:17] business. Are there any
[20:20] public comments on town business?
[20:22] Each speaker may be limited to three minutes.
[20:25] I'm starting you on the clock, Al.
[20:27] All right. (laughs) Rugged Roots, quick question.
[20:31] Is it recreational or medical or both?
[20:35] There's no definition here of what they're selling.
[20:38] Are they recreational or medical or both?
[20:41] Adult use.
[20:41] To sell-
[20:42] Adult use doesn't cover that. It just doesn't...
[20:44] It, it's like saying I'm wearing pants.
[20:46] You
[20:47] retail- You paying the owner?
[20:48] ... retail store.
[20:50] It's a retail store? Okay. I just was curious, that's all,
[20:53] because I didn't know either way.
[20:56] I, I, I think they've eliminated the term recreational.
[20:59] I believe adult use is the
[21:01] new term for recreational.
[21:04] Okay.
[21:05] But,
[21:05] All right, thank you.
[21:10] Any other public comments?
[21:12] Yeah, so their state license says adult-use cannabis
[21:15] store.
[21:16] So you need a one now as far as you have?
[21:20] Okay.
[21:21] All right. Uh, any other public comments?
[21:24] For what's my soul, no public
[21:27] comments.
[21:28] 
[21:28] All right. We still have time probably for project updates.
[21:33] Yeah.
[21:33] Project updates? Any project updates?
[21:37] Uh, let's see. We had a leak going
[21:40] for I don't know how long, um, at the Highland
[21:44] Dam. And we heard
[21:48] about it, addressed it. It was going to be
[21:51] included for next year even though we have monies in it for this year's budget and
[21:55] we moved it forward and we just finished it up.
[21:58] So I was pleased that that was... It was fairly
[22:01] sizeable, so. Actually it was finished up today.
[22:04] So that's the only project I have there.
[22:07] Um, another thing I was gonna mention, with
[22:10] GD Cogg's, um, help and
[22:14] Credere,
[22:15] um, Associates,
[22:18] next Monday, they will be going over to
[22:22] the Memorial School. Um,
[22:26] I have permission with Andy Madura to go in with him and take a look
[22:30] to start the phase one, um, movement
[22:35] as we move forward working with the school,
[22:38] um, to
[22:40] hopefully transfer
[22:43] property to us. Now, that's, uh...
[22:45] Don't, don't say that's tomorrow, but
[22:48] the 24th they will be going in initially and we've been working with
[22:52] some good people, including the school, and we are getting
[22:56] closer than when you first directed me to pursue this, which I thought was
[22:59] impossible. (laughs)
[23:01] (laughs)
[23:01] Good news.
[23:02] So I-
[23:03] All right.
[23:03] Now, now, now I'm just tempering this by saying, you know,
[23:07] we, we seem to have cleared most of the hurdles, but I'm very pleased that
[23:11] we're starting that process with the help, wi- with some good people to,
[23:15] um, start the phase one environmental thing again, so that's good.
[23:18] Nice.
[23:19] So that's the, the only update on that other project that I have for
[23:22] you.
[23:23] All right. I'm gonna skip select board comments and discussion
[23:27] items for now because there's no telling how long Bob will go with that.
[23:30] (laughs)
[23:31] Oh, Jesus.
[23:31] Um, maybe we have time for the town manager, deputy town manager's
[23:35] report. If, if you hurry.
[23:37] Sure. Yeah, I'll hurry. I'll, I'll talk fast.
[23:40] So I did want to make a note, and Sean you might be able to chime in on this.
[23:44] If you get a separate email that's not from the Town of
[23:48] Bridgeton asking for quite a bit of money,
[23:51] disregard. You pay your fee at the office.
[23:54] Um, if you have any questions, take and, um, talk with one of the
[23:58] clerks at the office. We are working with, um, Chris Sanborn, our IT
[24:02] individual. Um, we've targeted the email that it
[24:06] has, that it's being sent to. Um, and
[24:10] so hopefully that, that will be
[24:12] resolved.So I wanted to put that out
[24:15] there. From the Town Clerk's office, thank you to everyone
[24:19] who voted, 2,888 voters cast ballots on
[24:23] November 4th. Our election staff did an outstanding job under
[24:26] pressure. The article on sewer rates for laundromats
[24:30] passed. Full results are available on the elections page of our
[24:33] website. Second quarter taxes were due November 15th.
[24:37] If you've not paid, please call our office for updated interest
[24:40] amounts. Snowmobile registrations for the season are now
[24:43] available. Please bring your previous registration or last year's sticker
[24:47] number when re-registering. We are experiencing a
[24:51] seasonal increase in general assistance applications.
[24:55] GA is a last resort, income-based program that covers basic
[24:58] necessities per the GA ordinance.
[25:02] Applications are accepted Monday through Thursday, 7:30 to 5:00
[25:06] PM. To ensure timely processing, please bring all required
[25:09] documents and check whether an administrator is available when you drop
[25:13] off your application. Incomplete applications cause delays and cannot
[25:17] be reviewed until all documents are received.
[25:20] For heat-related concerns, please check first with Opportunity Alliance for local
[25:24] resources. From the Bridgeton Recreation: November concluded our
[25:28] fall youth athletic season with a strong finish.
[25:31] Youth soccer was the last of our fall sports to wrap up with a
[25:35] successful fifth and sixth grade day-long tournament
[25:39] at the Ham Complex on November 1st.
[25:41] This season had excellent participation from players, volunteer
[25:45] coaches, officials, fans, and lot of positive
[25:49] feedback from families. Winter program is already underway
[25:53] as Lake Region youth traff- travel basketball teams began
[25:57] practices and had their first weekend of games.
[26:01] At the end of the month, we will host a youth basketball clinic and
[26:05] meetings at the Lake Region High School to help youth athletics and families
[26:08] prepare for the season, reinforce expectations, and support skill
[26:12] development. Earlier this month, Leslie and Kat attended
[26:16] the Women's Coaching Youth Sports Workshop in
[26:19] Biddeford with other female volunteer coaches.
[26:23] The trained focus was not only on coaching skills but on
[26:27] strengthening female participation in youth sports, both on the court
[26:31] and field, as well as on the sidelines.
[26:34] Building on that m- momentum,
[26:37] former Bridgeton Recreation summer staff members and now
[26:41] basketball players, Melissa Mayo and Ava Smith helped us film a
[26:45] lighthearted youth basketball promotional video, which is currently
[26:49] circulating across our social media platforms.
[26:52] Our early childhood programming has been seeing impressive
[26:55] engagement. Toddler playgroup reached record attendance as families
[26:59] moved inside the colder months. The week's
[27:03] session featured musician Vanessa Jones, who performed songs from her new
[27:07] album, Full Circle: Gentle Songs for Children, giving families a unique
[27:11] arts-focused experience. Looking ahead, Festival of Lights
[27:15] on December 6th brings a full roster of community programming
[27:19] coordinated by Bridgeton Recreation, supported by the Magic
[27:23] Lantern, local organizations, and other town departments.
[27:26] Our events throughout the day include the craft fair at Stevens Brook
[27:30] Elementary School with over 40 vendors-
[27:33] Ahem.
[27:33] ... a Merry Makers workshop, Festival of Trees viewing, and the
[27:36] inaugural Chili Cook-Off. At the Magic Lantern, we are
[27:40] presenting two performances of A Visit from Saint Nicholas at
[27:44] 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM, directed by Bob Sawyer and presented in
[27:48] memory of John Potter. Character visits and photos with
[27:52] Santa will also take place during the afternoon.
[27:54] The evening rounds out with two major community favorites: the
[27:58] Festival of Lights Parade with this year's theme Frost and
[28:02] Flame, and our tree lighting at Bridgeton Community Center.
[28:06] More festive surprises and events are being finalized by the minute.
[28:09] We anticipate strong turnout and increased foot traffic for local
[28:13] businesses and a full day of activity for community members across the
[28:17] region. From the Bridgeton Code Enforcement for the month of October
[28:21] 25th, there were three new residentials,
[28:25] six remodel permits, seven additions, eleven tree
[28:29] removal, one sign, three miscellaneous, one roof mount
[28:33] solar array, two garages. For plumbing permits, there were 13 internal
[28:37] plumbing, five septic permits, and three
[28:40] connection to town sewer. Total per- project costs were
[28:44] $3,084,728. Total
[28:47] permit costs for, um, total permit costs were
[28:51] 8,827. From Public Works, decorations
[28:55] are going up this week and should be done before Thanksgiving.
[28:58] Heating will be taken care of at the transfer station this week
[29:02] in the store. New cemetery and parks employee starts on Monday.
[29:06] Welcome Alex Johnson. New transfer station attendant started
[29:10] last week. Welcome to David Walter.
[29:13] Cemeteries will be closed on December 1st, so please have
[29:17] residents remove all personal belongings prior to
[29:20] that date. Until next time, be safe and be
[29:23] well.
[29:25] I have a question.
[29:26] Oh, wow.
[29:27] Exactly 5:30.
[29:29] Excellent.
[29:30] Um, may I just ask a question? Ho- how did they solve the heating issue and what's
[29:34] going in? That's very exciting to learn that.
[29:36] Do you want to talk or do you want me to talk? We brought in patio heaters.
[29:39] Great.
[29:40] Yes.
[29:41] That is a very nice gesture.
[29:42] Yes. How many we brought in?
[29:44] Four.
[29:44] Four? Good.
[29:44] Four patio heaters-
[29:45] Good.
[29:45] ... that'll be set up in the transfer station store.
[29:48] That is great.
[29:49] Mm-hmm.
[29:50] When I was there with you and saw my breath, I had enough.
[29:52] (laughs)
[29:53] (laughs)
[29:53] (laughs)
[29:53] And she has a smile on her face-
[29:55] Well, I hope so.
[29:56] ... in there 10 hours it goes.
[29:56] We, we ... I can't believe it took so long and I just wanted to do the best we
[30:00] could.
[30:01] Yeah. Yeah,
[30:01] No, I ... Thank you. You were there.
[30:03] He deserves
[30:03] it. You witnessed ... Well, you've been through it, but yeah, (laughs) it was ...
[30:05] No, that's ... They, they have a great team there.
[30:07] Yes, they do.
[30:07] Yeah.
[30:08] Yep.
[30:08] Yeah. Thank you for asking that.
[30:09] Mm-hmm.
[30:09] Sure.
[30:10] I have a question.
[30:10] (laughs)
[30:11] I hope, I hope nobody buys 'em. (laughs)
[30:14] 
[30:14] 
[30:14] Well, that's, that-... concern. (laughs) They had one in a box and
[30:17] I, I said, "Get it out of the box."
[30:19] Yes.
[30:20] You think Linda's gonna-
[30:21] Yeah.
[30:21] ... let that out of the building?
[30:22] Right.
[30:23] No.
[30:23] Not on your life.
[30:23] No. Nope, not now.
[30:25] Do you want to do the public hearing in the after or you want me to do this real
[30:27] quick?
[30:28] Sure.
[30:29] You want to do this quick?
[30:30] What, what?
[30:31] My, my notes. We can do it after the public hearing.
[30:33] Uh.
[30:34] It's not a lot.
[30:35] Go ahead, go ahead. You want-
[30:36] Okay. Uh, manager's notes, uh, real quickly since we've last seen each
[30:40] other. Um, I wanna congratulate Sergeant, uh, uh, Josh Muse
[30:44] for his retirement. Um, the trick or treat event
[30:48] ... Boy, Halloween seems such a long time ago.
[30:50] Um, had over 1000 trick or treaters and I want to thank Leslie and Kat
[30:54] for their efforts in making it work very well.
[30:58] Um,
[31:00] I continue to work with, um, our auditors, uh, Ron Smith and
[31:03] staff. Um, he will be here December
[31:07] 9th
[31:08] to give us an update. I, uh, I've asked him to, um, give
[31:12] me in writing updates before
[31:14] they show up and he's, he said that it would be not a, no problem at all doing
[31:18] that. Um,
[31:23] I, we have been working, um, with specialty services, um, with
[31:26] Darcy and, um, at the community center and, and
[31:30] we've, um,
[31:32] solved our heat issues, which I'm very relieved for everybody and
[31:36] it was an inconvenience and, um, we did our best to, to get things moving
[31:40] forward. She's very happy.
[31:42] Um, let's see. Since our last meeting and, uh,
[31:46] Georgianne mentioned a couple of these things.
[31:48] We interviewed and hired a deputy, a finance director, a deputy town
[31:52] clerk, uh, new employees at the transfer station and,
[31:56] uh, public works and of course, um, with your support, um, we
[32:00] sup- we, uh, hired a community development director.
[32:03] So we've been kind of busy with those things.
[32:05] Some of them have been pretty vacant for a while here so it's just, um...
[32:08] Um, last evening, I think you heard when, when I talked to you earlier about
[32:11] attending the, uh, GP Cog, um, regional meeting.
[32:14] It was outstanding. Um, it was great to hear
[32:18] from everyone else and, and I don't mean this except that I
[32:22] do. It's good to hear they have the same struggles
[32:26] as we all do (laughs) and the same concerns on the issues.
[32:30] Uh, we will be working together in the future to share services.
[32:32] We'll be having meetings. Actually s- chief and I spoke today about it.
[32:36] Spoke with the other chief about it as well and I look forward to, uh, the
[32:40] enthusiasm with trying to work together and, and saving, um, the
[32:44] region some, some money for everyone and, and continue
[32:48] our services. So, um, that's all I have, Mr. Chair.
[32:51] All right.
[32:55] I did want to add to the rec department sales, I have a bus trip for-
[32:58] Yep.
[32:59] ... Gardens Aglow on December 15th-
[33:02] 15th.
[33:02] ... I'm gonna go away.
[33:03] I think so.
[33:04] That's the date, or maybe it's-
[33:05] No.
[33:05] ... December 12th. December 12th.
[33:07] It's December 12th.
[33:08] December 12th, so the Friday, December 12th, so-
[33:10] Yep. Yeah, they're excited.
[33:12] You might want to look for that.
[33:14] Yep.
[33:15] Um, all right. We can go back all the way to
[33:18] number seven for the public hearing at
[33:21] 5:30. And
[33:25] open the public hearing for the new liquor license
[33:29] to Morning Glory Diner at 78 Portland
[33:33] Road.
[33:36] Accept comments either for, against or
[33:39] neutral.
[33:42] Well, I'll be happy to read the motion, but Brittany's here, maybe she wants to
[33:45] step up and
[33:47] give us a little overview of what her plan
[33:50] is.
[33:52] I don't see her.
[33:53] I'm-
[33:53] She's right there.
[33:54] ... enthusiastically ready to read this.
[33:55] (laughs)
[33:56] (laughs)
[33:56] Her there? Oh, hi.
[33:56] If we wanna go ahead and pass it and then congratulate her.
[33:59] 
[33:59] Move to approve a new liquor license to Morning Glory- We gotta end the public
[34:02] hearing.
[34:03] Oh, end that public hearing.
[34:05] End the public hearing. Now the motion.
[34:07] Move to approve a new liquor license to Morning Glory Diner at 78
[34:11] Portland Road.
[34:13] Second.
[34:15] All in favor? Four, zero.
[34:19] Congratulations. We love Morning Glory.
[34:22] We do. Thank you.
[34:24] You do an outstanding job, you all.
[34:28] Thank you.
[34:29] All right.
[34:30] Yep.
[34:30] Open a hearing for the special amusement permit renewal for Main
[34:34] 4H Magic Lantern at 9 Depot Street.
[34:38] Comments for, against or just comments?
[34:41] Anyone? Going, going, gone. All right, we're
[34:45] going to close that hearing
[34:49] and look for a motion.
[34:52] Move to approve a permit renewal for Main 4H Magic Lantern at 9
[34:56] Depot Street.
[34:58] Second.
[34:59] All in favor? One other.
[35:03] All right. Open the public hearing on the
[35:07] special amusement permit renewal for Players Sports Bar
[35:10] at 224 Portland
[35:12] Road. You know the drill, comments
[35:16] for or against (laughs) or just comments?
[35:21] Hearing none, close the hearing. Take the
[35:25] motion.
[35:26] Move to approve a special amusement permit renewal for Players Sports Bar at
[35:30] 224 Portland Road.
[35:32] Second.
[35:34] All in favor?
[35:36] One other.
[35:38] All right. Open the hearing for the automobile
[35:42] graveyard/junkyard renewal license for Ovitz
[35:46] Cars located at 730, 730
[35:50] Portland Road.
[35:52] Move to approve an automobile-
[35:54] Oh, any com- I gotta wait. Any comments for, against, just
[35:57] comments? Close-
[35:58] I see all these people just roaring to get up here like-
[36:01] Close the hearing.
[36:03] Move to approve an automobile graveyard/junkyard renewal permit for
[36:06] Ovitz Cars located at 730 Portland Road.
[36:10] I'm sorry if I did not pronounce his last name right.
[36:14] Second.
[36:15] All in favor? One
[36:18] other.So
[36:26] leap back around to,
[36:29] I think we're up to sl- number 14.
[36:32] Mm-hmm.
[36:33] Select board comments and discussion items.
[36:37] Select board comments.
[36:40] Um, did you go with a ... Bye. Did you go with a split
[36:44] system heating and cooling at the Community Center or just a
[36:47] furnace?
[36:48] No, a furnace is in, we- we're gonna, uh, well, they're, they
[36:52] have to build a new furnace. And then
[36:56] the, um, the air will be worked on
[37:00] later, which will be, um, heat pumps
[37:04] and
[37:06] we are looking for some funding for that too.
[37:08] But we will be responsible for the furnace,
[37:13] which is s- 73 years old.
[37:16] Yeah, it's about time. Ca- can't heat with a cracked furnace.
[37:20] No.
[37:20] Nope. Well, talking about the Community Center, tomorrow is
[37:24] their weekly senior lunch and it is a
[37:27] Thanksgiving feast tomorrow.
[37:30] Oh.
[37:30] So I would encourage anyone who wants to come out and have a nice community
[37:34] meal with an amazing group of people, it is senior lunch,
[37:37] but you know, head on over for turkey and
[37:41] dressing and all the fixings, so happy
[37:43] What time is that?
[37:44] That is at noon.
[37:45] Noon.
[37:45] Okay, perfect.
[37:46] 
[37:46] And, uh, thank you as always to the volunteers there and a happy
[37:50] Thanksgiving to everyone. And I would like to wish a very
[37:53] happy birthday to one of my favorite Bridgeton
[37:56] residents, Miss Ava LaBarge turned 20
[38:00] years old today. She is the daughter of Mitzi and Jeff
[38:04] MacGyver LaBarge. Happy birthday, Ava.
[38:08] We love you.
[38:10] That's all I've got.
[38:12] I did make the mistake of going to the Community Center today to iron out my dates
[38:16] for my AARP taxes and the turkeys were
[38:20] cooking, and I was just dying of
[38:22] hunger. (laughs)
[38:24] (laughs) Yeah.
[38:29] I have, um,
[38:33] none tonight.
[38:37] Well, all right, comment quickly.
[38:40] (laughs)
[38:41] (laughs)
[38:41] Um, I have nothing.
[38:47] I would just like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.
[38:50] And also note that the Community Center on both Saturday and
[38:54] Sunday of Ladies' Day weekend has a
[38:58] breakfast
[39:00] offering of blueberry pancakes, bacon, and
[39:04] I, I believe it was a very reasonable fee.
[39:06] I forget exactly what it was. So if people are
[39:10] out shopping, and I think it starts at 8:00 in the morning really, so,
[39:14] uh, it's either from 8:00 to 10:00 or 8:00 to 11:00.
[39:19] It's a good opportunity to have s- have some food before you go shopping.
[39:23] Great. Yeah, and a selection of four homemade scone
[39:26] combinations. I had breakfast there for it last year and it was
[39:30] great.
[39:34] Oh, we already passed you, sir.
[39:36] (laughs)
[39:37] We already passed you, congratulations.
[39:39] Yeah, you're all approved, Ovide.
[39:42] You're all approved.
[39:43] Yes.
[39:44] Okay?
[39:45] Thank you for keeping all those junk cards (laughs) in
[39:47] order.
[39:52] (laughs)
[39:52] I'm still here. Don't come get me yet.
[39:55] (laughs)
[39:55] No, no.
[39:56] (laughs)
[39:58] All right, and we're all the way to number 16.
[40:02] Mm-hmm. Okay.
[40:03] Mm-hmm. Wow.
[40:05] Move to approve treasurer's warrants 32, 33,
[40:09] 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40,
[40:13] 41, 42, 43, 44, 45.
[40:18] Uh, you've been busy.
[40:20] You cannot imagine how long it took me to sign off on all of those warrants.
[40:23] I, I knew it, I looked at them all too.
[40:24] Yeah.
[40:25] Sure.
[40:25] I'll second that.
[40:27] All in favor? Four-nothing. Uh-oh, that means a lot of
[40:31] signing, doesn't it? (laughs)
[40:34] Yes, it does. That's a good point.
[40:36] Yes, it does.
[40:36] Mm-hmm.
[40:37] All right, the dates for the next meeting, uh, December 9th,
[40:41] which is our regular meeting. We are not having this, as we
[40:45] discussed at the last time, we are not having the meeting that
[40:49] would fall very close to Christmas.
[40:51] And so the meeting after that is the January
[40:55] 13th meeting.
[40:59] And there it is. Make the best motion of the
[41:02] night. No one wants to make
[41:06] it, Nope.
[41:06] It was-
[41:06] We're all so happy to be in.
[41:08] Adjourned.
[41:09] (laughs) Adjourned. All right. Second.
[41:12] Second.
[41:12] All in favor?
[41:13] Yeah.
[41:14] Four-nothing. Meeting adjourned.