Bristol residents approved the first public pre-kindergarten program in the Central Lincoln County School System at their annual town meeting March 13.
The entire, $4,177,977 education budget, thought to be the marquee issue of the meeting due to the addition of the program, passed without discussion or significant dissent.
A state-mandated budget validation vote will follow Tues., March 20. The polls will be open at the town office from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The only surprising vote of the night came when Jason Lord objected to a routine article that disallows a municipal alewife harvest.
The article reads “To see if the Town will vote that the Municipality not operate a river herring fishery for the ensuing year. Gill netting or seining within municipal bounds will not be permitted.”
Lord said he travels around the state to fish for alewives and doesn’t see why he shouldn’t be able to harvest in Bristol, where “you could walk across” the fish last season.
“If responsibly harvested, it could be a nice money-maker for the town of Bristol,” Lord, a member of the Bristol Budget Committee, said.
Bristol Board of Selectmen Chairman Chad Hanna said interested citizens would have to work with the town to form a fish committee and manage the fishery.
The citizens would have to maintain the Bristol Mills fish ladder and monitor Pemaquid River for beaver dams and other obstructions.
If they’re able and willing, “There’s no reason why this couldn’t change,” Hanna said.
Bristol Town Administrator Kristine Poland, however, said that, at present, the Dept. of Marine Resources would not allow Bristol to operate a fishery.
Jared Pendleton advocated for rejecting the article anyway with the intent to “send a message” to the state and support the fishing community.
Hanna agreed. “It doesn’t hurt us to try and keep a dialog with the DMR,” he said. “Things may change.”
The state might not permit a fishery this year, but, without movement toward proper management, “there may not be a fishery even if you want it” in the future, Hanna said.
Dana Dyer got the last word. “If we want to keep the fishery, you vote no – you vote it down,” he said.
The voters unanimously rejected the article, prompting an enthusiastic round of applause.
Elsewhere on the warrant, Sandra Lane moved to increase the amount the town spends to place flags at the graves of veterans of foreign wars on Memorial Day from $1000 to $1500.
“They deserve a decent flag on the grave,” Lane said.
The amended article passed.
A warrant item to renew a 20-year lease for the Samoset Fish and Game Club’s rifle range at the Bristol/South Bristol Transfer Station met with concern from Rev. Bobby Ives.
The club stopped rifle shooting at the range in October 2010 after complaints of errant bullets reaching the walking trails of Crooked Farm Preserve, across Old County Road from The Carpenter’s Boat Shop.
“They are reviewing the setup there to make sure it meets the requirements and everybody’s safety,” Hanna said. “They certainly are going to follow every safety rule that they need to follow.”
Club members also spoke in favor of renewing the lease.
“The fish and game club, we don’t want to accidentally shoot anybody and I don’t know anybody that wants to accidentally get shot,” Craig Elliott said. The club plans an open house for this summer to show off recent safety improvements, he said.
Waite Weeks, also a member, said renewal would be in the citizens’ best interest as, without a rifle range, “there’s going to be multi-directional shooting going on in Bristol from everybody’s house that shoots.”
The article passed unanimously.
During consideration of a higher Bristol Fire and Rescue budget, Fire Chief Paul Leeman Jr. explained the increase.
The increase stems from the decision to restore an annual contribution of $40,000 to the truck reserve account.
Bristol will, in the near future, have to purchase a tanker for an estimated cost of $180,000-$240,000, Leeman said.
“We’re not opposed to a demo model, we’re not opposed to a secondhand tanker, but we want a great, safe tank truck,” Leeman said.
The voters elected Karen Farnsworth, Charles Hanson, Paul Leeman III, Jason Lord, Jared Pendleton and Al Sears to the Bristol Budget Committee.
Bristol elects half and authorizes the meeting moderator to appoint half of the 12-member committee.
Moderator Don Means said he made his appointments after receiving some feedback from the town office staff.
Following his election as moderator early March 12, the all-female staff told him “You’ve got to get some women on that committee,” Means said.
“There’s five women going on it,” he said – five more than served on the 2011-2012 committee.