Communications Officers Praised For April 1 Snow Response

During a regular meeting of the Lincoln County Commissioners April 5, Lincoln County Emergency Management Director Tim Pellerin praised his communication center for a job well done during the April Fool’s Day storm.

“It was a great day at the communications center,” said Pellerin.

According to a letter distributed to the commissioners from communications center supervisor Rob Bickford, the agency responded to 122 calls for service over a 12-hour period, well above the average of 50 calls on a normal day wrote Bickford.

“By the time things started to slow down at 1:00, we had taken exactly 100 calls for service which included 55 car accidents and 28 calls for trees or power lines down,” wrote Bickford.

Bickford went on to write that “each one of you definitely fought the good fight and I would stand beside you and fight again tomorrow.”

Sheriff’s ReportLincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett told the commissioners of an upcoming law enforcement training seminar for the police chaplain. The training will involve suicide prevention and also help officers cope with stress.

“Fortunately there have been no suicides so far on the force,” said Brackett. “Unfortunately this happens all too often nationally.”

Brackett said it would be one more “tool in the basket” for the department. Commissioners also approved forfeiture funds for the purchase of a gun cabinet to be used as a “safe for seized drugs and cash,” said Brackett.

RecyclingRecycling director Mike Thompson told commissioners that prices were “holding pretty good” despite the up tick in fuel prices. Thompson said that plastics were up to $700 a ton from $630 and that newspaper prices were the highest he’d ever seen.

In his March movement and revenue summary, Thompson showed $39,292.51 in total broker sales for the month. The update concluded with a brief discussion on a fledgling recycling program in Jefferson. The town, in conjunction with Nobleboro, is applying for a grant to buy “roll off” cans for basic recycling needs identified by Thompson as paper, cardboard, and newspapers.

“This is a pilot program,” said Commissioner Sheridan Bond. “It will run for a year to see how it works.”

The Lincoln County Commissioners will next meet on April 19 at the Lincoln County Courthouse.