The Waldoboro Board of Selectmen renewed Town Manager Linda-Jean Briggs’ contract for one year Tuesday, June 14. (Alexander Violo photo)
The Waldoboro Board of Selectmen voted 4-1 to renew Town Manager Linda-Jean Briggs’ contract for one year during the board’s meeting Tuesday, June 14.
The vote follows several meetings of the board in executive session to discuss the contract, in addition to a number of public comments on the matter during selectmen’s meetings in recent months.
Selectman Katherine Winchenbach cast the dissenting vote.
“I would like to let it be known that I do not accept this contract, nor will I sign it. It’s not what the people wanted and I go with the people,” Winchenbach said.
The selectmen voted unanimously to demolish the chimney and garage on the A.D. Gray property.
The chimney and garage are on the field side of the structure.
Waldoboro Public Works Director John Daigle said he supports the demolition.
“The building should be torn down because it’s not safe … now is the time to clean up the mess,” Daigle said.
Briggs said the public works department plans to demolish the chimney and garage right away in order to complete the cleanup before Waldoboro Day, Saturday, June 18.
The selectmen awarded bids for roadside and field mowing to Gary Castner for $3,463 and $2,598.60, respectively.
Arthur Simmons, a Waldoboro resident and former selectman, was in attendance to discuss raising flags at the town office on weekends and during public holidays when the municipal office is closed.
Simmons, who said he used to raise the flag at the office, expressed frustration that the American flag hasn’t been up at the town office on weekends and holidays, especially on holidays calling for the flag to be flown at half-staff.
He asked why the board of selectmen couldn’t get law enforcement or first responders to raise and lower the flag at dawn and dusk, respectively.
Briggs said due to the fluidity of the work schedule of police, fire, and emergency medical services, it would be difficult to assign them times to raise and lower the flag.
She said the town has extra flags and if there are individuals willing to make the commitment on a volunteer basis to raise the flag at the town office on weekends and holidays, she would be more than happy to deliver a flag to the volunteers.
Winchenbach suggested a possible solution would be to install a solar-powered spotlight to keep the flag lit up so the flag could remain overnight in a proper setting.
Briggs said she would look into the solar light and suggested a long-term solution could be to run electricity to the area of the flagpole as part of the town’s efforts to install an electronic sign near Route 1 by the end of the coming fiscal year.
Selectman Jann Minzy suggested an interested volunteer might be located at the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars posts to help with the flag on days when the office is not open.
Briggs said a follow-up will be included in the town manager’s report for the board’s meeting Tuesday, June 28.
The board of selectmen voted to accept the donation of the late Waldoboro sculptor Nate Nicholls’ metal sculpture of a five-masted schooner to the town from a member of Nicholls’ family.
Briggs said the sculpture, which is between 4 and 5 feet long, will appear in the parade on Waldoboro Day, which will start at 10 a.m., and there will be a short presentation to accept the sculpture’s donation at noon at the A.D. Gray building.
