Lebanon Fire and EMS Posts April 2016 Call Log

Lebanon Fire and EMS Call Report

April 2016

 

from Chief Daniel Meehan

EMS Calls:

Chest Pain (Non-Traumatic) 1
Convulsions / Seizures 3
Diabetic Problems 2
Falls 1
Headache 1
Hemorrhage / Lacerations 1
Overdose / Poisoning (Ingestion) 2
Psychiatric / Abnormal Behavior / Suicide Attempt 8
Sick Person 5
Traffic / Transportation Incident 12
Unconscious / Fainting (Near) 2
Unknown Problem (Man Down) 1
Assault / Sexual Assault 4
Back Pain (Non-Traumatic/Non-Recent Trauma) 1
Breathing Problems 4
Burns (Scalds) / Explosions (Blast) 1
Other 3
Stand By (Fire, Law, etc) 1
Total 53

Fire Calls:

Motor Vehicle 5
Accidents Mutual Aid 5
Public Assist 1
Unpermitted Burn 5
Brush fire 1
Propane Leak 1
Investigation 2
Total 20

  

A Written Interview With Lebanon Fire and EMS Chief Daniel Meehan, in His Own Words.

LTMS was present at the most recent set of Budget Committee meetings regarding the desire of the Lebanon Fire and EMS Department to replace an ailing and out of service Engine 1 with a 2017 model year Fire Truck.
The comments made during the meeting, and after, were concerning to us, and we asked Chief Daniel Meehan for an interview.
Chief Meehan, asked us to provide the interview in writing for him to complete, and we think that is a lovely idea!!! It's always better to provide an interview in someone's own written word.
Many thanks to Chief Daniel Meehan of the Lebanon Fire and EMS Department for providing the answers to our questions in writing........
The Chief provided his answers to LMTS on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.




Sent from Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers March 17, 2016

Good Morning Chief Meehan, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day,

I attended last evening’s (March 16, 2016) Lebanon Budget Committee Meeting at the Town Office. I was alerted to this meeting less than an hour prior to its beginning, and there was no Town Website notification. As a resident of Lebanon, but not part of the current Budget Committee, I am not allowed to participate or ask a question during that meeting, however, during the meeting, and after the meeting, statements were made by members of the Budget Committee that concerned me greatly. I hope that you will consider sharing a few answers with me today so that I can properly inform the residents of the Town of Lebanon to truthful answers, Right from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.

LMTS: During Wednesday evening’s impromptu question and answer meeting, many questions were asked of you regarding the Lebanon Fire and EMS Department’s need for a new fire truck, exact specifications, equipment capabilities and specifications, and yet you seemed unprepared to deliver a presentation to the Budget Committee.
Could I begin by asking you when you were alerted to this meeting, and why you were not prepared?
Chief Meehan: “I found out about 15 minutes before the meeting. I was still gathering information about the truck and had no time to get it together before the meeting.”

LMTS: One of the questions presented to you during the meeting was with regards to your late submission of a referendum question to the Budget Committee for inclusion on a May 10th, 2016 Town Ballot. Why didn’t you present your request when you presented your regular department budget to the Committee?
Chief Meehan: “Eng 1 was inspected in January and failed half way though, Hartford’s said there was no need to proceed with what they already found, so we started looking at a Fire Truck, it takes time to get meetings set up, bids in and then prices, usually it is a six month to a year process, we did it in about three months.”

LMTS: I was personally present at the Monday, March 14, 2016 Lebanon Board of Selectmen’s meeting, when you contacted Selectman Royce Heath regarding specifications and pricing of a 2017 fire engine pumper tanker truck that you are hoping to obtain for the Lebanon Fire and EMS department. How long prior to that phone call did you receive those final proposal prices?
Chief Meehan: “Pricing and loan payment came in just a few hours before the selectmen’s meeting and as a matter of fact the specifications on the truck came in via email while I was in the selectmen’s meeting.”

LMTS: Prior to receiving pricing, how long had you, or your department members, been speaking to fire truck companies with regards to pricing and specifications of a new fire engine, pumper tanker truck?
Chief Meehan: “We had asked 3 companies to put in a bid with the specifications we wanted just months prior. It takes time for them to put a bid together, then for us to meet to go over it. Then to pick one and start talking about what if anything we want to cut from the truck or add. This process usually talks 5 months or more. We got it done in 3 months.”

LMTS: On the morning of Wednesday, March 16, 2016, I was personally present at the Blaisdell Corner, Station 2, as the Maine State Police conducted a complementary truck inspection of Lebanon Engine 1. What was it that prompted you to have the Maine State Police conduct this truck inspection?
Chief Meehan: “We had it inspected by a very knowledgeable mechanic but to make sure bases were covered and to show the citizens that Engine 1 really has out lived its service to the town.”

LMTS: During the Budget Committee meeting of Wednesday, March 16th, you stated that Hartford Truck of Lebanon had also conducted a partial inspection of Engine 1, but that they did not complete the inspection as the list of problems with that vehicle was too extensive to repair without the repair costs going over the value of the vehicle. Could you tell us what the problems were that Hartford Truck identified with Engine 1?
Chief Meehan: “Tank Supports rotted, tank might of shifted, right side tie rod needs replacing, exhaust needs replacing, excessive rust. Also once again the fire pump needs repair, after reviewing past records this has been an ongoing problem, since 2000 costing thousands."

LMTS: Former Fire Department Chief Blaine “Skip” Wood, questioned you on the number of gallons of water that Engine 1 could hold, your answer was 750 gallons of water. Mr. Wood corrected you and stated that Engine 1 could hold 900 gallons of water. The Budget Committee seemed to be concerned with this discrepancy. In the greater scheme of what you are trying to achieve, does the tank capability of Engine 1, matter, since it is out of service, and probably permanently so?
Chief Meehan: "The discrepancy was with Engine 2 our first engine out the door, this engine carries only 795 gallons of water, this apparatus would be good if there was plenty of hydrants in town, but in a town like Lebanon no Engine should be ordered with less than 1000 gallons."

LMTS: Budget Committee Member, Corinna Cole had asked the 7 members of the Board who voted not to recommend the Lebanon Fire and EMS budget to the voters of Lebanon, 7 to 0 with 2 abstentions, their reasons in not recommending. Three members stated that they felt the budget was “too high” but would give no specifics as to what it was they were objecting to. I had been present during the meeting in February when you presented your budget to the Committee, and in reviewing my notes, the only suggestions to changes in your budget seemed to concern the purchase of t-shirts for your department, (the only uniform provided to members other than a single set of fire turnout gear) and many questions regarding the Depot Road Fire Station (Station 1) and its upkeep and repair, which were continually addressed by Selectman Thompson as being questions for the Lebanon Fire Department Inc., a separate entity not within your control. In your recollection, were there any suggestions by the Lebanon Budget Committee with regards to items in your budget that could save the Town of Lebanon large amounts of money?
Chief Meehan: “There were no suggestions by the committee, I answered their questions and when done had asked if they had any other questions. I remember hearing "good job".
I am asking for the budget to stay the same as this year.
T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts were bought and given to members to show pride in their department and to be more uniformed for the EMS crew answering calls. I have personally bought pink shirts and sweatshirts for members out of my own pocket, to show support.
I did give back over $4,200 to the town from the EMA department."

LMTS: During the Budget Committee Meeting of March 16th, the upkeep and maintenance of Station 1 was once again discussed, with a member stating that over the years, the Town of Lebanon and the Lebanon Fire Department had “milked that free station dry”, insinuating that the Town and it’s fire department had put little to no money into the upkeep or maintenance of Depot Road, Station 1. Could you tell us the issues that plague Station 1 when you took over as Chief, and which issues are present at this time? How have you personally addressed each current maintenance item? In your time as Chief, you have spent any of your department’s budget on making repairs or conducting maintenance of Station 1?
Chief Meehan: “I do not understand how the town or department “milked the station dry” The building is owned by the cooperation. But all maintenance has come out of my budget. I pay for heat, electricity, cable, propane, internet, phone, salt for water and alarm service. I have had the furnace repaired, repaired all three bay doors, bought lights, bought a new electric heater for office, had water system maintained. Currently I am looking at an antiquated internet system, a leaking hot water tank and the back meeting room floor has some sort of sink hole.”

LMTS: During a recent Selectmen’s meeting, there was discussion on the department’s purchase of a pickup truck with a utility body, a skid unit with the possibility of a plow on the front. At Wednesday evening’s Budget Committee meeting, members seemed to have a difficult time understanding why the Fire and EMS Department would consider a need for this type of vehicle, and they seemed angry that you would ask for two new vehicles in the same year. Could you explain what a “skid unit” is, why this would be important, what the benefit would be to the taxpayers of Lebanon if this vehicle should be obtained, and why the fire department feels the need to obtain a pickup truck and a fire engine within the same year, and how that vehicle would be paid for?
Chief Meehan: “We need a new forestry vehicle, the current one is from 1978 and has served the town well, but needs to be retired. In this topic a skid unit is used for brush fires, it is the pump and water tank on a removable skid. All this is for a forestry unit; the money would come out of the CIP. I have explained to the selectmen about some ideas, to buy a pickup with a utility body and put a skid unit in it, to just buy a forestry truck and if a plow would benefit because sometimes the ambulance cannot make it into a drive way when there is too much snow.”

LMTS: Budget Committee Member Nancy Neubert discussed the fact that voters of Lebanon had turned down the replacement of Engine 1 on several occasions between 2009, and 2014, and there was a long recitation by Committee Member Chris Gilpatrick, Sr. regarding department members continually blaming the former Fire Department Administration for the poor condition of the department’s apparatus when you took your office back in January of 2015. Why do you believe it is important for 2016 Lebanon voters to approve a fire truck purchase for your department?
Chief Meehan: “ The safety of the citizens of the town, the safety of the firefighters and to protect property. The town is growing, more developments are going in, more people are moving in. Having the right tools to do the job safely and efficiently."

LMTS: Chief, if given the money to purchase a 2017 fire truck for the Town of Lebanon, there were concerns voiced by members of the Budget Committee that you are planning to purchase other new vehicles next year. It has been my personal experience in business and my limited knowledge of other Budget Committees and Town Governments that it is typical to have a 5 and 10 year plan with regards to Capital Improvements. Do you have a plan in place for continuing replacement of older Emergency Services equipment over the next 5 or 10 years?
Chief Meehan: “There should have been a plan already to replace vehicles on a rotating cycle, but it takes the vote of the Selectmen, the budget committee and the citizens to be able to replace vehicles on schedule. It is the plan to look at replacing a vehicle in 5 years because of their age.”

LMTS: Members of the Budget Committee questioned you on your proposed plan to pay for the 2017 fire truck over a period of 10 years at a cost of $54,572.00 per year. Members voiced the opinion that dividing the cost over a 10 year period would cost the town a total of $90,000.00 in interest payments over the term of the lease, about $9,000.00 per year. The Members who seemed interested in the actual budgeting for the fire truck rather than your need for one, questioned whether the payments would be best paid for over a shorter time period. Chief, could you tell the residents and voters if the suggested 10 year time frame was your recommendation, and if not, who chose the 10 year payment timeline, and what payment timeline you would personally recommend to the Town?
Chief Meehan: “I suggested a 7-10-year plan because of the yearly payment being lower, the selectmen agreed and went with the 10-year payment, this was only because of the yearly payment being less than a 5-year payment. But it makes sense to go five years paying a higher lease payment but saving money over all.”
***It is noted that members of the Budget Committee recommended that the Selectmen change the original 10 year planned payment time frame to a 5 year planned payment time frame, the Selectmen agreed, and it will be a 5 year payment plan that will appear on the referendum question regarding the  new fire truck***

LMTS: After the Budget Committee Meeting, five members of that Committee continued their discussion of your fire truck request in the Lebanon Town Office parking lot. I was personally in the parking lot obtaining signatures for a petition when I overheard the things being discussed by these five members. Since the five members would constitute a quorum of the Board, who were meeting without notice or invitation of the other members or the public, I feel it is my right to question you on the discussion they were having. When I confronted them as to the conversation I was overhearing, I was told that I was attributing the statements made to the incorrect members, and that may be so as it was dark. The statements I was hearing were so incorrect that it upset me greatly. To that end, the following questions will not mention who was speaking, but will answer questions that may come up in private conversations with Town of Lebanon Budget Committee Members, or at the Lebanon Public Hearing, scheduled for Saturday, April 30, 2016. It is my hope that voters of the Town of Lebanon will print this interview and come to the Public Hearing armed with questions and comments with regards to these statements. Again, I relate to you that these statements were not part of the formal Budget Committee meeting, but were so disturbing to me, that I re-entered the Lebanon Town Office and requested that Budget Committee member Corinna Cole accompany me out into the parking lot to hear the statements being made.

LMTS: Chief, one of the statements made Wednesday evening was that the Lebanon Fire and EMS Department is predominantly made up of EMTs and that you currently have only “a couple” of certified Firefighters on your department. Is this true?
Chief Meehan: “That is not true, we have a good number of certified firefighters. Some of our certified Firefighters are also medical and some medical members are in a Firefighter 1 & 2 class to be certified. Also some of our firefighters are testing out on their EMT, we care cross training. The old ways of fire being on top is in the past, medical is equally important if not more as they handle the bulk of the calls. Last year the Ambulance did about 450 calls and fire did 220 calls.  Our dedicated certified members do also hold a full time job, sometimes it depends on when a call comes in that will depend how many will respond.”

LMTS: It was also stated in that parking lot meeting, that Lebanon Fire and EMS only has an average of 2 firefighters responding to active fire scenes within the Town of Lebanon, and that our Fire and EMS Department are relying on outside towns to come and put out Lebanon’s Fires. The two members certifying this to the others stated that they listen to the scanners and only hear two people responding. When I told those two members that only one or two members respond to dispatch via the radio, and the rest respond via the “IamRepsonding” app, it was told to me that these two Budget Committee members have the “IamResponding” app which would show them the firefighters responding to any incident. I have related to you that evening at the Lebanon Town Office, the names of the two Budget Committee members stating that they have “IamResponding” apps. Could you explain “IamResponding” to our residents, and answer to your best knowledge, whether these Budget Committee members have, or have any right to have, “IamResponding” apps related to the Town of Lebanon Fire and EMS?
Chief Meehan: “I am Responding is a phone/computer app that active members have, this app allows our current members the ability to get notified of Lebanon calls, it is like carrying a pager in their phone. The only way a budget committee member could have access to the account is if they, a family member or friend gave them their log in information.”

LMTS: One of our Budget Committee members present at the parking lot meeting is related to a firefighter in a nearby town. If that member had “IamResponding” for that neighboring town, would they have the ability to see which Lebanon responders were responding to an incident within the Town of Lebanon?
Chief Meehan: “NO, but if they had a family member was a member of the Lebanon Department they could if they had their family member’s log in information.”

LMTS: In a second question with regards to the above statement, could you explain to the voters of Lebanon the agreements you have made for Mutual Aid with other area Fire Departments?
Chief Meehan: “With Milton we have an automatic mutual aid simply because they can reach parts of Lebanon before we can, it is about patient care and safety. We have also remade our run cards, these run cards splits the town into 4 quarters and helps dispatch with who we need when we call in how bad the fire is, but these new run cards also call in bordering departments automatically if we go out on some certain calls such as smoke in the building, chimney fires etc. It gets trucks on the road saving much needed time, if we get on scene and we can down grade, we can cancel them. But if we get on scene and it is worse they are already responding and we can call in more if needed.”

LMTS: Mutual Aid, Chief, in my limited understanding, means that the Lebanon Fire Department also responds, upon request, to fires in other area towns. Could you tell the residents and voters of Lebanon, have members of the Lebanon Fire and EMS Department responded to fires outside of the Town of Lebanon, and if so, how many responders are typically sent, and how our own station and town are covered in the event of a fire in Lebanon?
Chief Meehan: “Last year we covered 31 mutual calls, anywhere from 2-5 members have gone mutual aid. With our run cards we have an outside department that will come in to cover the town, if we send two trucks out of town mutual, we will call in a mutual aid station to cover our station incase calls come in.”

LMTS: It was mentioned on Wednesday evening that other local towns do not call Lebanon to participate in Mutual Aid events. Within each area town, there was a certain “order” in which other area departments are called to Mutual Aid from other towns based on their ability to furnish manpower and apparatus, Could you tell us the “order” that Lebanon Fire Department was called for Mutual Aid when you took over as Chief, versus the “order” that Lebanon is now called to furnish Mutual Aid to other area towns?
Chief Meehan: “You cannot blame towns not calling you in if you cannot get them help, over the year I have seen us get called sooner, like I have said we provided 31 mutual aid calls to outer towns. This does not include mutual aid calls the ambulance has done to Sanford and other area towns. Our dedicated certified members do also hold a full time job, sometimes it depends on when a call comes in that will depend how many will respond.”

LMTS: Has the Lebanon Fire and EMS received any mention or award from local area town fire departments for their accomplishments and progress in responding to Mutual Aid incidents?

Chief Meehan: “We always receive many thanks and recently received a certificate of thanks from Alfred for helping fight their structure fire.”

 

LMTS: During the formal Budget Committee meeting, it was stated that the truck you are hoping to purchase for your department was a medium sized cab, capable of seating four responders. later it was said  that there was no need for a four seat piece of equipment. I have also received, via e mail, questions regarding that decision. The question seems to be whether or not the fire truck would sit at the station waiting for four responders to arrive, rather than getting out of the station in a more timely fashion with two responders and having others meet them on scene. What is the reasoning behind obtaining a four seat fire engine vs a two seat fire engine, is there a difference in the cost to the taxpayer, and would you advise your firefighters to wait for a crew of four prior to responding to a fire in the Town of Lebanon?

Chief Meehan: “The engine is not being built for just today but for the future, plus currently if we go mutual aid and more than 2 people show up we have to also send my car or the squad taking up road space when parking. The truck will not be held up if a fire is in town, but members use "I am responding" to sign on to the station, as members come into the station they can see if anyone is almost at the station and can quickly load the truck if needed. Members are not allowed go mutual aid in their own vehicle.”

 

LMTS: In the dark of the parking lot, it was stated that the Lebanon Fire and EMS Department had “enough power” with the town’s two tank trucks and single remaining fire engine (Engine 2) to put out any fire in Lebanon, and that an additional engine was an unnecessary expense to the taxpayers. Could you respond to this statement?

Chief Meehan: “In the past the fire chief and members have tried to keep the 4 apparatus they have to serve the town of 55.8 sq. miles and some 7000 citizens. Engine 2 carries under 800 gallons of water and 40 gallons of foam, it really should have at least 1000 gallons being the first apparatus out of the station, this type of Engine is good in areas with hydrants. So the new apparatus will have 1500 gallons being more appropriate and replacing an engine which was 1000 gallons. At least twice the retired Chief and members tried to replace Engine 1, they knew it was old, it cost more to repair and was unsafe because the 4 extra members it could carry was not in an enclosed cab which is now a National requirement.”

 

***LMTS hopes that this interview with the Chief has been helpful to you in forming questions of your own for the Chief and the Board of Selectmen with regards to the Lebanon Fire and EMS budget and their quest for a new fire truck to replace the now out of service, Engine 1.

 

We would like to thank Chief Meehan for responding in writing to our questions. By quoting the Chief directly, you should have no question as to whether or not his quote is shortened or misquoted. LMTS retains the original written documentation of this online interview.***

 

Thank you for reading this interview and we hope to see you at the Lebanon Public Hearing on Saturday April 30, 2016, at the Lebanon Elementary School, beginning at 2 pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Lebanon Maine Board of Selectmen's Meeting Notes, Monday, March 14, 2016

 

Monday, March 14, 2016

Lebanon Maine Board of Selectmen's Meeting

 

The Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers is not an official representative of the Lebanon Maine Board of Selectmen. The notes below are not an official record of the Town of Lebanon or any of their boards or committees, they are only the notes of LMTS resident sitting in on Board meetings. For the official minutes of these meetings, please see the Town of Lebanon Maine Official Town Website.

In light of statements made by individuals at the Lebanon Maine Board of Selectmen's Meeting, it is also important for us to write that we do not represent any one person, board or committee within the Town of Lebanon, Maine and that these are only our notes on the events, happenings and statements during that meeting.

 

 

 

The Lebanon Board of Selectmen's meeting began promptly at 4 pm.

 

Although both Selectmen Heath and Nadeau were in the office, Selectman Thompson remained outside of the office until 4 pm.

 

Lebanon Road Commissioner Tom Torno arrived at 4.

 

Selectman Thompson spoke with Torno and told him that he wanted the Road Commissioner to come into the Board meetings every Monday night to keep the  Board on top of what projects he had completed and what was being planned for the upcoming week.

Torno agreed.

Thompson asked him what he had been doing over the past week, and Torno stated that he had been patching potholes and that he had been up on Shapleigh Road taking measurements and refiguring the project so that he could present a more current cost calculation to the Board.

 

Selectman Nadeau asked Torno if he had the chance to go and take a look at River Road, and Torno stated that he had, and that he was working on project prices for paving of that road.

 

Thompson once again requested that Torno make the Monday evening meetings each week so that the Board could keep on top of what was going on from week to week, and again, Torno agreed.

 

LMTS Deborah Dorey Wilson asked Mr. Torno what was happening with the portion of Bigelow Road that had been ripped up by a private plowing contractor earlier in the month. Torno stated that the area would be patched, and Wilson stated that was not an acceptable answer, this damage is not a pothole, but a swath cut into the entire side of the road. Torno stated that they were not going to use cold patch on the area, and Wilson answered that they had been packing the area with cold patch. Torno agreed with Wilson, but stated that the area was scheduled to have a portion of the road cut back and replaced, but that he was waiting for the asphalt plants to open up.

Wilson asked the Road Commissioner who was going to pay for the planned work to be done, and Torno stated that the Town of Lebanon would be paying the bill. Once again, Wilson objected, stating that the plow contactors are independent of the town and should have liability insurance, and that the plow operator's insurance should be held accountable for the damage that he had caused.

Torno disagreed, and said that the damage happened due to the fact that the asphalt had been soft under the snow, and that the road was not flat, however Wilson noted that NO road is flat, (or it shouldn't be), even when it is newly paved.

 

Selectman Thompson asked Selectman Heath to include Wilson's objection to the taxpayer being responsible for repairing the damage in the Board's Official Minutes. Heath was unsure of what to write and it was agreed that Thompson would write the comments into the minutes later in the evening.

 

Wilson also noted that the Road Commissioner had put a new skirt from 202 onto Bigelow Road only a year and a half ago, and that there was a huge dip in the road as vehicles enter off of Route 202. Torno stated that it was due to a frost heave moving the culvert around under the road, and Wilson agreed that you couldn't predict frost heaves, and that the bump in the road served as a "speed bump", Torno agreed to keep his eye on that.

 

Wilson stated that she had been to visit Sandy Adams, a resident of Shapleigh Road, and Ms. Adams had asked her to inquire about two very large potholes on Shapleigh Road. Torno stated that he had been up on Shapleigh Road and that the area was part of his upcoming project already discussed.

 

At 4:12 pm, Selectman's Assistant Sue Collins entered the meeting with an e mail she had received by an unnamed man in Augusta. According to Collins, the man was asking for permission to erect a communications tower to aid in State Police communications in far reaching parts of Lebanon, calling it a "Temporary Solution to Aid the State Police".

Collins stated that the e mail mentioned two specific location possibilities, either the Town Office property or at the Transfer Station property, both town owned parcels of land.

Selectman Thompson requested more details, including how big the proposed tower would be, or how long they expected it to need it.

Selectman Nadeau stated that he wanted more details in writing, and they would review the request and get back to him, questioning again what the tower was for.

Collins read from the e mail that the tower would be to assist in State Police Communications within the town.

Heath echoed the other Board members asking for more information, and adding that there were already two other towers in town.

Thompson and Collins both told Selectman Heath that the other towers in town were cell phone towers, and this would be specifically for State Police use.

Collins stated that she would have the man write up more information regarding his proposal.

 

Ms. Collins presented the Board with appointment papers for the Lebanon Cemetery Committee. Paperwork was presented for Paula Mills Busby, Elaine Goodwin Baker, Mary McCarthy Lane, Dana Coull, Danielle Cone, Becky Beach Romero, Conner Romero and Deborah Dorey Wilson.

Selectmen Thompson and Nadeau both signed the paperwork. Selectman Heath asked if all of the people seeking appointment were Maine residents, and LMTS Deborah Dorey Wilson answered that all were Lebanon Maine residents with the exception of one, Dana Coull, who was a summer resident on Sewell Shores Road.

After reviewing all the names on the pages presented, Heath turned the paperwork back over to Collins. The Selectmen's Assistant reviewed the paperwork and asked Selectman Heath if he was going to sign them, to which he replied only, "No".

 

The warrants requiring the Town Clerk to order the town's ballots, and to post the election date were both presented and signed.

 

An e mail from State Representative Karen Gerrish was presented asking for a moment of time at the Town's upcoming Public Hearing. Selectman Thompson agreed, while both Nadeau and Heath stating they "didn't care".

 

Several property abatement forms were presented. Selectman Thompson asked for more information on one property, and then stated that the Board would have to go and look at the other two.

 

It was noted that March 18th, 2016 was the deadline for property abatement requests to be received at the Town Office.

 

An Maine Municipal Association financial survey was given to the Board, with a deadline of March 21, 2016. As this was not a requirement, Thompson suggested that it be put in the "round file" and both other Board members agreed.

 

An application for a Tree Growth tax exemption was presented along with all the supporting documentation. No decision was made and the Board agreed to look the situation over.

 

A Hubbard Road resident wrote requesting to join two adjoining lots together for assessment purposes. There was discussion of talking to the homeowner and no action was taken.

 

At 5:40 pm, Lebanon resident Ashley Allen arrived to discuss with the Board, their thoughts on Great Brook Road (off of Upper Guinea Road) becoming accepted as a Town Road, thereby being maintained by the Town.

Selectman Thompson had all the paperwork in hand regarding Great Brook subdivision, and reading from those plans, Item #17 states that Great Brook Road was being created as a private road, and that it would always remain as a private road. The plans also stated, "See Road Maintenance Agreement for more information."

The Board waited as Thompson went to the Town Office Lobby in search of the "Road Maintenance Agreement" and when he returned, he read from the agreement regarding the creation of a Road Association in order to help the residents pitch in and pay for maintenance and plowing of Great Brook Road.

Thompson also noted that the "Agreement" did not contain a signed copy of that agreement, and he stated that he had looked for a signed copy, but wasn't sure that it existed. He stated that he didn't know if  Jenn Griffin had one filed for the Planning Board, but he would ask.

Thompson told Ms. Allen that because the development was a sub-division, that these plans had been approved by the Lebanon Planning Board, and that any and all changes to sub-division plans must be approved first by the Planning Board.

Thompson further cautioned Ms. Allen that the Planning Board would call the Road Commissioner in to speak on the condition of the road, and that they could require residents to pitch in and pay for tests to determine road stability.

Ms. Allen was provided with copies of all the paperwork and left the building at 5:53 pm.

 

Selectman Thompson discussed with the Board the cost associated with printing of deeds for assessing, abatements, and foreclosures, stating that that line of the budget was already over for this fiscal year.

Thompson stated that he didn't want any more printed unless the Board changed some money around, or decided on another line to charge the deed copies to.

Sue Collins stated that in January she had been given 500 free copies to use for the year, and in her thought, it would be used up in making deeds between now and June, 2016.

The Board had discussion about O'Donnell's, the company that creates the tax maps for Lebanon, paying for the deed copies, as he thought it was part of their contract, and a small discussion ensued about which would cost more money, to have O'Donnell's do them as part of their fee, or to pay an additional charge to go over on the printing costs.

 

Select Board Chairman Thompson stated that he had seen the representative from Port City Cleaning, who holds the current contract for custodial services at the Town Office. Thompson stated that he had regained the Town Office keys from the company and that they would be cleaning twice more, and would need to be let into the building.

LMTS Deborah Dorey Wilson questioned the Board on the toilets in the Ladies' Room, as the bowls are a horrible brown color and have an oily residue floating on the top of the water.

Thompson stated that there was a current problem with the water filtering system in the Town Office and that they would have to have it looked at.

Wilson suggested a temporary solution of "Lime Away" to keep the bowls clean.

 

Thompson then brought up the service contract that supplied large bottles of water for the water cooler in the Town Office. Thompson stated that there were always 4 or 5 bottles in reserve that the town was charged for, but that he didn't think that it was necessary to have so many large bottles of water left in reserve.

Selectman Heath stated that they may need the bottles for Lebanon Clean Up Day, but LMTS Deborah Dorey Wilson reminded Selectman Heath that she personally provided single serving bottled water for all participants and did not use the Town Office bottled water for that event.

 

LMTS Deborah Dorey Wilson questioned the Board of Selectmen regarding the upcoming Gun and Craft Show scheduled for March 19 & 20 at the Tri-City Expo Center (formerly Stateline RV), and asked if the Board had ever received a permit application from the company.

Selectman Thompson asked when that event was planned and Wilson reminded the Board that she had spoken to them about this event back in January.

Thompson stated that he would have to speak to Code Enforcement Officer Mike Beaulieu about that permit, and Wilson told the Board that she had spoken to CEO Beaulieu last week and he had stated that he would stop by the Tri-City Expo Center to have a discussion with them on the permitting process.  No answers were given until the Board could speak with the Code Enforcement Officer.

 

At 5:00 pm, the Board entered into Executive Session with Lebanon Treasurer Jeanette Lemay, stating personnel issues.

Executive Session was adjourned at 5:14 pm with Thompson stating that they had adjourned to pursue legal counsel on the matter and that the Executive Session would resume at a later, undisclosed date.

 

Selectman Thompson stated that the first meeting of the year for the Lebanon Festival Committee had taken place on Thursday, March 10, 2016 at the Martha Sawyer Community Library.

 

Discussion was held regarding the Meeting Table for the newly renovated Selectman's Meeting room in the Town Office. Thompson showed the other Selectmen a choice of two 12 X 4 X 29 inch high tables in cherry or mahogany.

Thompson noted that even with the purchase of the table, the total cost was still under the $5,000 that had been budgeted from the town's contingency fund for the project.

There was no decision made on whether to purchase the cherry (lighter) or the mahogany (darker) until the Board members could ride over to the office and take a look at the choices in person.

Selectman Nadeau made a motion to purchase one 12' X 4' X 29" meeting table from Northeast Office Furniture in Dover NH for the price of $899.00 plus $75 delivery and set up charge.

Motion was seconded by Thompson and all were in favor.

 

Board Chairman Thompson stated that he had received an e mail from the Prospect Hill Cemetery Board in Milton, New Hampshire stating their willingness to split (50/50) the $3,000 legal cost needed to research the trust issues with that property, with the Town of Lebanon.

Selectman Nadeau questioned why Lebanon would take someone else's responsibility and Thompson explained the situation to him, Prospect Hill Cemetery actually being in the Town of Lebanon, and therefore, legally, Lebanon's responsibility.

 

The Cemetery discussion was interrupted by Selectman Heath's cell phone ringing. Lebanon Fire and EMS Chief Daniel Meehan was calling.

The Chief related to Heath that he had just received an updated quote for a Fire Truck, and that the price would be $454,897.00.

Chief Meehan offered three different lease / buyout plans as options to be considered by the town. The first was a 7 year lease with a total yearly payment of $73,891.00.

The second was a 10 year lease with a total yearly payment of $54,572.00

And the final was a 12 year lese with a total yearly payment of $49,777.00

The Board began discussing the options and which would be better to put in front of the voters at the May 10th, 2016 Town Election, and opted to place a return call to the Chief and have him come into the meeting.

The Chief agreed to come from his home to have a discussion with the Board.

 

 

At 5:30 PM, Tim from T&M Landscape (of Rochester) came in to discuss with the Board, the payment schedule for his winning bid on the Town Properties mowing contract.

Thompson told the landscaper that the Town processed AP on a bi-weekly basis, and that he should submit his invoices each Friday.

Further discussion was had regarding how much the company should charge the Town on each week's invoice.

Thompson asked the landscaper to return later in the week so that he could discuss the options with the Town Treasurer, and he agreed to return Thursday or Friday to finalize the discussion and sign the contract.

The landscaper asked Selectman Heath when the Cemetery Mowing bid would be advertised and Selectman Heath stated he had "No idea".

LMTS Deborah Dorey Wilson told the young man that the Cemetery Mowing bid had been already been bid and opened and awarded to J&S Masonry of Brownfield, Maine.

 

At 5:48 pm, the Board returned to discussions regarding Prospect Hill Cemetery.

Selectman Heath stated that he wanted to see paperwork with details and numbers regarding the total on how much it was going to cost for the town to resume the care of the cemetery.

Selectman Nadeau questioned why Lebanon had to resume care of the cemetery, stating that he didn't want to vote to do that.

Selectman Thompson explained to both men that, as had been discussed in many meetings over the past year, it was nearly impossible to determine in detail what the total dollar amount would be in taking control of the cemetery from the Town of Milton, NH, but reminding the other Board members that this was, by law, Lebanon's responsibility as the cemetery was within our town's borders.

Heath and Nadeau both discussed that they would like to find a way around having to take over responsibility and care of the property, however, Thompson once again told them that according to Maine State Law, it was the town's responsibility.

Heath felt that the taxpayers of Lebanon would not be happy if they signed the agreement to begin this process without a clear and detailed answer as to the total cost of the project.

Thompson stated that the project would probably have to be approved in several stages as the cost associated with each step of the process was determined, but that this particular agreement was for 50% of $3,000 (or $1,500) which was to research property deeds and actual "ownership" of the trusts and properties.

Selectman Nadeau asked Thompson if he had any general idea how much it would cost, to which Thompson stated he had no idea, and that he hadn't been out to the cemetery, adding that he had heard it was "rolling down the hill".

Nadeau asked if the people buried there were in vaults, and Thompson answered that he didn't know, but that there were still active burials being held there.

Heath questioned the town's liability, stating that if the cemetery were on town property, and there were active burials, would Lebanon be held responsible legally for anything happening there. Again, Thompson stated he did not know.

Heath seemed aggravated, stating that Milton had used the property to bury their dead, and now when the money was running out, they conveniently wanted to give it back, saying that they owned it all this time, why give it back now?

Thompson reminded Heath that possession is not always ownership, but Heath countered by stating that possession is 9/10ths of the law.

Once again, Selectman Nadeau stated that he wanted to know, in detail, how much it was going to cost, and once again, Thompson stated there was no way of knowing.

Nadeau told Thompson to go to Milton and find out more information and give them more details to the cost associated, and they would review it and make a decision.

Resident Dana Coull spoke up, wondering why the town would have to pay any costs associated with Milton turning the cemetery back to Lebanon. Coull contended that if Milton had taken possession of the cemetery and the trust money that were not theirs to begin with, they should have to pay the money associated with giving it back.

Selectman Nadeau finally made sense of the discussion by stating that the most important thing out of the entire discussion was to get this cleaned up as best as possible rather than leaving a mess for a future Board to have to deal with. He asked for a project outline, detailing the expected timelines and actions that would happen in order to turn the cemetery over to Lebanon, and some notes on what the current costs were to the Town of Milton for it's care in the present time.

Selectman Thompson made a motion for the Board to pay 50% of the $3,000 cost associated with the first step of researching land and trust ownerships for Prospect Hill Cemetery. Neither of the remaining two Selectmen would second the motion.

Issue will be brought up again at a later date.

 

LMTS Deborah Dorey Wilson mentioned to the Board that while she had been outside the Town Office during the Board's Executive Session, she had noticed that the Town Office American Flag was still lowered to half staff, noting that the half staff order by President Obama and Governor LePage in honor of First Lady Nancy Reagan, had expired on March 11th, 3 days ago.

Wilson asked why the flag was still flying at half staff.

Selectman Thompson stated he did not know.

Wilson asked who was responsible for restoring the flag to fly at full glory.

Thompson stated that the Town Clerk would have received the notice from the State.

Wilson asked if the Town Clerk were responsible for raising and lowering the flag, but got no answer.

Resident Dana Coull asked who was responsible for Lebanon Station 2 flag and if it were raised from half staff. Wilson answered that the Lebanon Fire and EMS was responsible for that flag, and that she had noted it flying at full glory on her way to meeting that afternoon.

Selectmen Heath and Nadeau had a discussion regarding which of them would have to take on the job of being Sergeant at Arms, but in the end, no one ever left their seat to go and raise the flag.

When LMTS left the Town Office, the flag was still flying at half staff with no one willing to perform the job of raising it.

 

The Board turned their attention to the question of offering voters the opportunity to purchase a new fire truck for the Lebanon Fire and EMS Department.

Selectman Thompson stated that he felt that it was a valid question to put before the voters on the May 10, 2016 Town Election.

Selectman Nadeau questioned why the proposal was so late in the year, adding that he was not personally in favor of the purchase of a fire truck.

Thompson reminded Nadeau that the question before them was not whether or not to purchase the truck, but whether or not to place the question before the voters of Lebanon.

Nadeau stated that he thought the Board should wait another year or so before proposing that to the voters.

Discussion continued with Thompson saying that this truck was one that would replace the now out of service Engine 1, and that former Fire Administrations had been trying to replace this truck since 2009, and that the current Chief had been working on this proposal for months, working with three different companies and talking back and forth in an effort to give the best price possible to the town's taxpayers.

Selectman Nadeau stated that he would vote to put it on the ballot if he didn't have to vote to recommend it to the voters, to which Thompson answered that if the question were on the Town Ballot, that it was Maine State Law that the Board had to vote one way or another to recommend, or not to recommend, however, Selectman Nadeau always had the option of abstaining.

Selectman Heath asked how much money per year this proposal would cost the taxpayers of the town, and Thompson stated that if the total price were $454,8987.00 the total cost would result in less than $1.00 per thousand being added to each tax bill, but that if it were broken into a 10 year plan, at $54,572.00 due each year, the cost to the taxpayers would be between 13 cents and 15 cents per thousand each year.

Selectman Nadeau stated that Fire Station 1 (Depot Road) was in poor condition, and that he wasn't sure it would keep the investment of a new fire truck safe, adding that there ought to be work done on the station before considering a brand new truck.

Thompson agreed that work needed to be done on the Depot Road Station, but added that if Nadeau's house were on fire, the fire station wouldn't roll down the street to put out the fire.

Thompson stated that the truck the Chief had submitted a proposal for was a 2017 TONY, which carried a tank capable of holding 1,500 gallons of water. The truck is a pumper / tanker, so it also has pumping capabilities of pumping from nearby ponds.

It was also noted that the contract states that it takes 300 days to build and deliver (almost a year), and that this was the same truck that former Fire Chief Skip Wood had been asking for over the past several years.

Thompson stated that if the town had voted to purchase the truck 2 years ago in 2014, the price tag was $22,000 less than today's price. Due to inflation, the price would continue to rise for the same piece of equipment the longer the town put off the purchase.

Selectman Heath stated that if the town voted to purchase a new fire truck, the firefighters would think that the town had plenty of money, and would ask for higher wages, and possibly bring the Union into the Lebanon Fire and EMS station if higher wages were not approved.

LMTS Deborah Dorey Wilson told Selectman Heath that she highly doubted that the members of the Lebanon Fire and EMS were looking to join the Union, and if they were treated fairly, and kept safe, it probably wouldn't be an issue.

Heath answered that they never thought the Town Office workers would need a Union either, and yet, there was a Union in place in the Town Office.

 

At 6;25 pm, Lebanon Fire and EMS Chief Daniel Meehan entered the office and the meeting.

Selectman Nadeau asked the Chief why he had waited so long to put a fire truck question before the Board for inclusion on the ballot.

Chief Meehan answered that they had started out with three bids with a high price tag, over $584,000.00, but that working with the companies they had managed to shave over $113,000.00 off of the original bids to come up with a total they felt was fair to the town.

Meehan stated that he could have waited to propose the truck, but that with Engine 1 down the town was down to having only one fire truck, Engine 2, a pumper / tanker truck, currently housed at Station 1. The Chief went on to say that with it's smaller tank, the truck was considered more of a support truck than a "first in" response engine.

Meehan also stated that the town had invested a lot of money in cross training Fire and EMS members and that the town was rising on their mutual aid lists and if they were called out of town to a mutual aid event, the town would be left with no apparatus here in Lebanon.

When questioned by Selectman Nadeau on why he couldn't repair Engine 1, Meehan stated that the apparatus was no longer even good enough to take a State Inspection Sticker, and that it had recently failed the pumps pressure testing. Meehan added that the truck would require over $6,700.00 worth of work to even begin thinking about being operational, and the aging truck only had a value of $5,000.00.

Again Nadeau questioned the need for this truck stating that he didn't think it necessary to purchase another pumper truck, however, Meehan answered that in a town with no pressurized water supply, (hydrants), the availability of water was key to extinguishing a fire, saying that the truck was capable of pumping from its own tank and then pumping from a nearby water supply as soon as one was established.

Selectman Thompson stated that Engine 1 had been purchased on a 10 year lease / payment plan and had served the town for 30 years.

Selectman Heath questioned if the truck would come complete with hose and all equipment needed to fight a fire, and Meehan stated that it would not, however, the department had enough hose and equipment and that it had all passed pressurized testing this summer and would continue to have yearly pressure testing.

Meehan stated that he had been hoping to go one more year with Engines 1 and 2 both in service, but that the unsafe conditions of Engine 1 had put that apparatus out of service and expedited his search for a new engine to replace it.

Selectman Heath questioned the use of the fire truck currently housed in Blaisdell Station (Station 2) on Route 202. Meehan stated that that tanker was currently responding to every town event, however, it was a split shift manual transmission and not every certified responder could drive that vehicle. Meehan stated that to completely update that apparatus would require a $30,000 to $40,000 transmission replacement.

Once again Selectman Nadeau stated that he felt Meehan should have finished this proposal earlier and made a better presentation to the Board, and once again, both Meehan and Thompson contended that they had only received the final lower dollar amount on the truck that evening, just prior to Meehan's phone conversation with Selectman Heath.

The Fire and EMS Chief also offered to Nadeau that the Ambulance Service had been generating and collecting more money than ever, and that all that money now went into the town's General Fund, not into the Fire and EMS Department budget.

Thompson agreed that in the current year, (2015-16) the Ambulance had so far brought in over $86,000.00 in revenue, which is up over $20,000.00 from any other previous year.

Thompson also added that there were more houses and developments in town and after assessing of the waterfront was completed this year, he expected that the yearly cost to the taxpayer for this truck would only be about 10 cents - 15 cents per thousand.

With most questions already having been asked, Selectman Thompson motioned to put before the voters of the Town of Lebanon, the purchase of the 2017 Tony Fire Pumper Tanker for a 10 year lease / purchase term at a rate of $54,578.00 per year, at a total of $454,897.00. Selectman Heath seconded the motion. The Board voted 2 in favor, with Nadeau voting against. The question will appear on the May 10, 2016 Town Ballot.

 

Selectman Thompson questioned Chief Meehan as to whether the Chief had utilized a member of the Highway Department to move the Fire and EMS boat at any time over the past week. Chief Meehan stated he had not moved the boat, or used a member of the Highway Department to move any piece of Fire or EMS equipment. 

Selectman Thompson showed a time sheet to the other two Selectmen stating that the entry noted that the employee had "Moved a Boat from T.M. Wentworth Road".

Thompson stated that they would look into that line of information prior to signing the time sheet.

LMTS was given no indication on who's timesheet the Board was viewing.

 

Chief Meehan then left the building.

 

At 7:10 pm, the Board of Selectmen entered into another Executive Session, citing the reason as "Labor Negotiations".

 

At 7:25 pm the Board exited Executive Session stating that no decisions had been made during the 15 minute session.

 

At 7:28 pm, Selectman Thompson motioned to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Selectman Heath and all voting in favor.

 

Selectman Nadeau left the building and Selectmen Heath and Thompson remained in the meeting room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



February 2016 Lebanon Fire and EMS Call Report

 

 

February 2016 Calls

EMS Dispatch

 Abdominal Pain / Problems 1
 Chest Pain (Non-Traumatic) 1
 Falls 3
 Headache 2
 Heart Problems / A.I.C.D. 1
 Hemorrhage / Lacerations 1
 Overdose / Poisoning (Ingestion) 3
 Sick Person 1
 Stroke (CVA) / Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) 1
 Traffic / Transportation Incident 5
 Unconscious / Fainting (Near) 2
 Unknown Problem (Man Down) 1
 Back Pain (Non-Traumatic/Non-Recent Trauma) 1
 Breathing Problems 5
 Cardiac or Respiratory Arrest / Death 1
 Other 1
 Patient Assist / Lifting Assist 1
 Stand By (Fire, Law, etc) 2

 Total 33

Fire Calls

Motor Vehicle Accidents 5
Mutual Aid 2
Public Assist 2
Tree on wires 5
Structure Fire 1
Unpermitted Burn 2
 Gas Smell 1
 Assist EMS 1

 Total 19

 

Lebanon Maine Board of Selectmen's Meeting, Monday February 29, 2016

 

The Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers is not an official representative of the Lebanon Maine Board of Selectmen. The notes below are not an official record of the Town of Lebanon or any of their boards or committees, they are only the notes of LMTS resident sitting in on Board meetings. For the official minutes of these meetings, please see the Town of Lebanon Maine Official Town Website.

 

The Lebanon Maine Board of Selectmen's Meeting of Monday, February 29, 2016 began at 4 pm with the agenda listing of Road Commissioner Tom Torno.

Mr. Torno came in and had a discussion with the Board regarding some time sheet issues. Of course, being a "personnel issue" there were no names mentioned by the Board, but Mr. Torno explained the time sheet issues to some Board satisfaction, as they moved on after his explanation of how he and the Town's laborer had spent several hours repairing part of a roadway and driveway ending that was pretty much washed away by heavy rains.

There was some talk with the Road Commissioner regarding not showing up for meetings and not answering his phone when Selectmen called him, but Torno stated that he knew he had been absent but that there were valid reasons for his absence, such as snowplowing issues and downed tree limbs.

At this time, Selectmen Heath placed a proposal on the table. LMTS was not allowed to view the proposal, but word on the streets is that Mr. Heath was prepared to ask taxpayers to fund an additional $1 million dollar tax appropriation for reworking some of the roads in Lebanon.
Heath asked the Road Commissioner if he had seen the proposal and Torno stated he had, also adding that he would like the chance to work within his planned budget in the 2016-17 Fiscal Year rather than asking for more money. Selectman Heath was clearly agitated, asking why the young Torno didn't want extra money to fix the roads.  Selectman Thomspon spoke up stating that he also did was not standing behind Heath's proposal. "Okay then", said Heath, "Can I put it down that you don't want this money to fix the roads?", to which Torno once again, stated that he would rather work within his proposed budget and fix the roads that had been earmarked in that budget.

The Chairman of the Board, Selectman Thompson talked to Road Commissioner Torno regarding his budget and how, having such an easy winter, should be leaving a surplus, which Torno might want to consider turning it back to the people of Lebanon. Torno stated that he would like to be able to do that.

Thompson and Torno had conversation with regards to two positions for Road Crew Laborer that would be coming available when the weather breaks. Torno stated he would like the Selectmen to advertise for these positions.

LMTS Deborah Wilson asked Mr. Torno if he was aware of a large gouged up portion of roadway on Bigelow Road. One entire side of the road, just past Wiggin Road heading toward River Road has been torn up right down to the gravel. Torno stated that he was aware, and that after a 50* day, having a snow storm that needed to be plowed, one of his plow contractors had caught the road with his blade and had ripped it up. The Road Commissioner stated that there were plans to patch that area, however, Wilson stated that the road was chewed up really badly and that patch was not going to be enough to repair the damage. None of the Selectmen seemed to be aware of the damages, and Wilson asked if they would take a ride and look at it, as she believes that patch would only wash down the hill. Selectman Thompson indicated he would have a look.

With Selectmen's permission, Wilson then stated that she had spoken to the Road Commissioner regarding the upcoming Lebanon Clean Up Day, scheduled for May 7, 2016.  Torno and Wilson both agreed that the 2015 Clean Up Day had gone well, and seemed to be a good plan of action for the upcoming 2016 event. Torno stated that his crew would be available, on the 7th, to traverse the roads of Lebanon between 1 pm and 3 pm on that Saturday, picking up bagged debris and larger pieces left by the side of the road by residents cleaning up the town's roadsides.
Wilson also stated that she had been in discussion with Shana Morin, leader of the Lebanon Girl Scout Troop, who had stated her girls would be interested in working on the Lebanon Clean Up Day project as their "Bronze Project" for the year, and that once a date had been set in stone with Road Commissioner Torno, Wilson would continue keeping in touch with Ms. Morin and also with Norm Sirois of the Lebanon Boy Scout Troop 369.
Discussion continued with Wilson stating that she had stopped by the Transfer Station earlier on Monday and had a discussion with Transfer Station Manager Ronal Patch. In the discussion, the option for a free day for dumping large pieces cluttering up roadsides was discussed, and Mr. Patch had stated that he thought this might be a good idea. Selectman Thompson seemed surprised with this mention, as he stated that he has had similar discussions with Mr. Patch in the past and that Patch had not seemed to be on board with the idea after an earlier trial had resulted in large crowds at the Transfer Station. Road Commissioner Torno stated that a free day for large pieces, metal, dilapidated furnishings, and tires at the Transfer Station would be a help, as he and his crew only wound up picking them up off the roadside during the year anyway. It was agreed to continue the discussion of a free day at the Transfer Station at a later date, after both Wilson and Thompson could speak to Mr. Patch further on the idea.

Wilson continued by stating that she had also been in touch with Ruth Gutman of the Lebanon Conservation Commission regarding a grant that was being made through ConnectME for days just such as the Lebanon Clean Up Day. The grant offered was for sums of money in order to promote town wide conservation and clean up activities, and Wilson had forwarded the grant information to Ms. Gutman in hopes of having a community barbecue and get together at the Gully Oven Town Park rather than at the Lebanon Town Office. Wilson hoped to hear back from the Conservation Commission within the week.

***Upon returning home from the 2/29/16 Selectmen's Meeting, LMTS received a copy of the most recent Lebanon Conservation Commission meeting minutes. The minutes, stated that the Commission had reviewed Wilson's proposal and did not feel that Gully Oven was large enough to hold as many people as might be anticipated for a Lebanon Clean Up Day barbecue, thus denying the idea. Ms. Gutman was charged with communicating the Commission's decision to LMTS, but at this writing had not yet been in touch.***

Selectmen's Assistant Sue Collins came before the Board to discuss a local resident, upset over the proposal of a local farm to raise 150 pigs this year on their property. The resident was requesting that the Board hear her concerns at 5:30 pm, the Board agreed.

Ms. Collins also presented to the Board a draft copy of the ordinances that would be appearing on the May 10, 2016 Town Ballot. LMTS asked for a copy of these draft ballot questions and was denied by the Board.

Ms. Collins also presented Selectman Heath with a printed copy of his additional road fund proposal.

Ms. Collins handed the Board two bids that had been in the Town Office Vault.

There was only one bid for the mowing of the Town Cemetery properties, this bid was by J&S Masonry, the Brownfield Maine company that performed the services for the 2015 mowing season. The bid was for $13,780.00.
Selectman Ben Thompson motioned to award the bid for the 2016 mowing season of Cemetery properties to J&S Masonry. Seconded by Selectman Heath, All in favor.

The Bid opened for mowing the Town Properties. Two bids were received by the Board, the first by J&S Masonry was for $3,200.00 and the second by T&M Landscape LLC of Rochester, NH was for $2,960.00. Selectman Heath made the motion to award the bid for mowing of Town Properties to T&M Landscape LLC, seconded by Thompson and all in favor.

The Bid for Custodial work at the Lebanon Town Office was opened. There was only one bid, presented by Ms. Nancy Bailey of Lebanon. The bid was for $100 per week, including the use of all Bailey's equipment and cleaning supplies, plus an additional amount of $325 twice a year for heavier Spring and Fall deep clean ups, bringing the total bid value to $5,650.00 for the year. Selectman Nadeau made a motion to accept Ms. Bailey's bid for Town Office Custodial Services, however, Selectman Thompson stated that he would rather not award this bid, questioning if Ms. Bailey were presenting herself as an outside business, or if she would be looking to become a town employee. Thompson added that Ms. Bailey's proposal did not come with the required insurance binder, and that the previous Custodian had only been charging $3400 annually and that he was uncomfortable with such a big increase. Due to the fact there was only one bid, Thompson stated that he thought the Custodial Services should be rebid. Selectman Nadeau removed his motion to accept, Thompson motioned to rebid the Custodial Services. Selectman Nadeau seconded the motion and all 3 were in favor. No date was set for a future rebid of the Custodial Services.

Members of the proposed Lebanon Cemetery Committee were in the office and presented to the Selectmen, the work that the Board had asked them to complete, including the names of the interested parties, chosen officers for said Committee and a "Mission Statement" as to what the Committee would be charged with doing for the town. Present were proposed Chairwoman Paula Mills Busby, proposed Secretary Deborah Dorey Wilson, and proposed member Dana Coull.
Selectman Thompson motioned to create the Lebanon Cemetery Committee as outlined in the proposal. Selectman Nadeau seconded the motion. Selectman Heath voted No, but when asked for comment or discussion by Selectman Thompson, Heath stated that he had "no reason" to offer.
However, the proposal passed and Selectman Thompson stated that the next step would be for the members listed on the proposal to come in and see Town Clerk Grenier and be sworn in as members of the Committee.

LMTS Deborah Dorey Wilson made a request of the Board of Selectmen to utilize the Park and Ride property on the corner of Depot Road and Route 202 on Sunday, May 1st, 2016. Ms. Wilson has been in touch with the Maine Patriot Riders, Chapter 1, of Sanford. On May 1, the Veteran's motorcycle group will hold their Spring Ride, originating in York, Maine. In the past, Wilson and friends have traveled to North Berwick to stand on the roadside, waving flags, holding up signs of veteran's support, and cheering on the motorcyclists. This year, Wilson had requested the group to come through Lebanon on their Spring Ride, and has been told that the group will come across Little River Road, taking a right onto Route 202 and continuing their ride northward from that point. Ms. Wilson asked the Board if she could pull together a group of people at the Park and Ride property for the  waving of flags, showing signs of support and cheering on the Patriot Riders as they pass by in their procession, and depending on weather and turnout, possibly having a small barbecue there. Wilson was granted permission for this event by both Selectman Nadeau and Selectman Thompson. When asked, Selectman Heath did not reply, but Chairman Thompson told Wilson that two Board members had given permission so she could use the Park and Ride property on May 1st for her event. Selectman Nadeau asked Wilson if she planned to invite the American Legion Post, and Wilson stated that she would be sure to invite them.

Deborah Dorey Wilson presented the "02 FUR LIFE" Pet Resuscitation Kits to the Board for their approval and acceptance as a donation from many residents of the Town of Lebanon to our Lebanon Fire and EMS Department. Wilson had asked for residents to donate funds for the purchase of these kits, and many people within the town had helped to secure their purchase. Wilson showed the Board the newly purchased kits as Chief Daniel Meehan looked on. There are four kits, each containing three sizes of animal oxygen masks and hose, a bag to contain them, instructions for their use, and Animal Resuscitation Reports for the Department's use in recording incidents. It was gone over that the Lebanon Fire and EMS would not use these masks to respond to animal injury or illness calls, but in the event of rescuing an animal from a structure fire, they would be used to administer oxygen to pets. Selectman Thompson motioned to accept the four kits on behalf of the Lebanon Fire and EMS Department. Selectman Nadeau seconded the motion. Selectman Heath was asked to vote twice before deciding to abstain from the decision stating "no reason" for his abstention. The four kits were then presented to Chief Meehan for use by the Lebanon Fire and EMS Department.

Wilson requested of the Board the date for the "Meet the Candidates" night. Selectman Thompson replied that he did  not know the date at this time, but that he had been trying to get in touch with The Lebanon Voice's, Harrison Thorp to secure the date. Wilson offered to contact Thorp and offer assistance with the event.

***LMTS did contact Mr. Thorp with regards to the "Meet the Candidates" night. According to Thorp, he is planning the event and will contact the Selectmen soon regarding the date. Conversation continued that the event is normally planned during the time in between the Lebanon Public Hearing and the Lebanon Election Day. Wilson offered Thorp any assistance he might need in planning the event.***


Treasurer Jeanette Lemay entered the meeting to speak with the Board of Selectmen regarding upcoming real estate foreclosures for tax purposes. Foreclosures are in the process and there was discussion of one last, all or nothing, payment date. It was outlined that the foreclosures come after 3 years of non-payment of taxes, a notification process, tax lien process, and the finally foreclosing in court. Selectman Heath voiced that he thought the remaining handful of properties had been given enough chances, however, Selectmen Thompson and Nadeau both agreed to a one last chance effort. The names of the properties about to be foreclosed upon will be listed on the town's website later in the week or beginning of next week. The property owners will be given until 5 pm on March 11, 2016 to pay all 3 years tax debt, along with fees and interest, via CASH or BANK CHECK ONLY. Motion was made by Selectman Thompson to grant this last chance, seconded by Selectman Nadeau and all in favor.

Chief Daniel Meehan reported that his Fire and EMS responders are all doing a great job, however he stated there are still some shifts that he is personally having to cover. Meehan stated he had hired a new firefighter who would be starting soon and would also be enrolling in an upcoming EMT class. The Chief stated that he would like to hire 2 more firefighter / EMT personnel on a per diem part time basis in order to ensure all shifts were covered. Meehan stated that he would like to do this by reaching out to area fire / EMT personnel rather than publishing the openings in local media. It was agreed that the Chief could begin the search for 2 additional department members.

Meehan spoke to the Board regarding the cost for some of the Department's equipment being higher to repair than the vehicle was actually worth. The Chief spoke about the possibility of taking trade in value for the squad van, which was once a grant acquisition from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, and purchasing a pick up truck with utility body and plow. Meehan stated that that piece of equipment, along with the Department's 6 wheel ATV and a skid machine could be of great use in the event of a forest fire. After a long discussion, the Board agreed that Meehan should pursue researching trade in dollar values for the van and that the Board and he could discuss spending some of the appropriated CIP fund in order to purchase the vehicle the Chief suggests.

At 5:30 pm, Lebanon resident Kelly Monroe spoke to the Board regarding Sirois Family Farm on Little River Road. Monroe stated that her property abutted the farm, and that while she has never had a problem with living next door to a farm property, she has been hearing that the Sirois Family are planning to raise over 150 pigs this summer, and she finds that to be a bit excessive for a neighborhood of homes and families.
Munroe states that she has been in the town for almost 13 years and has always been neighborly with farms on each side of her property. The chickens, horses, vegetable gardens and even pigs have not bothered her. However, the Sirois Farm, has erected a very large area using pallets for fences and the smaller amounts of pigs they have now, have escaped several times and wound up in her yard and garden.
Monroe stated that she had contacted Lebanon Code Enforcement Officer Mike Beaullieu, who had explained to her the lack of zoning within the town, and that without a code to enforce, he could do nothing about the issue, but stated he would look into it and call her back. She stated that she never received a return call from him.
Selectman Thompson stated that Beaullieu had been correct in his answer, that there were no bylaws or charter in Lebanon that would prevent a person from raising pigs.
Monroe stated that she realized that Lebanon is a "Town without Laws", but that she was concerned that the manure of 150 pigs would contaminate her home's well water, and that the smell of the pigs would lower her property values and make it impossible to sell her property at a later date.
Thompson stated that Maine had "Right to Farm" laws that protected family farms and that he thought this would be an issue that would fall under this law, and Monroe questioned "At what point do their rights become greater than my rights?"
Thompson took out his laptop and via the magic of internet, printed Ms. Monroe out a copy of the Right to Farm laws, pointing out to her that it may come down to getting neighbors together to file a civil suit through the courts, but agreeing with Ms. Monroe, that it would probably take quite a while to actually get the issue into a court of law.
Selectman Nadeau asked her where the information had come from regarding the pigs, and Monroe answered that another neighbor and a Sirois child had both relayed that information to her.
Thompson once again quoted the resident from the Right to Farm law, Title 7 Chapter 6 of the Maine State Law, and told Ms. Monroe that she probably should be contacting the Maine Department of Agriculture, who will, according to Thompson, come down, look around and make decisions on farming properties and the best ways to protect local wells and odor pollution from manure.
Thompson also stated that it may be time for the Board to begin considering some ordinances on zoning and land use, and possibly making some changes to existing ones.
Kelly Monroe left the meeting armed with paperwork and a few contact numbers provided by Selectman Thompson.

The Board next went on to view the proposed changes in the Town's Personnel Policy, as reviewed and rewritten by the town's legal advisors. Selectmen Thompson and Nadeau were prepared with marked versions, outlining questions or objections to certain paragraphs or articles within the proposed policy. Selectman Heath made a copy of the proposal and took several moments to read through and mark up the copy with a marker. LMTS Deborah Dorey Wilson requested a copy of the proposal but was denied by the Board. The Board decided that rather than the copies, which had been marked with changes in red ink, they would request that the Town Attorney provide them with a clean copy for further review.

The Board went into Executive Session citing personnel issues, and returned at 5:58 pm to announce that Mr. Nadeau was leaving for the evening, however, Selectmen Heath and Thompson were going to stay and do some paperwork and due to the fact that two were remaining, they could not adjourn the meeting. Observers were politely told they could leave the office as there would be no further decisions made, only paperwork being done. Residents left the office and the building at 6 pm.