Lebanon Fire Team Responds to Two Separate Calls for Downed Power Lines.

Lebanon Rescue Department - Command Central

Fire Call - Indian lake Drive - Caller heard loud bang and now theres no power.

Lebanon Rescue Department - Command Central Small tree came down on a power line in someone's yard. cmp is responding. Fire held all apparatus in quarters and a junior firefighter responded to check It out

TRUTH was received when I spoke to Chief Dan Meehan this evening at 6:30 pm.

Downed Power Line calls from 7/9/15

Fire Call for Downed Power Lines number 1. (the one reported by Lebanon Rescue Department - Command Central as shown above).

The Fire call at Indian Lake Shores came in. Within only a few moments, Lebanon Level 1 Firefighter J.T. Harmon was on the scene.
There were lines down due to a small tree that had come down, it was in someone's private driveway and of no danger to the public.
Several Lebanon Firefighters responded to the Depot Road Fire Station, and waited there in case there was any problem.
CMP was alerted and responded to the scene, where they repaired the wires.
Firefighter Harmon returned to the station.

Downed Power Line Call number 2. (the one not reported by Lebanon Rescue Department - Command Central at all)

This call came in for downed power lines on Jim Grant Road, a tree branch had knocked the lines down and they were in the roadway.
Both Chief Dan Meehan and Level 1 Firefighter J.T. Harmon responded to the scene in Lebanon Fire Engine 2.
After assessing the scene and determining it was not safe for traffic to pass, the station was alerted and Firefighter Josh Gagnon responded to the scene in C1, the Ford Expedition that the Chief uses.
Firefighter Gagnon blocked one end of Jim Grant Road with C1 and Engine 2 blocked the road from the opposite direction.
CMP responded and the lines were repaired.
All vehicles returned to the Fire Station on Depot Road.

No photos were available for Harmon or Gagnon, but neither are Junior Firefighters. Both have earned firefighting certifications.

I implore you all to stop going into panic mode when you read the reports from the "other" pages. Your Fire and EMS Chief is very competent, as are the Firefighters he entrusts with your lives and property. All calls are handled in a safe and professional manner. If there are any Junior Firefighters or EMTs on a scene, they are always under the direct supervision of a more experienced Firefighter or EMT.

The number of panic calls that we receive at the Lebanon Truth Seekers is alarming in itself. Please stop believing the rhetoric and scare tactics, residents of Lebanon. If you have any questions, please feel free to message us, or you can even call Chief Meehan yourself. The Chief has made himself available to every resident of Lebanon who has asked to have a word with him. Feel free to phone the Chief or stop by the station and see him at any time with any questions or concerns.

 

All photos furnished by Lebanon Maine Fire and Rescue Department.

 

Selectmen's Meeting of Monday, July 6, 2015.

 

Selectmen's Meeting, Monday July 6, 2015

 

Well, I made a boo-boo..... I left the video recorder home on the kitchen counter. But thankfully, there wasn't much happening at the Lebanon Selectmen's meeting tonight. So you'll all have to forgive me and read my notes on the meeting without the video.

On the agenda for 4 pm was Road Commissioner Tom Torno, however, Selectman Heath stated that Mr. Torno had contacted him earlier in the day and stated that he would be unable to attend. No reason was given.
The Selectmen have finally received information from the bank they've chosen regarding the Procurement Cards for the town's department heads.  The Procurement Cards will allow each department head to have a certain amount of money at their disposal, sort of like a Petty Cash fund. The cards would be stocked with a $200 - $300 spending limit and allow the purchases of office supplies, cleaning supplies, and the like without the need for a small purchase order each time. The receipts for money spent would still need to be turned in to Lebanon Treasurer Jeanette Lemay, and larger purchases would still require a purchase order, but this will give the town's department heads a little flexibility to keep things well stocked. Selectman Royce Heath made the motion to accept the bank's Procurement Card program set-up plan and the motion was 2nd by Selectman Ben Thompson with the two voting to begin, while Selectman Paul Nadeau abstained from voting due to the fact that the program was not discussed with him as it had been begun by the Board prior to his June 9th election.
The Selectmen then looked over a proposal by Mosaic Technologies to come in and assess Lebanon's computer system and upgrade needs for a price of $1,250. This would only be the price for the assessment and a written report coming back to the Selectmen to aid them in creating a bid request for the actual work needing to be done.
Conversation from Selectman Thompson was regarding the need for this work, however he has a few reservations as to whether or not coming in and doing the assessment would then give Mosaic Technologies the upper hand in any bidding process. He also said that he thinks the time to do this is now, as there are many questions regarding the information safety of credit or debit card payments made to the town.
Selectman Heath also noted that in today's computer driven world, the Board had to act on this one way or another to be sure they're protecting the town's residents from threat of identity theft.
No vote was taken at the time whether or not to move forward with the technology assessment as outlined by Mosaic Technologies.
Selectmen's Assistant, Sue Collins, was asked to come in earlier than her 4:30 pm scheduled agenda time, which she did. There was talk about the town's insurance agency, Norton's Insurance and e mails sent back and forth between Agent Mike Lonergan and Selectman Thompson with cc's to Fire and Rescue Department Chief Dan Meehan and Sue Collins. Selectman Heath was a bit worried that neither he, or Selectman Nadeau had been cc'd and he asked if he could have a look at the notes. The information was regarding the insurance company's offering of Auto Safety Seminars to the Fire and Rescue Department, which the Agent had spoken to the Selectmen, and Fire and Rescue Chief about a little over a week ago.
The Board decided to ask Anthony Jones, the insurance company's Auto Safety Seminar person, to come and join an upcoming Selectmen's meeting and ask Chief Meehan to attend as well. Ms. Collins will be scheduling that to meet everyone's needs.
Georgie Allen arrived to ask the Board a few questions with regards to a Lebanon Summer Camp field trip to Lake Wentworth in Wolfeboro, NH, scheduled to take place on July 22. Ms. Allen has been named the Acting Director of the Lebanon Summer Camp, due to the Director, Shirley Matthews' inability to direct the camp due to an unforeseen medical issue.
Selectman Thompson asked Ms. Allen what was happening with regards to the Lebanon Youth Soccer program. Ms. Allen stated that she had tried to contact Erik Davis but that she had not yet received a call back from him. However, she was moving forward with her plans to proceed and had been working with Soccer Maine and the folks over at the Berwick Soccer Program in order to get everything together and provide a quality soccer program for Lebanon children. She credited the Berwick Soccer Program for their help, and said that she should have more information soon.
Sue Collins continued with her questions, talking with the Board regarding and incident that took place up on Lower Barley Road over the holiday weekend. The property up in the back areas of that road have been a favorite for ATV riding in the past, but lately there seem to be a lot of large trucks going "mudding" up in the area. Several residents worked together to place some large boulders across the access road, which would prohibit large trucks while still allowing the ATVs to access the property and trails. In the very early hours of Saturday morning, apparently someone in a truck, driving up the unfinished roadway, did not see the large rocks and smashed into them. Unknown damage was done to the truck, as they left the premises, but a license plate was left behind.
Selectman Thompson told Lebanon Truth Seekers that he was waiting to hear from Sgt. Shapiro of Troop A of the Maine State Police in regards to this matter, and that the Trooper may be at Thursday evening's Selectman's meeting, along with several concerned residents from that area.
Questions were asked by Lebanon Truth Seekers in response to resident's questions regarding whether or not the Road Equipment Rental, or Road Paving Work, for the town would be coming up for a new bid with the renewal of the fiscal year. Selectman Thompson said, "Well, they should!" and Selectmen Heath and Nadeau had nothing to add. Thompson stated that he'd asked Road Commissioner Tom Torno about putting together a request for bids for the paving and truck rental prices over a week ago, and it was one of the questions he had for Mr. Torno tonight, prior to finding out that Torno would not be coming in. "It's currently not up for bid," said Thompson, "but again, it should be. Tommy needs to be writing that up."
That question led to a discussion between Selectman Heath and Thompson regarding mowing work, and they agreed to ask Mr. Torno (who oversees the bid winners responsible for cemetery and town property mowing) if he would contact them as they both agreed the lawns in town were getting a bit long.
Again the subject changed, this time talking about the mowing and brush cutting that needed to be done on the sides of all the town's roadways. There was a lot of discussion between the three men regarding the different machines required to just mow, rather than to mow and cut brush.
Selectman Nadeau recalled "when Dick Thompson used to do the job, it was always wonderful!" But Thompson reminded him that Mr. Thompson has been gone about 10 years now. Nadeau then spoke about the work the NH Highway Department was having done down near Chestnut Hill Road in Rochester, adding that he had seen the machine they were using and it was pretty amazing as it could cut the grass and take down even small trees with one machine.
Selectman Heath spoke to the different machines that he had seen in use, and that the town had rented a John Deere machine about 2 years ago. He said that it had done a good job cutting back the brush along the town's roads. "It took a VERY long time," said Heath, "We couldn't do all the roads in town."
Lebanon Truth Seekers asked whether the Selectmen had any idea yet how much of the $28,000 delivered into the Highway Department budget on June 29th, had made its way back into the General Fund. While Selectman Heath had said on Thursday, July 2, that the Board should have a better idea of the money being returned at tonight's meeting when they would go over the project with Torno and Treasurer Jeanette Lemay, since Tom had not shown up for the meeting, they still did not know.
"It could take as long as a month before we have a good idea of that," said Thompson, "as we have to wait for all the bills to come in and be processed by Jeanette."
When asked if they even had a general ball-park figure, Heath and Thompson said it was still an "unknown".
I left the Board to their Accounts Payable duties, and they were going to go over some Transfer Station applications after I spoke to them about a trip I made to the Transfer Station today where I had a trailer full of heavy trash bags and even though I have a handicapped license plate, no one came out to help me unload it and I had been left to do so alone, while someone inside continually operated the compactor. The Board said that they were going to go over the several applications that they had received and begin the interview process soon.
Lebanon Truth Seekers left the Town Office around 5:30 pm.

Pictorial Posting of the Milton / Milton Mills New Hampshire Independence Day Parade

We were invited to attend the Milton, NH / Milton Mills, NH Parade this morning by several people VERY early this morning, so with grandson in tow, we headed over to the Milton Free Public Library where the parade would begin promptly at 10 AM.
There was a moment's chance for a quick conversation and hug from "Our Milton Home" online news editor, Les Elder, who was busy at his assignment of registering all the children who were riding in the parade on patriotic themed, decorated bicycles. It was nice to see so many of the local people involved in this great, small, home town parade, and we were thankful they'd invited us to be a part of their day.

 

Everyone was lined up and waiting, and it sure wasn't hard to spot Lebanon Fire and Rescue in the big blue box of Rescue 1. Walking up the road I had a moment to speak with Chief Meehan and EMT/Firefighter Rudnicki who informed me that while they were attending Milton's Independence Day Parade, the Fire Department was on a call, and the Rescue was out on a separate call. We were sure glad that TJ and Stu were back in Lebanon holding down the fort!!

 

 

Leading the way was Milton Selectman and Lebanon Code Enforcement Officer Mike Beaulieu, tossing out candy to the children along the parade route.

 

 

There were three floats in the parade, each one depicting a different special someone from the pages of American History. Can you guess who they are representing??

 

 

Look who else was in the Milton parade!! It's Lebanon's own Harrison Thorp!!  The Lebanon Voice, Thorp's online newspaper, covers Lebanon, Rochester and Milton. Looking GOOD Harrison!!!

 

 

 

 Several Fine Automobiles were present in the parade as well!!! NICE RIDES!!!

Then came all the local children on their decorated bicycles. All were beautiful, but I chose a few to share. If we were judging, grandson Damien and I would have judged this way........

 

Largest Flag

 

Most Original

Noisiest

Littlest

 

Lebanon Fire and Rescue Chief Daniel Meehan

 

Lebanon EMT / Firefighter Windy Rudnicki

 

At the very end of the parade came the Lebanon Fire and EMS Department Chief Dan Meehan in our beautiful C1 Ford Expedition Personnel Carrier, and EMT/Firefighter Windy Rudnicki piloting the big blue box, Rescue 1.

 

We were proud to hear Milton's residents yelling out and thanking our Lebanon Chief and Rescue for their help. We don't often hear about it when our Fire and EMS responds to Mutual Aid calls in Milton, but our Chief and EMT were well received and many along the route took time to holler out words of encouragement and thanks.

 

 

Lebanon's Fire and EMS Department brought up the rear. Did the Milton folks save the best for last?? Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers thought so!!

 

Thank you Milton / Milton Mills, NH for inviting us to be a part of your Independence Day celebration!! The weather was perfect for a parade, a bit cloudy, but nice and cool so that we were all comfortable. I had teamed up with a group of Milton, NH residents and we had a great time cheering on all the Police, Fire, Children and Floats.

 

Happy Independence Day to the residents of Milton, NH and Milton Mills, NH!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lebanon Fire and Rescue Department Assistant Chief Dan Roy Retires from Position.

Retiring Lebanon Assistant Fire Chief, Dan Roy

(Photo courtesy of Lebanon Maine Fire and Rescue Department)

 

We were saddened to hear of the retirement of long time Lebanon Fire Department Assistant Chief, Dan Roy today. Roy, who announced his retirement to Chief Daniel Meehan in a private conversation last week, retires to "spend more time with his family".

Lebanon Truth Seekers wishes Assistant Chief Roy many Congratulations on his retirement, and the Best of Luck in all his future endeavors!!

 

 

Lebanon Selectmen's Meeting 7/22/15, Lebanon ACO, General Assistance, and Lebanon Fire and Rescue Department News.

The July 2, 2015, Thursday night meeting of the Lebanon, Maine Board of Selectmen started off right at 4:00 pm with Animal Control Officer Mary Kinney presenting for renewal, the contract between the Animal Welfare Society and the Town of Lebanon for impounding of stray dogs picked up by the ACO and her Assistant Carol Harris, in the Town.
Although we weren't privy to the paperwork, it seems that Selectman Heath and Select Board Chairman Ben Thompson were happy with Kinney's efforts as it is reported that her record keeping has been able to be presented to the AWS and save the town a lot of money. Almost half of what we were paying last year. If you listen to the video carefully, you'll hear it.
Not much was said by Selectman Paul Nadeau.

See Mary Kinney's talk with the Lebanon Selectmen, Video Part 1,  HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTlRCCFiVyA

Part 2 of our evening's video shows Selectman's Assistant, Sue Collins as she speaks of a training program taking place in York, Maine on Monday, July 27 and Tuesday, July 28. Collins believes that she may be able to get scholarship dollars in order to attend the "Poverty Institute" lecture series featuring Dr. Donna Beagle with regards to better management of General Assistance Funds. Mr. Heath makes a statement, when asked about signing waivers for General Assistance vouchers, "I don't know. If we haven't got money, we shouldn't be signing things ahead of time." Even though WE believed that Heath was sending a half-good-natured-half jab at Select Board Chairman Ben Thompson, he recovered nicely with a flash of smile and dimple, but apparently Thompson questioned the seriousness of Heath's comment as a discussion ensued regarding signing vouchers one at a time, accountability for the money being spent, and the paper trail which follow such a voucher purchase with Collins reminding the Selectmen that she has never once abused this system and she felt there "needs to be a little bit of trust somewhere here."
Collins gets her signatures after another bit of half-humor by Heath regarding the order of the signatures as his was listed on the bottom of the page, under newcomer Nadeau. Collins questions his meaning, but then it is apparent that the Selectman was joking this time around. But Collins makes it a point to say she'll be sure they're done correctly from now on.
Discussion continued regarding renewal of Tree Growth Certifications, Homestead Act renewal needs, and a possible question arising out of a sub-division on Hebo Hibo Road.
With nothing further on the printed agenda for the meeting, it is discussed that the Selectmen are finished with their agenda for the evening, must go into Executive Session to take some action on a Needy Fund request, and that they will then finish payroll and be done for the week.
Lebanon Truth Seeker Wilson asks the Board if they have a final dollar amount for the road work on Central Road, with a total of how much money was reverted back into the Town's General Fund.
Wilson's second question was in regards to whether or not anyone new had been added to the Transfer Station staff.
Wilson asked her final resident generated question regarding the work being done on the local cemeteries and town properties, as she had heard many complaints, and Thompson stated that even though the job had been bid through the Town Office, that the overseeing of the work was done by the Road Commissioner and suggested that Wilson call Road Commissioner Tom Torno with the questions.
The office got quiet and so Wilson asked once again, if the Board were finished. Selectman Nadeau answered that he had nothing more, but Selectman Heath took offense to being asked by Wilson if he were finished. "I've already answered that once tonight," he said angrily, "I have NO comment. We'd like a chance to run our own meeting, IF you don't mind."
Wilson then assured him that if she had to return after the Board's Executive Session and sit with them the rest of the evening to be SURE there was no more, she would be happy to do that."
Heath again, snipped at Wilson, "Well it's a free country."
The Board retired to Executive Session to discuss the application to the Needy Fund.
Wilson waited in the Town Office Lobby.

See Selectmen's Assistant Sue Collins' concerns with the Selectmen in Video Part 2 HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjbabBALcvI

It turned out to be a good thing that Lebanon Truth Seekers waited in the Town Office lobby as Fire and Rescue Chief Daniel Meehan came in to speak with the Select Board. Chairman Ben Thompson invited the residents in attendance, Wilson and Ms. Rebecca Beal, back into the office as the meeting was going to continue with the Board recognizing Chief Daniel Meehan.
The Chief came in to speak of the first few days of Fire and Rescue Department staffing and how things were going. He explained that from 6 am - 10 pm there would be TWO EMTs stationed at Station 1 (the Upper Cross Road Fire Station). From 10pm - 6 am there would be TWO EMTs scheduled to cover the calls from their home.
Ambulance 1 is back from mechanical work that was years late in being taken care of, and Meehan was pleased with the work.
Paramedic status was questioned and Meehan outlined his progress toward that end, adding that there was a Firefighter / Paramedic from Massachusetts who has submitted an application, so we may have a Paramedic of our own back in the station soon.
Department morale is discussed along with the Frisbie EMT class progress, and the progress of the 4-5 people completing driving class in order to drive the emergency apparatus.
There was a bit of talk about different meetings the Chief has had with other local agencies and their enthusiasm in creating a Fire / EMS "in kind or free" agreement where personnel from different towns could attend CH (certification hours) training classes offered being offered by the different towns. "The best thing is to learn and train with other people," stated Meehan, adding that many times you have to all work together on a larger scene, and hearing from others promotes better learning.
A lot of talk came regarding the scheduled painting of the Blaisdell Corners Rescue Building. Although others have questioned the spending of money for paint and labor, Meehan tells where the money came from and how the labor is going to be completed, with a BIG nod to local home improvement big box store Loew's for a 20% discount, to Fire and Rescue Department personnel who will all pitch in and get the work completed, and to Selectman Ben Thompson who has offered to provide the grill for a barbecue for the volunteer painters.
With all the smiles, laughs and happiness, not one smile or even an acknowledgement from Selectman Nadeau, however, when he senses a break in the action, he quickly motions to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Selectman Heath.

See All the Exciting Changes Happening in our Lebanon Maine Fire and Rescue Department, and hear hints of what is to come in Video Part 3, HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdtUiGU2JDY

After the meeting was adjourned, Selectman Nadeau questioned Select Board Chairman Thompson on how someone would go about having their tax liability to the Town "wiped out", and Thompson and Heath both advised him the interested parties could fill out an abatement form for that purpose. However, after receiving his answer, Nadeau left the Town Office for the evening.

Video Tape of Monday, June 29th Selectmen's Meeting Show Where the Money's Going.... Quickly!!

Monday evening, June 29, 2015 found the Lebanon Board of Selectmen with a full agenda.
The Board spent their time just prior to the 4 pm meeting start by signing appointment paperwork for Jeanette Lemay as the Town of Lebanon Treasurer and several other Deputy Officer appointments for Lemay to be able to function in assisting other Town Office workers in their positions as needed.
At 4 pm. Road Commissioner Tom Torno arrived in the office with a Purchase Order to spend a bulk of the $28,000 Roads Budget increase given to his Department in a last minute hasty motion and vote by Selectmen Heath and Nadeau at the end of Thursday, June 25, 2015's Selectmen's Meeting. At the time that the money was added to the Road budget, both Heath and Nadeau had stated there had been no prior discussion between themselves, or between either of them and the Road Commissioner that the two of them appointed in a surprise motion back on June 11th of this year.
At the beginning of the discussion, Select Board Chairman Ben Thompson presented Torno with a letter from a resident at 34 Jim Grant Road who has been having issues with water flow in and around his property stemming from a culvert situation. There is a lot of talk about this property as it's unsure if the landowner holds a subdivision allowance that may make the placement of an additional culvert to route the water around his property hard to place without knowing where a second driveway would be added. Tom agreed that he would go an speak to the homeowner.
Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers asked if Torno had given any thought to where he was going to use the $28,000 budget increase given to his Department by the Dynamic Duo of Selectmen, and he said that he had just presented Selectmen with a purchase order for materials asking for a total of $38,000 for paving the section of Center Road between Jim Grant Road and Holtby Lane. Torno stated that number included the money left in his former budget plus the $28,000 additional given on June 25. He said that the job will likely only spend roughly $21,000 of the additional money, with the remaining dollar amounts going back to the Town's General Fund, as mandated by law, on July 1, 2015. "Roughly $7,000 to $8,000" said Tom Torno when questioned as to how much money he thought would wind up not being spent.
***After the meeting, Lebanon Truth Seekers later did a Google Map search to find that $30,000 paving job would be for exactly .04 miles of Center Road.***
Selectman Thompson, still reeling from the surprise motion and pass dealt to him on Thursday by his fellow Board Members, asked when Torno expected to perform the work, to which Torno added that the work would be done, and completed, on Tuesday, June 30th, to remain in compliance with the requirement that the money must be spent prior to the close of business on June 30th in order for the job to fall into the 2014-15 Budget. If the job is not complete, it loses it's funding as the Town's new Fiscal year, 2015-16 will begin on Wednesday, July 1, 2015.
The Road Commissioner stated that this would be just a "quick paving job" with no plans for grinding the underlying existing pavement, only adding a coating of asphalt to the top.
Chairman of the Select Board, Thompson, was clearly agitated when he questioned Torno as to how this decision was made and Selectman Heath seemed to momentarily forget that there was no discussion allowed on this outside of the Board meeting, and indicated that perhaps there may have been some prior discussion, but Heath recovered quickly throwing some jabs of his own in Thompson's direction.
Lebanon Truth Seeker Sandy Adams had a few questions for the young Road Commissioner regarding several workers seen sipping coffee and having conversation across from her home at the intersection of Dixon Road and Shapleigh Road during a road paving operation there. Torno assured her that the asphalt was bid "by the ton" with all labor included in that price for the laying of the material on Dixon Road. "We only pay them for what they're putting down", added Tom.
Deborah Wilson brought up some local residents' questions regarding the use of Torno's family members for doing all of the road work in town, and being paid over 40% of the Road Budget money, to which he replied, "Nobody working for me right now is related to me, except for Bobby", and he explained that the Selectmen had put the work up for bid and had accepted Robert Torno's bid amount for road work in the Town of Lebanon. "I have nothing to do with that", he explained.
After a question from Sandy Adams regarding the drainage culvert from Dixon Road onto the Moulton property next door to her, that Mr. Torno has said he will look into, Selectman Heath stated that he and Nadeau had already signed the hefty Purchase Order and placed the paperwork in front of Thompson, who stated he "absolutely would not sign it".
After being questioned as to WHY his signature would be absent from the Purchase Order for the project, Thomson, still heated from the earlier volley with his peers, explained that the expenditure of the money on this project would "effect the Town's cash flow" and could result in the Town's needing to apply for a TAN (tax appropriated note).
When asked to explain what a TAN was, Selectman Heath tried to pass the question back into Thompson's lap, but when pressured, gives his understanding of how a TAN works, including the fact that compound interest is applied to the base amount each month until the Town returns the money borrowed, so each month the actual principal of the note grows by the generated interest, so the Town would wind up paying interest, on interest. "That's if we don't watch our spending", he added, saying that he didn't think that the Town's cash flow would be effected at all, or that it would be necessary to use the TAN line of credit.
**After this section of the meeting, Lebanon Truth Seekers questioned Town Tax Collector, Jeanette Lemay as to the rate of interest the Town would be expected to pay should they need to open a TAN line of credit with the bank. While the exact interest rate would not be known until the application was complete, Lemay did disclose that last year's loan of $350,000.00 was kept by the town from 9/16/2014 to 10/17/14 (one month) and the Town paid back $280.29 in interest payments***

WATCH Part 1 of the Selectmen's Meeting video of 6/29/15 HERE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb7ib1Okeb0

After the discussion with Road Commissioner Torno, the Board of Selectmen went into a scheduled Executive Session with newly appointed Code Enforcement Officer, Mike Beaulieu.

Returning from Executive Session with Mr. Beaulieu, in which the Board had gone over some Assessment issues and questions that Mr. Beaulieu was having, they welcomed Mr. Herb Hamblen, Vice President of Direct Sales, from Mosaic Technology, a computer technology company based out of Salem, NH.
Hamblen, along with two of his Associates, was asked to appear before the Select Board by Town Treasurer, Jeanette Lemay, who acted as a go-between for the Selectmen. According to Lemay, the Town's technology is antiquated and outdated, running off a single tower computer rather than a server. There is no off site backup of any of the towns data, and it was questioned as to whether the payments being accepted by the Town for fees, fines and taxes via debit and credit cards were actually secure. Ms. Lemay was not even sure if debit and credit card information was "encrypted" by their payment processor or not.
Mr. Hamblen took time to speak about what his company does, and stated several times that they would be willing to do an "on site assessment" of the Town's technology needs, leaving the town with a generalized report, that they could then use to formulate a request for proposals on the work needed to upgrade the Town's system and bring it into compliance. Not one Selectman asked how much that assessment would cost, but Lebanon Truth Seeker, Sandy Adams did.........."About $1,250.00", stated the technology company VP.
But no speedy motion was made to snap up that offer, although in the greater scheme of things, it seemed like a better expenditure of Town dollars than some others we've been hearing lately.
**After the meeting, in a momentary discussion with Mr. Hamblen, Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers asked if the credit card and debit card information being used as payments by the town were "safe" to which he replied, "Well, maybe. And maybe not.......  All present agreed that we will be making any payments via cash or check until the issues are resolved!!***

WATCH the Selectmen's interview with Mr. Herb Hamblen of Mosaic Technology HERE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJUjik4BkKQ

The next section of video is very short. Only a few minutes. The Selectmen sit down with Mr. Mike Lonergan of Norton's Insurance Agency, the Agency that carries the Town's insurance policy to go over any policy changes and sign the renewal. The residents in attendance could not hear Mr. Lonergan, even after several attempts were made to have him speak up. Selectman Thompson halted the discussion for a few minutes so that Lebanon Truth Seekers could move to a closer point in order to capture the insurance discussion on the video tape.

WATCH the very short portion of the Selectmen's discussion with Mr. Mike Lonergan of Norton's Insurance Agency HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rQQQSEUczU

The fourth part of the Monday, June 29th Selectman's meeting continues the discussion with Town of Lebanon Insurance Agent, Mike Lonergan after Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers moved to a closer seat in order to hear what the discussion entailed. Selectmen Heath and Thompson seemed to be very interested in what was being said, but we weren't sure Selectman Nadeau was even hearing the very soft spoken agent. During the discussion, the Town's MOD rates were consistently brought up, so Selectman Thompson was kind enough to give us an explanation as to exactly what a MOD rate was. It seems that in adding the Fire and Rescue Department volunteers now onto the Town's payroll as employees, the Town's insurance rates will rise, coupling that with the fact that the Town went through 3 years of troubling times when there were several Workmen's Compensation claims, and the Town's insurance rates will be a little higher than usual. (although no actual dollar amounts were discussed with the public).
Fire and Rescue Chief Daniel Meehan arrived at the meeting after being summonsed by Thompson, and discussed with the agent the fact that he's implementing some better policies for Ambulance and Fire Truck Drivers, which would require them to be at least 21 years of age, even if they pass qualifications, in order to drive an apparatus without a more experienced driver along.  Mr. Lonagren discusses with Chief Meehan the insurance carrier's availability of many "Safety Workshops" that could help to bring the Town some credits, or at least help with the Town's underwriting.
All 3 Selectmen signed the policy documents to renew the Town's insurance policy.

WATCH as Selectmen and Fire and Rescue Chief speak with Mr. Lonagren from Norton's Insurance Agency HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngs4y6FVisM

The final part of our video of the June 29th Selectmen's Meeting shows Lebanon Animal Control Officer Mary Kinney as she arrives requesting to speak with Selectmen regarding an issue she's having with a local resident who calls her constantly even though she has investigated the claims many times and found there to be no wrongdoing. Kinney claims the woman is not only calling her repeatedly, but also the Maine State Police, and the Animal Welfare Society in Augusta. "I'm done, the State Police are done, and the Animal Welfare Society are done", stated Kinney in obvious frustration.
The Selectmen, deciding not to enter into Executive Session to hear the complaint, heard Kinney's assertions that she had investigated, that Assistant Animal Control Officer Carol Harris had investigated, and that both the State Police and AWS had investigated the complaints. "The main problem she (the town resident who remained nameless throughout the discussion) was having, is in jail now", stated ACO Kinney. "There's nothing wrong there and it's just not right".
After answering a few questions from the Selectmen and the public, Kinney shook her head stating, "I have done everything in my power to stop this", adding that it's beyond her control and asking Selectmen to step in and write a letter to the resident.
Board of Selectmen asked Ms. Kinney to write a letter on her own, and if nothing changed, they would step in as the next level of buffer between the resident, their neighbor, and Animal Control agencies in town, and at State level.
Mary Kinney said that she would write the letter, but that she didn't think that it was going to stop the resident.

WATCH Animal Control Officer's conversation with the Board of Selectmen HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY6WxT6bDcU

In final Selectmen's business, the Board tended to Accounts Payable and Payroll, and then had an Executive Session meeting with Martha Sawyer Community Library, Librarian Marcy Poletta. The Library has employed Ms. Poletta as an MSAD60 School Department employee for the past few years, with subsidies from the Town of Lebanon. However, as of July 1, 2015, Ms. Poletta is now a Town of Lebanon employee, being funded solely by Town Budget.

The Selectmen's meeting was adjourned and there were no other items discussed for the evening.

Once again, the Lebanon Truth Seekers would like to send a BIG Thank You to Chris Gilpatrick for allowing us the use of his video camera to record the Selectmen's Meetings.

Residents Question Ambulance Response Times After More Scare Tactics Used to Stir the Pot.

There seems to be some confusion as to some recent Lebanon Rescue Calls made and reported on another page.
There were actually TWO calls made to the same address on that day.
The times that were noted were all over the board with some saying 25 minutes and some saying 27 minutes.

Let's start with a bit of information.
Right now, Ambulance 1 is in the shop for repairs.
This is NOT a cheap fix for Ambulance 1 and it is a repair that was noted by the repair shop as one that has been plaguing Ambulance 1 for as far back as the family Chief and Asst. Chief and was not addressed due to cost. They just pushed it off, in other words. The repairs were addressed again while Rescue was under the command of an interim Chief and because of financial budget reasons, it was once again, pushed to the side and left for a later date.
According to Chief Meehan, the repairs needed for Rescue 1 (Ambulance 1, the old one) are at a point now where they can not be pushed off to the side and have the vehicle remain in service.
So the ambulance is in the shop to be repaired.

As I've stated, the repairs to this vehicle are crucial to it remaining in service. They are not cheap and easy Band-Aid repairs as they are repairs needed to the air ride system of the vehicle.

Rescue 1 has been seen by two separate shops for estimates, which is the BEST way to do business. Competition between businesses is healthy and competition brings a better price for our town. The problem and cost have been identified and it's being looked into whether or not the problem is covered under warranty, which means a day or two waiting time before getting an answer back from an outside company.

Once the decision is made on how to proceed, the Purchase Order is filled out and presented to the Lebanon Board of Selectmen who meet on Monday and Thursday evenings and who review the Purchase Order and have to sign off on it in order for the dollars to be expended.

Once the purchase order is signed, the work on Rescue 1 can begin.

Knowing our Chief, while Rescue is down, he's alerted our Mutual Aid responders and the Dispatch that Rescue 1 is out of service so that they are aware that should there be multiple calls in Lebanon at the same time, we'll not be able to use the vehicle.

So..........back to the calls that are being slammed on some other pages.

First, we've all heard about the volunteer department way of doing things and 25 (or 27) minutes at 3 am to get out of bed, head to the department, and then move the ambulance to a call is not an unheard of amount of time. Beginning on July 1, 2015, as voted by the Town of Lebanon, there will be staffing at both the Fire Department and Rescue Department which will make call times shorter, however, because you voted for it on June 9, does not make that an immediate change. The change then becomes effective at the beginning of our next fiscal year, which begins on July 1, 2015. Until that time, the Rescue Department must still function under the restraints of the previous budget which did not allow for staffing.

So. There you have that answer.

The second part of the answer comes when you have a patient who is combative. According to the other page's information, the patient was in and out of consciousness and it was reported as a possible drug issue.

What they do not tell you, is that in these instances, the State Police are called into the scene to be sure that he EMTs who arrive to care for the patient are not in danger when arriving on scene. Therefore Rescue 2 can not proceed to the scene until State Police have been to the address and cleared it for EMTs to enter.

So was it a longer period of time before Rescue 2 could access the patient?? You BET. They can not legally go into a residence that Central Dispatch has told them to wait for the State Police to clear. They just can't.

The second call was only a short while after the first (about 6 hours) and while Rescue 2 was waiting to see the patient, another emergency call was logged. There's not one word about how that call was handled, but it was toned out immediately to Mutual Aid due to the fact that Sanford Central Dispatch knew that our own Rescue Crew was already busy.

Your Rescue Department is in very capable hands. There is no reason to worry or be afraid that you will not be attended to. Chief Dan Meehan has worked tirelessly to repair relationships that were torn apart by former Rescue Commands and he has the complete support of other area Chiefs and Departments. They are all working together to bring safety and response to the Town of Lebanon, and likewise, our Department is working to help ensure a safety net for their towns as well. Mutual Aid goes both ways. The Towns who respond here in Lebanon are also on the list to have our Rescue Department respond to their calls for help as well.

With the passing of the new Rescue budget by the Lebanon voters on June 9, 2015 the funds are going to be available to begin some very positive changes at our newly combined Fire and Rescue Departments beginning on July 1, 2015. There are vehicles that have needed repairs for a very long time, we have new staff coming on board and a new group of EMTs taking certification courses over at Frisbie Hospital, thanks to a grant by Frisbie secured by Chief Meehan, who will be graduating that course in only a matter of months. Safety equipment that has been missing from the combined Fire and Rescue Department has been identified, requested via Purchase Order, and will be acquired.

There is so much going on in our Lebanon Fire and Rescue Department that it's buzzing with activity. But changes don't happen overnight. The 6 months that Daniel Meehan have been your Chief have provided many changes. And in the greater scheme of things, 6 months as Chief of a horribly run down couple of departments IS, in fact, like overnight.

Not all Rescue calls are as simple as jumping in an Ambulance, tossing the patient in the back of the van, and racing through the streets to the hospital, lights flashing and sirens blaring. There are protocols that must be followed for the safety of the EMT's and Rescue personnel responding. There are some calls that an EMT can not transport without the benefit of a Paramedic on board. There are other calls that can not be attended to without State Police intervention. It's all a very synchronized ballet and unless you are privy to the choreography of the scene, you don't always know why things are happening the way they are, but to only assume you know what's happening behind the closed doors of someone's home during a Rescue operation is wrong and it speaks volumes to the people who are making these comments.

If you have a question, I will be glad to ask it for you, or you can feel free to contact Chief Daniel Meehan at the Lebanon Fire and Rescue Department.

Better yet, why not stop in and take a look around and say hello to your Chief and his personnel?? They're people just like you and I and they welcome you stopping by for a chat as long as they aren't busy on a call!!