Minutes of NVC Meeting of September 21, 2003

President Jo Huntoon convened the meeting of the Northport Village Corporation Board of Overseers at 10:00 AM on September 21, 2003 , in the Community Hall with Overseers Crofoot, Hanrahan, Robbins, Brockway, Metcalf, Allen, Spollett, Treasurer Doucette, and Clerk Lagner present. Approximately 15 residents also attended.

The minutes of the August 31, 2003 , meeting were approved as amended.

Treasurer Doucette presented complete reports with the final balances as follows:

                        General Government                        $112,637.44

                        Water Department                  40,949.51

                        Sewer Department                 48,157.23

After discussion, Hanrahan moved, seconded by Spollett, that the official Northport Village Corporation address be 813 Shore Road , Northport. Voted. The Bluff Road box would be discontinued immediately, and the Belfast P.O. Box will be phased out eventually. A drop slot may be installed at the Community Hall office entrance if possible.

Doucette presented a letter from Union Trust to Michael Trainor, bond counsel at Eaton Peabody, regarding two loans dated September 30, 2002 , with a maturity date of September 29, 2003 , for $440,000.00 and $242,000.00. John Fancy requested that the Bank renew the loans for an additional six months at an agreed rate of 2.15%. Accrued interest of $13,049.54 will be paid as of the date of renewal. Judy moved, seconded by Brockway, that the renewal as presented be authorized. Voted.

Bill Paige: Plans are to use ground asphalt at $8.00/yd to finish the roads. Paige requested a form to hand out to a few trash-collection customers who do not understand the schedule change from two pick-ups per week to one. Hanrahan will prepare these.

The swimming float should serve for another season, but the boat float should be replaced. Fuller suggested that the float be a little bigger. The Yacht Club will be approached to help toward the cost.

Clerk Lagner: Grant money for preserving town records is being offered. Metcalf suggested we keep this possibility in mind for later. The Village Directory was edited and will be available soon. A proposal to establish a “Personnel Board” was presented. After discussion, Metcalf suggested that this topic be deferred to the November meeting.

Visitors’ Concerns

Steve Kenyon: Kenyon requested permission to store his 18-1/2’ sailboat (Typhoon) with the other boats at the foot of Ruggles Park over the winter. Points made during discussion: Storage slots have been grandfathered. Volunteers do the work of hauling and launching. Rates have been charged very sporadically. Residents should be given priority. The Village has no liability for damage, and more legal protection (i.e., a bailment agreement) is needed. Wharf regulations should be re-written for April/May posting. Fees need to be levied regularly. Metcalf moved, seconded by Crofoot, that if the Kenyons are happy with these conditions, then they may store their boat for this season in lower Ruggles Park with the other boats. Voted.

Gordon Fuller: Mast Storage: Masts may no longer be stored in the basement of the Community Hall because of the new rooms. Fuller asked for permission to store some masts in the Community Hall on the first floor. Concern was expressed about possible damage to the building, especially the wood floor, and adequate fire insurance coverage. After discussion, Metcalf moved, seconded by Hanrahan, to authorize Brockway to make arrangements with the boat owners consistent with the discussion here concerning insurance, liability, and indemnification. Voted.

Beverly Crofoot, on behalf of the Historical Society, invited the Officers and Overseers to an open house at the museum cottage on Saturday, October 11, from 2-4 PM .

Ed Williams asked that the rules for collecting the trash be published annually. These are included in the Resident Information Pack which comes out each spring. Williams also requested that John Fancy publish a list of road closings for Phase II construction.

Dick Tardif: Six new mailboxes are needed that were destroyed by the plow last winter. Crofoot moved, seconded by Robbins, that Tardif and the Village Agent, working together, be authorized to put up the mailboxes, and the Village will reimburse him. Voted.

Committee Reports

Utilities Committee:

John Fancy: The contractor has not finished work on Main and lower Griffin streets. They are considering using ground asphalt for the surface. This is a heavier material, causes less erosion from water run-off, and the DEP recommends its use. Crofoot moved, seconded by Metcalf that Fancy be authorized to negotiate with the contractor to substitute ground asphalt for gravel. Voted. Crofoot then moved, seconded by Metcalf, to authorize the lower half of Park Row be paved with reprocessed asphalt. Voted.

Fancy then presented the financials for Phase I. Ken Wescott has presented a bill for the replacement of some roses damaged in the construction. The contractor refused to pay (1) because he was never notified of the problem, nor given the opportunity to repair the damage, and (2) the planting under discussion is in the public right-or-way. There has been no record of complaint prior to Wescott’s replacing the roses, so the Village was not given the opportunity to assess the damage, or do repairs. The owner should have taken steps to protect the planting before the contractors came through. Robbins moved, seconded by Crofoot, that the Overseers respond to Wescott’s request in person, letting him know that he will not be reimbursed, and explain the reasons why. Voted.

Fancy then presented an update of the Town of Northport ’s involvement in the Infrastructure Upgrade projects. In addition to work already committed (with $111,466.33 still owed to the Village), Bluff Road needs work, particularly from Clinton to Cobe Road , and the Kelly Cove Bridge should be replaced. Since the Town does not have the funds at this point, Fancy suggested that the Shore Road storm drain may be the highest priority, followed closely by the Kelly Cove Bridge . He will be presenting this to the Town for their decision as to how to proceed.

Phase III: The Utility Committee would like for the Board to investigate various types of treatment facilities during the next 2-3 months. The Board is invited to go to Waldoboro to see their lagoon-with-land-discharge system at 3:00 PM , Sunday, October 12.

The budget and funding statement for Phase III shows that NVC will have invested close to $77,000 by the end of this year, which includes the $25,000 fine levied by the DEP. We are running about $20,000 short, so plans for raising this money need to be made. We have applied to the DEP for a planning grant which would give us at most $2,500. John will prepare a summary of where we stand on the Consent Agreement compliance for the next meeting. Crofoot reminded the Board that whatever treatment system is used, numbers of users are not likely to increase, so the operating budget must fit the income receivable from 250 users. Doucette suggested that a frontage assessment might bring in some income. Crofoot stated that we will need money to acquire land as it comes available, which may happen before all of our funding is in place.

Galen Plummer has distributed a handout, which is short and readable, but it is not an official document from the Utility Committee, whose members stated that any handouts concerning construction should come from that committee. It was suggested that the Utilities Committee publish two documents: one short one explaining the construction schedule for road closures put out now, and then a more complete, informational document which includes the finances. The next Utilities’ Committee meeting is October 3 at 2:30 PM , at which time Mr. Fitch will review the engineering study, and plans will be made for the next year.

The new billing clerk, Kimberly Leonard, will be working Tuesday afternoon and Thursday. The data base is totally updated now.

Fancy presented the NVC Water Meter Policy. There are about 12 houses which cannot install a meter easily, either outside or inside. A letter needs to be written to these people explaining the options they have: (1) change the interior layout of the house so a meter may be installed; or (2) build a meter pit at the owner’s expense. Crofoot moved, seconded by Metcalf, to accept the Water Meter Policy. Voted.

Financial Committee: Hanrahan moved, seconded by Robbins, that regular bills be paid on a monthly basis without a warrant. Approval would be needed only for exceptions to the usual and customary costs. The finance committee would watch for anything extraordinary. A warrant may be presented at the beginning of the year with an encumbrance schedule that says “these are the bills you are approving to be paid under that policy.” Voted.

Parks Committee: Phillips announced that trees have been planted in Blaisdell Park to honor the contributions to the Village by Beverly and David Crofoot and Judy Metcalf. Bridges donated in memory of Jean Purcell will be moved to a new location. The barrels planted to protect the playground and beautify the park were very hard to keep watered, so they will not be planted as far up the hill next year.

Facilities Committee: Brockway read a letter to be sent to Ken Wescott thanking him for his in-depth study, but denying permission to replace the bamboo because of insurance coverage. Professional landscapers will be consulted about the problem. Robbins moved, seconded by Allen, that we send the letter as written. During discussion, Metcalf pointed out that Frank Therio would have to issue a permit for the work, and Phillips recommended Duttons landscapers to do the work. Action will be postponed to next spring. The motion was Voted.

Old Business

Von Bergen: Metcalf gave Heidi Von Bergen the letter supporting their request to the Zoning Board of Appeals (Northport) concerning the deck on the Von Bergen cottage. (See minutes of August 31.)

Fielden ( Maple Street ): Frank Therio has notified Mr. Fielden of a building code violation with a deck he added to his cottage. Fielden was notified of the violation in a letter of July 8. The violation has not been responded to within the deadlines. Therio has asked that the Board proceed with an enforcement action, which must be overseen by the Village Attorney. John Lloyd, of Eaton/Peabody, has reviewed the project with Therio. A building permit cannot be found. Metcalf moved, seconded by Spollett, that John Lloyd be authorized to proceed, in cooperation with Frank Therio, to identify the violations of the Ordinance, and proceed with an action against Mr. Fielden if they do not get corrected. Voted.

Kazilionis (Oriental Cottage): The lot is a non-conforming lot. Therio miscalculated it because the permit did not say the cottage was non-conforming, so the permit should not have been granted to raise the cottage so high. Metcalf moved, seconded by Hanrahan, to authorize John Loyd to further investigate the Kazilionis issue with Frank Therio. Voted 6 for, 1 abstain.

Request for zoning change: The public hearing concerning the citizens’ request for a zoning change will be held October 12, 10:00 AM . John Lloyd has reviewed the situation, and recommends that a two-thirds vote is needed.

A Parking Ordinance will be considered for enacting at the October 12 meeting also. Crofoot will re-work this document.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:10 PM .