Vassalboro select board members spent more than an hour of their May 24 meeting reviewing a revised draft of the town’s personnel policy, with comments from an interested audience of town employees.
The most discussed section deals with how time off – vacation time, sick leave, personal days, for example – is calculated. There were questions about when an employee begins to accumulate these benefits and how they are measured.
Related issues (like overtime) and possible future benefits (like family medical coverage) were also topics. Town Manager Aaron Miller will continue to work on the draft policy.
Before the policy discussion, select board members reviewed and made a few changes in the draft warrant for Vassalboro’s June 3 and June 11 town meeting. Miller hoped to have the annual town report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2023, which will include the town meeting warrant, ready for the printer on May 20.
After the policy discussion, board members reviewed two ongoing projects, reorganizing the transfer station and slowing speeders on Route 32 in East Vassalboro.
The transfer station discussion has two branches, rebuilding in pretty much the existing footprint or expanding.
Absentee ballots available
Absentee ballots for the state primary election and Vassalboro local elections are available at the Vassalboro town office through Thursday, June 6. State primary ballots may also be requested through the Secretary of State’s website.
State law allows voters to apply for absentee ballots after June 6 only under special circumstances.
Board members reviewed three plans for a drive-through building on the current site, prepared by Senders science engineering and construction, of Camden. Each would accomplish the main goal, improving safety by eliminating the need for drivers to back up to the hopper to dispose of trash.
They also discussed the possibility of incorporating at least part of an adjacent 5.5-acre parcel on the eastern border of the transfer station lot, on which the town has foreclosed. Miller said discussions with the heirs to the property are continuing.
If the town were to acquire the land, its usefulness would depend on numerous factors, from the extent of wetlands on the property to state regulations.
Board member Frederick “Rick” Denico suggested Miller consult engineer Jeff Senders.
East Vassalboro resident Holly Weidner and Miller said an East Vassalboro group and state Department of Transportation officials propose experimental Route 32 traffic-calming measures.
The first step is to collect statistics on traffic speed, Weidner said. Then the experiment will begin; continued monitoring will show whether it slows drivers.
Select board members approved spending up to $6,500 in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds for the project. Weidner said there might be a $1,000 grant available to reduce the cost to the town.
The next regular Vassalboro select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 30.
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by Mary Grow
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