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Residents urge better communication and speed enforcement; board approves minutes and adjusts agenda
Summary
Public commenters raised concerns about town communication and July 4 vandalism and speeding; the board approved prior minutes 4-0, announced harbor committee leadership, added an abatement request and items on AEDs/fire extinguishers, and noted a well-attended hazardous waste turn-in event.
At the July 14 Select Board meeting in South Thomaston, residents used the public-comment period to press the board on communication and neighborhood safety, and the board approved earlier meeting minutes and adjusted the agenda.
Laura Ryan urged better communication from the town when new people join boards and committees, saying residents did not receive a notice when a new official joined. "We need better communication, especially when new people come on board," she said, asking that email notices or other notices be sent to introduce new members.
Linda Palmer described vandalism on July 4, saying a pickup truck drove across her property at Homeport Avenue and over their engineered septic system. "We had to call the sheriff because we had vandalism over the July 4," Palmer said, describing increased speeding and motorcycle activity in the area and urging the board to consider measures such as the town's rotating speed-display sign to slow traffic.
The chair acknowledged that traffic enforcement is the sheriff's responsibility, said the town has previously tried contracting additional policing and that the town has pushed back on some contracts, and suggested options including seeking temporary sheriff patrols or sharing enforcement with neighboring towns. The chair also said the rotating speed sign is deployed among towns when available but noted purchase costs could require budget consideration.
The board reported the regional hazardous-waste turn-in event was well attended and that the town collected significantly more paint than in past years. The chair advised residents that latex paint can be dried and discarded in the regular transfer station trash and that hazardous-waste drop-off does not cost the town for that event.
Procedurally, members moved to approve the June 23 and July 2 minutes; the chair called the vote and recorded four in favor. The board also agreed to remove the EMA director from the agenda, add discussion of AEDs and fire extinguishers, add an abatement request to the packet, and said it will make appointments to the newly constituted harbor committee (which selected Skip Connell as chair) later in the meeting.
No formal board action on new policing or traffic devices was recorded in the provided transcript excerpt; several options were discussed and the chair noted budget implications for purchasing and rotating speed-display equipment.
