Lewiston Board of Appeals elects officers and reviews 2026 policies and procedures

The Lewiston Board of Appeals elected new officers and received an orientation on board policies and procedures at its June 3 meeting.

Bernie McAllister, who opened the meeting as vice chair and presided until the election, was nominated and elected chair. Melanie Dorn was elected vice chair and Matthew Doyon was elected secretary. The slate was approved by roll call during the meeting; newly elected officers were congratulated at the conclusion of the vote.

After the elections, city planning staff led a training on the Board of Appeals’ 2026 policies and procedures. The presentation covered the board’s authority under the zoning and land use code, standards for conditional use permits, development-review criteria (including traffic, parking, pedestrian access, municipal services and environmental considerations), public-notice requirements, the Freedom of Access Act (right-to-know), ex parte communication rules, records retention, conflict-of-interest rules and how to make findings of fact and conclusions of law.

Staff encouraged members to consult the city code, the MMA training resources and other regional trainings; staff also emphasized the practical steps of making motions, having a second, debating and taking roll-call votes. "This is meant to provide a basic foundation for new members and refresher annually to continuing board members," the staff presenter said, urging members to reach out if they had questions and noting that staff would circulate slides and materials by email.

The board then moved on to new business, including the conditional-use hearing for 23 River Road.