The petitioners requested the meeting to readress an earlier School Committee vote.
By Donna M. Perry
Staff Writer

JAY – Selectmen set a special town meeting on Jan. 21 for voters to consider transferring money to save the school lunch program. The board also voted Monday to dedicate the town report to the farmers in town, especially three who died this year.

Those farmers were Arnold Smith, Gerald Thompson and Silas Wright.

Selectmen also agreed to have Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments represent Jay in putting together an application to be considered for economic development in a state economic development Pine Tree Zone.

Town Manager Ruth Marden told selectmen that 33 acres in Jay, owned by Franklin Memorial Hospital, contiguous with 11 acres in Wilton at the intersection of routes 2 and 4, is one location chosen to be submitted in application for possible development.

The second location is in the Jay Plaza area with property owned by the town, Jose Diaz, Lionel Dubord and the Ames building owned by Robert Bahre.

Selectmen’s Chairman Bill Harlow said that 236 verified signatures were submitted to require a special town meeting. Petitioners only needed about 190 signatures to get 10 percent of the last gubernatorial election to require the meeting.

The special town meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the Middle School cafeteria.

“We have no choice, if we refuse to have (a special town meeting), they can actually get a … notary public and they can schedule a meeting,” Harlow said when questioned by resident Al Landry about holding the meeting.

The petitioners requested that the special vote be held because they did not believe the vote by the School Committee last month to eliminate personnel in the cafeteria, outsource bread purchases, reduce work hours and jeopardize the quality of the lunch program was a true representation of the Jay people.

The article asks voters to authorize selectmen to transfer funds from the undesignated fund to the food service program account to cover the cost of the school lunch program for the year ending June 2004.

The recommended amount is $50,000.

Marden said because the dollar amount is not in the body of the article, the amount voted on could be amended up or down.

Harlow asked school Superintendent Robert Wall to figure out what would be needed to run the lunch program through the rest of the year. Harlow also asked that Wall ask if the School Committee wanted to make a recommendation on the amount.

The Budget Committee is also scheduled to review the article at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, at the Middle School cafeteria. Selectmen are also to consider it and give a recommendation that night.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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