WELD – Townspeople at the annual meeting Saturday approved $317,606 for municipal operations this year. The amount is $15,360 more than last year.
More than 60 residents settled in at the Town Hall at midmorning and conducted nearly half the town’s business before enjoying a turkey dinner at noon and then returning to the meeting.
Voters agreed to:
• raise Road Commissioner Kelly Hutchinson’s hourly pay 75 cents, to $15.75 an hour; and
• adopt a subdivision application fee of $250 for up to five lots and an additional fee of $25 for each lot thereafter.
Residents changed the date of the 2006 town election and meeting to the second Friday and Saturday in March, instead of the traditional first Friday and Saturday. It gives selectmen more time to prepare and get the the town meeting report to residents, Neil Stinneford said.
Voters agreed to tear down the fence at the ballpark for safety and aesthetic reasons and directed selectmen to appoint a committee to determine how to best secure the boundaries of the field.
An amendment to take no action on the fence failed after residents voiced concern about safety and liability issues with the deteriorating fence.
Voters adopted a forest management plan for a 15-acre lot in the center of Weld. The purpose is to make the forest attractive and healthy.
Resident Abe Kreworuka recommended no action be taken because voters rejected the plan in a different package in 2002 to preserve a natural wildlife sanctuary. The trees also provide a necessary buffer for noise, light and exhaust pollution, he said.
Selectman David Jones, a licensed forester, said the three-phase plan for the forest was a reasonable one that does not call for heavy cutting or clear cutting. He said some of the large white pines are in poor health and should be removed to prevent a forest fire. He also noted there was some blister rust that, if not dealt with, would decrease the value of the trees.
Richard Doughty was moderator for the meeting.
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