By Jen Otterson,Staff Writer

OTISFIELD – The Otisfield town office will soon have a virtual branch on the World Wide Web.

Selectman Thomas Nurmi announced at Wednesday’s meeting that the town office’s computer is hooked up to the Internet. He recommended Portland-based Virtual Town Hall to design and host a Web site for the town.

Nurmi said that town Web sites he has visited on Virtual Town Hall include “everything. It’s incredible.”

The board passed a motion to sign a contract with Virtual Town Hall.

Fees will include an initial $2,000 charge to set up the site and $1,650 yearly. Virtual Town Hall will train town officials to maintain the site.

In addition to town ordinances and minutes of meetings, Selectman Mark Cyr said the town plans to post the agenda for selectmen’s meetings on the town’s Web site.

Although residents have been vocal recently in urging selectmen to make an agenda available before their meetings, Cyr said after the meeting had adjourned that this process actually began more than a year ago.

He told residents that he and Nurmi had attended a SAD 17 board meeting and were impressed with its agenda. He hopes that Otisfield’s agenda will follow a similar format.

He proposed that the town’s agenda should be written on the Friday before the selectmen’s meetings and include specific information on issues to be addressed, including a motion to be made.

Speakers would be asked to make any paperwork available to selectmen before the meeting. Additions or changes to the agenda could be made by a vote of selectmen at the meeting.

Selectmen have not yet had a chance to discuss the agenda issue, so Cyr said a decision will not be made until after the next selectmen’s meeting.

In other business, Planning Board Chairman Rick Micklon told selectmen that the board has received the final piece of paperwork needed to complete Dan Simoneau’s application to build Camp Manasseh.

The development is planned for 156 acres on Saturday Pond. Simoneau, of Bridgton, wants to build several buildings to house 200 to 250 people at a time for retreats and youth camp sessions. A dock, playing fields and walking paths are part of the development.

Micklon said Simoneau presented the board a letter of commitment from financier National Church Planting Office.

Micklon placed calls to confirm the legitimacy of the National Church Planting Office, part of the Baptist Fellowship International and a lender and financial consultant for new churches and ministries. He said the next step in the application process is a meeting between Simoneau’s consultant and the town’s. Then a public hearing and site walk will be held before the matter is voted on.

Emergency Management Services director Frank Blauvelt asked selectmen if he could forego his stipend in order to take on another assistant. The town has budgeted $800 for the director and assistant. Selectmen voted to give Blauvelt permission to offer stipends of $400 each to two assistants instead of taking a $500 stipend for himself.

Resident Joe Zilinski, speaking for the group Voices of Otisfield, asked selectmen for information regarding boards and committees currently active in the town, their membership, and how committee members are chosen.

Cyr told Zilinski, “People in your group probably know the answer to many of these questions,” and that the group was “creating busywork” for the town.

Selectman Lenny Adler said that applications for committees are available in the town office, and openings are advertised in local papers.

During the conversation, a resident suggested adding two alternates to the Planning Board, which selectmen agreed to do. The position will be advertised for 21 days, and applicants will be asked to meet with selectmen at a selectmen’s meeting. Applications for the positions are available at the town office.