LIVERMORE FALLS – Selectmen appointed Mac Haynes as a town representative to the SAD 36 school board until the June election.
Haynes, a retired Livermore Falls High School teacher and retired director of SAD 36/Jay adult education program, will fill a seat vacated by Jackie Knight.
It is the selectmen’s past practice to appoint whoever applies for a vacant seat first.
Resident Ann Souther had called Chairman Ken Jacques to be considered for the position, but it is believed that Haynes called the town office first.
Resident Miriam Buchanan passed out a copy of a Sun Journal article during public session to remind selectmen about SAD 36’s vote on three referendum questions to go before voters Tuesday, Nov. 8. School directors are asking voters’ approval to seek state revolving renovation funds for two construction projects at the high school including the roof and concept approval for a performing arts center for the community.
Superintendent Terry Despres said last week that the two construction projects wouldn’t cost the taxpayers any more money than they are already spending on debt service. The state will pay 91 cents per dollar spent on the project and taxpayers would be responsible for 9 cents on every dollar, Despres had said.
“I think we should voice our support of it,” Selectman Bill Demaray said.
“(Despres) is pretty adamant that it’s not going to cost any more money,” resident Clayton Putnam said.
Selectmen also voted Monday to let the Apple Pumpkin Festival be held next fall on the recreation field with the exception of having vehicles on the field.
Jacques said there has been discussion about moving the festival to Jay because of space limitations.
He said personally he didn’t want to see it move out of town.
Selectman Bill Demaray said the festival used to be held on the field, but organizers wanted to move it up to the gazebo area so more people would attend.
Demaray also noted that selectmen didn’t allow the Fire Department to have the circus on the field one year because in previous years deep ruts were left on the field from vehicles.
Selectman Russell Flagg updated fellow selectmen on the town manager search. The search committee has chosen four out of nine candidates to interview. Once the committee does its interviews, Flagg said, they would recommend applicants to be interviewed by selectmen. Selectman Julie Deschesne said she was trying to set up interviews for the committee this week.
This is the second round of interviews conducted to replace Town Manager Alan Gove, who left in July. The town received 22 applications the first time and selectmen ended up interviewing two people after the search committee gave them six applicants to consider. Selectmen offered the job to one candidate, but the candidate declined. They didn’t offer the job to the second candidate after a red flag was raised during background checks.
After receiving no bids to clean the town’s building furnaces, selectmen opted to check with RPH Inc. of Jay to service the town office furnace since that company installed the furnace system. They also chose to ask A. Maurais & Sons of Jay to service the remaining furnaces because the company has done it in the past.
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