By Winslow Durgin,Special to the Sun Journal

MINOT – Selectmen appointed a nine-member panel Monday night that will recommend changes to the town’s land-use ordinance to bring it in line with the town’s newly approved Comprehensive Plan.

The Comprehensive Plan, approved by a 161-152 vote on March 3, envisions a town that continues to grow, but channels that growth in ways to preserves Minot’s rural character. It calls for the creation of relatively compact village areas while requiring five-acre house lots in other parts of town.

The new Comp Plan/Ordinance Review Committee is being asked to rewrite the town’s land-use ordinance and bring it to the town for a vote at the March 2007 town meeting.

Appointed were: Tim Bernard, Roland Berry, Michael Callahan, Ed Cormier, Tammy Gary, John A. Hemond, Serae Hemond, Ben Santos and Tom Snowe. Donald Hemond will serve as an alternate.

Selectmen agreed that the full Planning Board would work with the Ordinance Review Committee. Planning Board members are Candace Benwitz, John Geismar, Dan Gilpatric, John Gould and Larry Slattery, as well as newly-appointed alternate Planning Board members George Buker, Cathleen McAnneny and Ben Santos.

Selectmen also signed an agreement with the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments for $4,800, hiring John Maloney to provide technical services in drawing up amendments to the land-use ordinance.

In other business, Road Manager Arlan Saunders reported that all town roads have been posted to heavy loads and, except for the dirt roads, there has not been a lot of damage due to frost leaving the ground.

Saunders noted that he’s had to haul gravel to the dirt section of Death Valley Road and, as he often must do this time of year, he has closed it to all unnecessary through-traffic.

Selectmen opened three sealed bids for R3 Lot 24, a three-acre parcel of tax-acquired land located off Goodwin Road in the Little Androscoggin River flood plain and accepted Hebron resident Robert A. Bean’s bid of $751.50 as high bid.

Selectmen also put out a request for bids to repair a portion of the Town Office roof. The bids are due at the town office by 4 p.m. March 24.

Town Administrator Rhonda Irish was authorized to pursue contracting for the development of a town Web site. Irish noted that the domain name (MinotMaine.org) was purchased by the Sun Journal when it recently acquired the Advertiser Democrat.

Irish told selectmen that she will soon submit an application for funding the town’s new pumper/tanker firetruck through the Maine Bond Bank and should know by the the end of April whether the request is approved. If approved, the funds to purchase the truck would be available by the end of October.

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