Board: Turner Selectmen

Met: Tuesday night

Butts out

Issue: The town has gotten complaints in the past about smokers at the beach at Bear Pond leaving their litter behind.

The scoop: Third-grader Meagan Perkins wrote a letter to Town Manager Eva Leavitt asking to make the beach smoke-free. Leavitt read the letter to selectmen. They voted to create a Tobacco Free Zone in the fenced-off area of the beach.

Up next: Leavitt said as soon as she gets the signs, they’ll be put up.

Year-end report

Issue: Leavitt said the town will close out the fiscal year with roughly $220,000 unspent from departmental budgets. (The figure had been higher, but selectmen voted Tuesday to allocate $126,868 to this year’s paving and construction budget.)

The scoop: “We’re very pleased with that,” Leavitt said. “We made every effort to cut corners and shop around for this and that.” After concern that revenue might be down for the year, it was up just over $12,800, she said, largely due to unexpected FEMA funds.

Up next: The annual audit begins July 12.

Staff writer Kathryn Skelton can be reached at 689-2844 or [email protected]