Board: Sabattus selectmen

Met: Tuesday night

Issue: Police Chief Thomas Fales retires June 30. Selectmen have been weighing how, or whether, to replace him.

The scoop: They considered hiring the lieutenant as chief, contracting with Lisbon, hiring a chief through Municipal Resources Inc., the same firm that supplied Town Manager Rick Bates, or hiring through Central Intelligence, a Kennebunk company that has supplied temporary police services to Monmouth and Richmond. Bates supported the last option and selectmen voted unanimously for it.

Up next: Jerry Hinton starts July 1 as Sabattus’ temporary police chief under a contract with CI for 20 hours a week at $50 an hour. Hinton retired as Brunswick’s police chief and served as chief of detectives in Portsmouth, N.H., before that. Bates said the tentative plan is for him to work Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and to hold the position for four to six months. The town will continue to decide whether it wants to consolidate services, which could lead to Hinton staying on longer as that process unfolds.

Mow along

Issue: It’s summer and the lawn isn’t going to mow itself. Town officials said it’s more cost-effective to hire the job out instead of doing it in-house.

The scoop: Selectmen awarded the mowing contract to the lowest bidder, Pro-Cut, for $10,550.

Up next: They’ll tend to seven cemeteries and town-owned properties such as the Town Office and Fire Station, Public Works Director Alan LeBlanc said.

Odds and ends

Issue: The Town Office will close June 30 to close out the books for the year.

Issue: Public Works will close July 4-8.

Issue: Selectmen appointed Ray Asselin to the Board of Appeals.

Staff writer Kathryn Skelton can be reached at 689-2844 or kskelton@sunjournal.com.