FARMINGTON — The Board of Selectmen agreed Tuesday to accept applications for an interim school board director, after receiving a letter from Director Claire Andrews stating her intention to resign.

The board is charged with appointing an interim director to serve until the next town election in March 2016, Town Manager Richard Davis said. At that time, candidates can seek the position to complete the time left on Andrews’ term, which expires in 2017.

In her letter, Andrews said she was resigning due to conflicts and commitments with her position as assistant district attorney in Farmington, which she accepted in December 2014.

Andrews has served on the school board for several years and was vice chairperson until this year.

Anyone interested in serving as director from September to March is asked to file an application, available online, or to submit a letter of intent, including their experience and why they are interested in the position, Davis said. For more information, call the office at 207-778-6538.

The board set a deadline of Sept. 8 for submitting applications. An appointment will be made that night.

In other business, the board voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with Dirigo Engineering for Front Street culvert plans at a cost of $4,800.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has a new grant program for culvert improvements with up to $95,000 available per project, Davis said.

A concrete box culvert on Front Street, between Stericycle (the former NotifyMD) and Divine Inspirations, appears to be inadequate. Dirigo engineers said it is decaying and is penetrated by communication conduits and a sewer main. They feel the work needed is tailor-made for the grant, Davis said.

Along with collecting information and creating a design, Dirigo would help with the application for the grant, he said. The grant is due in October and requires no matching amount from the town.

“There’s no guarantee we will get the grant,” Davis said. “But the project will be ready to do at some point.”

The $4,800 would come out of the Public Works budget, Davis said.

The board also authorized the town manager to enter into an agreement with CAI Technologies of New Hampshire for GIS services for a total of $4,300.

A “geographic information system is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface. GIS can show many different kinds of data on one map,” according to an online definition. 

The online mapping tool will provide data for tax assessment and for the Sewer Department, Davis said.

The GIS server can accurately locate sewer lines within a foot, whereas paper maps, some aging, are not always as close.

The cost will come from the Sewer Department’s budget, he said.

abryant@sunmediagroup.net

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