Jay will close its Town Office to the public on Wednesday until further notice. Other safety measures will also be implemented.

JAY — Selectpersons voted Tuesday to close the Town Office to the public, effective Wednesday, as one of the many preventive measures to keep residents and employees safe during the COVID-9 pandemic.

The board also decided to have residents place single-sort recyclables at curbside to be picked up by  Archie’s Inc., and not bring them to the Transfer Station. They will not be accepted.

The staff at the Town Office will be present to answer phones and assist residents by way of phone or email. The office number is 207-897-6785. Email addresses can be found at www.jay-maine.org or people can message staff on the town’s Facebook page.

A secure drop-off box will be put outside the office in the front of the building and secured to a post during regular working hours for people to drop payments or other paperwork. It will be brought back into the office each afternoon.

People can either pay their taxes or sewer bills by mail or with checks and money orders only, not cash, by dropping them into the drop-off box. People are asked to include their phone numbers in case of questions.

On Tuesday, there was a box in the front lobby of the office. People could drop their property declarations and payments for sewer and taxes in it, if they were paying by check.

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Staff will be working with residents to try to continue to meet their needs during these challenging times, Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said.

Selectpersons sat about 6 feet from each other during the meeting with tables separated to adhere to the social distancing recommendations issued by the CDC. Members of the audience also sat apart.

LaFreniere told the board she and department heads met Monday to see what each department could do to keep employees and members of the public safe.

John Johnson, director of the Public Works Department, said employees at the highway garage have been told not to share trucks. They will continue to use the same vehicle and will clean it after each use to try and avoid contamination. They will also be working at a safe distance from each other, Johnson said.

If the phone is used, it needs to be wiped down after each use. The building is closed to the public, including vendors. If people have a question they can either call the garage at 207-897-4920 or the Town Office.

All other municipal buildings will also be closed to the public, including the Police Department, 207-897-6766. Police will still be working 24/7. Residents are encouraged to call the respective departments with concerns or contact the Town Office. In case of emergency, call 911.

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The Jay Transfer Station will remain open but, besides not accepting recyclables at the station, the Share Shack will also be closed until further notice.

Employees at the facility will not be assisting citizens with removing material from their vehicles and will be practice social distancing.

There are several options available for people to conduct business. People can reregister their vehicle using a link on the town’s website www.jay-maine.org. Then click on the Town Office tab on the left. Scroll halfway down the page and click on the Rapid Renewal link. People will need their old registration, insurance card and mileage.

To reregister an ATV, boat and get hunting and fishing licenses, people can do it on state’s website at: https://www.maine.gov/ifw/. If anyone has questions on re-registering online, they can call the Town Office for assistance.

 

 

 


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