Poland officials accept money for tree planting; unable to set Town Meeting date

POLAND — Local officials voted Tuesday to accept a state grant for tree planting at the town’s municipal complex.

Town Manager Matthew Garside said Wednesday members of the Board of Selectpersons accepted a $4,000 grant under the Canopy Program administered by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

The money will be used to purchase and plant 10 trees in the area of the Town Office, Garside said.

The board also discussed when officials will be able to schedule this year’s annual Town Meeting, Garside said.

Poland’s annual meeting had been scheduled for April 4, but that event was postponed due to Gov. Janet Mills’ executive order restricting the size of public gatherings in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Since then, officials haven’t been able to set a new date due to ongoing restrictions. Currently, public gatherings of more than 50 people are prohibited. The town requires that a minimum of 100 residents attend the annual meeting in order to qualify as a quorum so that it can pass a new fiscal budget.

“The state hasn’t relaxed its guidelines enough for us to really plan anything yet,” Garside said.

Members of the Board of Selectpersons are scheduled to meeting Wednesday night with member of the Budget Committee to revise its recommended annual municipal budget. The goal is to lower spending in anticipation of a reduction in revenues due to the pandemic.