Oxford’s recycling building will be painted, as well as the nearby transfer station, selectmen decided Thursday. Danzig Painting of Norway submitted the lowest bid of $15,400. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat

OXFORD — After recently approving the purchase of a wheel loader for the Transfer Station on condition of getting interest-free financing for five years, selectmen Thursday night did an about-face when they learned the winning bid was based on a cash sale.

Milton Cat of Scarborough bid $119,400 and offered $22,500 in trade for the 19-year-old loader it would replace. It also offered several financing options. Selectmen approved the bid two weeks ago on the condition that Town Manager Adam Garland could obtain interest-free financing for five years. If the financing is not interest-free, Garland would report at the next board meeting and selectmen will consider whether to purchase the loader outright.

Selectmen debated Thursday night whether they should purchase it at all, theorizing that the wheel loader used by the highway department might be sufficient to use at the transfer station.

Transfer Station Manager Ed Knightly told the board that the highway department’s unit sits too high to easily fit through the building door, is not easily moved around once in the building and does not have the down pressure to compact waste in the cans. He also said it is too big to fit into the recycling building.

Selectman Floyd Thayer suggested moving the cans to a lower spot where waste could be dropped down. Knightly said if they were moved the station crew would not be able to monitor what’s put in them as easily.

Selectman Dana Dillingham made a motion to approve purchasing the new loader but no one seconded it.

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Thayer and Vice Chairwoman Sharon Jackson asked that Knightly demonstrate for the board the problems using the highway department’s loader would cause.

Knightly urged them to make it a priority because he was concerned Milton Cat would not hold the loader much longer, and if he has to order a different one there would be a long turnaround.

The one in use needs new tires costing $4,000 and Knightly believes the transmission may fail. He pointed out that a new loader had been budgeted as a capital improvement expense.

Selectmen approved hiring Danzig Painting of Norway to paint the Transfer Station and recycling building for $15,400, contingent on Garland checking its references.

Garland said a second bid from Phil Smith Painting of Oxford was $20,500.

In addition to Danzig’s lower price Knightly voiced a preference for the company.

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Code Enforcement Officer Kingston Brown updated selectmen about long-standing problem properties on King Street and Robinson Hill Road. He advised that rather than incurring more legal expenses taking the owners to court the town should consider adjusting ordinances.

Selectmen directed Brown to start working on amendments, with an eye to having them ready for residents to vote on at the 2022 annual town meeting.

In his report, Garland said the commercial broker handling the sale of the Town Office building did not think listing its assessed value as the asking price was wise. He said with no available appraisal, he would provide a “broker’s opinion” estimate in the interim and expects it to be available within 10 days.

Garland also advised selectmen that Gov. Janet Mills’ mandate that all health care workers in Maine be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 1 was going to put even more pressure on the Fire & Rescue Department’s staffing crunch.

Fire Chief Paul Hewey said the roster stands at 15. All EMTs are vaccinated but three firefighters are not and are likely to leave.

Garland said he was not interested in any debate about whether the vaccine is good or bad, but said he would like to write a letter to the Maine Emergency Medical Services Board expressing his concerns and questioning why wearing appropriate personal protective equipment is not enough. He asked selectmen if they would authorize him to write such a letter.

“I strongly suggest and recommend that you write the letter,” Dillingham said. “I would start it with a capital N and end it with a capital O. It’s ridiculous that after 16 months into this that they are now going to put this mandate on their first responders that have been responding faithfully.

“It’s disgusting that they’re going to do this to those folks,” he said. “They’re not protecting other people by getting the vaccine, they’re protecting themselves. If you can catch COVID whether you’ve been vaccinated or not, you can spread COVID whether you’ve been vaccinated or not, what do you care whether I’m vaccinated or not as long as you are. It’s ridiculous, it’s outrageous, it’s offensive to our first responders.”

Thayer, Sharon Jackson and board Chairman Caldwell Jackson concurred and authorized Garland to proceed.


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