NORWAY — John E. O’Donnell, who runs John E. O’Donnell & Associates Inc. in New Gloucester, has agreed to help the town with its assessing needs until a permanent assessor can be hired.
The Select Board approved his appointment at Thursday’s meeting. It will give officials time to hire a full-time assessor, Town Manager Dennis Lajoie said.
O’Donnell succeeds Natalie Andrews, who left last month after six years to become town manager in Bethel.
In other business, the board approved spending up to $230,000 from its allotment from the American Rescue Plan Act to purchase equipment for upgrades at the wastewater treatment plant. Among the items is a Gorman & Rupp pump skid for more than $57,000 to move wastewater from a pump station to the treatment plant. The other item is a Huber fine screen for $125,000 to replace the 23-year-old one.
The board heard a presentation from Wendy Ruby for the Turkey Trot 4 Hope race, a major fundraiser for the Cancer Resource Center of Western Maine. The four-mile run will be held Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 24. The board approved the request and waived the $100 application fee.
The appointment of Christian Cummings as General Assistance administrator was approved by the board.
Resident Joan Woodman, who attends every meeting, scolded the board because of the disrespectful tone concerning a dispute between a couple of residents from the previous two meetings. At an earlier meeting, one resident blamed manure spread on town property that has a cemetery as the cause of algae at Hobbs Pond, while the other individual, at a different meeting, defended the practice, saying his operation is in compliance with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The town is awaiting the results of DNA testing to discover the source of the algae before taking further action.
Board Chairman Russell Newcomb and Selectman Sarah Carter agreed with Woodman, saying they felt bad after reflecting on the meetings and would handle things differently in the future.
Lajoie reported that the town has received more than 20 applications for his position, which he’s leaving at the end of the year. The board will discuss its options and how it wants to proceed at a special meeting next week.
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