A public hearing for a proposed moratorium on commercial solar arrays was held on April 3rd at 5:30pm.  The Rangeley Ordinance Committee has been working on an Alternative Energy Ordinance to manage the size and location of solar arrays.  It will take several more months for the Committee to complete its draft ordinance.  The power grid is full in Rangeley and Central Maine Power Co. (CMP) has no plans to upgrade the substation.  CMP will allow an energy producer to upgrade the substation at its own expense to increase grid capacity.  This increased capacity could allow large commercial solar arrays to be located in Rangeley prior to the completion of the ordinance.  New incentives for solar development make upgrading a substation more feasible than it has been in the recent past.  The moratorium will be in effect for 180 days with the ordinance and a vote on it expected before it expires.
A 6:00pm public hearing was held for a new Vendors License Application submitted by Scott MacDonald of Rangeley.  The license request is for a farmers market to be held on Thursdays from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Depot Street parking lot from May through October.  Scott expects six to twelve vendors to participate and thinks that downtown shoppers will like being able to walk to it.  The Selectmen voted to approve this new Vendors License under the Consent Items portion of the agenda.
The Selectmen appointed Alternate Planning Board member Jacob Beaulieu to a full time Planning Board member position to fill the vacancy created when Board Chair Rebekah Carmichael-Austin resigned last month.
The Selectmen received additional information about the Mingo Springs Project that they voted to support at their last meeting.  The project is an effort by the Rangeley Lake Heritage Trust (RLHT) to acquire a one hundred acre parcel in Rangeley.  The parcel abuts two other RLHT properties, the ninety-five acre Hunter Cove Wildlife Sanctuary and the seventy acre Lewin Woods.  The parcel contains the Mingo Springs Trail and Birdwalk and the lupine field on the corner of Route 4 and Proctor Road.  Acquisition of this land by the RLHT will help conserve important wildlife habitat and provide year round recreational opportunities.
Selectperson Ethan Shaffer initiated discussion about setting a two hour time limit for Selectmen’s meetings.  Ethan felt that meetings longer than two hours become less productive. Selectperson Shelly Lowell wanted to take as much time as was needed to give the public the opportunity to interact with Board members and to have Town business remain transparent.  The Board agreed to continue this discussion under an agenda item at a future meeting.
The Selectmen voted to table the review of Town Meeting Warrant Articles for one day and to discuss them at their previously scheduled April 4th meeting at 5:00pm.
At the April 4th meeting Chairperson Cyndy Egan shared her assessment of the March 27, 2023 public hearing on the proposed Chapter 34, Short Term Rental Ordinance (STR).  She noted several members of the public were confused about the requirements of the ordinance and their potential impact.  This indicated to her that the ordinance needed more time and that it was not ready for a Town vote.  Cyndy made a motion to not include the proposed STR Ordinance on the June warrant and to continue working on it in the coming months.  It was suggested that a committee or working group be formed with interested participants both for and against an STR Ordinance.  The motion passed with a 3 for, 1 against, 1 abstained vote.
In its basic form the proposed Rangeley STR Ordinance requires the owners of an STR to register with the town, have a contact person to deal with issues and to follow state and federal rules.  Many communities around the State have adopted STR Ordinances and the State of Maine is working on a state wide set of rules for STRs.  The State does not currently have rules that require occupancy limits to match septic system capacity.  Some STR owners rent to more occupants than their septic system is designed for which places clean water resources at risk.
The Selectmen voted unanimously to place the Moratorium on Commercial Solar Arrays and the completely revised Chapter 38 Rangeley Zoning Ordinance on the Town Warrant in June.
The next Rangeley Board of Selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for April 18, 2023 at 6:00pm.

“A democracy is healthiest when the public is informed about the activities of leaders of industry and occupants of public office.” -Melvin Melcher