JAY — The Select Board voted Monday to close the Town Office on July 3 to extend the July 4 holiday, Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said Tuesday.
The office also will close at noon June 30 to close end-of-year financial books. Office staff will use a vacation day for July 3.
The board also authorized Fire Rescue Department Chief Mike Booker to use some money remaining in the budget to buy three sets of fire turnout gear, which are about $4,000 each. Selectpersons also approved using about $3,000 from the training line on a shipping container that could be used for firefighter training, LaFreniere said.
In other business, the board also decided not to amend the town’s ordinance to allow and regulate Adult Use Marijuana Cultivation Facilities and Adult Use Marijuana Products Manufacturing Facilities. The ordinance was adopted by voters in November 2021. Mark Mancini of Treetop Crops of Maine in Jay recently applied for an adult use marijuana manufacturing license. In reviewing the application, Code Enforcement Officer Ronda Palmer determined the proposed location does not meet the 200-foot property setback requirement.
Mancini had asked to put his application on hold so he could talk to selectpersons.
The board declined to put forth an amendment due to odor concerns of neighbors, LaFreniere said. Mancini has the option of submitting a petition for an amendment to go before voters, she said.
In another matter, the board voted to hire Corporate Valuation Inc. of Portland, Oregon, to appraise the fair market value of the Androscoggin Mill, which was closed in March by Pixelle Specialty Solutions based in Pennsylvania.
The fee will be $27,000 plus any additional expenses such as travel. The money will come from the legal account, valuation reserve account or a combination of both, LaFreniere said.
The appraisal is needed to update valuations of the mill for April 1, 2022, and April 1, 2023.
The town will need both to apply to the state for a sudden and severe reduction of valuation because of the mill closing, she said.
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