Board: Sabattus Selectmen

Met: Tuesday night

Fewer hours for transfer station?

Issue: The transfer station isn’t selling recyclables and meeting the budget it had projected, so its budget for the year is $5,000 short. (Recyclables haven’t been getting a good price at market, so they’re hanging onto them.)

The scoop: The transfer station is open on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. By closing for four hours on Wednesday, $3,313 would have been saved in staff time, helping some of that budget gap, Town Manager Gregory Gill said.

Up next: Instead of committing to a time or day, selectmen asked the transfer station manager to report back on its slow periods. They’ll make a decision from there.

New officers

Issue: Faced with a vacancy for the past several weeks, selectmen hired Melanie Skidgel as a police officer. Skidgel currently works in Richmond.

Issue: Selectmen also added Jeffrey Belanger as a reserve officer and signed appointment papers for him.

‘Til next time

Issue: Gill will meet with the state Department of Environmental Protection to protest a fine it levied against the town for not having permitted the transfer station to DEP’s satisfaction. Selectmen asked Gill to find out “what officially triggered the fine.” The topic will come up again in two weeks at the next selectmen’s meeting.

Staff writer Kathryn Skelton can be reached at 689-2844 or [email protected]