News

New Gloucester Town Manager Report
By Rosemary Kulow

MMWAC Surplus Distribution

At its recent meeting, the MMWAC Board of Directors voted to distribute excess surplus funds to its member communities. Please see the letter in the agenda packet. I want to bring attention to this matter because of the significance of this type of reimbursement. It wasn't too many years ago that MMWAC was struggling to be a solvent and efficiently run operation. Now, it is very good news that MMWAC is so productively run that it actually has a surplus to return to its membership. The staff and workers at MMWAC should be heartily congratulated for their excellent work. Thank you for the $32,454 reimbursement to New Gloucester taxpayers!

Holidays on Fridays

Now that the town office is closed on Fridays, the issue of how to deal with holidays that fall on Fridays has been raised. I have discussed the issue with town department heads and determined that the best way to handle this is to allow eligible full-time employees who no longer have scheduled working hours on Fridays to be allowed to take a day off at a time that is mutually agreeable to the employee and her/his supervisor. Throughout the year there are potentially five holidays that could fall on a Friday: New Year's Day, Independence Day, Veterans' Day, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

Maine Town and City Managers' Association

At the Maine Municipal Association (MMA) Convention, I was elected as a member of the MTCMA Executive Committee. As a member, I also participate in two MTCMA subcommittees - the Membership Committee and as Chairman of the Range Rider Committee. I am available to discuss these roles in more detail with anyone who is interested.

Bear Brook Dam

Town staff members are working with property owners and the MDOT to determine what should be done to correct wash-out problems around the dam at Bear Brook and who is responsible for the cost of the remedy. A meeting of interested parties was scheduled for 3:30 p.m., Monday, October 31st at the Town Hall to discuss the particulars and find the most acceptable resolution.