News

Selectmen aggravated
Elizabeth Prata, staff writer

What is the good of having a policy if it cannot be enforced? Non-compliance with no teeth to enforce came up several times Monday night at the regular Selectmen meeting with frustrated Selectmen seeking ways to reduce violations of various sorts, and not having much success. Traffic speeders, illegal parking, and non-compliant trash haulers occupied Selectmen's attention, but the upshot is there isn't much they can do about it.

There are trash haulers who persist in hauling trash even though they have deliberately failed to pay for a town permit to do so. While there are waste management companies who pay the $100 fee and fill out the proper paperwork, others don't.

"Delinquent haulers are a problem. We have haulers that are following the rules and haulers that are not. It's an unfair advantage," Chair Steve Libby said.

Trashy Women Rubbish Removal, RA Lund Trucking, Almighty Waste, and J&T Lawn Care have not paid their permit fee but continue to do business within the town, Selectmen said Monday night. As unimpressed as they were with the delinquent companies, they were impressed with compliant haulers such as Pine Tree Waste, Waste Management, and Tritch.

At issue, though, is the fact that the town can create a policy of application fees to do business, but there is no enforcement capability for the businesses who choose to ignore it. Selectmen directed Manager Rosemary Kulow to contact the Town Attorney for enforcement advice and ideas, and to post the names of the delinquent haulers.

Selectmen Lynn Conger said "We should emphasize the ones who are being diligent, certainly, but denounce the ones who are not following the rules."

Another thorny enforcement issue raised Monday night involved traffic. There are several intersections in town where the line of sight issues occur where speeders speed the most. A citizen wrote to the manager asking if the Town can do anything about the cars that come speeding down Intervale Road or Gloucester Hill Rd. The citizen said that she was almost hit. Other areas of the town noted for speeding where pedestrians walk is the Snow Hill Road/Bald Hill Road area behind Cloutier's where cars speed in the exact area where line of sight is reduced and where pedestrians walk.
Selectmen also noted that the newly reconstructed bridge at the New Gloucester fairgrounds had been widened, which actually encourages speeding, in a place where Selectmen David Lunt noted that kids jump into the brook swim off the bridge and swim.

In Upper Village, eighteen wheel trucks have started to park illegally alongside Route 100, decreasing line of sight for customers emerging from curb cut parking lots above and below the illegally parked trucks. Newly installed 'no parking' signs seemed to have made no difference, Lunt said. "They park right in front of them."

As for the speeding at Cobbs Bridge, the citizen had asked Selectmen to install pedestrian signs at the intersection in Lower Village. However, new Public Works Director Ted Shane said that the Department of Transportation would have to conduct a speed study, examine the town's growth, number and type of incidents, and other factors, before a sign could be installed. Intervale Road is Route 231, a State Route over which the DOT has ultimate control.

Manager Kulow was directed to write a letter to the Department asking for consideration for pedestrian signs. As for the illegal parking and speeders, Selectmen had no solutions other than to commiserate and note that it is an issue.

In other business, Selectmen formally adopted the town's philosophy, a document they had been working on for a couple of months. The philosophy follows.

Philosophy of the town of New Gloucester, Maine

Preamble

Incorporated in 1774, New Gloucester is now over two hundred twenty-five years old. Our town has certainly changed in many ways over the years; however, we have thankfully retained our small-town feel while our population is approaching a large town size. This unique position places a difficult demand on our administration and town employees. Individual personal service is becoming harder to achieve as the town grows. Going forward, it is our goal to keep the small-town flavor with a growing population.

The Selectmen are stepping to the forefront and taking the responsibility to set the tone for our staff by adopting a Town Philosophy to help them focus their actions. We recognize the field is in constant flux, hence the brief three-part philosophy.

As Selectmen we need to constantly review our policies, budgets, and proposals with this philosophy in mind. We need to do our part as town leaders to provide an atmosphere that fosters the growth and development of this philosophy.

Listen
All of us who are elected, appointed, and employed to serve our community recognize our responsibility to hear the wishes, needs, and concerns of all citizens. Our priority is to carefully listen with the intent to fully understand what is being shared. We realize that time spent to understand what is being said will build the connections so necessary to properly serve all the citizens of our community.

Serve
Our goal is to facilitate a delivery of services that fosters a quality lifestyle and promotes a welcoming, friendly atmosphere. Our priority is to ensure services are delivered in a timely, appropriate, and tactful manner with a well-intended level of service high enough to exceed citizen expectations.

Act Appropriately
The Town of New Gloucester is committed to conducting all of its business activities in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations, as well as all town ordinances, policies, and practices. The Board of Selectmen, town employees and any and all persons acting on behalf of the town will conduct town business in an ethically sound and friendly manner.