BILL PEARSON Tue, 05/11/2021 - 12:45pm
It was a night filled with good-byes as two Edgecomb school officials participated in their final meeting with the current committee. Chairman Tom Abello is leaving the board after eight years. Principal Ira Michaud will head to Nobleboro Central School next fall. Michaud recounted during the May 10 committee meeting how Abello led major changes in Edgecomb Eddy School. “When I started four years ago, it was your first year as chairman. In that time, there have been a lot of new programs, agreements, and you absolutely shifted how this school operates.Your leadership has been awesome, and I appreciate how you stood up for the school,” he said.
BILL PEARSON Fri, 04/09/2021 - 7:45am
Edgecomb has not had a property revaluation in 17 years, and it doesn’t look there will be one anytime soon. Selectmen discussed the timetable April 6, but their tax assessor isn’t available for three years. Instead, selectmen unanimously agreed to meet with Tax Assessor John O’Donnell of John E. O’Donnell & Associates, Inc. to begin estimating the project’s size and scope in preparation for a 2024 revaluation. “We’re receiving an increasing number of inquiries of taxpayers questioning their bills,” Selectman Mike Smith said. “Its been 17 years, so we’re way beyond time.”
In other action, Selectman Dawn Murray reported about her legal inquiry into whether or not volunteer firemen were municipal employees. Murray spoke with a Drummond Woodsum representative who counseled her that, under the federal Fair Labor Act standards, volunteer firefighters. “didn’t fall under the standard of municipal employees.” T
JOSEPH CHARPENTIER Thu, 04/01/2021 - 7:45am
Edgecomb school committee members voted unanimously March 30 to support new warrant items involving the proposed 2021-2022 budget. The amendments on additional local funds and language on unanticipated cost reserves were requested in an emergency Edgecomb selectmen’s meeting March 25 after it was learned Edgecomb’s school surplus would be about $460,000.
Committee Vice Chair Heather Sinclair came to an understanding with selectmen March 25 on these changes, but said she did not want to agree without the rest of the board’s approval.
Said Sinclair, “The select board (recommended) the warrant article that addresses the use of undesignated fund balance to reduce the tax burden on the town be increased by an additional $50,000 to a total of $250,000. The second warrant article, the one regarding developing a contingency fund, would also be supported by the selectboard with a couple of changes … reducing the total amount
KEVIN BURNHAM
Robert Mitchell photo
Two weeks ago, the Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District school committee and board of trustees moved forward with Lavallee and Brensinger’s master plan concept design phase. Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98 Superintendent Keith Laser’s recommendations were approved, which also included accepting unconditional donations to fund the approximately $2.5 million phase, establishing a building committee which will solicit an architectural firm and, after the design is done, set a CSD-wide referendum.
According to our article, The master plan concept design envisions a renovated Boothbay Region Elementary School with significant construction and a demolished high school. Some questioned the need to eliminate the BRHS building, while others questioned the project’s timing. All agreed on the importance of mapping out a clear future for education in the Boothbay region.