By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — It was a very unusual meeting for the Aroostook County Commissioners on Feb. 1 as they accepted the retirement of two leading county employees.
Former Register of Deeds South Patricia Brown and Transportation Division Lieutenant Michael Berube both tendered their letters of retirement to the Aroostook County Commissioners.
Commissioners Paul Adams and Paul Underwood had positive comments regarding both officials (commissioner Norman Fournier was unable to attend that evening’s meeting, as he’s on vacation) as did County Administrator Douglas Beaulieu, saying that “Mike served the county with grace and distinction, and he’s certainly going to be missed by us.” Toward Brown, Adams said “I know she loved her job and the people she worked with; she’s a great asset to Aroostook County.”
As Brown was an elected officials, Beaulieu has notified the governor’s office, the bureau of elections and the Aroostook County Republican Committee (ACRC) of the vacancy. As Beaulieu explained, ACRC officials will be providing a list of names to Governor LePage for his consideration.
“Ultimately, the governor will select a replacement,” Beaulieu said.
During the Feb. 1 meeting, the commissioners also discussed the answer to an energy question posed during their last meeting on Jan. 18 in Fort Kent regarding the electricity usage of the Houlton County Jail; having compiled the information since that last meeting, Beaulieu told the commissioners that in 2011, the jail’s electric cost was $38,705.79.
The electricity question stems from discussion during the Jan. 18 meeting when Beaulieu and the commissioners reviewed an electrical comparison on the county’s buildings that underwent energy retrofitting efforts over the past couple years. When overseeing the implementation of the Department of Energy Grant that enabled the improvements, the jail was not retrofit as it’s ultimately the State Board of Corrections that oversees the Aroostook County Jail budget.
The discussed electrical comparison, prepared by Facility Manager Bryan Jandreau, revealed that the savings amounted to over $7,000 annually.
The next meeting of the Aroostook County Commissioners is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 5:30 in Houlton.
