WOODLAND, Maine – Woodland’s Select Board voted to accept the resignation of its former chairperson, Harold Tardy, and hold a special election to replace him in December.
Tardy submitted his letter of resignation in September but remaining board members Thomas Drew and Kathy Ouellette could not vote on the matter publicly until Tuesday, Oct. 17. Attempts to reschedule a September 19 meeting failed due to disagreements between Drew and Ouellette over when to properly notify residents.
On Tuesday, Drew and Ouellette agreed to hold a special election to replace Tardy on Monday, Dec. 4. That date will allow Town Clerk Bridget Coats to make absentee ballots available 30 days before the election and allow an additional 14 days prior for residents to return their nomination papers.
Drew recommended postponing the appointment of a new Select Board chairperson until the first board meeting after the election. But Coats, citing state law, appointed Ouellette to serve as temporary chairperson.
Maine election law states that when a chairperson is not designated, the Select Board can elect one by majority vote. Woodland typically has three Select Board members. With only two currently on the board, a majority vote is not possible, so the town clerk can choose a chairperson at random.
In other business, Road Commissioner Paul Pelletier said that grinding on Fowler Road will likely begin next week. The project, also known as asphalt milling, will grind up asphalt surface to give the road a smoother surface. Although Fowler Road will remain a dirt road, grinding will make the road easier to drive on, Pelletier said.
The project will cost $27,000, or approximately $13,000 per mile, to resurface the 2-mile Fowler Road. Funds will come from a $825,000 bond through the Maine Municipal Bond Bank that town residents approved last year for asphalt resurfacing, preparing hot-top for road repavement and reconstructing road shoulders.
Drew and Ouellette also approved the application for a citizen steering committee drafted by resident Lewis Cousins. The steering committee will review current town policies and ordinances, recommend changes, updates or revisions and decide which non-existing policies they feel the town should adopt.
Applications for the steering committee will be available at the town office through Friday, October 27.
Resident Belinda McLaughlin suggested that the town utilize its remaining COVID relief fund balance of $47,015 to purchase an electronic sign for the town office driveway. McLaughlin said that she contacted Stewart Signs, based in Sarasota, Florida, after learning that the company created electronic signs for Woodland Consolidated School and a local church.
Woodland received $60,429 in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act during COVID. The Select Board agreed to table a decision on how to use those funds until its next meeting.
The Select Board voted in favor of reimbursing Woodland resident Elisabeth Laszlo for $116.50 in damages to her vehicle after attempting to drive past a highway department tractor parked at the end of her driveway in April 2023.
Laszlo said she discovered the tractor at the end of her 1,200-foot driveway after attempting to leave during a medical emergency. She said that while going to the town office that day on her way to Caribou, she saw two highway department employees talking and seemingly in no hurry to move the tractor.
At that time in April, the town office was closed due to lack of staff but the highway department remained open. Laszlo said she was unaware until recently that she could make a complaint to the town.
Pelletier apologized to Laszlo for the incident. He said that one of the employees in question had intended to move the tractor but did not immediately do so after returning to the town garage to get more road work materials.
The next regular Select Board meeting will be held Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the town garage, located at 843 Woodland Center Road.
