July 6th, Gray Town Council Meeting
Mee3ting Video
Jul 6, 2010 – Building towards the future was a common theme at Tuesday evening's Town Council Meeting. The first order of business at the meeting was to hear public comments of non-agenda items. The only comments came from resident Jim Monroe, who asked for and received clarification about the crisis fund that the town has set up. The next order of business was reports from the council. Chair Gellerson only reminded residents of the July 24th Pennell celebration. Other reports were that there would be an article on the Pennell building in Thursday's Press Herald and that the Dry Mills Schoolhouse did not receive a grant from the state.
The third order of business started with a presentation from Ray Clark about a proposed reconfiguration to the Gray Public Library. The reconfiguration would include the addition of a meeting room and young adult section within the current space of the building. Clark hoped for the project to be completed by this winter. Ed Libby then reported on a Community Economic Development Committee review of signage in and around Gray Village. The review found there to be too many signs in too small a place, creating confusion for drivers entering the village. The town will now request a review of street signage by the MDOT to find a way to fix the problem.
Next up was discussing a Special Town Meeting to consider transferring $66,000 from the Subdivision D Recreation Fund for purpose of purchasing property at 28 Main St. There was some concern about what the town would use this property for, a property that abuts the Pennell Property. There was much support, however, as there was sentiment that the town could use the property for many recreational purposes, as the town is severely short on those kinds of properties. The motion to hold the meeting passed with a 4-1 vote, with Mark Grover opposing. The motion to approve the warrant articles for the meeting passed by the same vote.
The council next discussed a mobile vendor license for Rhiannon Welch, who runs Awesome Dogs. Welch was looking for a license to do business at 130 Portland Road, where Awesome Auto is located, and at Wilkies Beach. The council had concern about there being a hot dog cart at the beach, citing safety concerns. The council approved the license for business at 130 Portland Road with a 4-1 vote, with the intent that the license to do business at Wilkies Beach could come later in the summer.
The council then skipped to a motion to authorize the Town Manager to enter into an Interlocal Agreement with the Town of Raymond for providing first response coverage to District 6. The council unanimously passed this motion. Next on the agenda was assigning council liaisons to town committees. There was some shuffling of assignments as it looked like business at the Major League Baseball trade deadline. There was then discussion on a list of council goals drafted by Mark Grover to be achieved by the end of June 2011. The list was 25 items long, including the MDOT review added at the meeting.
Before adjourning, the council added items to next meeting's agenda, including discussion on the MDOT review and the mobile vendor license for Awesome Dogs. Chair Gellerson reminded that the Special Town Meeting would be on July 27th at 7pm at Newbegin, and the meeting was adjourned.
