JAY – On Monday night, the Jay Select Board discussed a new method to determine the candidate who will be serving as a director on the RSU 73 school board. The person selected will be filling the position until the April 25, 2023 election.
Due to School Board Director J. Lynn Ouellette’s recent resignation, the Select Board must appoint a new candidate to fill the vacancy. The seven candidates currently interested in the position are Danielle Walsh Brotherton, Tanya Demillo, Tina Riley, Shari Ouellette, Tarek Nadeau, Esther Nolie, and Alyssa Foster.
Selectperson Gary McGrane stated that he wants the decision to be more democratic rather than drawing a candidate’s name from a hat. He presented a board with a list of five questions that he believes the candidates should answer prior to the board’s decision.
“I think it’s important because it is an elected position, and the citizens in essence have selected people to represent them on the board,” McGrane said. “I just want to make sure that it is a fair process and not a hat drawing.”
Selectperson Lee Ann Dalessandro made a motion to use two of the questions that were on McGrane’s list, along with a modified version of the second question which includes “Why are you interested in the position?” and “What do you bring to the table that makes you a strong candidate?”
The board unanimously approved the motion, and the questions will be sent out to all of the candidates who expressed interest in the position. The responses will be due by Nov. 23 and the board will make a decision at their next meeting on Nov. 28.
The board also voted to approve the Sand for Seniors Program which is a program that provides five-gallon buckets of sand for senior citizens to use on their icy walkways or driveways. The program is designed for seniors who are unable to pick up sand from the Public Works Department on their own, and it is a joint effort between Public Works and the Jay Police Department.
This program is currently being run in Rumford, and the same criteria will be implemented for the program in Jay. The criteria for being accepted into the program include senior citizens who are otherwise unable to pick up sand/salt from public works on their own; no tenants; and the sand will only be dropped off at the requested location as soon as possible.
Anyone who is interested in the program must contact the Jay Police Department to go through the application process, and the board also agreed to accept any donations that are submitted to the town for buckets.
In other business, the board voted 3-1 to approve a $32,250 contract to low bidder Thomas C. Goding & Son, Building Contractor. Selectperson Goding removed himself from the table during the vote.
The roof and vinyl siding of the Pump Station and Fire Station No. 2 will be replaced due to the damage from the hailstorm in the spring, and the metal roof on Fire Station No. 2 will be replaced with a shingle roof in order to slow down the speed of falling snow and ice.
The project has a completion date of June 30.
This meeting was recorded by Mt. Blue TV and may be viewed online at MtBlueTV.org
