KINGFIELD – The Kingfield Selectboard met on Monday evening at 6 p.m. Selectperson Kim Jordan reported that Kingfield Days, which happened over the past weekend, went smoothly. Jordan, who was one of the organizers, shared that there was great attendance at the events all weekend despite the rain.
“It poured buckets,” Jordan said, but the ATV pulls were the only major event that had to be canceled due to weather and there were no water games in the river due to the danger of the strong current. The rain didn’t scare anyone off; there was a steady flow of people at the activities throughout the weekend.
“It was just a ton of fun,” Jordan said. The rest of the board praised the success of the event and thanked Jordan for her organization.
The board discussed the vacant seat on the board. After the annual town meeting and board elections, Selectperson Walter Kilbreth resigned from the board, leaving a vacancy. Town Manager Leanna Targett went over the two options presented at the last meeting: continuing with a four-person board or holding a special election, which would cost over $2,000 for the town. There was some concern over Selectperson Morgan Dunham’s family connections to Jordan Excavation and how that might affect issues relating to the business. It was ultimately decided that since Dunham does not monetarily benefit from it, there would be no legal conflict of interest with her voting on issues related to Jordan Excavation. The board ultimately voted to continue with a board of four for the remainder of the year.
During other business, the board spoke about the progress made on the High Peaks Region National Wildlife Refuge project and the team of stakeholders, made up of representatives from groups who will be impacted by this project, including Maine guides, ATV and snowmobile clubs, and business owners, that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working on putting together. It will be an advisory group who will assist with making a plan for the refuge.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Annie Twitchell and Sue Davis noted that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is actively looking for volunteers, anyone with interest in the project to act as points of contact with the community. More information about the refuge proposal can be found in this article.
