FARMINGTON — The 2021 annual town report was presented in the April 12 select board meeting. The report was dedicated to select board member Stephan Bunker, who was unaware of the dedication until it was presented to him by board chair Matt Smith.
“Farmington’s my adopted town,” Bunker said, adding that he’s ‘only’ been here since 1965.
Bunker has served in multiple public safety roles at the local, county, and state level. He has served as a firefighter for 44 years and continues to serve on the Farmington Fire Department. He has served on the select board for 27 years, along with several town committees and boards and the RSU 9 school board.
Smith said that Bunker has been his mentor on the select board and that it has been an honor to serve with him.
“I’m thrilled and humbled to have this,” Bunker said when he received the first copy of the town report, “and I always want to call this my home.”
Farmington Police Chief Ken Charles introduced the department’s OPTIONS liaison, Katlynn Johnson. The OPTIONS program stands for Overdose Prevention Through Intensive Outreach, Naloxone, and Safety, and is designed to combat the rise in drug overdoses in Maine. Johnson is employed by Western Maine Behavioral Health but has an office in the police department and is available to assist officers and EMS with drug-related emergencies, as well as provide support and locate resources for community members.
Chief Charles also presented a life-saving award to Officer Ethan Boyd for his quick response to a suspected overdose emergency in March. After administering naloxone to the unconscious and unresponsive patient, Boyd provided rescue breathing until EMS arrived, and assisted them with resuscitative efforts.
“Your actions support our mission to create a feeling of safety for the people of the town of Farmington,” Charles said to Boyd.
Boyd was previously selected as the Officer of the Year for 2021. He serves as the K9 handler and lead field training officer for the department.
In other business, the board elected Matthew Smith to serve again as Chair of the Board. Stephan Bunker was elected for Vice Chair, and newly-elected board member Byron Staples was elected as secretary. Joshua Bell, who had previously announced he would not be running for another term, was elected as a write-in candidate by a majority vote; he accepted the seat, but was absent from the April 12 meeting due to previously arranged plans.
The proposed sewer department budget was reviewed. Staples wanted more time to review the budget; the board voted to bring it back to the next meeting on April 26.
The board agreed to use $5,857.94 from undesignated funds to assist Franklin County in paying for an upgrade to the fuel system. The upgrade will provide a card system to access fuel, rather than a physical key; this ensures that if a key is lost or missing, it can be de-activated remotely. It also logs fuel usage, allowing better management and tracking of the resource.
The board approved Alvin A Da Costa’s resignation from the Revolving Loan Fund Committee. Bunker took a moment to remind the community that the revolving loans are available for new and expanding businesses in the town and that they can be a low-interest funding source for those businesses. He said that the fund is under-utilized.
Two quitclaim deeds were approved, along with the minutes from March 22 and the town’s mission statement on safety.
