By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

With a nearly full Town Hall, citizens zipped through the 2022 annual town warrant in 45 minutes.

If there was a theme to this year’s budget, it was “market place adjustment.” Back last October, the Bridgton Select Board held a goal-setting session, which resulted in a Top 5 list. Goal #3 was employee retention.

One way to retain workers is to offer competitive salaries.

So, Town Manager Bob Peabody and his staff took a close look at what neighboring municipalities were paying, as well as reviewing Maine Municipal Association’s annual report.

“There’s a lot of competition for municipal employees,” Peabody said in a discussion with The Newsafter the Select Board had debated proposals and settled on recommendations to the public. “The market is being worker driven, not employer drive.”

An internal, anonymous survey of Bridgton employees (31 survey were returned, the town has 42 full-time workers and some part-timers with the Rec Department) saw pay and benefits receiving the highest rating for needing improvement.

Trying to be “proactive” rather than “reactive,” Peabody recommended percentage increases across the board, including a boost for Rec Director Gary Colello, who possesses the same qualifications as rec directors in major cities.

“Gary puts in a tremendous amount of time. If he were an hourly employee his salary would be a 1/3 higher due to overtime.You want to keep someone like that. He’s highly respected. He’s professional. Look how he has grown Rec (including adding before/after school care, which was a saving grace for parents during the pandemic and the loss of some daycares). It is an entirely different operation than when he started,” Peabody pointed out. “Two ways you save money in municipalities is cutting programs and cutting employees, otherwise than that, it’s nickel and dime.”

More rec programming led to creation of an assistant rec director (who oversees the childcare program) position.

Peabody added, “Rec is economic development. If you talk to police chiefs, they will tell you that a strong rec program is their best friend — it keeps kids off the street; when young families and businesses look at communities, what do you have for recreation? We get that money back.”

Some of Rec’s expenses are funded through money generated by the Salmon Point Campground, as well as Moose Pond Land Trust funds. 

To keep the tax rate down, $800,000 from the undesignated fund balance will be applied (last year, $450,000 was used).

“We have a healthy fund balance; bring in money from undesignated fund balance as a revenue into the budget, don’t know how much drawn until the audit is done. If we’re in the black, we don’t use it, if in red, we use it; we’ve been in the black; the last three years, we haven’t used what we’ve put in there; it’s in there.Will we have to use $800,000, no, but, we put it in there as an offsetting revenue to drop down what taxpayers will need to come up with,” Peabody explained.

Before the final budget was moved forward, Peabody went back to his department heads to see if they could sharpen their pencils one more time, as the Select Board wanted to see a cut of $90,000 in response to salary increases.

“Shaving here and shaving there,” the department heads sliced $156,856 with Public Works leading the way with $68,000. Rec cut part-time staffing, saving $10,242. Peabody noted that budget projections come in December, and “a lot can change” by the time a budget is finalized for town vote in June.

“It’s not a bad exercise,” Peabody said. “Our department heads do good work. They have been here a while and know their jobs.”

Very little discussion

Article 7, $100,000 from Unassigned Fund balance to fund the Senior Property Tax Rental Assistance program, passed, no discussion

Article 8, $4,352,577 to reduce property taxes, passed, no discussion.

Article 9, $4,182,551 for General Government, passed, no discussion.

Article 10, $1,730,271, Public Safety. Citizen Mike Davis commended the town for budgeting funds for street lamp maintenance.

Carol Ayers, who resides in a development off Wildwood Road, questioned if there is a chance hydrants will be installed on Swamp Road?

EMA Director Todd Perreault said the existing water main goes down South High Street, but doesn’t currently go down Swamp Road. 

“Currently, not in any plans for expansion at this time. Eventually, you never know what might happen…If it happens, there would be hydrants every 500 feet,” he said.

Any chance for dry hydrants? Ayers asked.

Fire Chief Glen Garland said two dry hydrants — one on Wildwood Road which is privately owned (it is serviceable but limited water there), and one on Sanctuary Cove (which Ayer is part of) — currently exist.

“There are no plans by the town to put hydrants in, usually the town looks to developers to put them in and becomes part of the planning board process. We look at what is being proposed for a development and what is needed for fire protection. We have an ordinance that deals with that,” Garland said. 

Ayers added, “Just wondering because more houses are going up, and wondering how it could be dealt with.”

Garland said one of the issues the town doesn’t have a good handle on is individual lot development, where someone buys a lot on a town road, they don’t go through planning board review for dry hydrants because they’re not subdivisions and it doesn’t trigger application of the subdivision ordinance (which addresses fire protection).

“That is a difficult one for us to deal with,” Garland said. “No one really has an answer for that one that I am aware of.”

The article passed.

Article 11, $2,918,579, Public Works and Capital Expenditures/Other Services.

Resident Tim Cook commented, “It is not that I am opposed to the figures in Public Works, but I am going to make a statement that some of the people on the floor may not be aware of the work our PW does, not only do they take care of our roads and parks, they also take care of a multitude of vehicles, mowers and other equipment. Scott Smith has been our mechanic for a number of years, and a piece of advice to the town is to take care of him. If he decides to leave, you will need to hire two or three people to take his place.”

The article passed.

Article 12, $16,500 Stipends for the Select Board and Planning Board, passed, no discussion.

Article 13, $45,118, Outside Agencies, passed, no 

Article 14,$222,429, Outside Services (Bridgton Community Center, Bridgton Public Library, LRTV franchise), passed, no discussion.

Article 15,$938,775, County fees and taxes, passed, no discussion.

Article 16, $198,767, Community Development Block Grant projects, passed, no discussion.

Article 17, $306,000, expend TIFF funds, passed, no discussion.

Article 18, Property taxes due, passed, no discussion.

Article 19, Interest rate, passed, no discussion.

Articles 20-31, Selectman Bear Zaidman called for voters to take action on these articles as a block. Moderator Marita Wiser invited citizens to ask questions as she called out each article number.

Citizen Lega Medcalf asked for an explanation regarding Article 22, allowing selectmen to enter into boundary line agreements with abutting property owners.

Town Manager Bob Peabody said, occasionally (once or twice during his tenure here), a discrepancy surfaces regarding property lines following a survey. This authorization “allows the Board of Selectmen to enter a boundary line agreement, henceforth this is the boundary line. If don’t approve (this article), it is done by calling a special town meeting. You are granting your authority to the board.”

Citizen Carol Ayer asked for an explanation of Article 31, the town’s participation in the Block Grant program.

Peabody pointed out that earlier citizens voted to accept $198,000 for CDBG projects, which can target sidewalk construction and the wastewater project. Approval here shows citizen support of the Block Grant agreement.

The block was approved.

In other town meeting notes:

Thanks for your service! When it came time to write the dedication for the annual town report, officials nearly had to use two pages to list Steve Collins’ accomplishments here in Bridgton.

“You would be hard-pressed to live in Bridgton and not know Steve Collins, such has been his 50 years of dedicated leadership and commitment to the Town of Bridgton. Steve, now living in Exeter, N.H., when recently asked what drew him to community and civic engagement said, “As I matured, I came to the realization that things don’t just happen; somebody makes them happen. If you don’t contribute to a process, you don’t have the right to complain about the outcome.” 

Enticed away from a Fortune 500 company to Bridgton in 1969 to work for Howell Labs and be “..a big frog in a little pond,” he never looked back, and Bridgton became home to he and his late wife Sandra for the next 52- years. 

Steve cherishes “...the sense that Bridgton is a real community, not just some place’s suburb; that it’s worth caring about and even squabbling over.” 

And squabble he did when necessary! 

His list of accomplishments included:

• 15 years on the Planning Board, many as chairman.

• 3 years on the Select Board, one as chairman.

• Founding president of the Bridgton Community Center.

• 30-year member of the Bridgton Lions Club.

• 50-year member of Lakes Environmental Association, including 17 years as president in the early 1970s when Shoreland Zoning came to Bridgton.

• Founding president of Maine Rowing Association, and with Ron Hatch and Brook Sulloway, he directed the Highland Lake Regatta for 25 years.

And, he served as town meeting moderator for 47 years — 1974-2020, and then back at the head table last Wednesday night at the Town Hall as deputy moderator…for the final time.

Select Board Chairwoman Carmen Lone presented Collins with a commemorative gavel “to keep order in Exeter, N.H.”

“You have done more for the Town of Bridgton than five guys,” Lone said.

When offered a chance to speak to the audience, Collins said, “I am honored and touched by this recognition. I really miss the Town of Bridgton. It has been a fun 50 some years. I am really proud to have lived here. I miss the town terribly.”

Collins later asked to close the meeting after the swearing in of newly-elected officials Deb Brusini (Planning Board), Ken Murphy (Select Board) and Cathy DiPietro (Planning Board Alternate).

With a couple taps of the gavel, Collins asked that the annual town meeting return to order. “There being no further business before this meeting I would accept a motion we adjourn until next year,” he asked. After a motion to adjourn, a second, a unanimous vote, Collins put the gavel down one last time to close the 2022 session after 44 minutes, 54 seconds. 

When asked why should someone engage in community, civic activities and organizations for the town report, Collins replied, “I think that a citizen has a debt to his community to pay for the privilege of citizenship.” 

Town officials wrote, “Steve Collins has paid that debt over many times and we, the citizens of Bridgton and the Select Board, thank him for his leadership, commitment, and lasting impact on a better Bridgton.”

Indeed, Steve Collins left not only a lasting impression, but also a great example on how to make a difference in a place one calls home.

Another thanks for service was extended from Lone to Selectman Bear Zaidman, who is closing out his term. 

“Five years ago, I would never have dreamed the two of us would be standing here, under these circumstances, said Lone as she looked upto Zaidman. “Mr. Zaidman, thank you for your years of service to the Town of Bridgton… You are passionate about the people of Bridgton.”

Going with Bear’s earlier suggestion, the Select Board passed on handing out a plaque, and instead, handed him a “very useful, awesome mug” inscribed with his dates of board service, 2019-2022.

“People of Bridgton, it was an honor to serve you,” Zaidman said.

Town Manager Bob Peabody thanked citizens for their “support, encouragement and patience over the past year, struggling not only through a pandemic, but also having the town torn up due to construction projects is trying at best.”  “I have had relatively few complaints, which is the result of folks seeing the bigger picture,” he continued. “When completed, it will be decades before more work is needed again.”

Peabody then thanked the Board of Selectmen for their service to the town, “particularly to Bear, who I will miss even though we haven’t always agreed, but we agreed we all love the Town of Bridgton. Thank you, Bear.”

Peabody noted it is important to have a board that works together, debating the issues with no rancor but keeping an eye on moving the town forward. 

“Because of your dedication to the town, much was accomplished,” he said.