PHILLIPS – Residents reelected two school board directors but chose a new selectman at Thursday’s annual town meeting.
Running for a three-year seat on the Board of Selectmen was incumbent selectman David Vincent and Larry Pinkham. A statement was read on behalf of Vincent, who was in Michigan for a work assignment, in which he said that he had worked to improve the town while keeping costs down, undertaking efforts such as negotiating the purchase of the bank to serve as the new town office. Pinkham, who was praised for his work on the Phillips Area Community Center and as the Legion commander, said that he would “give it my all” if elected.
Pinkham was elected, received 47 votes to Vincent’s 14.
Voters chose between two incumbent school board directors for the Maine School Administrative District 58 board, ultimately electing Jessica Cain to a three-year seat with 24 votes over Nicole Norton with 19. Norton was then nominated for the two-year seat, elected with 26 votes over Dennifer Searles’ 18 votes.
Town Clerk Betty Jane Bangs was reelected to her position in an uncontested vote.
Residents moved swiftly through the rest of the warrant, approving the $1.3 million budget recommended by both the selectmen and budget committee. The operations budget represented a $564 over the previous fiscal year. A total of $100,000 was expended out of the undesignated fund to help pay for the municipal budget.
There was some discussion regarding the food pantry article, although the $4,000 appropriation was approved without dissent. With the town office preparing to move out of the old school and into the former Skowhegan Savings Bank, the pantry may not be able to stay in the school, as the town does not intend to continue to heat the otherwise-empty building or run utilities into it.
There isn’t space in the bank for the pantry.
“We’re hoping someone will have some ideas,” Town Manager Maureen Haley said.
Dispensing with the school building would take a vote by the residents, Haley confirmed.
Other residents spoke to the importance of the pantry.
Congratulations Larry ! I’m going to add that if the municipal officials have no idea where to put that much needed food pantry maybe the transition to the old bank building should be prolonged until such a time as if is figured out!
Does the food pantry have to be in Phillips? Why not buy the old C&L Deli building in Avon, the extra refrigeration from the beer coolers would provide more space for perishables that the school never had and was always a drawback to the pantry’s overall effectiveness. Or the cheaper way to go would be to just do some rewiring and put a heater in the pantry part and build insulated walls and just close off the pantry from the rest of the building, kind of like a building with in a building, then the rest of the building can be mothballed and the pantry keeps its same space, no matter where it goes, heat and utilities are going to have to be paid.
Go Larry 💪👍🇺🇸💞