This story has been updated to correct David Vincent’s job title and to clarify his ties to Phillips.
PHIILIPS – With a difference of seven votes, residents at the annual town meeting Thursday elected a new selectman after a former planning board member charged the incumbent selectman’s business with not being in compliance with town ordinances and with refusing to reappoint him to the planning board because he asked too many questions about the town’s gravel pits.
Former longtime planning board member and chairman, Kenneth Ziglar stood after incumbent Andrew Phillips was nominated for another three-year term to the Board of Selectmen and said Phillips had refused to reappoint him to the planning board after he asked what the town should do about the gravel pits. Ziglar also said Phillips has been operating his automotive business in town without a permit to do so as required by the town’s ordinance.
“We shouldn’t have a selectman who is not abiding by the town’s own law. Is he even eligible to be a selectman if he is not operating within the law,” Ziglar asked.
Phillips responded by saying he wanted to run for another term because “things are running well now; it’s going good now.” Of Ziglar’s charges, he admitted “I’m not in compliance. If you want to give me a fine, so be it.”
The town’s former code enforcement officer Steve Ochmanski stood and said he’d had asked Phillips to get the proper permitting needed to operate his automotive business.
“You told me you’d take care of it and you just blew me off,” Ochmanski said to Phillips.
Resident David Vincent was also nominated for the selectman position. He said he works as a senior programmer/analyst for the state. A Maine native, his family ties here do go back many generations. His great grandparents were in the first graduating class of Phillips High School. Last year he moved to Phillips permanently, he said.
“I’m living here now and I want to be involved,” he said.
In a written ballot, Vincent received 39 votes to Phillips’ 32 votes.
Voters also elected to the MSAD 58 board of directors for a three-year term incumbent Amy Alexcovich. She said she just completed her first term and wanted to continue serving on the board.
Elected to fill the remaining two-year term of Director John Foss, who resigned, was Sharon Dudley, who has worked in the school district. Also elected to another term was long-time Town Clerk Evelyn Wilbur.
The 71 voters attending the meeting approved a 10-year, lease-to-purchase agreement for an excavator at a little more than $16,000 a year. That cost is comparable to the $4,500 per month the town already pays to rent an excavator, when calculating the three-month rental plus delivery charge.
The benefits of having an excavator that could be used year-round, unlike the rental, will be the town will own it outright after the 10th year. Road Commissioner Ward Bredeau noted that more work will be accomplished with a town-owned excavator without the three-month limitation. Budget Committee member Tim Abbott said that “renting is just throwing money away. We looked at it at all angles and thought it’s probably the way to go.”
Voters also approved a new heating system for the town garage and fire department totaling $22,000.
Residents didn’t approve two requests, one to fund the American Red Cross for $500, and LifeFlight’s request of $514. Budget Committee member Dain Trafton argued that any citizen can support those organizations on their own, but “it’s inappropriate to tax ourselves to support them.”
In response to a question about the Red Cross, Fire Chief Mark Rousseau said when structure fires occur and a family is displaced, they call the Red Cross.
“They’re available 24/7 and respond immediately. We do rely upon them in this town,” Rousseau said.
Budget Committee member Tim Abbott countered that the county supports them and if the town was to also fund them it would be ‘double dipping.'”
Voters agreed and voted against the funding requests from the Red Cross and the emergency helicopter service Lifeflight.
At meeting’s end after more than two hours of deliberation, residents approved the 2016-17 proposed $1.28 million budget, which represents a 2.8 percent increase over the current fiscal year.
Tim, you are wrong. The county does not support the Red Cross. Get out your check book.
John
SO whats wrong with the gravel Pits? and why are these always being brought up? I find it underhanded that someone is going to use not being re-appointed to a committe or a board as an excuse to run down another citizen Andy has tinkered in his garage for as long as I can remember….Phillips is SOOOOO loaded with businesses lets see if we can get rid of a few or run a small guy out…Lets just sell the town to out of towners and they can have it and turn it into a gated retirement community with no gravel pits to make noise and no small town mechanics to fix our cars. That’s it Rant over …Andy keep turning wrenches my friend
@Jon Wilbur ~ spot on post! Couldn’t agree more. Also shame on you Phillips for denying LifeFlight’s request of $514. Especially considering how many pickups they do within your boundaries!
Bob, not that I disagree with you but the town only had one resident last year that utilized the service. The others were residents of other towns. However Lifeflight does call upon the Phillips fire dept to set up the landing zone when they have a call.
16k a year for an excavator, that’s going to collect more dust in storage than it will doing actual work. But vote against lifeflight and the Red Cross. Phillips has some Skewed priorities.
Hrtlss bstrd – Phillips rents an escalator for 3 months for $4,500 a month (a total of $13,500 for 3 months).For just over 16K, Phillips will own an escalator for 12 months out of the year. I think it’s a no-brainier what the better option is. By renting to own, they can use it for more than just those 3 months.
I agree with hrtlss bstrd. How about some funding to clean out the town’s overflowing catch basins before their structures are damaged? Or clearing sidewalk that haven’t been touched in years? These are just some cheap fixes. Maybe we can use this prized excavator to keep up with ditches and shoulders after the state paves and graded the shoulders here soon
what the heck kind of heating system costs $22,000 dollars?!
Why are some of you complaining when you did not attend? tsk …tsk…
N, where does the escalator deliver one to?
Andy, you would be appreciated in any surrounding town. Let Phillips continue its downward spiral without you.
The escalator takes 1 way UP, it replaces the old Stairway to Heaven.
Well Mr.Wilbur – try living on this end of town! We have not just one or two but 6 gravel pits! No one can begin to relate to the hell we are having to endure starting @ 3-4 a.m.! 6 days a week, 8-9 months out of the year. These pits are not taxed as a business. they only pay for the property. For the amount of damage they are doing to our roads and to our quality of life and property evaluations it’s no wonder their own towns wouldn’t let them in. Think about it!!
Lyn I live in a damn truck 300 days a year…no time with my family…these Pits have been there for my entire lifetime…I don’t have a answer for you as far as starting 3 to 4 am So do I and earlier have my entire life ..worked 7 days a week no vacations …such is life if it is that miserable I sell you my place on this side of town and you can listen to the engine brakes of every log truck coming down Blake hill…people have to work somewhere ….like I said this town should just be a retirement community