Town woodlot ready for a potential summer harvest

    BROWNVILLE — Last spring the Board of Selectmen hired Doug Reed, a licensed state forester, to care for the town’s approximate 400 acres of woodlands. In the months since Reed has developed a plan for the woodlots, including specifying land boundaries and developing a plan for tree harvesting and growth, which he presented to town officials during a Jan. 2 selectmen’s meeting.

    “In there I did put in a work list in order of priority,” Reed said about the various town parcels. “They vary from right of way agreements to guaranteed access for land-locked lots,” he said about some of the items at the top of the list.

    “Our boundaries are poorly marked,” Select Chair Walter Cook said about another need for some of the town woodlots, as Reed said that he agreed with Cook.

    In response to a question of Cook’s asking if any of the parcels were ready to be harvested, Reed said some are. He said a lot of over 110 acres off the Schoodic Lake Road, which he called the “Norton Pond lot,” is set.

    “My recommendation is in the next two years it should be harvested,” Reed said. “My recommendation is a summer harvest,” he added, saying beech trees would be cut and summer is a better time for this work to be done to help limit the spread of disease for the species.

    Reed explained the harvesting process is done two acres at a time, with only specific tree species cut such as beech which is a pulpwood. He said the harvesting could be put out to bid, as “it’s worthy of some sort of bid process to get the best value for the town.” Reed said a very rough estimate of stumpage prices for the harvesting could range from $10,000 to $15,000.

    The Norton Pond lot would need a fourth- to half-mile road to be built in order to gain access to the parcel, and Reed said this could be included in the bid or the town could build the route.

    “I think it’s going to be about 10 years, other than a little bit of harvest on the corners,” Reed said about cutting on other town woodlots.

    Town Manager Matthew Pineo said the work to clearly mark the parcel boundary lines could be done by Reed, and Public Works Operation Director Kevin Black said Reed’s services would likely cost a lot less than if the work was done by a surveyor.

    For the next meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 13 Pineo said he would get a price from Reed for his work as well as prepare the full bid specifications for the Norton Pond lot for the selectmen to consider.

    In other business, the selectmen set the nine-member budget committee to help prepare the spending plan for the annual town meeting on Monday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at the elementary school. The budget committee will be comprised of Eugene Burham, Gary Cook, George Dean, Barrett Graves, Robert Hamlin, Terry Knowles, Marie McSwine, Brett Moses and Chad Perkins.

    “Again, they only serve as an advisory committee to the board,” Pineo said.

    The current committee will serve through the start of 2014, when work begins on the budget drafted by the town manager for the next fiscal year. On March 18 Brownville residents will vote on several proposed changes to the town charter concerning the budget committee via secret ballot including enabling the selectmen to appoint committee members if not enough candidates run for positions, having the length of terms vary at three and two years and reducing the committee to seven members.

    Pineo provided the selectmen with several changes to the 2013-14 budget, including a 7.65 percent increase for employee health insurance. He said this increase would not result in a raise of the town’s tax commitment, and the selectmen gave their approval to the change in employee health insurance.

    The other adjustment to the budget concerned the fire department. Pineo said the department will have two assistant chiefs and a pair of captains, and will look at incorporating trainings with the Milo Fire Department. “We’re just doing a little restructuring with the fire department to encourage growth,” Pineo said as gaining and retaining members is a challenge for fire departments across the state.

    Pineo said he is also looking at a possible change to the amount that is asked at town meeting to be used from surplus to reduce the tax commitment. “Once I find out what surplus is I will advise what I feel comfortable with,” Pineo said, saying he would consult the auditor before suggesting a possible change.

    The last few years $65,000 in surplus funds has been approved to be used to reduce the tax commitment. “I feel that we’re running so close we need some breathing room,” Pineo said, as a lesser amount would leave more money in the surplus fund.

    The town manager presented the selectmen with a request from Womancare of Dover-Foxcroft, a community-based organization working to end domestic violence in the region, for $250. Pineo said the town does not donate to charitable organizations as there is no budget line item for these expenses.

    “This has been this way for the last two years,” he said. “If people of the community wish to donate that is up to them, as a municipal organization we should not make that decision and tax them on that.” Pineo added that he would still bring requests made from various charitable organizations to the board.

    The selectmen approved a regular meeting schedule for 2013, with town officials gathering on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the town office. If a need to change a meeting date arises then adjustments can be made, but a regular schedule is set for the ensuing 11 months.