Gaudet formally appointed as Dover-Foxcroft fire chief
DOVER-FOXCROFT — For the first time in nearly four decades, a person other than Joe Guyotte will serve as Dover-Foxcroft fire chief. Deputy Chief Brian Gaudet will take over on Jan. 1 with his term to run through the end of 2025.
The appointment of Gaudet, 41, who also serves as the town’s code enforcement officer, was formally approved by the selectboard during a Dec. 13 meeting. Members of the fire department had previously voted for Gaudet.
At the end of this month, Guyotte, 81, will step down after 38 years as chief. He has nearly 60 years in the fire service and will continue spreading his knowledge at the department and on a national scale, saying he can’t imagine not doing the work.
“We should probably recognize Chief Guyotte at this time for his extraordinary service,” Selectperson Tom Lizotte said before Guyotte received a round of applause.
The fire department’s tank truck is out of service and is expected to be for some time. Dover-Foxcroft crews will use a Maine Forest Service vehicle through the end of March — an arrangement that the selectboard formally approved during its meeting.
“Presently our tank truck has a major problem. The chassis is good but the tank body is now leaking,” Guyotte said. “We can no longer use it.”
He said rust has contributed to making the 28-year-old truck inoperable. The Maine Forest Service tank truck is also 3,000 gallons and the vehicle would otherwise be in storage in Greenville until April 1 when the service operates it again.
“It does not fix everything,” Guyotte said about the agreement for the next three-plus months. “If this board approves it, we would have a loaner until April 1.”
Gaudet said he is researching whether the Dover-Foxcroft tank truck can be fixed and what the cost might be. He said he should know after the holidays.
In other business, after hearing from residents objecting to a policy that had prohibited recordings in certain portions of the town office — such as the counter space — the selectboard adopted a revised policy statement.
After the board came out of executive session, Town Manager Jack Clukey read the policy statement aloud, “The town office is a non-public forum established for the purpose of the transaction of town business. Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated.”
Signs with the statement have since been posted at the municipal building.
In his report, Clukey said the town has been selected for its Community Action Grant application for the Complete Streets program. This would be used to meet the matching requirement for the town’s share of a planning project with the Maine Department of Transportation.
In June, the town ordered a wheeler truck for public works. Clukey said the build date is scheduled for Feb. 7 and the truck is scheduled to be in service in the spring/summer.
The town manager said the Sebec Lake Association is anticipating a decision on its grant application for a wash station to protect the body of water from invasive species before the end of the year.
The Sebec Lake Association wants to construct a wash station at Greeleys Landing to encourage boaters to clean their watercraft before getting in. The drive-thru wash station would be adjacent to the town parking lot on the west side of the road.
The organization is applying for grant funding for the $63,000 project and the select board signed a memorandum of understanding for the project.
Clukey said if the application is not successful, the Sebec Lake Association plans to apply for other funding.