Town Manager’s Report
November 21, 2006
Petition to Overrule Town Council Action Received:
Thursday, November 16th, a petition was received to overrule the Town Council’s order #054-07 to enter into a contract with Cumberland County for the purposes of providing our local dispatching services. In order to facilitate this action, signatures of 15% of registered voters must be received on a prepared petition no later than 30 days from the Town Council’s order. That number is 866 of the 5771 registered voters. The deadline was November 16, 2006. We certified 947 signatures valid signatures of the 1053 signatures received.
Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony:
The annual tree lighting ceremony will take place this Sunday afternoon, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in front of town hall. Our Public Safety, Maintenance and Recreation Department participate in this function with the Historical Society. Hot beverages and cookies will be provided as we listen to Ray Clark read the “Night before Christmas.” Wagon rides are sponsored by our Parks and Recreation Department and provided by our animal control officer, Heather Phinney. It is wonderful time of the year to enjoy our community, family and friends.
Route 26A – Bypass Open to Public:
The long awaited Route 26A, bypass is finally open. The ribbon cutting ceremony occurred last Thursday, November 16th. A reminder to the drivers from the north, headed south on Route 26, regarding the intersection of 26 and 26A – this is a left hand turn and drivers must yield to oncoming traffic in the same manner as we do elsewhere when turning left. We have been trained, over the last several weeks, to simply whip to the left because there was no oncoming traffic. Please use caution when traveling through this intersection, now that the bypass is open.
Awards Banquet:
The annual volunteer awards banquet was held last Friday night at Spring Meadows. Recipients of the various awards were Volunteer of the Year (Allen and Judith Burham), Committee of the Year (Village Master Plan Advisory Committee), Organization of the Year (Gray - New Gloucester Business Association) and the Lifetime Achievement (Jon Barton).
Code Enforcement Officer Hired:
I am pleased to report that Kinderly Hodgton has been hired as the full-time Code Enforcement Officer. Kinderly started working for the Town of Gray in September, training with the former Code Enforcement Officer. She is certified as a Local Plumbing Inspector and has recently passed the Shoreland Zoning portion of the State certification program. Kinderly anticipates that she will be prepared to test and pass the last two of the remaining six certifications of the State requirements, no later than March of next year. I am looking forward to working with Kinderly over the next several years.
Municipal Holiday Closures:
All municipal offices will be closed this Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving Holiday. This also includes the Library, Parks and Recreation and the Recycling Center.
Respectfully Submitted,
Deborah Cabana
Town Manager
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