Pittsfield council accepts clerk’s resignation

PITTSFIELD – Town councilors on Tuesday night set nine issues to public hearings, rubber-stamped the selection of an architect for the public library’s expansion and accepted the resignation of a town employee.

Citing a job opportunity in her field of study, Town Clerk Tonja Lary has resigned effective Jan. 28.

Lary is the 10th town employee to resign or to have a position cut in the past three years.

The council temporarily appointed Administrative Assistant Vickie Braley as town clerk and registrar of voters until a replacement for Lary can be hired.

The council also set public hearings for Feb. 21 on a wide variety of zoning and land use changes. Several of these changes deal with mobile home park regulations, sign restrictions and map changes.

The most controversial is a proposal to rezone land from Waverly Avenue north to the Palmyra town line, which includes land along the Sebasticook River and Douglas Pond.

The area now is zoned shore-land resource protection and shore-land limited residential, which includes “areas in which development would adversely affect water quality, productive habitat, biological ecosystems, or scenic and natural values.” It is being proposed to be changed to shore-land limited commercial use.

According to paperwork provided at the council meeting, this change would “provide additional opportunities for mixed, light commercial and residential uses, such as housing, recreational pursuits and related projects.”

In other business, the council:

. Approved Recycling and Solid Waste Coordinator Don Chute’s employment as the town of Detroit’s fire chief, as required in town ordinances.

. Ratified the decision of the Library building committee to hire Reed & Co. Architecture of Portland.