Burnham

The torch was passed to a new generation at Saturday’s town meeting when Carolyn Hamel was elected to replace Caroline Mitchell who retired after serving 36 years as town clerk.

“Well, I don’t know how it feels,” Mitchell said of her retirement when contacted Monday. “I’m just cleaning up my house. Now all the records are at the town office.”

Hamel was unopposed in her effort to replace Mitchell. Also unopposed for election was chairman of the Board of Selectmen Stuart Huff, who won another three-year term; Road Commissioner Charles King and Treasurer Arlene Miles.

“She’s done a wonderful job,” deputy tax collector Ann Goodblood said of Mitchell. “We gave her a big party.”

Residents attending the meeting also voted to establish a four-member committee to help advise the selectmen on which roads should be resurfaced this year. Roger Huff, Carlton Croft, Wayne Mitchell and Scott Merrithew were appointed to the committee.

“Some of the roads are rough,” Goodblood said Monday. “It’s not just this town. It’s every town.”

In order to improve the road situation, voters approved borrowing up to $803,000 for repair work and dedicated an additional $160,000 of state highway block grant funds to the project.

Miles said townsfolk also approved 2006 municipal budget totals recommended by the selectmen and the budget committee. Included in the budget was $18,000 for fire protection, $6,000 for payment on the firetruck approved in 2000, $12,000 for payment on the firehouse, $4,500 for street lighting, $62,000 for the transfer station, $48,000 for salaries, $5,500 for cemeteries and $18,500 for the Reynolds Corner Municipal Building.

Clifton

Unopposed incumbents David Kerns and Edward Beauchamp were elected for three-year terms on the Board of Selectmen at the annual town meeting on Saturday.

Residents voted against the noise ordinance and the development moratorium ordinance. The planning board ordinance, which states that only one municipal officer may sit on the board, was not addressed at the meeting.

All of the proposed budget lines, except for human services and general assistance, had increases, ranging from $210 for organizations to $21,510 for waste disposal.

The Penobscot County tax, which was estimated to remain at $53,000, increased to $56,689.

The following budget lines were passed as they appeared: administrative compensation and expenses, $78,550; professional services, $16,900; fire protection and streetlights, $18,450; town expenses, $25,977; town office expenses, $9,600; winter road maintenance, $45,000; local road assistance, $16,588; general assistance, $1,000; waste disposal expenses, $63,510; organizations, $4,765; human services, $250; revenue sharing, $74,059; and unappropriated surplus, $130,000.

Copies of the new ordinances and the amendment are available at the town office.

Brownville

A planned partnership between Milo and Brownville in the Eastern Piscataquis Industrial Park appears to be in trouble.

Brownville residents were told Monday at the annual town meeting there are problems with the town’s participation in the park project.

“We’re not sure this is going to move forward,” Town Manager Sophia Wilson told residents. She said town officials have been unable to resolve certain issues regarding the park.

It was the plan for Brownville to share the expenses and the ownership of the park, but Wilson said the two town boards have different ideas in how the park would serve both populations.

Brownville residents in 2004 authorized town officials to sign an interlocal agreement with Milo, but no money has changed hands at the recommendation of the town’s attorney, Wilson said after the meeting. Until the town had a deed that reflected part ownership in the property or a development corporation in place, no funds should change hands, he advised town officials.

Wilson said Brownville selectmen are still supportive of the park, but the informal discussions now center more on pulling apart from Milo than proceeding ahead with the partnership, she said.

The $23,761 raised last year by residents for the park was carried over into the new budget by residents.

About 40 residents approved all 38 articles on the warrant as proposed and returned Dennis Green and Stephen Dean as selectman and Stacey Slagle to the SAD 41 board. (Diana Bowley, BDN)

Monson

Residents during the annual town meeting on Monday approved acceptance of a Community Development Block Grant for construction of a skate park.

The town received notification that its request for a $15,500 grant was awarded.

The only place for youngsters to skateboard is on the sidewalk, and that is something Town Manager Robert Nicholson vowed to change. He discussed it with youngsters, residents and town officials and moved forward on a plan to build a skate park.

Nicholson has proposed the construction of a multipurpose paved arena on town-owned land behind the museum. Along with skateboarding and in-line skating, the facility could be used for weddings and dances in the summer and ice-skating in the winter, he said earlier this year. Nicholson plans to finance the project through grants and donations at little or no cost to the town.

In addition to approving the budget committee’s funding requests, residents re-elected Doug Nelson as selectman; John Glover to the SAD 68 board, and Susan Deloia to the HAD 4 board.

Guilford

A revaluation of all properties, the first ever in this town, will begin soon, as directed by voters on Monday at the annual town meeting.

Selectmen have done the assessing over the years and adjusted the valuations when needed to meet market values. For example, last year all buildings were increased by 25 percent, but those stopgap efforts have done little to bring parity to values, some residents have said.

That will change because residents voted 45-12 to hire an assessing firm to do a complete revaluation that is expected to cost about $70,000, according to Guilford Town Manager Tom Goulette.

Bids will be solicited soon for the revaluation. The firm awarded the contract will visit every property in town, and the new values should be in place for next year’s tax season.

Goulette said the town has some funds set aside in reserve accounts that can be used to pay for the revaluation.

The approximately 60 residents who attended the town meeting also voted to accept three gifts of property on Water Street: land from Temp-Cart Real Estate Partnership; the so-called Edes brick building and land from KeyBank; and another parcel from Interface Fabrics. The latter company has not yet deeded the property to the town but has said it would, Goulette said.

Returned to office were Peter Martell and Michael Dexter as selectmen; Paul Davis Jr. to the Guilford-Sangerville Sanitary District; Alvin McDonald and Delores Curtis to the HAD 4 board, and Pam Goulette to the SAD 4 board. Also elected to the school board was John Cartwright. (Diana Bowley, BDN)