Newly elected selectmen Raymond Meldrum and Sarah Churchill are sworn in by Town Clerk Leanna Targett as Kingfield’s newest selectmen. (David Hart photo) KINGFIELD — This year’s 192nd Annual Town Meeting was held on June 5 the town’s first ever meeting under a new fiscal year. Nearly 130 residents were in attendance to elect two new members to the board of selectmen making a new five-seat board. They also elected a school board representative and voted on 37 articles on the warrant.

A three-year seat for selectmen Heather Moody had expired and was up for election. This position was retained by Moody who ran unopposed.

One three-year term for the fourth member of the board was also unopposed and won by resident Raymond Meldrum.

The fifth and final seat for the one-year term was a twoway race between Sarah Churchill and the return of longtime retired selectman John Dill. Churchill, daughter of Rupert and Susan Pratt won the election by a close 64-60 vote.

In a three-way race, challengers Brad Orbeton and Michelle Beedy ran against incumbent Judy Dill. Meeting moderator Paul Mills reminded residents that any one candidate needed a majority of votes greater than 50 percent.

In the end Judy Dill received that majority with 74 votes followed by Beedy with 33 and Orbeton with 14 with 121 voting.

Two amendments were made to reduce the selectmen’s pay after a motion was made by Moody to set the pay at $3,000 per person. One amendment was made to lower the amount to $2,500 each with the chair earning $3,000. The other was an attempt to lower it to $2,000 per municipal officer.

One resident thought the workload would become easier

with a five-member board and with the services of an administrative assistant. Others thought it was an expectation to lower the pay for individuals when the town agreed to move to a five-member board.

Selectmen Neal McCurdy strongly disagreed with that expectation stating he clearly said he would not do the job for less money during early discussions of creating a new five-person board.

McCurdy said there will be more input from others, but the amount of meetings and the workload would not change.

Selectmen Merv Wilson said, “It’s really a voluntary position.” He told the crowd that he often has to pay for a babysitter during meetings and no one was in it for the money.

Both amendments failed that morning and the pay was set at $3,000 each.

In a debated article, Moody made a motion to allow the selectmen to transfer up to $400,000 from the Fund Balance to reduce the 2010/11 tax commitment.

McCurdy said that the town auditor revealed a surplus of $1.6 million in town surplus funds and made the recommendation to transfer $400,000. The $1.6 million in surplus is the highest it’s ever been, McCurdy explained.

“When Poland Spring came to town they promised us that they’ll excise at least three trucks with us,” McCurdy told attendees. “They lied and registered 10 instead.”

“This is really a good thing,” Moody stressed. It’s like money we have in a savings account.

Voters approved the fund balance transfer of up to $400,000 from reserves.

All program requests recommended by the budget committee were accepted by voters. Article 16 called for $23,300 for annual maintenance and repairs to a stone wall for the cemeteries. Voters backed the budget committee recommendation to fund $13,300 for cemeteries without the wall repairs.

Voters allowed the full request of $1,500 for Webster Library, $250 for the Kingfield Historical Society, $1,750 for the town recreation department, $1,500 for the United Economic Ministry, $1,000 for the Stanley Museum, $300 for the Franklin Chamber, $500 for Abused Woman’s Advocacy and $700 for Work First. Using the possibilities of Tax Increment Financing funds, a $2,000 request was approved for the Kingfield POPS and $1,500 for trail maintenance was approved for the Sno-Wanderers.

Article 34 called for the consideration of placing a conservation easement on town owned land formally known as the Gilmore and Newell properties or the large hay fields south of the village. The request was not to place the land into an easement, but rather to see if there was an interest in restricting the land use to agricultural, water treatment and for recreational purposes only.

Currently the town and Poland Spring uses a portion of the Gilmore field for the purposes of wastewater treatment.

The conservation easement issue has been an ongoing effort by a local group. A committee developed when a 46 acre piece, known as the Hurvitt parcel located just south and abutting the town land went on the market. The group had concern that the parcel will sell and be developed losing its agricultural value.

Nina Young from the Maine Farmland Trust was present that morning to say they had a purchase and sale agreement on the Hurvitt parcel for $140,000. The sale is subject to a condition that the town places its 106 acres into conservation limiting it to what it’s used for today. MFT got involved to assist the local group who want to see the parcel protected.

Young explained that the trust is an interim buyer and will resell the land back to a farmer. Their overall intent is to get the land into the hands of farmers and limit the potential of future development, Young said.

While many liked the idea of exploring the options of entering into a conservation easement, others had concerns about getting locked into a long term deal, not knowing what the demands will be for that land in the future. “Our decisions today could affect and impact our grandchildren,” said resident John Goldfrank.

Wilson said he would like the town to look at the potential benefits of owning the Hurvitt property. He was concerned that although the town was asked to put a conservation easement on its two large parcels, there were no guarantees that the owner or future owners of the 46 acre parcel would do the same.

Goldfrank asked if the town could have the first right of refusal in purchasing the land. He also demonstrated concern that the Hurvitt land could sell for far less than the $675,000 the town had invested in its properties. He also said there were uncertainties. An extreme example of such could be a pig farmer who purchases the land, builds a house and outhouses and puts up commercial structures to operate it.

Others argued that the vote that morning was not about what exactly the easement would be, but rather if the town wanted to consider talking about the future of the land.

Some said this only means that future discussion will occur and a group may be named by the selectmen to serve as a committee. Any change in land use or language of an easement would come before the town voters.

An overwhelming vote to support this concept was eventually reached.

The last two articles had to do with placing a moratorium on wind development in town and the related costs for such.

Many questions related to why the discussion existed with no such development in sight. Planning Board chairman Clay Tranten said the issue was on the warrant due to resident requests of the Planning Board and from growing interests in other communities.

Resident David Gurnsey and former planning board chairman said he was against implementing a moratorium at this time.

While the costs for developing a moratorium ordinance is relatively inexpensive, what a moratorium ordinance does is it give you limited time for developing aspects of a land use ordinance which could cost significant money, he said. He suggested waiting for other towns to develop language for land use ordinances that deal with wind development.

Both the cost for developing a moratorium and the moratorium itself was defeated that morning by voters.

In other business, members recognized and applauded the work and achievements of Robert Barnes who has served as the long-term chairman of Kingfield Water District. Barnes formally announced his retirement that morning.

In typical Kingfield Town Meeting style, the moderator paused the annual meeting for the purposes of holding the KWD’s Annual Meeting.

Voters appointed Marybeth LaMonte to continue as a trustee for a three-year term. Resident Peter Manning was also nominated and appointed to fill the seat of the retiring Barnes.