SKOWHEGAN — The Board of Selectmen is launching a new Coffee and Conversation session before their regular meeting once a month, inviting residents to come in, have a cup of coffee and say what’s on their mind.
The first of the session begins at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
The Coffee and Conversation sessions will be an opportunity for residents to ask questions and hear about what’s going on in a less formal setting than that of the selectmen’s meetings, Town Manager Christine Almand said Monday.
“Basically it just gives people a chance to come in and chat with the selectmen without it being in the middle of a selectmen’s meeting,” Almand said. “It’s a place for them to be available in an informal setting for people to talk to them.”
Topics for conversation can include anything on the minds of residents, from public use of fireworks, parking concerns, and with the public hearing slated to follow Tuesday night, whether to appoint or elect public officials. She said the intent is to do it the first meeting of every month. “It’s something selectmen would like to do on a regular basis,” she said. “I’m not sure what they’ll talk about, this is our first go-round with it.”
Selectwoman Darla Pickett said she and board Chairman Don Skillings have talked about holding informal sessions for some time. She said Selectwoman Betty Austin also supported the effort and agreed to make the coffee.
“The three of us thought it was a good idea to try to get more people interested in coming and hearing what’s being worked on,” Pickett said. “I’d like to see it continue.”
The regular meeting begins at 5:30 p.m., with a presentation to New Balance officials for recent public service company employees performed in town. There also will be a public hearing on proposals to ask voters in November if they want to change the positions of town clerk, town treasurer and road commissioner from elected positions to ones appointed by the town manager.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter:@Doug_Harlow
Send questions/comments to the editors.
-
Varsity Maine
Girls basketball: So far, so good for Winthrop co-coaches Ouellette and Merrill
-
Schools and Education
Winslow School Board ponders athletic competition with teams in ‘yellow’ counties
-
Sports
Researching 1900s Red Sox player Harry Lord spurs Bates College hall of fame advocacy
-
Local & State
Police find two adult bodies in New Sharon during a well-being check
-
UMaine Sports
UMaine calls off games for all teams through at least Feb. 4
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi {SUB NAME}, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have one? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login to participate in the conversation. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.