NORRIDGEWOCK — Voters filled a vacancy on the Norridgewock Select Board and approved two warrant articles for town purchases Tuesday at a special town meeting that saw a light turnout.
Charles A. Farrand defeated Margaret J. O’Connell in the Select Board race, receiving 74 votes to O’Connell’s 47, according to unofficial results released Tuesday evening.
Farrand, a 65-year-old dairy farmer, said ahead of the election that he has no particular agenda and has time to serve in the position. He is now a member of the Planning Board.
The special election was called to fill the seat formerly held by Cheyenne Goodrich, who resigned effective May 31. Farrand will serve the remainder of the term, through March 2025.
Resudents also voted 83-42 to authorize the purchase of a multiuse machine for sidewalk and road maintenance through the appropriation of $175,000 from the undesignated fund balance, or surplus.
The town is considering a trackless machine capable of plowing, snowblowing and spreading salt, according to Town Manager Richard LaBelle. The machine also has a flail mower, which could be used for the town’s roadside mowing.
In the final question on the ballot, residents voted 69-56 to approve the town’s purchase of a 0.37-acre parcel on Mercer Road, for a price not to exceed $45,000, and appropriated $50,000 from surplus funds for the purchase.
The parcel, next to Mill Stream Elementary School, could be used for several purposes, LaBelle said previously. The Select Board has yet to determine a use for the parcel, if the town succeeds in acquiring it.
A total of 127 ballots were cast in Tuesday’s election. As of June, Norridgewock had slightly more than 2,100 registered voters, according to the most recent data published by the Maine Department of the Secretary of State.
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