Bridgton board approves fee schedule, accepts former Memorial School transfer and authorizes copier lease

At its regular meeting the Bridgton select board approved a package of routine items: adoption of the annual fee schedule with targeted decisions on recreation and transfer‑station charges, acceptance of the former Bridgton Memorial School from MSAD No. 61, authorization for the town manager to execute a tax‑exempt copier lease, and a sustainability committee appointment.

Fee schedule: The board adopted the fee schedule after amendments and discussion. Key figures: the one‑year transfer‑station sticker will remain $10, an additional sticker will remain $5 and mattress disposal will remain $15. Recreation fees adopted included summer swim lessons for residents at $55 and summer camp for residents at $140. Board members emphasized enforcing sticker checks at the transfer station (one member cited an enforcement day when 400 stickers were issued) and asked staff to report sticker sales in the coming fiscal year before considering fee increases.

Property transfer: The board moved to accept transfer of the former Bridgton Memorial School from MSAD No. 61 under the deed terms referenced in the meeting packet (the transcript cites a statutory reference as "20 ARMRS 40133"). Board discussion noted that the property comes with restrictions on permissible uses; members asked future boards to develop at least two use alternatives with associated cost estimates and recommended presenting a final proposal to voters because the property decision could meaningfully affect the town.

Copier lease and contracting: The board approved language read into the record to enter a tax‑exempt lease with MST Government Leasing LLC to refinance and fund photocopy equipment leases and related issuance costs; the interest rate stated in the record was 5.09% per year through Aug. 1, 2030. The board also authorized the town manager to execute the lease documents and any related contracts with Specialized Purchasing Consultants Inc. The transcript contains a numeric string for the lease cap read aloud that appears to be garbled in the record; staff should confirm the exact not‑to‑exceed amount in the final contract before execution.

Appointments and other votes: The board approved the appointment of Susan (surname appears in the record in two forms) to the sustainability advisory committee and approved warrants 107–112. Several other routine permit renewals (for example a renewal for Elevation Sushi and Tacos LLC at 103 Main Street) were approved earlier in the meeting.

Next steps: Staff were asked to assemble the deed and restriction language for the Memorial School transfer, to provide a clear lease cap figure for procurement files, and to report transfer‑station sticker sales and enforcement data in next year’s budget materials.