Madawaska pick men approach ambulance staff, change building permit fees

MADAWASKA, Maine – In a tight, two-hour session, the Madawaska Board of Selectmen addressed a variety of city matters, from discussing the ambulance department and norms for enforcing regulations, to responding to concerns about backroad speeding and appointing new members for the city committees.

The ambulance section’s discussion was split in two. First, the selectmen responded to concerns raised by Real Hebert at the previous meeting after a 30-minute delay in waiting for the ambulance to arrive made him concerned about the city’s staff and backup policies. Currently, almost half of the day’s shifts are uncovered by a substitute team when a second emergency call is received.

Selectmen received a report from Ambulance Director Eric Cyr setting out his personnel goals and some programs he would like to implement to complete his roster. This fall, EMTs Kris Albert and Jessica Page hope to offer training to help recruit more staff.

Hebert was still concerned that not enough was being done. In disbelief that the hourly wages for on-call staff was only $ 2, he urged the board to consult with other area departments and consider increasing the salary.

“How about an incentive?” said Herbert. “Two dollars? I mean, staying home for 12 hours for $ 24? You won’t find many people smart enough to stay home for two dollars.”

Cyr said the current rate was on par with other cities, but a select few seemed interested in considering the number. While some attendees left the meeting, Selectman Doug Cyr Hebert agreed and quietly addressed his fellow board members.

“Nice day like this one? Where will you be? “He said.” You won’t be on standby for two dollars an hour. “

In another discussion about the ambulance department, the board agreed to a three-year lease on a new ambulance that the department approved months ago to purchase. The hope is that the city will be able to protect the department’s reserve account for the time being with the lease format rather than a full purchase.

During the meeting, the board made significant adjustments to the fee structure for building permits – now the city will require permits for all projects at significantly reduced costs. The changes were made based on the recommendations of the planning committee and in consultation with other community contributions.

For projects with a total cost of less than $ 15,000 that were previously exempt from approval, the building permit fee is now $ 5. However, the fees for all projects beyond that have fallen significantly. Building permits for jobs between $ 15,000 and $ 250,000 are now $ 50 and all projects above $ 100.

“I don’t want to undercut what it costs us to do, but at the same time we want to keep fees as low as possible to get people to spend money building new things in town,” said Selectman Jason Boucher.

The board also pledged to post signs on Tuesday evening advising drivers to slow down near the park on Fox Street after three different residents reached out to selectmen during public comments to warn them that the Drivers violated the 25 mph speed limit on that and other back roads in the city.

“It’s out of control,” said resident Justin Love. “I sit there and watch all the time – I’m right across from Fox Park and that’s my problem, there are so many young children running right to the edge and these cars have no respect.”

In other areas, in response to a petition from students and teachers at Madawaska Middle / High School, the board approved a maximum spending of $ 2,000 on a gaga pit for Bicentennial Park. The costs are covered from the reserve account of the leisure department.

The Selectmen also approved Christina Ouellette, Tyler Pelletier, Derek Young, Clifton Cyr and Chris Michaud as planning council and Paul Lavoie as zoning board of appeals. They approved Boucher and Selectman Manon Raymond on a library budget review subcommittee and Raymond and Selectman Chris Braley on a staff policy review committee.