At Frenchboro’s July 1 Town Meeting, voters elected two new selectmen, approved the acceptance of a grant with local match for work on the inner harbor, and authorized the purchase and installation of an electric hoist near the ferry landing in the outer harbor.
This year’s town meeting also represented something of a changing of the guard, as several of the community’s younger people were elected to serve their town. These included 21-year-old Travis Lunt, who was elected to fill the Fire Chief’s position John Lunt has held for over 30 years. Nineteen-year-old Zach Lunt was elected constable, and 27-year-old Chris Sawyer was elected to join the board of selectman.
Randy Sawyer was also newly elected to the board of selectmen; he and Chris Sawyer will join three re-elected members: Pat Mceachron, Rob Stuart and Paul Charpentier. Karen Charpentier was elected to the School Committee, filling the seat made empty when Lorena Beal’s term expired.
Residents unanimously voted to accept and approve a $65,000 Community Development Block Grant for infrastructure improvement from the state’s Office of Economic Development, in order to reinforce and stabilize the bank around the inner harbor, and to allow for better storm drainage there. A local match of $10,000 cash and $6,400 in materials was approved for the same project.
Voters authorized the selectmen to spend up to $4,000 to purchase and install a new electric hoist in the outer harbor. Although the hoist’s exact location has not been decided, the town has decided to explore the possibility of putting it on town property near the ferry landing. The hoist would allow freight such as groceries, lobsters and bait to be unloaded with greater ease at any tide. Currently, unloading freight at the town wharf at low tide involves carrying it up the steep ramp.
In other elections, Travis and David W. Lunt were elected to the board of appeals; Barbara Sawyer to the Municipal Building Committee; Aaron Bernstein and Mike Lenfesty as Fire Wardens; Wyatt Beal as Harbor Master; Dave Mceachron, Rob Stuart and Rit Daignault to the Waste Management Committee; Joan Daignault as Tax Collector; Marissa Rozenski as Emergency Management Director; Samantha Sawyer as Truant Officer; Rachel Lewis as Town Clerk/Registrar of Voters; and Bob Roxby as Treasurer.