UPDATED: Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District’s (BRRDD) monthly meetings are coming to the airwaves. March 12, Boothbay Selectman Dale Harmon invited BRRDD to have its meetings recorded and livestreamed at Boothbay Town Hall on behalf of his town, Boothbay Harbor, Edgecomb and Southport. 

“(It’s) all in the spirit of transparency ... (In) my personal opinion, I think every board on this peninsula should videotape,” said Harmon.

March 12, the board enthusiastically agreed to the meeting location. Then, on March 16, the board decided to host future meetings at the Boothbay Harbor town hall instead. BRRDD convenes on the second Thursday of every month. The next meeting is April 9. 

“(With the livestreaming) there's no questions. There's no behind the doors, or whatever. I'd rather have it totally wide open to everybody,” said Chairman Jody Lewis. 

Treasurer Julia Latter gave an update on the budgetary miscalculation issue the district discovered last month. As reported in the Register, BBRDD has been calculating each town’s annual budget contribution incorrectly since 2002, and member towns have been either overpaying or underpaying their share. Latter had compiled the past 10 years of data at that time. At the March 12 meeting, she said she has almost completed the 24 years of records. She expects it will be finished for the April 9 meeting.   

In other business, the board approved sending its pick shed out to bid for a minimum of $2,500. This decision comes after BRRDD closed the “pick pile” in November due to insurance liability concerns.  

“We've got enough storage, (the shed is) more in the way than anything,” said BRRDD Operations Manager William Johnson. 

The district also approved sending 60 solar panels out to bid for a minimum of $1,000. The panels are at half-life, with 12 of their 20-year lifespan having passed.  

Johnson reported that Boothbay finally provided the district with seven months' worth of itemized fuel bills, totaling about $86,000. The town had previously provided blank bills, which raised concerns with the board since there was no clear documentation of how much fuel BRRDD had used. 

He also said that the district did well in a recent inspection from the Department of Environmental Protection. The Maine Municipal Association also visited and identified a few minor issues, including needed repairs on the concrete steps to the office and a lack of railing near a drop-off in the parking lot. The association previously identified lifting tiles in the office as a tripping hazard. The floor was redone and finished on March 12.