MINOT — Selectmen on Monday received the equivalent of a hand-delivered invitation to attend a meeting aimed at drawing them into RSU 16’s strategic planning process.

 

“We really want your involvement, we’re trying to get all the towns together on things,” School Committee member Tina Love said.

 

Love noted that when RSU 16 was formed, it was effort enough just to get the people of Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland to join in a unified district.

 

“As a result, the district has no strategic plan, no identifiable goals for where it wants to be in five years,” Love said.

 

Love recounted steps the School Committee has taken since September’s hiring of Group Dynamics, consultants from Portland who specialize in such matters — meeting first with the full board in October and again earlier in November with the board’s public relations subcommittee.

 

Selectmen from Minot and Poland, and councilors from Mechanic Falls, are being invited to a Dec. 12 meeting with the consultants and the RSU 16 School Committee, as prelude to meetings planned for each of their communities in January.

 

In other business, selectmen approved a five-year agreement with the Lewiston-Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority to dispose septic tank waste from the town; accepted a request from Community Concepts for $1,000, agreeing to include the request in a town meeting article seeking donations for social service organizations; and set Dec. 5 as the deadline for town departments to submit their budgets for next year.

 

Selectmen will review the first draft of the budget requests at their Dec. 10 meeting.

 

Town Administrator Arlan Saunders reported that the Town Clerk’s Office has foreclosure notices on some 15 properties with unpaid property taxes for 2010.

 

Saunders also reported that the highway department has received a trailer load of “Ice-B-Gone” that is properly stored in the salt shed, ready for testing against regular road salt.

 

Saunders also said the highway crew had strung lights on the town Christmas tree, with the assistance of a bucket truck, donated by Rent-It.

 

Fire Chief Dean Campbell reported that this year’s tree-lighting ceremony, a joint venture of the West Minot Fire Company and the Community Club, will take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, in front of the town office complex.

 

Campbell said that he believes Santa Claus will make an appearance. Also that the Central Fire/Rescue Station will be open, offering warmth and refreshments.