The Townie Report or the Systems Analyst Aproach to New England Small Town Government. The committee has done some kicking work this week getting estimates on builing demolition. And we may have a winner. An affordable estimate on tearing down the old high school building moves that location to first choice, but getting to a deal with the school board may be a bureaucratic tangle. People are wary of us getting entangled with one of the non-profits, but the school board tentacles could be worse. It's a great deal for everyone if we can get there cleanly. Things I find myself saying a lot: "communication and community process," "because it's not 1970 anymore," "yes, a meeting room and wifi."

Everytime I visit some other town's website I see something they have that we don't. Belgrade (with a board of selectpersons no less) has its tax maps online. Liberty has all its property assessments available. In the eleven town school union, RSU3, Liberty pays 16% of the cost, Unity pays 15%. Lakefront property is what that's about.

A good crowd came to the last planning board meeting because they knew (the weekly email from the website is working!) Barry McCormick's application to add a Dunkin Donuts to his Depot Street store was on the agenda. People hate to see franchises come to town. The land use ordinance doesn't prevent that, but it can dictate that the franchise look like the part of town it is in and it can regulate the size and lighting of signs. McDonald's in Freeport is the classic example of that; it looks like an old house.