Ordinance articles on meeting warrant

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

GUILFORD — Among the items making up the warrant for the 2016 annual town meeting — which will be held on Monday, March 21 at Piscataquis Community Elementary School at 7 p.m. with a bicentennial potluck before at 5:30 — will be three articles concerning proposed ordinances. These three items were approved by the planning board during a public hearing on Feb. 17 and two of the ordinances would be new for the town of Guilford and the other one being brought forward is an amendment to the land use ordinance.

The first new ordinance being brought to the March 21 town meeting regards property maintenance, which would establish standards regarding the accumulation of trash, clutter and other unsightly collections of various materials for health and safety reasons as well as preserving neighboring property values.

“This came about as a result of property owners having some neighbors causing problems such as litter and old cars,” planning board member Lou Sidell said. He said the property owners brought their concerns to Town Manager Tom Goulette and then to the planning board, which has drafted regulations to address such problems.

Sidell said the purpose of the ordinance is “to set a minimum standard for the maintenance of the grounds of property in order to protect public health, public safety, property values and to prevent nuisance conditions.” He explained much of the document comes from state statutes and other similar municipal ordinances.

The proposed property maintenance ordinance includes definitions such as litter, nuisance, vehicle and inoperable vehicle and vehicle hobbyist and maintenance standards for premises and yard areas. “That was a concern in the address that was given to the planning board about a month ago,” Sidell said. “The town has an interest in keeping your property solid, as it should be, and when the property values are lowered it affects the whole community.”

The code enforcement officer will enforce the ordinance, with the violator having 30 days to correct the problem. Should the violation not be remedied — special extensions can be granted per the approval of the planning board — the civil penalty would be $100 per day from the issuance of the written notice.

Planning Board Chair Matt Holland said the 30-day period gives an incentive for violators to do the right thing and clean up their properties.

The second new ordinance that will be on the town meeting warrant concerns sewage holding tanks, and the document would establish criteria for the installation of any holding tank — particularly within a recognized shoreland zone.

“In a nutshell, what this does is it gives us a little guidance on septic system holding tanks,” Holland said. “It gives us a little guidance on what the definitions are based on state guidelines.”

Town meeting attendees will also vote on the changing of wording in the signs and towers section of the land use ordinance. “The major change to the sign and tower ordinance is we shortened it,” Holland said, with a tower needing to be a distance of 25 feet plus the height of the structure from any structure or dwelling other than that of the owner(s) of the tower. Before this distance was 25 feet plus another 100 feet instead of the height of the tower.

“Twenty five feet plus the height of the tower I think will give us plenty of safety,” Holland said.

The proposed amendments include adjustments so signs near intersecting streets or driveways will not hinder sight distances for vehicles on the traveled way.