Two candidates are competing for one open seat on the Thomaston Select Board, with elections set for Nov. 7. The seat represents a one-year term. Those running for office are Patricia Hubbard and Kimberly Matthews.  Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their positions on issues. Here, Candidate Patricia Hubbard responds:

Please provide a concise biography of yourself.

Maine born and raised, I settled in Thomaston 20 years ago, purchasing a house on Dunn Street.  I’ve been self-employed for 40 years helping nonprofits from New York to New England, of every size and shape, with board development, capital campaigns, feasibility and planning studies and organizational restructuring. More about my background can be found on the website, patriciahubbardconsulting.com. 

Over the years I have also served as a volunteer on the following Thomaston town committees:

• Thomaston Budget Committee
• Thomaston 4^th of July Committee
• Thomaston Comprehensive Planning Committee
• OHSTT Committee (transfer station)
• Thomaston Green Park Ad Hoc Committee
• Thomaston Community and Economic Development Committee

What are Thomaston’s greatest strengths, and how do you hope to support them?

I believe Thomaston’s greatest strength is the strength and resilience of its people. Over the years, the town has been through some difficult times that it has valiantly faced and muscled through, the last being the closure of the prison and now it is faced with the closure of its largest industry, Dragon Products.

Our town population, like everywhere else in the world, is changing. New people are moving into town, fixing up old houses, raising their families, and trying to participate. They bring new ideas and ways of looking at issues. We all love the town and want to do what is best, not just maintain the status quo, not just survive, but thrive.

Together, a strong town government and a well-informed population will get through the shutdown of Dragon (no matter what that shutdown looks like), no doubt with a lot of spirited discussions and disagreements and come out better on the other side. As a member of the Select Board I will welcome new ideas and ways of approaching difficult challenges. Every voice is valuable and needs to be heard and respected.

What are Thomaston’s greatest issues to address?

The surprise announcement by Dragon Products to close its Thomaston Plant is the greatest issue facing our town.

Dragon Products represents 22% of the Thomaston tax base. According to the 2020 Town of Thomaston Comprehensive Plan (Page 13-1), it owns 15% of the town’s land area. The closure  of its plant will affect every aspect of Thomaston. Dragon Cement’s manufacturing has been part of Thomaston for 100 years. I’m informed that the closure, in whatever form it takes, will take years to complete. The process has only just begun. 

We have received notice that the plant will be idled, and the kiln shut down by mid-November. We have not received Dragon’s detailed close-out plans so we don’t know what the company will decide to do with its property, particularly the open quarries, and the railway that crosses its property. We also don’t know what it will do with its equipment. And we don’t know how the closure will affect Thomaston’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. 

We do know that our town officials have a good relationship and communications channel with local Dragon Products company managers, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Bureau of Mines, state and federal representatives, the Midcoast Council of Governments, and the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. However, we do not have that same close relationship with Dragon’s corporate headquarters, which is making the decisions. 

I am completely impressed by the two Dragon Fact Sheets received from our Town Manager updating Thomaston residents on discussions, connections, and possibilities.

As the adage goes, “Behind every challenge lies opportunity.” I believe that applies to the closure of Dragon Products in Thomaston. While it jolted the Town to receive this news, it also shocked the whole region, the whole state. 

Rockland isn’t waiting for closeout plans to begin thinking about  what future they envision. It started planning how it could draw out opportunities that might be available to the city should Dragon decide to sell its 8.1 acres of Rockland waterfront property. Its Harbor Management Committee met on October 25 to begin brainstorming and pulling together ideas about how the city could take advantage of the closure.

It discussed what zoning needs to be in place for any number of projects including possibilities for public/private partnerships, and what it did or didn’t want to see happen there.

It is not waiting for Dragon Products corporate headquarters to communicate its final closure plans. Instead, Rockland is actively preparing for future opportunities. 

I believe that is what Thomaston needs to do. While our town government meets behind the scenes with local Dragon officials, and any number of local, state, and national entities involved with the Dragon closure, we need to be preparing for any decision that might come from Dragon’s parent company. Let’s not wait. They’ve already said they are ceasing manufacturing in the Thomaston plant. There is a lot of thinking to be done and options to be reviewed. We would be foolish not to view the closure of Dragon Products as the number one priority on every town committee’s agenda. Why? Because the closure affects every aspect of Thomaston. 

From my perspective, we need to put every effort we have into being prepared for whatever news arrives and be ready to seize the best opportunities we can to help our town transition towards a thriving future. 

Let’s begin by carefully reviewing our current Comprehensive Plan to determine how a potential sale of all or any portion of Dragon’s property will help us to reach the goals that our residents embraced when they approved the 2020 Plan. 

Let’s determine what types of businesses we would want, or not want, so that we can be ready to move if and when Dragon’s properties become available. That might mean amending zoning ordinances to attract those businesses. 

Let’s envision what businesses will need to employ our citizens, generate excitement, and attract new and younger families to our aging town. 

As a member of the Select Board, I will push for the Select Board to gather all committee chairs together to get the ball rolling on a series of visioning meetings. 

Lastly,  I will make sure every Select. Board meeting has the closure of Dragon at the top of the agenda. 

Appleton, Camden and Rockport have adopted the ballot-only method of holding town meetings by presenting voters at the polls with the municipal town meeting warrant, as opposed to holding traditional in-person town meetings with floor votes. Should Thomaston consider doing the same?

While traditional New England town meetings are enjoyed by many, the number of people attending the Thomaston Town Meeting has been shrinking by the year, sometimes leaving no more than 50 people to vote by a show of hands. That changed in 2023 when three highly contentious issues were on the warrant, resulting in over 300 adults jammed into a small elementary school auditorium leaving a long line of people outside the building, unable to enter the building to vote and make their voices heard. In fact, there were so many people our fire chief announced that the room was over-capacity. 

I, and others, had written to the Select Board weeks ahead of the meeting and requested that those contentious issues be pulled from the warrant and voted on by the ballot-only method. Some of us received a response and some didn’t.

Am I in favor of Thomaston considering a ballot-only town meeting? Darned right, I am.

There will be lots of contentious and complicated issues coming up with developing Thomaston Green Park, selling a prime piece of property to a tax-exempt nonprofit, and especially with the closure of Dragon Products.

Ballot-only voting gives a greater percentage of the population a better opportunity to weigh in on critical issues in the privacy of their home, as an absentee ballot voter, or in person in the voting booth. It gives ALL residents a voice. It makes people feel like they have more skin in the game; like they are helping to determine the future of our town. We don’t elect the Selectboard by show of hands. This is no different. Now is the time for Thomaston to consider the ballot-only option. As a Select Board member, I will champion that option.

What measures do you recommend for designating the Thomaston Green Park as a public open space with recreational use in perpetuity, as voters approved at the June 2023 Town Meeting?

I’m a member of the Thomaston Green Ad Hoc Committee, which was formed in August to create a vision for the future of Thomaston Green Park. The committee is comprised of over 20 hard working townspeople, who meet as a whole committee twice a month, and as subcommittees once a month.

There are lots of opinions and spirited discussions as we work together to create a vision/plan for the future of the Park.

In June 2023 the voters of Thomaston voted to create that park in perpetuity. There has been pushback from some aspects of the community, but that vote must be respected and codified.

The Thomaston Green Ad Hoc Committee is working, putting in tons of time, based on that premise. The plan is to present the result of our work to the Selectboard in March 2024. My understanding is that the Select Board will consider the Committee’s recommendations and take a plan to the voters in June 2024. As a Select Board member, I will fight for the Ad Hoc Committee’s vision/plan. 

These are very good questions. First, the designated 1.5 acres of the Green has not yet been sold to a nonprofit. The voters agreed to sell UP TO 1.5 acres of the Green, and it voted to do so without seeing a building or business plan from that entity. Also, I voted against the sale of that prime piece of property to a very small not-for-profit entity at the June town meeting. 

Last week, the Selectboard voted to sign a Purchase and Sale agreement. According to our Town Manager, “(t)he Select Board approved the P&S agreement because in order to pursue a site plan with an engineer/architect and present plans to the Planning Board, the Knox Clinic needed to have standing. This P&S serves this purpose. The size of the building and parking lot has not been determined, nor will it be until the full site plan process starts.”  

How will Thomaston taxpayers benefit from the terms of the contract? That is not clear to me. There will be no tax benefit to the town on that ultra prime piece of property. And this is a town government that needs tax revenue. How often have you heard some town officials say, “The town needs to expand its tax base!” 

As a result of several meetings held by that nonprofit entity prior to the vote, the take-away is mixed. For some attendees it was that the entity would provide much needed health care, and all they had to do was show up and be cared for. Some believed it would become an urgent care facility. Others loved the idea of having a restaurant on the rooftop overlooking the Park. Still others believed those people going to the facility will stop downtown to shop. And some loved the idea because the entity said it would provide public toilet facilities.

The P&S Agreement which appears to have been prepared by the Buyer, states, “the Buyer shall construct two uni-sex restrooms (Public Facilities), which shall be handicapped accessible, within the structure constructed on the Property”. The Public Facilities will be leased to the Town under terms outlined in Exhibit B of the P&S.

While the voters agreed to sell that nonprofit entity the land, which means no tax revenue will be received to support our town services, like the police and fire department. Thomaston will also be solely responsible for maintaining the building in which those Public Facilities are located together with the sprinkler system serving the facilities and grounds surrounding the building.

It will also be responsible for maintaining the interior spaces occupied by the Public Facilities together with the electrical and mechanical systems (other than the sprinkler system) and any walkways associated with the Public Facilities, plus maintain separate accounts for all utilities serving the Public Facilities, plus $1 per annum as base rent and its approportionate share (based on the area occupied by the public facilities) of the cost of property insurance. My question is, what is the give-back here?

Should the town request payment in lieu of taxes from the property owner? How would that be determined? 

As I said before, I did not vote for the sale of this property and have particular concerns about the P&S Agreement, especially regarding Section 8 – Right of First Refusal should the clinic decide to sell the property or merge with another entity. I think there are a lot of questions regarding this sale. I suggest that anyone who has questions about this transfer of prime property, visit the Thomaston Town Office and ask to review the P&S Agreement. You can also find the document on the town website under Selectboard Agenda Packet, 10/23/23. As a member of the Select Board, I will carefully watch over negotiations between the town and the non-profit entity slated to purchase the property.

Should Thomaston’s zoning ordinances support denser residential patterns and construction of accessory dwellings on smaller lots to encourage the construction of more housing stock?

I’m not sure the zoning ordinances should support denser residential patterns and construction of accessory dwellings on smaller lots. There is still undeveloped land within the 11 square miles of the town where more housing could be built. In addition, we still don’t know what Dragon Products plans to do with its hundreds of acres of undeveloped land. If it becomes available for sale, that could be helpful.

Thomaston is an historic town and, in the historic district especially, I believe the town should retain the historic basic layout of the property, much of which has been in existence since the time of Henry Knox. However, there needs to be serious discussions on all sides of the question before any decision is made. As a member of the Select Board I would encourage those discussions.

What role does the Comprehensive Plan have in guiding the Select Board’s policies, actions, and decisions?

The State mandates that municipalities update a current Comprehensive Plan every 10 years. That plan helps those municipalities to create an annual work plan, or a guideline as to what needs careful short- and long-term consideration by the town government for the municipality to thrive.

The Comprehensive Plan Committee, peopled by Thomaston citizens, worked hard to review the towns assets and liabilities, and have created a plan to help town government and citizens understand where the town currently stands, and identifies the opportunities and challenges that the town needs to focus on over the next 10 years.

Thomaston’s latest plan created in 2020 is such a document and was accepted by the voters. I am not sure how the Select Board annually reviews and uses that information to create an annual work plan for the town, or even if it creates an annual work plan. As a Select Board member, I will become more acquainted with that process and help to further focus the work of our town government.

What public projects do you feel are important to tackle over the next several years?

I’m all in on education. An educated electorate makes for a strong and thriving community. 

In the latest 2020 Comprehensive Plan document four excellent education initiatives were laid out, initiatives that I believe need serious consideration.

• Lobby for a change to the State’s school funding formula to add a third factor – median household income or equivalent measure – to the existing factors of student population and property valuation.
• Regularly analyze the need for pre-school education programs and how best to meet those needs through public, private, and community providers. Particular focus should be placed on the option of RSU13 offering Pre-K education in Thomaston.
• Start a Friends of Thomaston Schools group to support RSU 13 initiatives while ensuring that Thomaston tax dollars are used as effectively as possible.
• Monitor the extent to which the regionalization of our schools is a benefit to the town and its students and make recommendations to the Selectboard as appropriate.

 

Our 2024 tax assessment indicates that 54% of our property tax income is allocated to “School”.  Check your tax bill to see how much of your hard-earned money supports three areas: County, School, Municipal.

To help our citizens better understand why those tax dollars dwarf the support of our municipal wants and needs, as a Select Board member, I would advocate for a quarterly presentation by the Thomaston RSU13 representatives explaining to our Select Board and the general public the need for and allocation of those funds and how we, as a town, can best serve the children of our community. Are our students testing up to state, regional and national standards? If not why, and how can our annual support help them achieve.  

Knox County is attempting to rebuild its 911 call center following a personnel collapse, a situation that puts the spotlight on county government, its taxes on municipalities, and its budget. What will you do to be more aware of county services and Thomaston’s share in paying for those services?

I’m not clear as to why there was a personnel collapse. Was there nothing in the budget to compensate the 911 call center employees? Thomaston has representation on the county budget committee.

I believe it is important for that representative to appear quarterly before the Select Board to bring it and the townspeople up to date on what is happening at the County level, the issues they are facing, and budget constraints, and the county form of government. My latest tax bill indicates that 6.1% of what I pay in property taxes goes to the County.

And it was also announced in last week’s newspaper that each town will receive a 21% increase in the new county budget! For what??? Our budget representative will be able to inform the town of the necessity for that increase and inform us about how that money will be spent, and what the County faces in the coming months and years. As a Select Board member I will welcome that discussion.

How do you see Thomaston fitting into the greater regional economy  culture, and how would you like to develop that?

Thomaston has so much to offer. We, like many other towns in Maine, are an historic town, with our most prominent citizen being Henry Knox, our country’s first Secretary of War, an advisor to General George Washington, the man who was key to our country’s victory in the Revolutionary War. To showcase that history, we are fortunate to be home to The Knox Museum, the only museum in the country dedicated to the life and times of Lucy and Henry Knox.

We also have the Thomaston Historical Society located in one of the remaining buildings of the original Knox homestead, Montpelier. We also have incredible natural resource assets that bring people from far and near: a working waterfront, viewsheds, the river, forest walking and Nordic ski trails, and bike paths. And the frosting on the cake is that we have identified open space that we voted to preserve. How many Maine towns can claim that. As a member of the Selectboard I will foster connections throughout the area to create working partnerships with other towns, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations to expand, protect and promote our town’s assets.

What is the importance of local government, and how do you see yourself, as a Select Board member, in it?

Local government is the government that affects our lives directly on a daily basis. It is touchable. You can actually walk or drive to the town office and meet with those who are directly involved in how our town runs. We, as citizens, have opportunities to voice our opinions and have a good chance of being heard.

We can join meetings with any number of people who we often don’t even know, to express disparate opinions, and we can agree or disagree. We annually vote on how our property taxes are spent or our children are educated. It is grassroots. It is basic. I like it because it is home. Just like in families where we sometimes argue and disagree on some things, but we still manage to find ways to make things work. It is often messy. And nothing is absolutely perfect. That is local government. 

As a select Board member I will enjoy hearing different opinions, spirited discussions, and the process of coming to consensus and sharing the load. 

Where are your favorite places to spend time in Thomaston?

I have always loved walking my dogs on the town/Georges River Land Trust trails throughout Thomaston’s woods. I’ve especially loved the forest trail from behind the Thomaston Grammar School down into the bog and along the path to Beechwood. It’s always relaxing to sit at the town landing and watch the waterfront comings and goings.

And now I spend at least an hour or more every day at Thomaston Green Park, walking the perimeter with my dog or meeting and talking with people who are just discovering the park.

Anything else you’d like to say to the voters that we haven’t considered?

I think voters will know who I am and where I stand on issues through the answers I have given to all the above questions.