KINGFIELD — The Village Enhancement Committee [VEC], established in 2011 by Cynthia Orcutt through the Village Enhancement Plan, met with the Select Board on May 20 to discuss its responsibilities. These guidelines, set by the Select Board in 2016, include member appointments, minutes, and term lengths.

While the committee’s authority remains advisory, its role is to guide the expenditure of TIF [Tax Increment Financing] funds earmarked for village enhancements.

“The Select Board has the ultimate authority as to who gets placed on these committees,” said Town Manager Leanna Targett. She emphasized that although the VEC can suggest candidates, final appointments are made by the board after reviewing volunteer interest forms. “We had created a policy a couple of years ago. If you are interested, fill out this committee request form, and we will review you. If you are a fit, we will appoint you to the committee,” Targett said.

Targett addressed recent issues surrounding communication and protocol within the VEC. “As you know, you all got an email from me talking about rights and responsibilities, to sort of ‘reign’ them [VEC] in,” she said. “A lot of stuff happened all at once.” Referencing an instance where the committee demanded the use of a particular contractor, Targett said, “Mark’s great and all, but that is just not professional.”

Targett highlighted a communication gap that surfaced during a meeting between VEC members and a Maine Department of Transportation [DOT] representative. “I was a little sidelined by that,” said Targett. She said she got phone calls from some of the selectmen asking what was going on and she wasn’t able to answer them. Targett said an open line of communication is needed to avoid this in the future.

“It should be an employee speaking to the DOT,” Selectman Chair Wade Browne said. “To all of a sudden see it in the papers, we had no idea that was even being done. We are, fortunately or unfortunately, the ones in charge of all of those aspects. We need to know, and most of the time we do know.”

Susan Davis, a VEC member, read from a book prepared by Targett outlining the committee’s advisory role and its purpose in guiding the expenditure of TIF funds for village enhancements. “We have a list we have been working on,” Davis said. “We have accomplished a lot of them: sidewalks, traffic cones, speed control, outdoor event space, and more.” VEC members noted some of the information they were given regarding their responsibilities.

Davis expressed frustration over communication barriers. “We need to deliver our advice and plans to the municipal officers via the town manager, Targett,” Davis said. “She is hard to reach. Her door is always closed. My last attempt to email with her took three weeks. Emails and text messages are not answered. So that is what we are faced with.” During the meeting, Targett suggested planning a meeting with the VEC to review the responsibilities and duties.

Browne acknowledged the efforts of the VEC but urged members to improve communication. “I appreciate every one of you putting time and effort into doing these things,” he said. “All I am asking is if you are going to do something, let us know. Most of you come to selectmen meetings; you will see her here with us.” Browne said you can’t expect Targett to drop everything she is doing to answer emails every 30 minutes.

Davis responded, “Three weeks to get a response back, isn’t that a little long?” Browne agreed, noting that the busy budget season in April might have contributed to the delay.

“You aren’t the only pebble on the beach,” Browne added. “I am sorry, there are a lot of things going on in this town.”

VEC member Claudia Diller shared her experience meeting with a DOT representative to discuss traffic calming measures on Route 27. “I decided this was way over my head,” Diller said. “So I needed a professional to talk to. I was fortunate enough to talk with a licensed architect who works for the DOT. We walked down Route 27, and he suggested some things I wouldn’t have thought of. It took us four hours,” she said, emphasizing that it was an opportunity to gain free professional insight for the town.

“It was in this plan to do this project,” explained Diller. “I thought we were just following up what had already been started. I was not trying to overstep my bounds.”

“You probably think that you would never do that, but you did,” Browne said. “That is a town involved process, the town leaders need to know about that. I appreciate you taking four hours to do that.” He said the board should know about it before Facebook. Browne stressed the need for prior notification.

Selectmen Kimberly Jordan suggested that sending an email informing Targett of the meeting would suffice. “You don’t even need a response,” Jordan said.

“Emails are forwarded to Select Board members, so they would be in the know,” Targett said. “Having the VEC chair present quarterly updates to the Select Board would also help.”

Targett suggested reestablishing quarterly meetings between the VEC and the Select Board to discuss progress and address any concerns. “It worked well in the past when every three months or so, the VEC chair would sit down with us and discuss what they are working on,” she said.

Browne agreed, emphasizing the importance of clear communication and coordination. “We haven’t prevented research,” Browne said. “I am grateful, not ungrateful one bit. I am stressing that we should know about it, not find out through social media. Just give us a heads up.”

The annual town meeting will be held at 9 a.m. June 1 at the Kingfield Elementary School.