As of Monday night’s selectmen’s meeting, Westport Island’s town office was closed due to a staff member’s treatment for COVID-19, officials said. Plans called for the town office to get a deep cleaning Tuesday, Nov. 30; and officials planned to put a sign on the door and information online about online services and apologizing for any inconvenience.

The matter led the town to hold Monday’s meeting on Zoom. The board plans to take up a remote meetings policy Dec. 6. After hearing Town Clerk Julie Casson detail what it would need, including letting the public attend remotely if board members do, and requiring members to meet in-person if practicable, First Selectman George Richardson Jr. said: “Well, that sounds to me like it isn’t particularly complicated enough.” He thanked Casson for her work. 

Selectman Jeff Tarbox called it a good foundation. Adoption would take a notice and public hearing, officials said.

The pandemic is also why town volunteers and staff will get thank you greeting cards this year and not a party, Tarbox said.

In other action, Deputy Emergency Management Agency Director Gaye Wagner said Summit Geoegineering Services of Rockland and Lewiston bored down 12 to 14 feet into the soil Monday at David and Andrew Bradford’s property on the island’s south end as part of the town’s look into possibly putting a cistern there for firefighting. Wagner said results were a week or two away, but no one expected to be able to bore down that far, so “initially it looks really good.” 

That end of the island has “the least timely access to fresh water and, ironically, the most brush fires in recent times,” Wagner added via email later. The Bradfords were receptive to use of their land, so the town tapped its Assistance With Specific Know-How (ASK) grant to test there, she said.

Wagner said the town is still interested in the former town dump on Main Road as another possible cistern site or other re-use. The town awaits an evaluation of that site via Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission’s Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Assessment grant program, she said. Past fire chief Bob Mooney has been looking into possible sites. Grants would be sought for any cisterns, he has said. 

Friends of Westport Island History has new note cards for sale, Wagner said. A set of eight is $10; singles, $1.50. One set features Mark Mulhall’s paintings of the old Brooks house and Rock Hill Inn and fellow Westport Island artist Tony Junker’s paintings of a Greek Revival image and Sheepscot River sea smoke; another set, a horse-drawn sleigh, logging and other winter photographs from about 1908 to 1966. For more information, email the nonprofit at FOWIH19@gmail.com