Tonight might be a good night to go to the Town Council meeting in person. Lex Alexander has 
petitioned the town to allow food trucks, specifically in the dead zone between where Alexander’s 3 Cups now sits and Whole Foods, the chain that bought Wellspring from him. Ginn & Co. bought the vacant property a few months ago and will spruce it up while weighing options on the best use of the property.
Alexander knows how to sell, and I wouldn’t put it past him to literally grease a few palms by having some of the potential food truck owners bring samples of their fare to the meeting tonight.
The town has no regulations one way or the other concerning food trucks. State regulations require a food truck to be affiliated with a permitted brick-and-mortar restaurant for daily cleaning and servicing and for solid waste disposal. Citizens are encouraged to air their thoughts at tonight’s meeting. The few comments that have come in so far are in favor of food trucks, though one citizen cautioned that they need to meet sanitation levels so as not to inadvertently be the source of food poisoning.
We don’t know that treats will be proffered at the meeting tonight. But we thought we’d start the rumor. Maybe it will lure council member Donna Bell back to meetings.
– Nancy Oates
Fred Black
/ February 28, 2011Nancy, is your flippant “Maybe it will lure council member Donna Bell back to meetings” necessary? Do you know why she missed meetings? Are there reasons that might be valid? I guess the mayor being on bed rest from an accident that injured his ankle didn’t qualify, so what does?
Nancy Oates
/ February 28, 2011Fred — As the mayor or mayor pro tem chooses not to say why a council member misses a meeting, I have no way of knowing whether the reason is for a good cause or not. A simple “so-and-so is away on business,” or “is ill,” or “has a prior commitment” would be sufficient. I recall the mayor mentioned when Matt Czajkowski was on vacation and again when he was in Haiti doing volunteer work. So when he doesn’t mention a member’s absence, it makes me think he doesn’t know, that perhaps the council member just didn’t show up.
Fred Black
/ February 28, 2011It’s sad that the default setting then is something negative.
John Kramer
/ February 28, 2011Nancy, I thought your comment about her was funny. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Terri Buckner
/ February 28, 2011I agree with Fred. There’s no points earned for poking at elected officials until they really deserve it.
OWASA board members are required to notify the chair when missing a meeting. After 3 unexcused absences, they can be removed. Interestingly, there is nothing in the municipal code for excused or unexcused attendance by council members. So I went to the meeting minutes to see if the clerk’s office notes when members are excused (and why) or unexcused. Apparently, the town is not posting text versions of meeting minutes any longer. I called the clerks office to confirm, and they weren’t able to find the text version either. Since the town is required to send written minutes (and agendas) to the state archives, the text version does exist, but is not available from the town’s website.
John Kramer
/ February 28, 2011Geez, all she did was make a joke about luring her back with food. Why don’t you all go out and buy a sense of humor?