By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — The interim town manager reported for duty this week.

Municipal Consultant Don Gerrish will be covering the duties and roles of the town manager until the Casco Board of Selectmen finds an appropriate candidate for the position, which was just re-advertised this week.

This summer, the board hired Gerrish, of Eaton Peabody, to help the them to hire a town manager. As part of the contract agreement, Gerrish would serve as interim town manager until the position is filled. 

This Monday kicked off Gerrish’s first week at the Casco Town Office.

Tuesday was Gerrish’s first time participating in a selectmen’s meeting as the interim town manager. Gerrish provided the board with the Manager’s Report, which was listed on the agenda.

First, he thanked the selectmen and said that he was looking forward to working with the board as well as getting to know the people in the community of Casco.

“Yesterday was my first day. And, I came back for a second day,” he said jokingly.

That’s a good thing, he said.

He will be “helping the board for the next two to three months,” he said.

His schedule will be three days a week: All day Monday and Tuesday and part of Wednesday. Although he said that might be somewhat flexible.

“No matter what, I’ll be here three days a week,” he said.

At one point during the meeting, he mentioned that one of the tasks he plans to do is: to provide the selectmen with a monthly financial report.

“Starting in October, I will do a financial report so you have an idea of every account and where we are,” Gerrish said.

During the manager’s report, Gerrish addressed Election Day logistics and how the town will be able to meet the state’s requirements.

On Monday, town staff met about the on-going preparations for Election Day, Gerrish said. They looked at the space at the Casco Community Center and also at the Central Casco Fire Station.

“We looked at the fire station” as a venue, he said. But, that space proved problematic, he said.

It is more likely that the community center will provide the better set-up for the Presidential Election in November.

There was a concern about people coming and going without having adequate space to pass one another if voting was held at the community center.

“We will have one way in and way out” so that people won’t have to cross paths with one another, Gerrish said.

Besides marking the floors to guide people of where to go next, the town will provide an awning to wait outdoors without being subject to the elements.

“The most you can have, even with people working, is 50 [people] at one time” in the building, Gerrish said.

He anticipated that there would be 15 people on staff for the election so only 35 people at a time can come into the building to vote.

Gerrish said the town would need something similar to a tent without walls for the overflow crowd during the election.

A “fly” is one term for a tent without walls. Another term is canopy

Toward the end of the meeting, board member Holly Hancock suggested the town use a canopy owned by Casco Days.

Also, on Tuesday, Gerrish addressed absentee voting.

“State law allows towns to start counting absentee ballots earlier than in past. I’m talking about that with the clerk,” Gerrish said. “We have to let the state know when we are going to count.”