YORK, Maine — Board of Selectmen Chairman Todd Frederick called the meeting to order on Monday night, noting that this was the 41st remote meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
One of the items for discussion on the board’s agenda was establishing protocols to be followed if and when the board returns to in-person meetings.
Town Manager Steve Burns clarified that, before considering protocols, another question needs to be answered: “Do you want to return to in-person meetings?”
Frederick and other board members were clear in their desire to return to in-person meetings.
Burns said the York Public Library's community room, where the town meetings were typically held before the pandemic, is not adequate to accommodate the board, staff and members of the public. If there is a controversial issue, the library's community room is simply not big enough to accommodate a large public audience, he said, given social distancing requirements.