Absentee ballots are available to pick up starting May 10th through June 8th at noon. They will be accepted up until the polls close on June 11th (8pm).
To request a ballot come into the Town Office during normal business hours or contact the Town Clerk, Louise Lester, at 655-4742 x 121.

For Raymond Residents or Property Owners
May 2013
The Raymond Community Forest Proposal was presented to the Raymond Board of Selectmen on August 14, 2012. The presentation and handout detailed the 347 +/- acres of forestland in North Raymond located on Conesca Road owned by Hancock Land Company (HLC) that includes level to gently sloping land between the road and Crescent Lake, and Pismire Mountain on the north side of the road (see attached Map). The presentation described the Raymond Conservation Commission’s (RCC) interest in the property since 2007 and recent communications with Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT) and HLC to advance a potential community forest project. (Click for larger image)
The Selectmen asked for more information, mainly on the strategy (how to secure the land), project budget, ownership and potential income sources that the property may provide in the long term. Since then the RCC and LELT have met on several occasions to advance these issues, including an estimate of sustainable timber harvest revenue, to have a definite proposal to the Selectmen.
LELT and the RCC are to meet with the Selectmen on May 14, 2013 to discuss the details of the proposal. This survey has been prepared to get a preliminary reading from the community on the interest in this project. Please complete the following survey to the best of your ability. The results will be shared with the Selectmen and will help all parties decide if this is a viable project for the town.
Take survey HERE
Thanks for your input – it is important for the town and community !
Raymond Conservation Commission
For more information contact:
John Rand, RCC Chair
There will be no Planning Board meeting held in May due to a lack of applications.
Under legislation passed in 2008, as of Jan. 1, 2013, a person certified by the DEP in erosion control best practices must be on-site of any activity that disturbs more than one cubic yard of soil –including earth moving, logging or landscaping operations– in the shoreland zone until work is complete and the site stabilized. The shoreland zone is an area defined as within 250 feet of rivers, wetlands, lakes and the ocean and 100 feet of certain streams.
For companies with several sites being operated simultaneously, this means multiple employees –one for each job site– needs to be certified.
Certification is obtained by attending a daylong course offered by DEP and having a construction site evaluation by staff from one of Maine’s non-regulatory soil and water conservation districts. Recertification must be obtained every three years, and can be done by attending a continuing education course or through a DVD training and recertification quiz.
To ensure contractors who want to can continue to work after the deadline, the department has scheduled more than a dozen courses across the state from Frenchville to Kittery between January and May, with another stacked schedule for the fall currently being planned.
Helpful Links:
2011 MAINE RESIDENTS PROPERTY TAX AND RENT REFUND PROGRAM
“Circuit Breaker Program”
DEADLINE MAY 31, 2013
The Maine Residents Property Tax and Rent Refund Program’s deadline is May 31, 2013. This state program refunds part of your property tax or rent if you qualify. Qualifications are:
GENERAL PROGRAM:
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You do not have a spouse or dependent(s) and your 2011 household income was $64,950 or less; or
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You have a spouse or dependent(s) and your 2011 household income was $86,600 or less and
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Your 2011 property tax was more than 4% of your 2011 household income; or,
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The rent you paid on 2011 was more than 20% of your 2011 household income.
SENIOR PROGRAM:
Senior program refunds are available to applicants who were at least 62 in 2011 (55 or over if disabled). In addition, for persons living alone, the household income for 2011 cannot be more than $14,700; for a single person living with a dependent, or a married person who lived with a spouse, the 2011 household income cannot be more than $18,200.
Central Maine Power, a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, will perform tree trimming work in 16 communities in Southern Maine over the coming weeks. The work along utility lines is part of a $25 million annual vegetation management program to improve the reliability of its transmission and distribution lines.
“We maintain nearly 24,000 miles of roadside distribution lines on a five-year cycle of vegetation clearing, inspection, and repair,” said CMP spokesman John Carroll. “Contact with trees is the most frequent cause of blinking clocks and power outages, so customers should see better reliability as the crews trim along the roadsides in their towns.”
CMP’s arborists and contractors will be working in Acton, Berwick, Bridgton, Casco, Eliot, Harrison, Kittery, Kennebunkport, Lebanon, Long Island, Naples, Portland, Raymond, Shapleigh, South Portland, and York.
Motorists are urged to use caution when they encounter tree crews working alongside Maine roads.
“These crews play a key role in helping CMP provide the safe, reliable service that customers depend on,” said Carroll. “The work can be difficult, so we urge motorists who pass these crews to proceed slowly and at a safe distance.”
CMP contracts with professional arborists who are required to follow practices established by the International Society of Arboriculture. These include consideration for the health, shape, strength, growth rate, and appearance of trees before and after pruning. CMP notifies customers about its vegetation management activities every year with inserts in its bills. Customers can sign up to receive a notice when tree trimming is happening in their area. For more information, call CMP’s vegetation management department at 1-800-972-8600.
Additional information about CMP’s tree care program, along with tips for tree planting and care can be found on CMP’s Web site at http//www.cmpco.com – click on “Usage and Safety,” then “Tree Care.”

At the February 12, 2013 Board of Selectmen meeting, the Board saw presentations regarding a potential resolution to address the possible reversal of the Portland Pipeline and proactive response to oil spills.
Information made available by the Conservation Commission can be viewed HERE.
Information made available by the Healthy Waters Coaliltion can be viewed HERE and proposed resolution.
Information made available by the Portland Pipeline Corporation can be viewed HERE
Here is a list of suggested links:
- Association of Oil Pipelines
- American Petroleum Institute
- Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA)
- Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
- Dig Safe
- Environment Maine
- National Academy of Sciences: Study of Pipeline Transportation of Diluted Bitumen
- Pipeline 101 Information
- Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- Portland Pipeline Corporation
Some Local Media Reports
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Balentine, J. "Pipeline Debate Comes to Maine."
American Journal 19 Feb 2012, Website. -
Turkel, T. "Maine pipeline has a good safety record."
The Portland Press Herald 17 June 2012 Website. -
Balentine, J. "Pipeline debate prompts Raymond Beach protest."
Lakes Region Weekly 26 July 2012 Website. - CBC News (Feb. 15, 2013): Canadian diplomats continue oilsands defence in Maine
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Bridgers, L. "Tar sands oil fight moves to Maine Towns."
The Portland Press Herald 17 Feb 2013, Website.


If you have questions or comments regarding solid waste management and recycling in the Town of Raymond, or if you would like to join the Recycling Committee, please call the Town Office at (207) 655-4742 or fill out the Volunteer Application.
Notice
As of July 1, 2011 a new schedule of waste and recycling pickup is in effect. This map indicates the pickup days for each area: Trash & Recyling Pickup Route Schedule and Policy.
Information from 2/16/2010 Selectmen's Meeting on Changes to Trash Pick-up, including road standards and considerations here.
STYROFOAM AND PLASTIC WRAP CAN’T BE RECYCLED (April, 2012)
Pine Tree Waste has asked the Town Office to remind residents that Styrofoam of any kind and Seran type plastic wrap cannot be recycled. Please treat large pieces of Styrofoam as bulky waste and take them to a recycling/transfer station. Small pieces [Styrofoam peanuts] in small amounts and plastic wrap can be put in your trash.






