Wiscasset Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Thompson has submitted her letter of resignation, dated Sept. 30, which was announced at Tuesday’s selectmen’s meeting. According to the letter, her last working day will be Saturday, Oct. 19.

In the letter, she thanked Town Manager John O’Connell, selectmen, the department’s staff, and the Wiscasset community. O’Connell said Thompson has accepted a job in North Yarmouth, closer to her home. Thompson had been under fire for her department’s finances, which had shown disappointing revenues the past few years. She recently presented a Power Point which showed how she thought the gap could be closed. She said the town’s demographics were changing from younger people and families with children to older adults, and the best way to help the department respond was to add trips for adults and seniors and more activities at the center for seniors, decreasing some programming for children.

Historic Preservation Commission Chair Susan Blagden asked selectmen to approve a list of advisors who could help. The commission recently lost its newest member, Phil DiVece, leaving them with a quorum of three. Blagden said the commission is meeting twice monthly during construction season, and she is advising people seeking a certificate of appropriateness to come and speak to the commission before they fill out their forms. According to the ordinance, a minimum of three votes are needed to pass a COA, something Blagden did not know when several COAs were approved with only two votes during the summer. Chair Judy Colby had had an email conversation with Maine Municipal Association on the issue and, according to Blagden, those emails began on Sept. 3 but were only forwarded to her Monday.

Blagden said according to the ordinance, selectmen were to appoint people to the commission within 60 days, but that has not happened. “This is an urgent priority. Our historic preservation ordinance is flawed. It is hard to understand, and we are working to develop simpler language. But we need more people on the commission.”

The list of professionals Blagden provided to be an advisory board consisted of architects, consultants, restoration professionals and property inspectors. Colby,  said that, rather than the advisors, she strongly recommended the commission seek a full complement of members first. Blagden said the commission had been asking people to volunteer but that the responsibility was the select board’s; Colby said the town had advertised for members.

Selectman Katharine Martin-Savage said the HPC needed to be a little more user friendly, and more polite. “There is no reason for rudeness,” she said. Blagden challenged her to provide a situation in the last four months, since Blagden had become chair, when an applicant hadn’t been treated politely.

Colby brought up the recent HPC meeting at which Sherri Dunbar sought a COA for a vinyl fence on Federal Street. “I was very upset by the way she was treated. Yes, the ordinance is flawed, very flawed. You should be looking at every single house to determine whether it is a historic structure.” She said the house on Federal was built in 1986, and was not historic.

Dunbar said the last time she went before the commission for a COA, she felt like she was being talked down to. Michelle Wentworth said the commission was unprofessional and she hoped selectmen would shut it down.

Blagden said she was polite to everyone, and had been villified and rudely treated by some of the COA applicants. “It’s a lot of fun to tear things down, makes you feel big,” she said. “It’s a lot harder to build up something.” Commission member Pam Logan said the ordinance grants the commission the right to have a board of advisors, and they had provided one to selectmen.

Selectman Kim Andersson proposed a moratorium until the town meeting, letting the code enforcement officer or planning board issue COAs for now.

Then, Judy Flanagan announced she would be circulating a petition to abolish the preservation ordinance. Some in the audience broke into applause.

“We’re getting too far afield,” Colby said. “This is about an advisory board.” Martin-Savage moved to approve the list of advisors; Selectman Ben Rines said since, no matter what, the town would have to live with the ordinance until June, the commission should get its advisors. The final vote was 3-2, with Rines and Martin-Savage voting to approve, and Colby, Andersson and Jeff Slack voting against.

The commission meets next at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Selectmen appointed Flanagan to the budget committee; approved a special amusement permit for Vanessa and Richard Jordan for Wiscasset Speedway; granted a business license to Heather Pitcher, DBA Antique Salon, at Bath Road and Birch Point; Maine Yankee’s assessment, including property tax and impact fees, totaled $782,947; and O’Connell announced the fuel contract was $2.213 per gallon for fuel oil and $2.281 for diesel.