South Thomaston — Christine Curtis has captured the school board seat vacated by Eric Schenk when he resigned two months ago.

At a special town meeting Aug. 21, residents voted 18-0 to elect Curtis, 49, to complete the term on the Regional School Unit 13 board until March 2014.

Roger Young, who was elected moderator at the beginning of the meeting, oversaw the counting of the written votes by secret ballot.

Following the election, Town Clerk Barbara J. Black gave Curtis the oath of office.

In other business, the selectmen turned to a letter from Maine Municipal Association Legal Services offering advice on the use of the town landing.

"We do not need to have a harbormaster," said Black, commenting on the letter.

Selectmen had discussed the care of the landing at their July 31 meeting and suggested writing to MMA for advice. Board Chairman Jeffrey Northgraves at that time said he thought the town would need a harbormaster to enforce policy at the landing. South Thomaston is one of the few towns on the Maine Coast without a harbormaster, he had observed.

One resident came to that meeting to object to the lack of regulation at the landing, including the length of time that boat owners were allowed to ignore the two-hour limit at the dock.

Northgraves did not attend the Aug. 22 meeting. Selectmen Robert Branco and Patrick "Mike" Florance agreed with the MMA that the town's public landing policy "has no teeth," and that what was needed was an ordinance for enforcement at the landing.

The discussion will continue.

In a related matter, Code Officer Larry Terrio reported that conditions at Pleasant Beach "seemed to be getting worse" and someone had left a five-gallon can of waste motor oil on the beach, as well as litter.

Several residents praised the Maine Department of Transportation for the recent repaving of Route 73 through town, including the bridge over the Weskeag River.

Florance said that project had been in the state's plan for a while.

Selectmen also responded to a letter from Neil Courtney, a consultant who has been hired to do an evaluation of the town's emergency medical services.

Board members voted 2-0 to make a request for proposal to purchase through Courtney emergency medical services from the city of Rockland and the town of Thomaston.

Courier Publications reporter George Chappell can be reached at 207-594-4011, ext. 117, or at gchappell@courierpublicationsllc.com.