Naples selectmen news briefs

By Dawn De Busk
Staff Writer
Firefighters finish burn trainings
On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, area firefighters were thankful for the opportunity to have a series of burn trainings, using the building on a lot that was recently purchased by the Town of Naples.
According to Naples Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak, the region’s fire departments were able to get eight different burn trainings completed inside the building before it was demolished.
The lot, which is located east of the Naples Fire Station, was purchased from the Begin family after the real estate deal was approved at a Special Town Meeting.
The next step is to clear the lot and figure out if any of the lumber can be sold, Paraschak said.
We can “see if there’s any money in the trees — it’s all old growth,” he said.
He said a few other pieces of town property — the area behind the fire station and two lots off Pearly Mills Road — could yield some lumber from tree-cutting.
“Behind the fire station is quite a bit of land that can be selectively harvested,” he said.
The Naples Board of Selectmen gave Paraschak the okay to get the advice of a forester to move forward with those revenue-generating projects.
Funds for fire station upgrades
Also, on Monday, the board unanimously approved the release of half the money saved in the Naples Fire & Rescue Department’s Capital Reserve Building Account.
The fire department is poised to get a jump on three projects: Putting new flooring in the meeting room; a complete overhaul of the kitchen; and replacing the exterior doors.
All of the seals are rotted out on the doors, which are exposed to the elements, Paraschak said.
Also, the kitchen, which was built 30 years ago, is beginning to show its age.
After the vote, Selectman Robert Caron II said, “The money is there. They haven’t used it for years. Let them use it. They work there. They sleep there.”
Residents delight in decorations
The Naples Town Manager gave a shout out to town staff and the fire department personnel for volunteering their time to put up Christmas decorations on the Causeway, town hall and the fire station.
In late November, several people helped to coil blue LED lights around the railing of the Bay of Naples Bridge.
Those same blue lights were strung on the branches of the deciduous trees on the Causeway. The colored bulbs were reserved for one slender evergreen located near Brandy Pond.
One Naples resident, Doug Bogdan, publicly provided kudos to the folks that volunteered their time to transform the Causeway for Christmas.
The result is beautiful, he said.
On Saturday, Dec. 13, the Town of Naples will have its official tree-lighting ceremony at the Village Green. The family-oriented event starts at 4 p.m., in the Singer Center. The tree-lighting is slated for 6 p.m., after Mr. and Mrs. Claus arrive via fire truck.
People can pay taxes online
In an effort to give busy residents another option for paying taxes, the Town of Naples website is now set up to take credit card payments.
“The credit card payments are now active. There is a straight fee of 2.5% or $1, whichever is more,” Town Manager Paraschak said.
He added that the fee goes to the company that provides the credit card payment service.
“The town doesn’t get it,” he said.
Paraschak did a test run of the program using his credit card this week, he said.
“The small town that I worked for — the people were able to pay a $5,000 tax bill with a credit card,” he said.
“We can take any credit card now. So, it’ll be more uniform,” he said.
Selectman Rick Paraschak said he thought this service will be convenient for property owners.