The Rockland Report February 28, 2014

OFFICE OF THE MUNICIPAL FISH PIER DIRECTOR
 One permit was issued this week for Lot Storage.
 Submitted metered users electric bills to the Finance Department.
 Current Lobster price remains at $6.25 a pound.

OFFICE OF THE RECREATION DIRECTOR
 Coastal Copper has been in this week looking at the roof drains and they feel
they have identified the problem and come up with a solution. I am waiting to
receive the written report.
 I have spoken with Casco Bay Engineering and we are working on the
remediation of the water damaged areas as well as the plan for the parking lot.
 The art program here at the Recreation building is creating paintings to brighten
up the game room. The kids are working hard and the paintings are looking good.
 We were able to get the counter top finished this week and that is another step
closer to having this room done.
 The Parks Commission meeting for Thursday was canceled.

OFFICE OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
 Met with owners of existing business to continue to advise and assist on their
application to the Regional Micro Loan program for their expansion.
 Met with owner of existing business to consider their eligibility for CDBG Micro Enterprise Grant program. Followed up with DECD to confirm initial eligibility.
 Prepared and met with REDAC including review of previous economic
development reports.
 Continued to collect information and prepare draft budgets for potential CDBG
Downtown Grant. Prepared and held public information meeting for the same.
 Met with property owners along Thorndike Block and other City Staff to continue to gather input for final project designs, followed up with A/E firm on same and discussed follow up meeting with property owners and tenants.
 Drafted request for funding to support Community & Arts Development Strategy.
 Held meeting for Harbor Park Redesign Committee to discuss plans and funding options for Amphitheater.
 Assisted Harbor Master in review of proposals for engineering at Snow Marine Park boat ramp.
 Followed up housing need for citizen and use of City SPOT Rehab funds.
 Met with consultant/agency to consider preliminary estimates on costs for revising or updating City web site.
 Met with new business interest to discuss financing and sites in City. City
 Continued technical revisions to Downtown TIF District Amendment as per DECD requirements.

OFFICE OF THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR
 We’ve been exceptionally busy this week, in terms of activity, and attendance.
 Participants in Catinka Knoth’s Adult Drawing class drew Mardi Gras masks this week, and the Children’s class focused on American presidents.
 A new series in the ongoing The Arts...for Kids & their Families at the Rockland Public Library began this week, with Jess Day’s Movements, Arts and Literacy.
 Jean Young featured the last of the snowmen for Wednesday Storytime; crafts
involved cotton and glue, and Jean read the attendees three of the newest
books on snowmen. Jean also declares there will be no more snow this year; we’ll see if she’s right.
 Students from the Midcoast Christian Academy visited for a yearly tour of the
Library; they had lots of questions for staff, and updated Library cards.
 The Arts...for Kids & their Families at the Rockland Public Library also continued, with the Introduction to Musicality (Djembe drums), and two programs on Saturday: Fun Furniture with Susan Beebe was held on Saturday morning, and
Erika Pfander presented the film Robin Hood, in the afternoon.
 Patty King made the Thursday trip out to North Haven this week.
 The Thursday evening Arts & Cultural Event was Erika Pfander’s presentation of the Cary Grant-Deborah Kerr classic, An Affair to Remember.
 Upcoming events of note—an author/travel talk from Carolyn Locke on Japan;
and, The Soul of a People, a documentary on the Federal Writers Project of the
WPA, during the Great Depression.
 Did you know?—according to research by the Pew Research Center, 95% of
Americans ages 16 and older agree that the materials and resources available at
public libraries play an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed.

OFFICE OF THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY DIRECTOR
 Installed a temporary backup pump at Region 8 pump station while we wait for
the new control panel to arrive.
 Repaired the control panel at the Industrial Park pump station.
 Repaired the skimmer arm on No. 1 Primary Clarifier.
 Responded to a sewer backup at 51 Granite Street. Found it was a homeowner
problem. We worked with Interstate Septic to clear the homeowners lateral.
 Completed a Dig Safe check for Maine Water on Lyle Street.
 Repaired the vacuum truck tank due to rust. Rockport Steel welded a steel plate
over the affected area.

OFFICE OF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
 John and David attended the Comprehensive Planning Commission Meeting on
2/20/14.

 Following their presentations at two pre-application meetings, CMCA has
submitted a Site Plan Review Application that will be reviewed by the Planning
Board at the March 18, 2014 meeting.
 License inspection was done with the Fire Department at The Chowder House and Speak Easy Lounge.
 There were two complaints filed this week.
 The following permits were received by the Code Office this week:
o 1 Building permit
o 2 Electrical permits
o 3 Plumbing permits

OFFICE OF THE CITY ASSESSOR
 Processing Real Estate Transfers, updating parcel cards, sales book,
property splits.
 Processing Personal Property accounts, updating ownership, owned items,
depreciation, State BETR’S 801 returns, BETE exemptions.
 Processing building permits, reviewing, updating property cards and
assessments.
 Analyzing qualified sales of all properties and neighborhoods for a fair and
equitable assessment.
 Completing State forms and returning for processing.
 Listening and reviewing properties at the owner’s request.
 Updating Tax Maps and posting to the web site.

OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
 Receptacle, building, and roadside trash pickup for two days.
 Cold patching potholes on City streets daily with one to two crews primarily
including Old County Road, North Main Street, Thomaston Street, Waldo Avenue,
and South Main Street. Also, filled in frost heaves on Willow Street, graded
reclaimed asphalt on the end of Glen Street at Waldo Avenue and installed and
graded two loads of reclaim on Old County Road to help keep it passable. The
adverse winter weather is creating havoc with our road system and we will
continue to battle the potholes and frost heaves through April until all of the frost
comes out of the ground.
 Picked up five loads (approx. 8 tons/load) of cold patch at Lanes in Bangor with City trucks throughout the week.
 Spring weight limit postings for roads placed this week which includes the Bog
Road, West Meadow Road, Sherers Lane, Thompson Meadow Road, Mountain
Road, Dunbar Road, Tolman Road, Benner Road and a portion of Thomaston
Street.
 Sign and mailbox repair work for four days.
 Sanding crew called in on two separate periods for City wide sanding on
Saturday, 2/22.
 Sanded City wide during regular hours Wednesday for ½ “ snowfall.

 Fine tuned stone dust sluiceway on Acadia Drive (north end of Pen Bay Acres)
where it was washing out.
 Removed built up ice on Autumn Street and snow banks where needed.
 Mechanics working on various tasks including air bag sensor, several plow and wing cutting edges replaced, new fuel line replaced on 2008 one ton truck,
parking brake repaired, two flat tires on backhoe, new strobe light and side
window installed on Holder sidewalk machine.

 OFFICE OF THE FIRE CHIEF
In addition to responding to the normal flow of fire and EMS calls, apparatus checks, cleaning, repairs and maintenance to the fleet and cleaning and maintenance of the quarters, the following occurred:
 The Department provided confined space rescue coverage for FMC.
 The Fire Chief met with the City Manager regarding the CIP budget.
 The Department completed its annual Department of Labor required training for
Infection Control and Respiratory Protection.
 A-shift trained on forcible entry techniques for magnetic and electronic locks.


OFFICE OF THE SOLID WASTE DIRECTOR
 Met with Woodard & Curran to review cell development plan, annual landfill
survey and capacity estimates & gas collection work plans and drawings.
 Attended MRRA board of directors meeting in Bangor.
 Investigating and reviewing the financial & public benefits of switching to single sort recycling.
 Worked on Annual Report.
 Sent out 10 bales of 1, 3-7 recycled plastics.
 Conducted ground water monitoring.
 Worked on applying daily cover to landfill.

OFFICE OF THE HARBORMASTER
 Working on getting out the RFP for the new boarding ramp at the Public Landing. I've had a hard time making connections with the state's representative for the SHIP Grant to discuss the next steps.
 Awarded our design work for the Snow Park launching ramp and park planning
grant to Baker Design from Yarmouth.
 Worked on the steady flow of mooring permit renewals, we are just a bit below halfway, though it is just a bit ahead of the last few years.
 Started re-painting our rental mooring balls for this next summer.

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE
The officers responded to 237 calls for service. Rockland Police Officers responded to six motor vehicle crashes. Thirty-seven (37) traffic stops and traffic violations were conducted. The officers made 16 arrests of individuals for various offenses, to include bail violations, Warrants of Arrest, Bail violations Traffic Offenses, Disorderly conduct and OUI.

  Officers attended an Intelligence meeting with several local and state law
enforcement agencies at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Rockland. The purpose
of this meeting was to network with area law enforcement agencies and
personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard. During this meeting all attending agencies
discussed what assets they could provide for a number of different situations. The
Coast Guard also provided us with some operations they would be involved with
this spring and summer.
 We have performed an active case review. The focus of these discussions were
on what investigative steps have been done regarding these cases, what further
action should be taken on these cases and the probability of solving each case.
As a result of this case review some cases were listed as inactive in order to allow
detectives time to focus efforts on open cases that had a higher probability of
being solved.
 We have started another evidence purge. The goal of such a purge is to remove
expired or no longer needed evidence from the evidence room in order to make
room for new evidence. This purge is done in cooperation with the Knox County
District Attorney’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office.
 C.I.D. continues to assist the F.B.I. and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the prosecution
of Elbert Ranquist for the 2013 Robbery of Jensen’s Pharmacy. Ranquist has been
indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office but further follow up is required for a
successful prosecution.