This week was very challenging regarding workload but doesn’t seem very
impressive when applied to the report. The largest challenge this week was
continued diligence on the operating budget. The Budget Working Group and I
have invested overwhelming time and effort to produce the most reasonable
budget for consideration by the City Council. I think we’re mostly there but the
details will be extremely important.
I met with leaders for the Municipal Review Committee regarding the ongoing
policy discussions with the City Council regarding municipal solid waste and
recycling options. They provided some additional information that they thought
would be helpful in analyzing Rockland’s options.
I have previously stated that I would like to deliver a recommendation regarding municipal solid waste and recycling options to the City Council by April 4th, 2016 but I may wait even further. The developing joint workshop with Renew Rockland will provide valuable community perspective to the existing professional perspective that staff has been using. I think it is important for the city to demonstrate that all options are on the table when Renew Rockland assists the city with outreach on the subject.
I reviewed the Waste Water Treatment Facility and Stormwater budgets with the Finance Director and WWTF Director.
The winter season has mostly subsided and luckily it was a mild winter. Winter maintenance damage was much lower than normal. The Department of Public Services will start the process of spring repairs, including sweeping, painting, and right of way repairs. Considering that the Transfer Station provides free disposal of yard waste, the city will not have a formalized spring cleanup this year. Instead the Public Services Department will continue to provide transportation repairs on sidewalks and streets.
Included with this report is correspondence from the Maine Municipal Bond Bank. One letter is explaining that the bond bank has received our application for the $1.6 M bond regarding Old County Road. This is a difficult application to pull together and credit is due to Director Ginny Lindsey and her Finance Department. The second letter addresses the bond bank’s concern regarding our
undesignated fund balance. In order to demonstrate our strong credit backing
our UDF balance should be about 12% of operating expense. This would mean
that our UDF should be in the neighborhood of $2.5 M. Instead our UDF is about
$1M. This is a constant challenge for any municipality to sustain the UDF,
especially during challenging economic times, but the future of our debt
financing is in flux without repairing the UDF. This was a weakness identified in the last budget period. We will continue to address policy improvements and actions that can strengthen our UDF.
Included with this report is a letter from Midcoast Habitat for Humanity. They are interested in the recently tax foreclosed properties on Rockland Street. The city has not executed the cleanup of these properties to return them to a
development potential but the request should be considered as that day
approaches. The Assistant City Manager met with leaders from the organization
to understand their interests and explain the city’s process.
I have been very impressed with the new Harbormaster, Matt Ripley. He is
engaging with waterfront users and preparing for the waterfront season. His
energy is exciting. I think it would be valuable to arrange meetings with City
Councilors to share their perceptions of harbor services. Matt is an engaging guy
and would appreciate all the perceptions available.
Next week, the Old County Road project will officially begin. The first stages may be equipment mobilization but people should be prepared for ground breaking to happen quickly. I have attached the construction schedule to this report for review by the City Council. It is a very aggressive schedule which is a benefit to the city. This means that the nuisance of road reconstruction will be minimal. Also, MDOT was very impressed with Crooker Constructions traffic plans. City staff is also preparing for the project administration of Old County Road. It is imperative that this project be well managed fiscally, administratively, safely, and with proper site management practices. Director St. Laurent and his staff are well prepared for this challenge.
I started the initial stages of constituting a promotion board for the position of Fire Chief but the budget work absorbed a lot of my time. I will continue constituting the board next week but we received multiple promising candidates. All candidates have been deemed qualified to be reviewed by the promotion
board. I look forward to continuing this process.
OFFICE OF THE ASST. CITY MANAGER/COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Finalized the draft Housing Rehabilitation Program Guidelines. I presented the
guidelines to REDAC at their meeting on Thursday (3/24) and they agreed on the
policy direction of these guidelines including:
o Focus on assisting eligible first time home buyers who purchase homes that
need rehabilitation and eligible elderly and disabled residents who need to
make modifications to their homes so they can remain in their homes
o Partnering with not for profit housing developers who build or rehabilitate
homes and work with eligible families to purchase these homes and put
them back on the tax role
o In addition to rehabilitation of existing stock program funding will be
available for building new housing on existing residential lots specific zones
o Additional funding will be available for abatement and remediation of
hazardous substances or for weatherization and energy efficiency
modifications
A report will be prepared for Council’s April meeting to outline the Housing
Rehabilitation Program, REDAC’s role and other recommended policy changes to help make Rockland’s Housing Rehabilitation Program more successful.
I spoke with the property owner of 65 Tillson Ave and their representatives
regarding the potential redevelopment of this site. The City is coming to the point where it would be worthwhile to seriously consider realigning the streets to the south of Tillson Avenue according to the 2011 Waterfront Redevelopment Plan. This would entail serious discussions with landowners regarding land swaps or land acquisition and moving forward with key work that will be essential for realigning streets such as engineering design plans and boundary surveys depicting future road layouts and engineering for converting Commercial Street into a one way street.
I attended the Harbor Management Commission Meeting to discuss next steps for the project to redesign the public landing. The Commission gave staff a lot of
good feedback on important stakeholder groups we need to consult when
redesigning the public landing.
I have spent a lot of time working with Department Heads to develop narrative
information for the budget to better articulate the value of the services they
provide to the community. This will continue to be a key focus of mine until the
budget is presented.
OFFICE OF THE FINANCE DIRECTOR
March always seems to be the longest month of the entire year; yet here we are
nearing the end of the month.
During the past week I continued to work on the city manager’s budget proposal. We took a look at the city’s long-term debt; and I provided an analysis of the city’s current debt as of March 14, 2016 (which does include the $1.6 million bond for Old County Road). Knowing the city’s current debt is an important tool in developing a strategic plan for moving forward with the city’s infrastructure improvements for the future.
The analysis of the long-term debt also included a review of the debt for the
Water Pollution Control facility (wastewater). The Wastewater budget operates as an enterprise fund, which is supported by the users of the facilities (not through taxation).
A great deal of budget deliberations between the city manager and his budget
team will now focus on the infrastructure needs of the city, in hopes of developing a strategic plan for road improvements, large equipment purchases, as well as building improvements for all city assets.
One capital improvement that we’ve been exploring is the need to improve the
city’s Information Technology (IT) System. A company out of Portland called a
few weeks ago and has been in taking an extensive look at the current IT system
the city uses. A report is expected in the coming weeks.
I’ve also been working on getting a handle on the city’s two Tax Increment
Financing Districts, often times referred to as “TIF”. Tax increment financing allows
the city to capture the value of a specific “district” at a point in time. Once the
value is established, any new taxable value in the district gets applied to the TIF.
The tax revenues collected based on the new captured value accrues and can
be used to pay for infrastructure improvements as established by the TIF.
Rockland’s two TIFs are the Tillson TIF, also referred to as the “Downtown” TIF, and
the Fisher TIF. I plan to have a page in the proposed FY 17 budget devoted to the
explanation of the two TIFs, to better explain the TIFs and the use of the funds
generated in these two areas in the city.
The city manager and I also met with the Water Pollution Control Manager Terry Pinto and reviewed his proposed wastewater budget for the coming year. More work needs to be done on the proposal to determine if a sewer rate increased will be necessary or not. As an enterprise fund, the users of the system pay for the support of the operating expenses and capital infrastructure improvements.
I was notified via e-mail this week that the city’s bond application with the Maine Municipal Bond Bank has been approved. The approval authorizes a $1.6-million dollar bond for a 20-year period for the purpose of reconstructing Old County Road. An additional $1 million dollars (two $500,000 grants) has been awarded through state grants and should be available as reimbursements as costs are incurred during construction. Construction is scheduled to begin in April; the bond funding will be available on the day of closing – May 26th.
Also this week, after consulting with the city manager, I have decided that the
time is now to go out-to-bid for banking services. The city is paying too many fees and is not getting a good rate of interest on funds currently in municipal accounts. In the coming week I hope to get the bid specifications completed and sent to local financial institutions. I hope for a quick turnaround on this, as it shouldn’t take long for banks to respond to our request for proposals.
And finally, with just over $6 million in the general fund bank account there is no cash flow problem to report this month.
OFFICE OF THE FIRE CHIEF
Over the preceding week, in addition to the response to 34 Fire and EMS calls,
conducting apparatus checks, daily cleaning, routine repairs and maintenance to
the fleet and of the quarters, the following occurred:
Friday morning was spent with RPD and the Fire Marshal’s investigating the 666 Main St. fire. We were able to get very close to a conclusion but lacking a few key points, the official status was ruled “Undetermined”. I’m confident the official ruling will change very soon to reflect the actual origin and cause.
Saturday, FF Chris Whytock successfully graduated the Maine Fire Officer
Academy and obtained his Fire Officer 1 and 2 certifications.
Much of this week was spent working on the employee evaluations process,
between the routine subordinate evals and a few of the 360 degree evals for
upper management.
Continued work on the Budget Review committee tasks.
CEO Root and I conducted a preliminary inspection for a prospective business
moving to Rockland.
All shifts trained on how to safely mitigate problems with breathing apparatus and the how the items we each carry on our person can help and harm us. In the
latter case, more is not always better!
Worked on Saturday’s Mandatory training topics that are part of our annual
compliance requirements. We have to have a comprehensive training class on
numerous aspect of the job and also have an alternative means to make up the
class when some personnel cannot be present. This is a realistic issue as the call
division personnel have jobs outside the Fire & EMS department, but must meet
the same minimum requirements as career staff.
OFFICE OF THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR
Keith Drago hosted the Monday evening Drop-in Tech Help. The highest number of requests for help involve tablets, with laptops being the next most popular issue.
Catinka Knoth’s Children’s Art Classes worked Easter cards and designs this week; Catinka cancelled the Adult class, due to the weather on Monday.
The LEGO™ Club met this week and were treated to a special demonstration of LEGO™ robotics by Patrick Corcoran and Corbin Farnham.
Shortly after we replaced one no-longer-working people counter set, a second
one began malfunctioning, and that was replaced this week; thank you so much
to Public Services (Hutch and Damon) for the installation.
I participated in one session of the Budget Working Group, as we continue to
refine the document in progress. Much of my time of late has been doing
“budget homework.”
Judith Andersen presented Wednesday Storytime this week; she reported she had great fun! Ms. Judith read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Day, 10 Easter Egg Hunters, Don’t let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Judith is a huge Mo Willems fan), and And Two Boys Booed.
You may recall that Jessie Blanchard and Keith did such a great job the first time they presented, they were asked to return and give a presentation on Library
services and resources for prospective students at U Rock. Keith and Jessie found
their audience very receptive; they received many questions, and the Evaluation
Forms show a very positive response, with an average of a 4.8 rating on a scale of 1 to 5.
Staff continue to book appointments for the annual AARP Tax Aide, free income tax filing assistance, from trained volunteers. We still have some open
appointment slots (Tuesdays and Saturdays).
Explore Art with Susan Beebe (via The Arts…for Kids & their Families @ the Rockland Public Library) was held Thursday afternoon; this week, participants created prints, using insulating blueboards. Next week will be the final class in this series.
The Thursday evening Arts & Cultural Event was a Film: Wadjda. The title character is a fun-loving 10-year-old girl living in Saudi Arabia, who has her heart set on a beautiful new bicycle. However, her mother won't allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl's virtue. Friends’ members Ann Rafferty and Judy Grossman hosted the evening program.
Upcoming events: time’s running out, but there is still time to submit an
application to be Rockland’s next Poet Laureate, and/or a poem for the Annual
Poetry Contest. Reminder: Jessie Blanchard and Keith initiated a bookmark
contest for children and teens to celebrate National Library Week. Bookmarks will be accepted through Saturday April 9th. Library patrons will vote on their favorite bookmark during National Library Week, which is April 11-16. The winning bookmark will be printed and given out here at the library! Pick up a form at the library or •click here to print one out from home!
OFFICE OF THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY DIRECTOR
Maintenance cleaned and lubricated the headworks bar screen.
The plow lights on the F-250 Ford pickup were repaired.
The staff did plowing and snow removal at the treatment plant and the 10 pump station sites.
Jeffrey Dalzell and Richard Fox installed new grinders in the primary pump room to replace the two existing grinders that have been in service since 1999.
Received a delivery of parts to rebuild a failing pump at the Park St. pump station.
Checked the oil levels in the primary clarifiers.
Transferred the vac truck to the Dept. of Public Services for maintenance and
repairs in preparation for the annual cleaning of storm water basins.
Notified the Code Office to issue a N.O.V. to a property owner. This is as a result of the recent tests done of the discharge from a storm water outfall pipe on the property that continue to indicate sewer flowing from this pipe into the harbor. The owner has hired a contractor and is working to locate the source and correct the problem.
Scheduled Charlie’s Dive Service to inspect the WWTP effluent outfall diffusers in the harbor.
Spoke with a contractor regarding repairs that are being planned to a failed
sewer lateral on Trinity Street.
Responded to a Dig-Safe request on John St. for Maine Water.
Uploaded new sewer inspection data and updated the G.I.S.
Began CCTV inspection of the sewer mains in the Olver Woods neighborhood.
Composite samples monitored during the week:
Municipal Influent, Aeration Basin Influent, Secondary Effluent, FMC Effluent, CSO Influent, CSO Effluent.
The following tests were performed on the above composite samples throughout the week: 31 TSS tests, 21 BOD tests, 10 Nitrate tests, 5 Nitrite tests, 5 Ammonia tests, 5 COD tests, 5 Settleable Solids tests
Grab samples that were collected during the week: Aeration Basins, Municipal
Influent, Primary Effluent, and Secondary Effluent.
o The following tests were performed on the above grab samples throughout
the week: 26 TSS tests, 25 VSS tests, 5 Phosphorous tests, 5 Microscopic
evaluations, 18 Settleable Solids tests, 18 pH tests, 17 conductivity tests
All lab equipment (20 pieces of equipment) was QC’d and certified by an outside contractor.
Bi-annual sludge testing was collected and sent out for analysis.
Annual clean room mercury, metals and priority pollutants samples were
collected and sent to an outside lab for analysis.
Annual metals and priority pollutants tests were collected and sent out
A Combined Sanitary Overflow (CSO) event ended Saturday March 19.
Average flows through secondary treatment were 3.1MGD
Maximum flow through CSO structure was 7.0MG.
OFFICE OF THE MUNICIPAL FISH PIER DIRECTOR
No permits were issued this week.
Removed snow from walkways and gangway.
Submitted budget narrative to the Assistant Manager.
Worked on filing paper work and setting up permit file folders for Lobster Vessel permits prior to spring rush.
Lobstermen started to work on gear in the upper storage lot.
The price per pound for lobster is still $5.20 per pound.
OFFICE OF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
Bill took Code Enforcement Officer Certification tests with the State of Maine on Energy and Ventilation in Augusta on Friday, the 25th.
We performed a final inspection of a church at 336 Limerock St and Certificate of Occupancy was issued. This was a very thorough and carefully reviewed project that brought the building into full compliance with codes.
A new electrical service inspection was done at 322 Old County Road.
An electrical inspection was done on a Suffolk St residence that is undergoing a total rehabilitation. This is one of many complete rehabilitation projects that have been done in single-family dwellings during the course of last winter.
I met with a couple of prospective buyers of a property on South Street to assist them with understanding all of the regulations that apply for residential
development of the parcel.
Code Enforcement and the Fire Chief met with a prospective buyer of a Union
Street property to discuss the conversion of a single-family dwelling to a mixed use consisting of a single-family dwelling and a yoga studio and massage.
Completed paperwork and sent letters and violation lists for three preconveyance inspections performed last week.
Tried to reserve most of Wednesday to work on the budget presentation.
Audra and I participated in a conference call with an attorney representing the
owner of a Tilson Avenue property who has expressed concerns about restrictive
zoning regulations contained in the Tilson Avenue Overlay Zone. It was
determined that consideration should be given to the Waterfront Development
Study done for that area which encourages certain lots to be combined. Audra
will be following up.
A final inspection was done at 45 James Street where a new house replaced a
dilapidated house. The new house was very tastefully done and is an asset to the
neighborhood. This supports the trend of residents wanting to live in town.
I met with a resident with concerns about undesirable activities taking place at a rental property in her neighborhood. An inspection will be done to ensure there
are no violations of the Property Maintenance Code. However, this matter might
be best resolved through a discussion with the tenant.
We performed a preliminary inspection on 250 Main Street, a five-story hotel, for occupancy.
Notices were sent by the City Clerk to property owners affected by Ordinance
Amendment #3; changing parcels on Pleasant Street & Columbia Ave from TB-2
to C-1. Other than questions from an adjacent business owner whose property is
currently in C-1 zone, no other inquiries have been received regarding the
proposal.
I attended the 3 ½ hour forum on Distributed & Grid Scale Power Thursday
evening.
There were three complaints filed this week all regarding excessive garbage and or junk on properties. Bill continues to follow up and work on complaint issues within the City.
John and Bill continue to be busy with various other permits and inspections.
The following permits were issued by the Code Office this week:
o 1 Building Permit
o 1 Plumbing Permit
o 3 Electrical Permits
o 3 Sign Permits
o 2 Sidewalk Display Permits
OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICES DIRECTOR
City Wide Street sweeping.
City wide trash pickup.
Housekeeping at garage.
Brush cutting throughout city.
Trash can frames built and painted.
Litter and refuse collection at Transfer Station.
Picnic Table construction and repair.
Repair basin on Waldo Avenue.
Road and sidewalk snow control was undertaken as a result of Monday’s storm, accumulated from the downtown area was trucked away to the designated
snow dump.
Various sign installations were completed throughout city.
Assisted Harbor master with float repair.
We began cleaning basins and drains.
Installed sweeper on MV tractor.
Brakes were replaced on truck #20 and truck # 7.
Repair work was completed on the Vactor Truck in preparation for spring.
Repaired rear hitch on truck # 21.
Hydraulics were repaired on # 20 Backhoe.
Removed and replaced temp sensor for cold patch heater.
Continuing employee evaluations.
Continue daily work data into IWORQ.
Continuing Application work for Thompson Meadow Bridge.
Continue work on annual solid waste report.
The road line painting RFP was completed and sent out.
The MSW trucking RFP is being finalized and will be sent out next week.
A side walk condition inventory has been completed to assist with identifying all three parts of our infrastructure that is in need of repair. The three parts being
evaluated are sewer/stormwater separation, sidewalks and road resurfacing. The
goal is to identify areas that need all three parts so if we can systematically make
improvement recommendations that are more cost effective.
Met with representatives from the City of Brewer regarding post 2018 MSW disposal options.
Attend budget meeting.
Presented the City’s new Employee Handbook to all Public Services employees.
Completed 360 peer evaluation.
Attended CIP planning meeting.
A catch basin grit dewatering pad has been laid out and will be constructed to
better dewater catch basin grit prior to landfill disposal.
Old County Road Reconstruction
Met with Andrew Hedrich regarding the rollout and oversight details of the Old County Road reconstruction project. The project staging area has been
established at the south end of the Solid Waste Facility and aggregate for the
project has started to arrive. Next week Crooker plans to mobilize equipment to
officially begin the project. The road reconstruction project will start just south of the Thompson Meadow Road and head North to Route 17.
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE
Officers responded to 215 calls for service. Rockland Police Officers responded to 11 motor vehicle crashes and 3 animal complaints. Twenty-six (26) traffic stops and traffic violations were conducted. Officers charged or made arrests of 19 individuals for various offenses, to include Forgery, Domestic Assault, Traffic offenses, Drug offenses, Bail violations, Warrants of Arrest, OUI and probation violations. Administration:
Chief Boucher attended Sexual Assault Services of Midcoast Maine’s fund raising event in Brunswick on Saturday night.
Working with Transcor on a grant opportunity to benefit the city and beyond.
Chief Boucher met with Dr. Ira Mandel to discuss and develop a collaboration to address the opiate addiction problem in the City.
Conducted a monthly building safety inspection.
Began working on the Bulletproof Vest Partnership with the D.O.J. This is an annual matching grant that allows us to purchase 3 vests a year with the Department of Justice reimbursing half of the total cost.
Conducted Employee Handbook review with department members. This should be completed by 03/29/16.
Oversaw the implementation of one new policy and one revised policy in the
policy manual. The addition of the new policy and the revised copy of the
existing policy keep the department in compliance with MCJA standards.
DC Young met with Coast Guard personnel to discuss the upcoming command
changes at Station Rockland.
Chief Boucher and DC Young attended a “Funds for the Fallen” benefit dinner
and silent auction. The funds raised support Officer Bagley’s Unity Tour ride to the Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington D.C. and I portion of the funds assist families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty and support the memorial. This is Officer Bagley’s 4 year of participating in this event and in one night he raised over $4,400.00.
DC Young met with Sgt. Camporiale to discuss training opportunities for
subordinate staff.
C.I.D. –
Continued working on the new candidate pre-employment background
investigation.
Assisted the State Fire Marshall’s Office with investigating a fire at an apartment
building on Main St.
Continued to actively investigate cases.
Det. Neal met with the Principal and Vice Principal of Rockland Middle School to
discuss best practices for school staff who suspect a student is being abused.
Det. Neal conducted a Hunter Safety course at City Hall.
Patrol Division –
Officers assisted with a prolonged traffic control detail to assist several fire
departments who arrived to assist Rockland Fire with fighting a fire at a multi-level,
multi-unit apartment building in Rockland.
Officers conducted meet with representatives of Rite Aid, Circle K and Home
Depot. The purpose for this was to make sure the police department was meeting
their needs and to address any issues or concerns the managers may have.
While checking buildings on Main St., Officers discovered the Fog Café was
unsecure. No responsible party could be located to come inspect the building so
officer’s secured the building and returned to patrol.
Off. Solorzano assisted the Deputy Chief with some building maintenance tasks.
Patrol assisted C.I.D. with the execution of a search warrant.
Officer’s responded to the office of Probation and Parole to assist those officer’s
with transporting probation violators to jail.
Officers assisted local banks by providing security while bank employees refilled
outside ATM’s with cash.
Officers conducted nightly checks of the public restrooms.
Officers conducted bail enforcement compliance checks.
Officers conducted radar details at specific locations throughout the city,
including school zones.
Officers conducted visits to local schools and interacted with students and staff. Parking Enforcement:
From Thursday March 17- Wednesday March 23rd 43 parking tickets were issued.
Parking Enforcement officer Peasley attended the Maine Law Enforcement Torch Run Conference and annual auction event in South Portland. Sixteen local
businesses donated items for this event and we thank you all for your support for
all the athletes who participate in Special Olympics’ in Maine.
OFFICE OF THE HARBORMASTER
With the assistance of the Public Works Department, commenced repair work on the floating docks.
Received quotes for crane service to install the floats in approximately one
month.
Installed computer and phone. Please use the same phone numbers to contact
me, and the new harbormaster email is mripley@ci.rockland.me.us.
Repaired the two web cams on the harbormaster’s website.
Set up inspection and repair work with local contractor for the 19 city moorings.
Work should commence next week, weather dependent of course.
USCG inspection date set for April 13th for public landing security requirements.
Picked up Harbormaster’s boat, lower unit was replaced.
Met with local law enforcement and a few businesses on the waterfront as well as
attended the monthly Harbor Commission meeting.
Sent out commercial mooring site permits, these will be due on April 1st. Private mooring site permits are due on April 15th.
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