This week has been surreal for me. I had my post-surgical appointment with the surgeon regarding my recent brain surgery. I am progressing well and the biopsy concluded that the tumor was a noncancerous grade 1 tumor. That means that I am in the clear, symptom free, and only have periodic MRI’s for the next few years. I spent the majority of the week recuperating at home and working on
lighter office issues. I am scheduled to return to work on June 1st, 2016 but I am
not sure in what capacity that will be. Any restrictions will likely be negligible.
Right now I just get tired at the end of the day. Regular reports from department
managers and the Assistant City Manager have been great. It sounds like
everyone has been performing admirably in my absence. Thank you Audra for
keeping everything moving forward.
I will likely attend the next budget deliberation meeting in my light duty capacity. It sounds like the City Council has reviewed the budget plan to a point where it has significant administrative and organizational direction. This is a great time for me to rejoin the conversation.
This week I handled several constituent complaints and followed up on the
progress of their requests. It was nice to have some dedicated time to work on
these. Often these issues get pushed to the bottom of the priorities.
I continued to review the performance evaluations done before my medical
leave. The department managers did a great job in these reviews. The
performance evaluations are being used for several different purposes but the
most interesting is using them to identify people that can be used in succession
planning. The city has a lot of talented employees that are difficult to identify for
advancement opportunities. This process identifies them and also allows
management the opportunity to supplement their talents with training.
Bill Dale; of Jensen, Baird, Gardener, & Henry, a contract legal firm that already represents the city on assessing and streetlight issues, has sent correspondence to the City about doing interim City Attorney work while the City Council determines the path forward after proposed changes to the legal services offered in the budget. I will forward the correspondence along for City Council consideration. I think this is a great deal and a great offer by Mr. Dale.
I look forward to returning to work in any capacity and I appreciate the City and City Council’s compassion while I work on my health situation. I feel reenergized and refocused with new perspective and I can’t wait to get back to the action.
OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER/ECONOMIC & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
On Tuesday (5/17) Milone and MacBroom presented a concept for the redesign of the public pier. While the attendance was modest there was good
representation from a variety of different stakeholders from groups across the
City. I will be posting a copy of the presentation and there will be another
presentation to the City Council on this project when it is finalized. Of all the
projects we have in the queue I think the potential redevelopment of the Public
Pier is particularly worth being aware of because of the variety of grant
opportunities it is eligible for. Major grant programs are becoming increasingly
rare and the types of projects eligible for major funding are often very specific.
While we cannot expect this project to be 100% grant funded there are a number
of grant programs, which provide significant amounts of funding, that this project will be eligible for, such as the Boating Infrastructure Grant and Small Harbor Improvement Program. Many of these grant programs require applications in the fall so I would like to put this on the Council’s radar now while the design and engineering plans are being finalized and we’re going to begin a discussion about the capital improvement plan.
I’ve been working with the Finance Director to make the changes to the budget and generate the scenarios requested by the Council. I am also starting to
contact other municipalities to get relative comparisons for the Council regarding
ordinance development and staffing levels related to planning and legal. We will
have this information available for the Council at the June 1st budget meeting. I
have been in contact with the City Manager and we are recommending that
next week (May 25th) be the first discussion on debt service.
I attended a board meeting of the Midcoast Economic Development District.
Rockland has two of the highest level priority projects in the Regional
Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. This will be very beneficial in
seeking federal funding for these projects.
After an email exchange with a member of the Parks Commission I’m working on putting together information on grants available for park improvements and will be working with the Public Services Director to put together recommended projects that fit with the identified funding opportunities.
OFFICE OF THE FINANCE DIRECTOR
It is beginning to feel a lot like summer!
This has been a hectic week in Finance. Vacations, Trainings, and Budgets oh my!
Kara attended a Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust workshop this week. This workshop is vital to understanding employee benefits provided by the Health Trust. Who is eligible for coverage, how to enroll them, changes in salaries, when to terminate, open enrollment, and most importantly how to reconcile the monthly bill. Employee benefits are a vital part of the Payroll Specialist’s job. Kara is doing an excellent job in filling this roll while I am Interim Finance Director.
We are also working on training for animal licenses. This will streamline the process for the Clerk’s office when licensing animals in the City. At this time the process is all done by hand. The improved process will be in our Munis software system. Next up will be Vehicle Registrations.
Laurie was out on a much needed vacation. Even though she was out the bills
kept coming in. She has spent most of her time this week going over and entering
invoices to gear up for the end of the month.
Budget Deliberations involved a summary of changes the Council would like to see. I have been working on those changes this week to see how they affect the
overall budget; the cost associated with keeping the City Attorney, or a City
Planner. Whether or not they should be an employee of the City or a contracted
service. The Council also wanted to see what TIF revenue has been estimated
and how it will be used in FY17.
We are moving along with the Old County Road project and I will be submitting our first drawdown. With the first drawdown we will be reimbursed 50% of our expenses. We will be receiving $500,000 back from State for this project. This will help with the overall cash flow of the City.
Monday will begin the transition to new banking at The First in all departments. I spent a lot of time this week contacting vendors and making the changes. We receive taxes, grant funds, ambulance payments and the like via wire. Who knew how much time would be involved in updating this information. I would suggest that any resident who currently makes online payments to the City of Rockland via wire, check with the Treasurer’s Office. They will be able to provide the new bank information.
Lastly, our cash flow is holding steady at around 4.5M.
OFFICE OF THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR
The Adult Art classes drew migratory birds and warblers, while the Children’s class concentrated on marsh and wetlands life. These classes are led by Catinka Knoth, and open to the public—no previous experience is required.
In the absence of our regular volunteer LEGO™ Master, Jon Newton, Jean Young ran the bi-weekly Club this week—the theme was Outer Space.
Judith Andersen was the guest reader for Wednesday Storytime, which was all
about bugs. Books read included Beautiful Oops, by Barney Saltzberg, Can You
See What I See?, by Walter Wick, and Ten Busy Buzzy Bugs, by Ruth Galloway. Ms. Judith and the children took much time picking out the bugs in each story,
involving lots of happy conversation
Thanks to Public Services staff for replacing (many) light bulbs, as needed!
Along with the rest of the Budget Working Group I attended the budget
deliberations by the City Council. This week’s conversation went back through all the departments, for review and additional consideration. Mayor McClellan-Ruf asked me to contact the Friends and PLEA boards, to ask them to attend the
workshop on June 1, and accordingly, I have reached out to them.
I attended the Board Meeting of the Friends of the Rockland Public Library.
Thursday afternoon, the Library held a Woodworking Class for Kids-Let's Build a Tractor! This program was led by local craftsman Peter Proeller. It was held in the Community Room, with all materials provided.
The Thursday evening Arts & Cultural Event was a talk by a former Library staff member-- April 2013, after two years of planning, South Hope residents Steve Donoso and Rebecca Robinson did something that, depending on your
perspective, was either a little adventurous or certifiably crazy. They left their
employment, said goodbye to family, friends and Mid-Coast Maine, sold most of
their belongings and packed what remained in one small trunk and ten suitcases.
Then they proceeded to move 3,115 miles south. 7,800 feet high and one
continent away to Cotacachi, a small city of eight thousand, set between two
volcanoes, just north of the Equator in the Sierra region of Ecuador, South
America. Steve gave an illustrated photography talk on his and Rebecca's
journey from living in Mid-Coast, Maine to living and adapting within a new
cultural and physical environment in Cotacachi, Ecuador. Attendance reaching
standing room only!
This being the 3rd Saturday, Adult Coloring was presented by Jessie Blanchard; such programs are springing up everywhere, so check the Library’s event out next time, and find out the benefits (and fun!) of this cool new/old activity.
Upcoming: Documentary Screening: The Salt of the Earth. Also, Box Crafts!
OFFICE OF THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY DIRECTOR
Installed and programmed a new pump controller for #3 effluent hypochlorite
pump.
Repaired a leak on the primary drive gearbox of the gravity belt thickener.
Checked inventory and ordered spare parts for Val-Matic plug and check valves.
Repaired and reset the FMC influent flow meter.
Removed and welded the mower deck for the zero-turn riding mower.
Did weekly pump station inspections.
Ordered a replacement pump for the Industrial Park pump station.
Assisted a contractor in locating the connection point of the sewer lateral from a building on Main Street.
Smoke tested the sewer system on Pleasant Street in the vicinity of Brannan’s
mobile home park. Testing revealed unoccupied trailer lots with open sewer pipes. Code enforcement was notified and they sent notice to the owner to cap the pipes.
Worked with tech support from FlowAV to resolve some issues with the flow
monitoring equipment being used in the sewer main in Harbor Park.
Responded to dig-safe requests on Beech, Holmes and Crescent Streets.
Responded to a complaint of a sewer back-up at Talbot Avenue. The blockage
was in the owners sewer lateral, they were advised to contact a contractor to
have it cleared.
Environmental Technicians completed CCTV inspection of the sewer mains on James and Cedar Streets.
The Rockland Treatment Plant will be voluntarily cooperating with the Maine DEP Bureau of Water Quality in an Effluent Nutrient Monitoring Project this summer. This will be a continuation of a 2015 study that focused on secondary treated discharges to marine waters.
Annual Treatment Plant effluent chlorination began on Sunday May 15th.
Rockland’s permit requires that this be performed from May 15th to October 1st
each year.
No Combines Sanitary Overflows (CSO’s) occurred this week.
Plant average flows were
Composite samples taken during the week were: Municipal Influent, Aeration
Basin Influent, Secondary Effluent and FMC Effluent.
The following tests were performed on the above composite samples: TSS, BOD, Nitrate, Nitrite ,Ammonia, COD and Settleable Solids tests
Grab samples collected during the week were: Aeration Basins, Municipal Influent, Primary Effluent, Secondary Effluent, Chlorine Contact Chamber, Hypo Pump
The following tests were performed on the above grab samples throughout the
week: TSS, VSS, Phosphorous, Microscopic evaluations, Settleable Solids, pH,
conductivity, Cl2 and fecal coliform tests.
Average flows through secondary treatment were 2.3Million Gallons Per day.
OFFICE OF THE MUNICIPAL FISH PIER DIRECTOR
The following permits were issued this week.
One Commercial Building Material Transport Vessel.
One lot storage.
Received all of the first payments of two payments on the four Lobster buyer
stations permits issued.
Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors Inc. have removed their floats from storage and
placed in the harbor for the season.
The fresh water supply lines for the pier are up and running for the season.
Next week the bait dealer and a lobster buyer intend to place bait coolers in their assigned areas.
The price per pound for lobster is $5.25 per pound.
OFFICE OF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
On Monday and Tuesday, both Bill and I attended the annual Spring Codes
Conference sponsored by MBOIA. This affords us the opportunity for valuable
training in multiple fields.
We were busy Wednesday returning calls and following up on various items after being out for two days.
Center for Maine Contemporary Art at 21 Winter Street has requested a final
Certificate of Occupancy inspection on May 26th. We will be working with Public Services to ensure the sidewalk was built in accordance with specifications.
We continue to receive calls with questions on short-term rental ordinances. I
assembled a clean document and posted it to the City’s website in order that we
may direct those with questions to that document. We are also keeping a list of
those that call so we may provide an application for permit as it is completed.
Developing the application is on the front burner.
I met with a resident to discuss potential locations for a brew pub, and an
architect to discuss a proposed raw bar at 10 Leland Street.
We performed a pre-Certificate of Occupancy inspection at Rockland Harbor
Hotel located at 520 Main Street.
The Fire Chief and I worked on proposed policies regarding sprinklers for one and two-family dwellings.
I worked with the sewer department regarding Brannon’s trailer park and
requested that the sewer lines be capped.
We issued building permits this week for a change of use at 61 Park Street for
Rocking Moon Foundation, LLC, as well as permits for three fences, a deck, and a shed demolition.
Bill performed three annual victualer license renewal inspections in conjunction with the fire department.
There were 5 complaints filed this week. Regarding tenant living conditions, an unlicensed food truck, an unpermitted driveway, junk vehicles and boats, and
construction dust. We continue to follow up and work on complaint issues within
the City, including sending out one notice of violation. We also performed a follow up inspection at 162 North Main Street which showed improved compliance with the codes.
Clean up is continuing at 29 Broad Street to include removal of surface trash, two junk vehicles and one trailer. The two buildings are secure and locked.
A Planning Board Site Plan Review application was received for an addition and deck for Methodist Conference Home’s 39 Summer Street location.
We continue to be busy with various other permits, inspections, and assisting the public with questions. The following permits were issued by the Code Office this week:
o 6 Building Permits
o 3 Plumbing Permits
o 5 Electrical Permits
o 5 Sign Permits
o 1 Street/Sidewalk Encumbrance Permit
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE
The officers responded to 222 calls for service. Rockland Police Officers responded to 4 motor vehicle crashes and 5 animal complaints. Thirty-three (33) traffic stops and traffic violations were conducted. The officers charged or made 18 arrests of individuals for various offenses, to include Bail violations, Theft, Drug offenses, Alcohol Offenses, Warrants of arrest, Probation violations and OUI.
Chief Boucher participated in a Grant initiative with Knox County Community
Health Coalition Director Connie Putnam for a CDBG application.
I attended and participated in the Council’s Budget Review Wednesday evening.
I fielded a number of neighbor complaints concerning parking on lower Pleasant Street. Hopefully with the new signage in place and yellow curb painting along the north side of lower Pleasant Street compliance with these restrictions will fall into place. We will continue to monitor the situation and take necessary action when required.
Deputy Chief Young is attending Leadership Training at the Augusta area.
Officers assisted the March of Dimes with their annual “March a Thon” this past weekend through the City of Rockland streets.
Officers conducted bail and probation checks, as well as school visits.
Officers worked with AAA New England on preparing a public education video on marijuana and impaired driving.
Officers assisted with the Special Olympics event, awarding medals to athletes.
Officers responded to the public restrooms on Tillson Avenue, when the cleaning service discovered a male lying on the floor. Officers found a well-known transient had set up camp for the night; he was ordered to leave and warned on trespassing.
Radar details were conducted in various locations around the city.
Officers handled numerous mental health calls for persons needing assistance.
Officer Addison Cox is at the Academy attending Pre-Service Phase II training and will complete the level training on Friday May 20th.
Officer Bagley and Officer Smith attended ceremonies in Washington DC this past week during Police Memorial Day.
Parking Enforcement/ACO
Issued 46 parking tickets. Handled 2 parking complaints.
Answered three animal calls- 1 dog at large, 1 barking dog & 1 dog welfare
check (in hot car).
Reviewed two department policies as a member of the department’s policy
review board.
Handled two parking complaints.
OFFICE OF THE FIRE CHIEF
Over the preceding week, in addition to the response to 38 Fire and EMS calls, shift training, conducting apparatus checks, daily cleaning, routine repairs and
maintenance to the fleet and of the quarters, the following occurred:
On Saturday morning our department held a mandatory drill for all personnel on Hazardous Materials responses. This is part of our annual requirements to satisfy the DOL, and covered initial scene assessment, hazard identifications, rescue tactics, patient care and defensive actions for spill mitigation.
Monday I conducted a final inspection of the new Red Zone Wireless space at the Breakwater Marketplace.
We held a Labor-Management meeting with incoming Chief Chris Whytock
moving to the opposite side of the table. Many topics were discussed in a very
positive manner, this process has been very successful over the years at minimizing issues and ensuring all parties are working toward a common goal.
Wednesday afternoon we hosted the Knox County Chief’s Enhanced Mutual Aid group. This is a smaller group of like-minded chiefs who are trying to find
efficiencies in collaboration between departments. We appear to be making
some headway on a few topics and hope to capitalize on some of these early
successes.
Bill Butler and I conducted an inspection at Rock Harbor on Thursday. CEO Root and I met with a couple who hope to open a small local brewery downtown.
Shift personnel trained on hose stretching for fire attack. The goal was to be as fast and efficient as possible at getting the primary hoseline into operation, as this has been one of the keys to our success at containing building fires.
OFFICE OF THE HARBORMASTER
Trim on house is prepped and primed.
Interior walls and deck were painted in the dock shack.
Stewards started work this week and have started on worklist around the docks
and house.
Breakwater docks are in the water, awaiting installation.
OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICES DIRECTOR
Met with Ransom Consulting and DEP to review phase 1 analysis of the Shafter Property.
Presented FY 17 budget.
Completed the MSW/Recyclable hauling contract and sent it off for legal review.
Met with Gordon Page and a member of Renew Rockland to review the Main
Street bike rack locations.
Met with members of the Energy Committee to review the submitted street light recommendations.
Attended a presentation organized by Gartley and Dorsky that had RUBB Buildings representatives present to review sand and salt building options.
Landfill wall material was put in place.
Sent out one tractor trailer load of cardboard to be recycled.
Continued mowing city property.
Began cleaning up and relocating fill and compost to alternate area in
preparation for sand & salt building location.
Completed zone 2 & 3 of leaf and brush pick-up.
Installed flower bed on the corner of Myrtle and Main; reinstalled new sign post to replace the temporary one.
Placed bark mulch at City Parks.
City wide trash pickup was performed.
Changed banner on Main Street.
Installed no parking sign in front of 250 Main Street.
Working on the agreement for the outsourcing of MSW trucking.
I have a tentative agreement with YMCA to place porta potties at Merritt Park to handle public restroom needs outside of the summer recreation program hours.
We will be working with the Police Department to lock and unlock the
Chickawaukie lake bathrooms on the weekends.
Completed Winslow Holbrook Park fence relocation.
The floor in the recreation building men’s shower area is complete.
Repaired sewer line at transfer station.
Repaired the float at Chickawaukie lake.
Farley Construction repaired the pavers behind Three Crows Restaurant.
Seeded and hayed Lake View Terrace culvert project.
Did safe area around sink hole on the corner of Union and Summer Street.
Scheduled Milton Cat to repair the AC in the D5M.
Worked on loaming the area around the Glenwood pump station.
Completed flagger training module and conducted in house internal flagger
training.
Sent out industrial pretreatment monthly report.
Sealed grit de-watering pad and installed berms.
Prepared road painting machine for next week.
Replaced basin on Union and Summer Street.
Replaced light bulbs at the Library.
Installed Gateway sign bases.
Investigated drainage issue on Orange Street.
Replaced the D5M front idler.
Cleaned up space between the compost area and the de-watering pad.
Replaced diesel pump at the landfill.
Scheduled CES to update our SWPPP to incorporate changes at the Solid Waste Facility.
Old County Road:
Sewer installation work is going very well. We plan to begin conducting some
ledge blasting next week.
We have paved the base coat from Thompson Meadow to Talbot Ave. We hope
to have the base coat completed from Talbot Ave to Route 17 prior to July 4th.
CMP utility pole relocation should be done by the end of this week.
The fifth weekly construction meeting was held Thursday 5/19/16. We are on
target for all tasks outlined with the master schedule and the August 8th
completion date.
Currently we have excavated 16,542 cubic yards of material, installed 5,747 linear feet of culvert, underdrain and sewer pipe, 28 basins and removed 156 cubic yards of ledge.
OFFICE OF THE CITY ASSESSOR
Processed Real Estate Transfers, updating parcel cards, sales book, and
property splits.
Processed Personal Property accounts, updating ownership, owned items,
depreciation, State BETR’S 801 returns, BETE exemptions.
Listening and reviewing properties at the property owners’ request.
Preparatory review of evidence for trial.
Weekly meeting schedule public for week ending 5.27.16.doc
CITY OF ROCKLAND
Meeting Weekly Schedule
Monday, May 23, 2016
10:00 AM Library Advisory Committee, Board Room, Public Library
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
4:00 PM FEMA Knox County Open House, Board Room, City Hall
5:15 PM Planning Board Meeting, Council Chambers
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
5:30 PM Special Council Meeting, Budget Review Session, Council Chambers
Thursday, May 26, 2016
4:00 PM Rockland Economic Development Advisory Committee, Council Chambers
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