This was a productive week. The agenda setting meeting and discussions with the auditor went well. The administrative staff had a regular department meeting that was productive. The City Council and the Budget Working Group finished the FY17 Operating Budget for consideration on June 27, 2016.
I met with the Library Director to select candidates for the Library Technician
position. We forwarded 10 applicants of the 35 to the Personnel Board for
consideration.
Included with this report is the information that Councilor Geiger asked for, at the Agenda Setting meeting, about the history of streetlights. In the worksheet, I have included all formal references to streetlights that had official action by the City Council. I have also included all references by the Energy Advisory Committee regarding streetlights. There are a few emails that were in my supply that added additional perspective on the topic of streetlights. The first email is a summary by Dick Davies, the consultant hired by the three partnering towns explaining the project to me. I thought this was a good synopsis of the project and also demonstrates that the consultant had been agreed to by Councilor Pritchett well before I came into the project. There is another email from Nathan Poore delivering the Rockland third of the consultants costs via invoice. I have included the invoice. The date of the invoice is July 6th. This is less than a month after I was briefed about the project via the previous email. The invoice is included with the email demonstrating the itemized listing of costs. It should be noted that the expenses date back to November 2013 and Councilor Pritchett was instrumental in direct requests to the consultant prior to my briefing. This should help Councilor Pritchett recall the expenses incurred while dealing with this project. In my opinion, the project was never formally supported by the City Council, never appropriated money, and evaded the internal control measures that control costs in the city.
Some of the week was absorbed by the attention that my letter to the City
Council, regarding the City Attorney, garnered. Although my statements in the
letter were rather direct I had assumed that the City Council would consider that
letter confidential regarding personnel matters, like the Council did with my memo from December 30th, 2015. It seems that Councilor Pritchett thought differently and shared the letter with the press. That’s a shame because it just caused further disruption. It made the city look bad, again, and demonstrated firsthand the friction in the City Council/City Manager relationship. Politicizing issues is not governing.
OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER/ECONOMIC & COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
I have been preparing a report to Council and the Comprehensive Planning
Commission regarding inquiries from Rockland businesses interested in expanding or starting a new manufacturing business and how this has been prevented due to the lack of developable industrial land. I have also worked with the Code Enforcement Office to identify potential options to address this issue. Given the full agenda for the June agenda setting meeting, I have requested to put this on as a discussion item for Council’s July agenda setting meeting and the July meeting of Comps.
I have been preparing a grant application to the Northern Border Regional
Commission for funding to help build phase 1 of the proposed high speed
broadband network. Even if the Council chooses to not fund this project I thought it would still be worthwhile to put in an application to this program. Applications to the Northern Border Regional Commission tend to get funded after multiple years of applying so it’s wise to apply now if there is any inclination that this project could be a priority for the City in the future.
The June Harbor Trail meeting was held this Wednesday. The Committee has had a lot of success in raising funding for key parts of the trail and other amenities along the trail. I have been working with Gartley and Dorsky on a very exciting project that will be essential for moving Harbor Trail forward. Many of the details will be finalized within the next few weeks.
OFFICE OF THE FINANCE DIRECTOR
Monday I attended the Agenda Setting meeting. Our Audit firm James W.
Wadman presented our FY15 Audit. This proved to be a favorable audit. We
have been able to eliminate numerous findings that have haunted the city for
years. What was particularly interesting is the GASB 68 Pension Plan disclosures; Maine Employees Public Retirement System, (MEPERS). The audit now includes what the City’s liability would be for the plan. More information can be obtained in the FY15 audit.
Kara has been busily working and learning new aspects in Payroll. She is also
doing double duty as the elections are coming up on Tuesday June 14th.
Laurie has started tackling our EMS reconciliations. This is a new task assigned to her, one that I think she will rise to.
Department Heads met this week; we discussed various topics associated with
each department pertaining to their duties and ongoing tasks.
Budget deliberations wrapped up this week with the Council approving the FY17 preliminary budget. A lot of work was put into this budget by the budget working group. I would like to thank our City Manager Jim Chaousis II, Audra Caler-Bell, Dave St. Laurent, Amy Levine, Adam Miceli, Bruce Boucher, and Doreen French for all the hard work that went into this. I would also like to thank Virginia Lindsey for putting together an exceptional budget. This is a user friendly budget, one that is easy to make changes to. This enabled the Council to see what impact their suggestions had on the overall budget. The FY17 Budget adoption is scheduled for June 27th.
I continue to work on the Budget, inputting the FY17 numbers into our software system. As well as entering the changes to the chart of accounts. I am also preparing for the first payroll in July. Many functions need to be updated in our software system (Munis) prior to entering anything for the new fiscal year.
We are completing the last of the paperwork to transition over to our new bank
The First. This is an ongoing process, as the City receives many electronic
payments from different vendors and banks. Training is being set up for remote
capture. Remote deposit capture (RDC) is a system that allows a customer to
scan checks remotely and transmit the check images to a bank for deposit,
usually via an encrypted Internet connection.
That’s it for the week…..there is more budget work to be done.
OFFICE OF THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR
Catinka Knoth’s Adult Drawing class featured Hummingbirds & Rhododendron; the Children’s class concentrated on themes of summer activities and visits to the seashore.
Children’s Librarian Jean Young had a follow-up meeting with staff from the
Children’s Museum regarding collaborative programming events this summer.
We are grateful to the Public Services Department for the seasonal return of the umbrella and chairs for the Children’s Garden, and for replacing the State Flag on the flagpole.
Tuesday we hosted the monthly Destination Wellness Talk. June’s topic was
Medical Marijuana: Current Knowledge and Controversies. Dr. Lauren Ball spoke about the use of cannabis as a medication. She reviewed the history of medical cannabis, discussed how the active compounds work in the body and how it may be effective in relieving a variety of symptoms associated with different types of diseases. Both the medical benefits and possible negative aspects were discussed.
We held a staff meeting on Wednesday morning, and committed to holding them regularly on this day (the one day a week when all full-time staff are scheduled to be here in the morning.
In preparation for replacing the ancient PC which supports the public computers patron access and scheduling, Don Fowles upgraded the PC Reservation software through two versions. Patron access was impacted for a few hours in the morning but was less of a delay than we anticipated.
Today was Old MacDonald Day during Wednesday Storytime, with Judith
Andersen as reader. Several songs, stories, felt board characters, and magic
marker artistry all addressed this theme. Ms. Judy read Old MacDonald, retold by Amy Schwartz, Down by the Barn, by Will Hillenbrand, The Farmer in the Dell, illustrated by Pam Adams, and A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea, by Michael Ian Black.
I met with the City Manager to bring him up to date on Library projects and open issues; we also made great progress with the hiring process for the open Library position. I am excited to see this moving along, and look forward to adding another great member to the Library team.
Along with most of the Budget Working Group I attended the last of the budget deliberations leading to preliminary adoption the City Council.
Thursday was the first single day in a while that we had over 400 visitors. The total of 408 is for the main floor only, as the lower level counter is tallied only monthly, and some program attendees (and others) do use that entrance and exit.
The Thursday evening Arts & Cultural Event was a talk by Rob McCall of Awanadjo Almanack. This was part of the “Experience Maine” series co-sponsored by Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors. Rob McCall is a naturalist, journalist, and fiddler whose weekly radio commentaries are heard on WERU radio. The written version of Awanadjo Almanack appears in Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine. He is the author of Small Misty Mountain and Great Speckled Bird; his presentation included readings from his published writing, as well as discussion.
The Friends’ Book, Plant, and Bake Sale was held on Saturday; this is one of the main fund-raisers each year, widely anticipated, and generally a huge labor of
love and dedication on the part of past and present Friends’ Board members and
volunteers.
Also on Saturday, the Library hosted Planting the Children’s Garden with Leslie Ferguson, the Library gardener. She demonstrated how to transfer seedlings to the garden plot and discuss what care they will need throughout the summer. Children were able to assist and then take home plants for their own gardens. These seedlings are the result of seeds planted during together in February. Upcoming: Coloring! Third Saturday (June 18) at 10:00 AM; this month participants may color pages from the new book Coloring Maine by Blue Butterfield, and enter to win a book and set of pencils! Also, Peter Neill speaking on The Once and Future Ocean: Notes Toward a New Hydraulic Society.
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE
The officers responded to 248 calls for service. Rockland Police Officers responded to 9 motor vehicle crashes and 6 animal complaints. Forty-four (44) traffic stops and traffic violations were conducted. The officers charged or made 17 arrests of individuals for various offenses, to include, Domestic Assault, Traffic Offenses, Drug Offenses, Warrants of arrest, Weapons violations and OUI. Administration-
Department members facilitated and monitored the Physical Agility Test and
Written Test to candidates in our hiring process.
Chief Boucher and members of the City Personnel board interviewed four
candidates for Police Officer this past week.
Chief Boucher and DC Young met with members of Maine Behavioral Health
concerning services offered for persons with opiate dependency.
Chief Boucher attended the Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force meeting this past week.
DC Young and I completed and submitted the 2016 COPS Grant Application.
DC Young facilitated and supervised a Lockdown Drill at Oceanside East High School.
Spoke with members of the Knox County Democrats concerning proposed
legislation to require background checks for gun purchasers during private gun
sales.
Coordinated and participated in a supervisors meeting.
Criminal Investigation Division –
Conducted Sex Offender Compliance Checks on offenders living in Rockland.
Completed a policy review / re-write of the departments’ evidence control,
collection and storage policy.
Assisted the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency with ongoing intelligence gathering and drug investigations in Rockland.
Continued investigating open criminal cases in Rockland.
Participated in the Lockdown Drill at Oceanside East.
Patrol Division –
Assisted the Rockport Police Department in locating missing property.
Provided uniform police support to the graduation ceremonies at Oceanside East.
Conducted downtown foot patrols when weather and staffing allowed. Two
downtown businesses were found to be unsecure during these patrols.
Officer Gaylor is attending the Basic Firearms Instructor Course at the Maine
Criminal Justice Academy.
Probationary Officer Cox, continues his Field Training with Field Training Officer Solorzano.
Officers assisted with the annual Memorial Day Parade.
Officers concluded the annual grant funded seatbelt enforcement details.
Officer Bagley assisted the Maine Marine Patrol in re-locating a stranded seal pup.
Officers provided escorts to various banks within the city so they could fill outside ATM’s.
Officers assisted with a lockdown drill at Oceanside East.
Officers conducted school visits at all schools in Rockland. The purpose of these visits was to interact with students and staff and to address any problems they may be experiencing.
Officers conducted foot and bicycle patrols around the Main St. areas as weather and staffing allowed.
Officers conducted bail and probation compliance checks on offenders residing in Rockland.
Officers conducted targeted traffic enforcement details at various locations
throughout the city including Main St. and school zones.
Traffic Officer/ACO-
This week Traffic Officer Peasley organized the Mid-coast Leg of the Law
Enforcement Torch Run.
Wednesday morning June 8th members of the Rockland PD, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Maine State Police, Maine State Prison, United States Coast Guard, District Attorney’s Office, along with 11 local Special Olympic athletes ran united and carried the torch (or Flame of Hope) through Rockland.
ACO has been searching for a possible rabid skunk in the upper Limerock Street and Talbot Avenue area.
OFFICE OF THE CITY ASSESSOR
The personal property and BETE review and processing continues.
Worked with Dennis on several projects, a review of the upcoming BOAR hearing, OSJ 706 request and many other items to get ready for commitment.
Wrote up “How to’s “for future reference.
Met with several taxpayers regarding their assessments.
Set several meetings to visit properties.
Site visit to 24 Lincoln Street and connected the Orchid LLC manager with Audra Caler-Bell to work on business ideas.
Attended budget meeting.
OFFICE OF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
John Root is still on vacation until June 20th as he has gone to the mid-west for his grandson’s graduation.
Bill reminded businesses on Main Street that the minimum flag height is 7 feet
according to City ordinance.
Bill met with a contractor to discuss changes to Dairy Queen’s parking lot.
Bill met with a resident to discuss possible developments to his Mountain View Extension property.
Bill was present for the blitz build of Habitat for Humanity’s 30 Brewster Street new single-family dwelling and performed inspections throughout the building process.
We issued a residential building permit for an addition with a new bath and deck.
Bill performed a Certificate of Occupancy inspection for Rockland Harbor Hotel at 520 Main Street in conjunction with the Fire Department.
Bill performed a Certificate of Occupancy and lodging facility license inspection in conjunction with the Fire Department for Rockland Talbot House.
Bill performed lodging facility license renewal inspection in conjunction with the Fire Department this week for Berry Manor Inn at 81 Talbot Avenue.
There were 8 complaints filed this week. Four were regarding tall grass, one
regarding City clean-up of 9-15 Rockland Street property, one regarding
unreadable signs, one regarding water drainage, and one regarding culvert
installation. Bill continues to follow up and work on complaint issues within the
City, including follow up inspections on Forrest Avenue.
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 1 Building Permit
o 7 Electric Permits
o 2 Sidewalk Display Permits
o 3 Sidewalk Tables & Chairs Permits
o 1 Sign Permit
o 1 Street Excavation Permit
OFFICE OF THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY DIRECTOR
Cleaned and inspected the influent bar screen.
Repaired the supply piping for the hydronic unit heater in the vortex pump room.
Adjusted the belt tension on the #2 belt filter press.
Cleaned and reset the level sensing probe at the Waldo Ave. pump station.
Weekly inspection and testing of the 10 pump stations.
Fabricated and installed a new check valve support on the grit removal system.
Replaced the discharge valve for the pump down piping in the west chamber of the effluent chlorine contact tank.
Worked with Interstate Septic Systems to clean and pump the wet well at the
Glenwood Ave. pump station.
Replaced the batteries and calibrated the flow meter at the north end of the 24
inch sewer main in Harbor Park.
Used G.P.S. to record the location of sewer service laterals installed to date on the new Old County Rd. sewer main and enter the data into the G.I.S.
Inspected a new sewer lateral on 190 Broadway.
Responded to an emergency Dig-Safe request from C.M.P. for a broken utility
pole.
Installed a second flow meter and set up remote monitoring in the Harbor Park
sewer main to monitor and record flows entering the pipe at the north end.
Responded to a Dig-Safe request on Brewster St. for a utility pole replacement.
Began CCTV inspection of the sewer main on Tea Street.
Repaired the control cable for the mainline pipe inspection camera.
Composite samples collected 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: 36 TSS tests, 26 BOD tests, 10 Nitrate tests, 5 Nitrite tests, 5 Ammonia tests, 5 COD tests, 5 Settleable Solids tests
Grab samples collected during the week: Aeration Basins, Municipal Influent,
Primary Effluent, Secondary Effluent, Chlorine Contact Chamber, Hypo Pump
The following tests were performed on the above grab samples this: 26 TSS tests, 25 VSS tests, 5 Phosphorous tests, 5 Microscopic evaluations, 18 Settleable Solids tests, 18 pH tests, 17 conductivity tests, 30 Cl2 tests, 7 fecal coliform tests
BOD & TSS testing for North Haven.
Performed E coli testing for a sample collected on Ocean St.
Continued testing for yearly DMR-QA testing for Maine DEP.
Reviewed draft permit with Wright Pierce.
Reviewed draft permit with Jim Crowley from DEP.
CSO events occurred Sunday and Monday
Maximum flow through CSO structure was 27.3 MGD
Average flows through secondary treatment were 2.8MGD
OFFICE OF THE FIRE CHIEF
Over the preceding 2 weeks, in addition to the response to 88 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:
The month of June we have FF Cole focusing on health and safety of our
firefighters. The crews have all undergone a personal physical assessment with a
workout program directed at increasing overall health and performance within
the job. Nutritionists and other healthcare professionals have volunteered their
time in order to keep us in a healthy lifestyle.
Fire Chief Chris Whytock started his new job with the department on June 1st. Chris has been with the department for over 17 years and will be working on the
transition from firefighter to fire chief.
Along with Chief Whytock’s promotion, FF Ben Mullane is starting his new position moving from one of our two EMS only positions into the FIRE/EMS division. Ben has been with the department for a little over 2 years and had all the qualifications needed to make the lateral transfer. Ben is currently assigned to C-shift.
EMS crews were on standby for both the Senior Inspiration as well as Graduation for the Oceanside Class of 2016. Congratulations and good luck in your futures!
C-shift performed maintenance on both Car 1 and Utility 3. Car 1 required an oil change and safety inspection while Utility 3 needed some welding done to a
passenger door.
Lt. Johnson and members of B-shift replaced our dishwasher in the kitchen. The old dishwasher was donated to us, second hand, and could no longer be fixed.
Chief Whytock, Assistant Chief Miceli, and FF. Barnard all attended a HR and
Management seminar at Thomas College. Classes were given on negotiation
practices, hiring the right candidates, retirement funding, and best management
skills and practices. All the classes were very informative.
OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICES DIRECTOR
Completed and submitted the sand, salt and stone RFP.
Began the program building for the Time Force time accounting system, we made good progress and should have this done and working before the end of the
Month.
Completed final inspection of the CMCA work.
Scheduled Environmental Projects Inc. to conduct a Hazardous Waste Collection Day on 6/25/16. Renew Rockland is assisting with the educational information and volunteer outreach.
Worked on repair of road washouts.
Placed order for Voter Approved Sand and Salt building.
Performed elevation survey of the North cell in the landfill and began final lift.
Worked on complete cleaning and repainting of the boathouse at Chickawaukie lake.
Watered downtown flowers and newly seeded lawn repair.
City wide road painting is being conducted as well as training on roadside
painting.
Removed downed tree limbs at Talbot Avenue, Suffolk Street and behind the
Thorndike.
Adjusted breaks on vehicle #4.
Fabrication and replaced the internal components of the vactor truck tank.
Replaced the hydraulic cylinders of the D5M Bulldozer.
Mowed lawns around town and at the transfer station.
Began removing weeds between the curb, sidewalk and street.
Completed berm around the dewatering pad at the landfill.
Picked litter at the transfer station.
Completed trash pickup city wide.
Continued street sweeping city wide.
Installed the two City of Rockland gateway signs.
Repaired swings at playground.
Ordered mulch for playgrounds.
Conducted Sandy Beach sampling, posted beach due to high rains.
Trimmed walkway on harbor trail.
Finished up culvert work on Traverse Street, we still need to pave but will wait until July 1.
Attended budget meeting as part of the budget working group.
Holophane has received the order from CED/Gilman Electrical Supply, the order
specifications were reviewed again and confirmed.
Worked out the arrangements for the cleaning of the Chickawaukie lake
boathouse.
Began FAQ’s for webpage.
Old County Road:
o Fairpoint and CMP have been notified that we are waiting for the completion
of the utility line transfer.
o The waterline laterals that were horizontally drilled into granite made
excavation a bit more difficult but no lines were damaged during new
excavation.
o Sewer line from Rankin to Acorn Cemetery inspection is ready.
o Box cut and sewer installation continue from JC Park to Route 17.
o Cleanup and loaming has begun.
o The sixth weekly construction meeting was held Thursday 6/9/16. We continue
to be on target for all tasks outlined with the master schedule and the August
8th completion date. Summary of Streetlights Actions Per Request of Councilor Geiger
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City Manager’s Report (05/10/2010)
- The Energy Efficiency Committee would like to have a workshop with the Council to discuss the street lights on Main Street. The Committee feels that there are ways that this lighting could be more efficient and possible save
the City some money.
Special Meeting (05/24/2010)
Presentation by Energy Efficiency Committee – Main Street Lighting
Presentation by Energy Efficiency Committee – Main Street Lighting: Larry Pritchett, chairman of the Energy Efficiency Review Committee, made a presentation to the Council regarding Main Street lighting and ways that such
lighting could be improved to be more efficient and possible save the City some money on lighting costs.
Public Forum for Rockland Residents (09/08/2010)
- Larry Pritchett, 39 Brewster Street and Chairman of the Ad Hoc Energy Efficiency Review Committee, spoke
in support of the proposed PACE Ordinance that would allow Rockland residents to apply for low-interest loans for energy efficiency home improvements. He also updated the Council on the street light survey, saying that a report
and recommendations would be ready for the Council in the near future.
Resolve #18 Support for LD 493 “An Act to Provide Municipalities with Reciprocal Rights to Rent Space for Street Lights on Utility Poles Located in Municipal Rights of Way.” (02/14/2011)
THAT, WHEREAS, the City of Rockland currently contracts with Central Maine Power Company to provide
approximately 705 street lights on utility poles throughout the City at an annual price of over $110,000 per year to Rockland’s taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, because the utility poles to which these street lights are attached are located within state or municipal
rights of way, state law requires Central Maine Power to share space on these utility poles with other utilities such as companies providing cable TV or phone service; and
WHEREAS, because there is no comparable, statutory mechanism by which a municipality can lease space on these utility poles for street lights, Maine’s cities and towns have no option other than to obtain street lights from Central Maine Power, leaving Central Maine Power with no competition in providing these services; and
WHEREAS, the Maine Municipal Association has determined that allowing municipalities to lease space on these utility poles will provide for competition in the street light market, and may lower towns’ and cities’ street light bills by as much as 40%; and
WHEREAS, LD 493 “An Act to Provide Municipalities with Reciprocal Rights to Rent Space for Street Lights on Utility Poles Located in Municipal Rights of Way” has been proposed for consideration by the 125th Maine Legislature; and
WHEREAS, this legislation, if enacted, should provide municipalities with the ability to: (1) rent space on utility poles to attach municipally owned street lights; (2) decide upon the style of streetlight and the nature of lighting
provided; (3) improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of the lighting provided; and (4) have much greater flexibility when deciding to change where and when the street lighting is provided; and
WHEREAS, the Maine Municipal Association’s Legislative Policy Committee endorsed LD 493 at the Policy Committee’s December 8th meeting, and
WHEREAS, Rockland’s Energy Advisory Committee endorsed the concepts in LD 493 at the Committee’s February 8, 2011 meeting. Summary of Streetlights Actions Per Request of Councilor Geiger
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NOW, THEREFORE, Be it hereby Resolved that the Rockland City Council supports, and urges the 125th Maine Legislature to adopt, the type of statutory changes embodied in LD 493, and directs the City Manager, with
assistance from the Energy Advisory Committee as may be appropriate, to indicate Council’s support to this bill’s sponsors, to the local legislative delegation and to the legislative committee considering this issue.
Sponsor: City Council
Originator: City Council
Councilor Pritchett moved passage. Vote: 5 for.
Other Official’s Report (04/11/2011)
Councilor Dickerson thanked Councilor Pritchett and all involved with the PACE Program kick-off meeting. She said that the meeting was very informative.
Councilor Dickerson then said that she and Councilor Pritchett were in Augusta to support the proposal that would allow municipalities to rent space on utility poles to place municipally-owned street light, however, the measure was
defeated by the Legislature. She said that she and Councilor Pritchett were still committed to working on making the City’s street lights more efficient.
Councilor Pritchett added that street lighting may not seem like a big deal, however, the City spend more than $100,000 per year on street lights alone. He said that there are ways to reduce those costs, noting that some municipalities have saved as much as 40% on their street lighting costs.
Other Official’s Report (05/09/2011)
Councilor Pritchett reported that a follow-up informational meeting on the PACE program will be held at the Island Institute on May 10th at 6:30 p.m.
He also reported that the Watershed School will continue with its street light survey which it began last year, and thanked the students for undertaking this very important project.
City Manager’s Report (06/13/2011)
- The sophomore class at the Watershed School at the Lincoln Street Center worked on an inventory of Rockland’s street lights. This class moved out from the core of the city to more outlying areas, and the work they
did was phenomenal and very complete. The class presented its findings Wednesday afternoon. It is truly amazing how many unnecessary street lights the city pays for, and I highly recommended that the class present its findings to
the city’s Energy Committee and City Council. In order to develop a new policy to regulate how the city decides to install and pay for street lights, it is essential for decision makers to hear this information. My thanks and praise are
extended to the students and teachers at the Watershed School for doing this work, and I also extend high praise to Code Enforcement Officer, John Root, for spending a great deal of time working with these folks to put the information into the city’s GIS data base. We have excellent mapping capabilities that allow us to show the locations of the street lights by type and wattage.
Resolve #6 Support for “An Act To Lower Costs to Municipalities and Reduce Energy Consumption Through Increased Competition In The Municipal Street Lighting Market” (02/11/2013)
BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AS FOLLOWS:
Whereas, the City of Rockland currently leases from the area electrical power Transmission & Delivery Utility, Central Maine Power, approximately 705 street lights on utility poles throughout the City at an annual cost of over $110,000 per year to Rockland’s taxpayers; and Summary of Streetlights Actions Per Request of Councilor Geiger
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Whereas, the vast majority of the City’s street lights are attached to power transmission and delivery poles located within state or municipal rights of way along roads and streets; and Whereas, state law requires power Transmission & Delivery Utilities to share space on these utility poles with other utilities such as companies providing cable TV or phone service; and Whereas, there is no comparable statutory or regulatory framework in Maine that provides for municipal ownership of street lighting systems located on power transmission and delivery poles, Maine’s municipalities, thus, have no
option to provide street lights on these utility poles other than through long term leases with the electrical power Transmission and Delivery Utility; and
Whereas, states across the country, including at least five states in the North East, have encouraged competition in the Municipal Street Lighting market by providing frameworks for municipal ownership of street lighting systems
on transmission and delivery poles as an option in addition to leasing from the transmission and delivery utility; and Whereas, follow up studies have found that municipalities’ total costs for street lighting systems declined by 30% to 40% after options for town and city ownership became available; and Whereas, Rockland’s Energy Committee unanimously endorsed the concepts in “An Act To Lower Costs to Municipalities and Reduce Energy Consumption Through Increased Competition In The Municipal Street Light Market” which provides a framework for both municipal leasing and municipal ownership of street light systems on power transmission and delivery poles.
NOW, THEREFORE, Be it hereby resolved that the City Council supports & urges the 126th Legislature to adopt the type of statutory changes embodied in this legislation, and designates the City Manager and the Chair of the
City’s Energy Committee, to communicate Council’s support to this bill’s sponsors, other legislators, the Utilities Committee, and other municipal officials.
Sponsor: City Council
Originator: Energy Committee
Councilor Pritchett moved passage and said that Maine Municipal Association’s Legislative Policy Committee also
supports this legislation. Vote: 5 for.
City Manager’s Report (03/11/2013)
- A contract has been selected to perform a topographical conditions study of Main Street in advance of the MDOT project scheduled for the Spring of 2013 to identify needs. Also, the assessment should help with the street light upgrade project in the future.
Other Official’s Report (03/11/2013)
- Councilor Pritchett said that the City’s Street Light Lease expires in November, and that the Energy Committee has been working on alternatives that could save the City up to $55,000 on its operating budget by the use of more efficient fixtures.
Other Official’s Report (05/13/2013)
- Councilor Pritchett updated the Council on the status of the bill “To Lower Costs to Municipalities and Reduce
Energy Consumption Through Increased Competition In The Municipal Street Lighting Market” that the Council
passed a resolve of support on earlier this year. He said the bill received support from the Legislature’s Utilities Committee and was hopeful that it would receive support in the full Legislature. He said if this bill is passed, there is the potential for the City to save 40% to 80% of its current street lighting costs. Summary of Streetlights Actions Per Request of Councilor Geiger
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Rockland Energy Advisory Committee (05/28/2013)
The Municipal Street Lighting Legislation has passed through committee.
Main Street Lighting – The manufacturer, Hallowell, is providing the city with two samples of the latest design of the LED street lights. A pole with nothing on it is at the end of Glover's Passage. The study of lighting on Main
Street is to be delivered any day now. The Committee reviewed the Thorndike Parking Area Lighting Recommendations of February 8, 2011. (The governor is still holding up the Thorndike Parking Project funding.)
Rockland Energy Advisory Committee (07/23/2013)
Larry brought out the sample of the LED light provided by the manufacturer. Norma looked at the sample in the Thorndike Parking lot and wondered if another type of light would have lights with more yellow in it. Spear Drive
was Granville I and the Thorndike light was a Granville II. Norma likes the cover on the Spear Drive lights more than the Thorndike Parking Lot. The city street light study should be available for the next meeting.
Discussions (01/28/2014)
PUC will be holding a case conference on February 12, 2014, to review comments received on options for municipal ownership of street lights on shared use of utility poles.
Rockland Energy Advisory Committee (February 25, 2014)
Larry updated the Committee about the legislation concerning municipalities taking ownership of the street lights on the shared utility poles. March 20, 2014, is the next meeting of the PUC.
Resolves (03/10/2014)
#9 Authorizing Application and Expenditure – CDBG Downtown Revitalization Grant
WHEREAS, the City has continued to implement its Downtown Revitalization and associated plans; and
WHEREAS, said Plans call for improvements to sidewalks to and from Main Street between Park Street and
Museum Street; and
WHEREAS, sidewalks on side streets in the Downtown are in need of improvement; and
WHEREAS, the City has accepted plans for Harbor Trail that include plans to bridge over Lermond Cove and
connect the Thorndike Parking Lot with Ferry Terminal Park; and
WHEREAS, the City also intends to improve Downtown lighting; and
WHEREAS, the CDBG Downtown Revitalization Program provides funding for sidewalk and other infrastructure
improvements up to $400,000;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AS FOLLOWS:
THAT the City Council authorizes the City Manager to apply for a CDBG Downtown Revitalization Program grant to fund improvements to City sidewalks and related infrastructure in the Downtown, and the extension of
Harbor Trail to Ferry Terminal Park; and THAT, the City hereby appropriates up to $100,000 from the Tillson Avenue Area (Downtown) TIF Development Program (Account #10000-1899) for the City’s match for such grant; and
Summary of Streetlights Actions Per Request of Councilor Geiger
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THAT, the City hereby appropriates $95,000 from the FY 2014 Tillson Avenue Area (Downtown) TIF Development Program and $105,142 from the FY 2015 Tillson Avenue Area (Downtown) TIF Development Program (Account #10000-1899) as additional funding to complete the projects, should such CDBG Downtown Revitalization Program grant be awarded to the City; and
THAT, in the event the City is awarded such CDBG Downtown Revitalization Program grant, the City Manager is hereby authorized to expend such grant, matching funds and additional appropriations, and to execute any such contracts or instruments as may reasonably be required to effectuate the purposes of this Resolve.
Sponsor: City Manager
Originator: Community Development Director
Councilor Hebert moved passage. Vote: 5 for.
Order #15 Authorizing Expenditure of TIF Funds – Downtown Lighting Project
(03/10/2014)
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AS FOLLOWS:
THAT, the City Manager is hereby authorized to appropriates $50,000 from the FY 2014 Tillson Avenue Area (Downtown) TIF Development Program (Account #10000-1899) to cover the cost of the Downtown Lighting project.
Sponsor: City Manager
Originator: City Manager
Councilor Hebert moved passage. Vote: 5 for.
Rockland Energy Advisor Committee (03/24/2014)
The Committee reviewed the information Larry had emailed to the Committee concerning replacing the lights on Main Street with LED lights. The grant proposal has double lights between the Ferry Terminal Park and the Brown
Bag. The proposed light wattage for the 8 foot tall lights on Main Street were also reviewed. Additional photometric analysis will be done. The Committee reviewed what Larry presented and discovered some confusion about the data. This analysis was done for the proposed lighting, not for the actually what was currently in effect. Larry updated the Committee about the legislation concerning municipalities taking ownership of the street lights on the shared utility poles. April 29, 2014, is the next meeting of the PUC.
Order #38 Authorizing Transfer of Funds – Downtown Lighting Project (05/11/2015)
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AS FOLLOWS:
THAT the City Manager is hereby authorized to transfer $50,000 from the FY 2015 Downtown TIF Account (#10000-01899) to the Downtown Street Lighting Account (#10000-01815).
Sponsor: City Manager
Originator: Finance Director
Summary of Streetlights Actions Per Request of Councilor Geiger
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Councilor Pritchett moved passage and said that this is a housekeeping measure. He said this is an annual transfer of funds for this project, and added that the City is still waiting on legislative changes before moving forward on this project.
Vote: 5 for.
Email from Dick Davies to City Manager (06/9/2015)
Cc Nathan Poore, Tex Haeuser, George Woodbury, Greg L’Heureux, Larry Pritchett
Hi Jim,
Let me take a stab at summarizing the history of the effort by Falmouth, So. Portland and Rockland to get the state law changed so that municipalities would be allowed to own and maintain the streetlights within their municipality,
and also a roughed-out description of how municipal ownership can produce savings over what the municipality is paying to the electric utility to supply the streetlights and the electricity to operate them.
The Process
The project to obtain the right for municipalities to own and maintain their streetlights began about 10 years ago, and it took 3 tries to get action by the Maine Legislature, finally achieved by the enactment of a modified version of
legislation proposed in 2013 by Rep. Mary Nelson (D-Falmouth) and drafted by a consultant hired by these three municipalities. The Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology (EUT) Committee took testimony on the original
bill (LD 1251) and liked the idea of municipalities having the right to own their streetlights, but felt the bill was too detailed and that it would be more appropriate to revise it by an amendment to spell out the basic principles, and to
allow the Public Utilities Commission to flesh out the details through an implementation process. The amended version of LD 1251 was unanimously approved by the 13 members of the EUT Committee. At about the same time,
the same committee was presented with an "omnibus energy efficiency and cost reduction bill" (LD 1559) which eventually achieved unanimous support from the committee. The committee saw the intent of LD 1251 as consistent
with that of LD 1559, and decided to add to LD 1559 the same language as in the amended version of LD 1251 (while retaining LD 1251 in committee in the event that LD 1559 was not successful in getting enacted into law over a possible veto threatened by Gov. LePage). In the event of a veto and an inability of the Legislature to override the veto, the committee could then send LD 1251 to the floor for a separate vote. As it turned out, the Governor's veto was overridden by the House and Senate, and the municipal street lighting legislation became law in June of 2013.
In September 2013 the PUC issued an Order setting forth the process they would use to put specificity into the municipal street lighting law and then to implement the fleshed-out process into effect. They set a goal of having it become effective by October 1, 2014. Needless to say, that process has taken longer than expected, in part because the interests of the 2 investor-owned electric utilities in Maine (CMP and Emera Maine) and those of municipalities (represented by the 3 municipalities, with support from Maine Municipal Association) came into conflict in more parts of the implementation plan that the PUC had envisioned.
I became involved in the matter at the request of the 3 municipalities. During the Legislature's 2011 consideration of an earlier version of the street lights bill, I (as Maine's Public Advocate) felt the group's bill was not well-drafted
nor fully thought through, and I testified against the bill. I was not opposed to the concept, just with the way the proposal was designed. In 2013, I testified in support of LD 1251, and worked with the 3 municipalities to get the bill enacted. A month after the municipal street lighting bill was enacted, I retired as Public Advocate. In September of 2013 I was asked if I would be available to be a consultant for the 3 municipalities and assist them in the PUC implementation process. I had no conflicts and no restrictions from taking on this project, and joined the group in September, 2013.
The PUC began the implementation process by posing a number of questions to the electric utilities regarding a number of issues identified by the PUC staff designated to conduct this proceeding for the PUC. Once the utilities
had filed their responses to the PUC's several questions, other parties were invited to comment on the utility responses, and to offer additional information that the PUC should have in undertaking this implementation process.
The 3 municipalities and I, as the primary intervenors in this case, consolidated our efforts under the name "Municipal Street Lighting Group" so we could act as a single entity. Summary of Streetlights Actions Per Request of Councilor Geiger
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Through a series of case conferences and technical conferences, we and the utilities identified those areas where we agreed and where we disagreed. We then held two negotiating sessions with the utilities in which we hammered
out compromises on many of the areas of disagreement, and clarified our positions where we did not agree. We ultimately narrowed the disagreements down to three (on the amount of liability insurance, the ability of
municipalities to install certain street lighting infrastructure without the utility disconnecting the power, and the price of purchasing a municipality's street lights). Following that process, the PUC Commissioners accepted our
areas of agreement and decided the 3 areas of disagreement in ways generally supportive of the positions of the utilities, but left room for us to file comments on the PUC's findings. We raised enough issues with the utilities'
positions, and the PUC Commissioners' judgments, that the case remained open for further consideration. During this 2nd phase of the case we were able to give the PUC staff enough reasons to conduct further inquiries and case conferences. Finally, in March of this year the PUC staff put out what is known as a Hearing Examiner's Report, stating how the PUC staff feeling the case should be decided by the PUC Commissioners. They recommended the Commissioners set the energy-only price for street lights at a 47% lower rate than CMP had proposed,
recommended that the municipalities have $5 million of liability insurance, and accepted the agreement of both our group and the utilities on requirements for workers working on municipal street lights. They them requested all
parties to file any "exceptions" to their recommendations within a week.
We were pleased with their energy-only electric rate, but unhappy with their recommended level of $5 million of liability insurance. As we prepared our "Exceptions" filing, I went back to read the new law as it applied to liability
insurance, and discovered that the wording of the law on this subject did not include municipal street light "owners" among those entities that the PUC could require to have liability insurance. We made this information the
centerpiece of our Exceptions filing, but proposed that we would voluntarily agree to obtain $500,000 liability insurance (above and beyond the $400,000 coverage provided in the Maine Tort Claims Act. It prompted the PUC
staff to take the unusual step of holding a case conference following the submission of exceptions. In that case conference the CMP attorney threw out a suggestion for an amount of liability insurance of $1 million, more than
we had proposed but substantially below CMP's original proposal.
The case conference closed with an Oral Data Request from the PUC staff to CMP requesting more details on how they would set prices for selling street lighting infrastructure to municipalities. CMP filed their response yesterday,
and a final case conference on this filing will be held on June 15th. We'll then have until June 19th to file comments on this CMP response.
The opportunity to save money The opportunity to save money on the cost of their street lights (compared to the cost as provided by the utility) is
primarily attributable to the ability of the municipality to replace the energy-inefficient fixtures available from the utilities with highly efficient LED (light emitting diode) fixtures which provide the same (or greater) amounts of
light at about half the cost, and have substantially longer life spans (up to 40 years in some cases). Additional savings can be obtained from the municipality's ability to remotely dim or shut off some or all fixtures during some
periods in a night (like from 1-3 a.m. when there is little traffic on some municipal streets). A third savings opportunity can be obtained through "sale - leaseback" arrangements that allow the municipality to pay for the
purchase of high-efficiency street lighting infrastructure over the time period in which they pay off the lease and end up owning the lighting at the end of the lease period. This makes it unnecessary for a municipality to bond upfront to
by the infrastructure, or to take funds for the purchase from their reserves. Lastly, the technology of street lighting is going through a revolutionary change that can enable the municipality to have a variety of additional capabilities added to the street lighting infrastructure that gives them the ability to use this network to provide municipal intranet capability and other communications functions.
The 3 municipalities are also exploring group buying of LED bulbs, and possibly other components of the street lighting infrastructure, at better prices and with more lighting options. We have discussed putting together a
presentation for interested municipalities on financing and technology options from experts, along with presentations from companies that can offer programs to municipalities on both of these issues.
I hope this is helpful to you!
Dick Davies
Public Policy Associates
Summary of Streetlights Actions Per Request of Councilor Geiger
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Discussions (01/04/2016)
- Main Street Lighting: Councilor Pritchett gave a brief report on the status of the Downtown Lighting Project and stated that the City is nearly ready to place the project out to bid. It is expected that the project could be
completed by Spring 2016.
Order #7 Updating the City Council Work Plan (02/08/2016)
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AS FOLLOWS:
THAT, the City Council updates the City Council Work Plan dated November 10, 2014 and included herein by reference as roadmap for Council work sessions and action items for the next fiscal year, and as priority projects for the City Manager to develop and bring back before Council, or implement, as appropriate; and
THAT, the City Council directs the City Manager to report back to the Council on the status of Work Plan items at least quarterly and to include in the City Manager’s Report routine status updates on projects and questions identified in the updated Work Plan.
Sponsor: City Council
Originator: City Council
Department of Public Services
FY 2016 Projects:
Upgrade downtown decorative lights to municipally owned LED.
Evaluate and transfer all street lighting to city owned LED lights.
Rockland Energy Advisory Committee (02/3/2016)
The city is looking into replacing all the street lights with several other Maine communities. Photoelectric studies are being considered, as well as the color temperature of lighting to idealize street safety
Public Forum (04/11/2016)
- Sandra Schramm, 16 Broad Street, spoke concerning the downtown street light project, saying that the lease that the City signed in 1999 with Central Maine Power for the current street lights expired in 2014, but the City
has continued to pay CMP $5,300 per month for those street lights. She said that the public was told that the City was going to install new street lights that would save the City a lot of money, but the project seems to have been
bogged down for the past year and a half. During that time, she said that the City will pay CMP and additional $79,000 to $85,000 over and above what its initial lease agreement called for, and will pay nearly $115,000 before the new street lights are installed. She said that the City knew that the lease would expire in November of 2014, but did not seem to have a plan for addressing that fact. She wanted to know why the City did not move in a more timely fashion on this matter.
Order #25 Main Street Lighting Project – Moving Forward (04/11/2016)
BE IT HEREBY ORDERD BY THE CITY COUNCIL AS FOLLOWS:
Whereas, the Rockland City Council has instructed the Energy Committee to analyze and make recommendations regarding energy issues that has led to the Main Street Lighting Project.
Whereas, the City Council supports the project and has appropriately funded the project, and Summary of Streetlights Actions Per Request of Councilor Geiger
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Whereas, the residents and Main Street Merchants have expectations of expedited delivery of the project for
aesthetic and economic factors, and
Whereas, further delay in implementing the project is complicating other city projects; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AS FOLLOWS:
That, the Energy Committee conclude all recommendations regarding the Main Street Lighting project within 30 days and turn all project materials in to the City Manager, and That, the City Manager is directed to periodically report the status of the project to the City Council, after an implementation schedule is created, with the intention of completing the project before the end of the construction
season 2016.
Sponsor: Mayor MacLellan-Ruf
Originator: Mayor MacLellan-Ruf
Councilor Pritchett moved passage.
Councilor Geiger said that she was excited to see this project move forward and get the City off the hook with CMP for the cost of the current street lights.
Councilor Pritchett commended David St. Laurent and David Larrabee for their efforts with regards to this project.
Vote: 4 for.
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