The Rockland Report May 4, 2018

OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
 Budget process is well under way. The Budget Committee will continue to deliberate the FY19 Budget with council Wednesday evenings during the Month of May at 5:30pm in the council chambers.
 Met with our IT contractor (Systems Engineering) to discuss our future IT needs.
 Thank You to all that participated in the Coastal Cleanup Day. The City looks beautiful,; we appreciate all your efforts and volunteer time to make our City a desirable place to live, visit and work.
 The Park and Main Street Safety Pedestrian project is underway, will be complete before the busy summer season.

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE
D/C Young –
 Met with an insurance adjuster concerning a claim filed by the 1 Park Dr. Condominium Association.
 Attended the City Managers FY19 budget presentation to City Council.
 Met with a citizen that had questions regarding the process of becoming a police officer.
 Oversaw a physical agility test and written test process as part of the hiring process the department is now conducting to fill a patrol officer vacancy.
 Attended a city personnel board that convened to meet with applicants in the departments hiring process.
 Met with a member of the Coastal Recovery Community Center to discuss collaboration between their organization and the police department regarding addiction recovery.
 Attended a City Council budget review meeting.
 Completed the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant.
 Met with Human Resources in preparation for an upcoming review of the city’s workplace safety committee.
Criminal Investigations Division –
 Facilitated a drug take back program at the police department.
 Coordinated with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency regarding an ongoing drug investigation that resulted in the execution of a search warrant.
 Assisted the Millinocket Police Department with an ongoing investigation.
 Coordinated with the Child Advocacy Center and the Department of Health and Human Services in conducting a child abuse investigation.
 Acquired personal protective equipment kits and placed them in all department vehicles. These kits were free of charge.
 Completed monthly policy reviews.
 Continued working on active criminal investigations.
 Participated in oral board interviews with potential candidates.
Patrol Division –
 Conducted spike mat training with new officers.
 Conducted evening foot patrols in the downtown area sever
 Conducted checks on establishments that serve alcohol to ensure they were in compliance with state law and city ordinance.
 Assisted Probation and Parole with conducting searches of people who are on probation to ensure they are in compliance with the conditions of their probation.
 Conducted property checks at the request of property owners who are currently away from their residents.
 Assisted the Knox County Sheriff’s Office with an investigation.
 Conducted school visits interacting with students and staff and working to address any issues they may have.
 Provided escort services for various banks while they serviced their ATM’s.
 Conducted grant funded distracted driving details throughout the city.
 Officers conducted targeted traffic enforcement details throughout the city. The focus of these details was speed enforcement.
 Officers responded to 288 calls for service, investigated 8 traffic accidents and conducted 50 motor vehicle stops. As a result 21 people were either summonsed or arrested for various violations.
Parking Enforcement / Animal Control –
 Issued 21 parking tickets.
 Responded to 13 animal complaints and issued 2 summonses related to those complaints.

OFFICE OF THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR
 We are beginning to see increases in Sunday attendance; on the 15th, staff saw 178 visitors.
 Catinka Knoth’s art class for adults worked on frogs and lily pads; her Children’s Art Class featured May flowers & May Day baskets.
 It’s Children’s Book Week, so if you were in the Library, or checked us out on Facebook, you’d have seen the wonderful, creative costumes worn by staff, in celebration:
 Katie the Rainbow Fish Jessie as Oliver Twist & Katie as Zita the Spacegirl Jessie & Patty as Pete the Cat(s)
 Thanks so much to the Public Services staff for posting a large, noticeable No Smoking sign on the grounds, and for assembling three cigarette butt receptacles. I’m so hoping these two things will alleviate the shocking amount of debris.
 The Wednesday Walkers Club started this week. Part of the Checkout Movement & Healthy Living @ the Library series, walkers of all ages and abilities are invited to meet at the Library every Wednesday morning to go on a 30 to 45 minute walk around town. Walks are led by librarians and no walker will be left behind. Patty King was this week’s leader, and the walk included a stop at the One Less Worry depot, also known as the home of Sharon Hobson, who was pleased to show off the recent donation of one thousand rolls of toilet paper. The Checkout… series is funded by grants from the Maine Public Library Fund and the Rose and Samuel Rudman Library Trust, Friends of Rockland Public Library, and the Library (City).
 Five of the Wednesday Walkers
 On Wednesday, Jean Young led Storytime in the Children’s Room. Stories centered on frogs and tadpoles. Miss Jean read while the children colored a chart depicting the progression of eggs to tadpoles to frogs. Books read included: Bee Frog, by Martin Waddell, Tadpoles (nonfiction) by Theresa Greenaway, The Dangerous Snake and Reptile Club, by Daniel San Souci, and Too Many
Frogs! by Ann and John Hassett. Following the stories, everyone gathered in the Children’s Garden, where Miss Jean has a pool filled with pond water, tadpoles, water plants, snails, and other “pondy” creatures. The pool will be maintained for seven weeks for the children’s education and enjoyment.
 As a member of the City Budget Working Group, I attended the first of the series of Budget Workshops, where City Council began the review of the proposed budgets of each department. The Library was one of this week’s departments; I shared highlights of the current year, and provided the Council with a packet of some additional information, and answered their questions.
 On Thursday morning, Baby Time was full of dancing, with every song calling for some extra wiggles and fancy footwork from the babies. One little man got a kick out of every song and laughed from start to finish. A new friend was able to mouth the words for five of our songs. And everyone joined Miss Katie in making animal noises with our story, Say Hello Like This, by Mary Murphy.
 The Thursday evening Community Event Seaweed Appreciation 101. Attendees had the chance to sample some seaweed, and find ways to incorporate variations in their diet. Micah Woodcock, an experienced harvester, discussed the biology, culinary uses, and local industry surrounding native seaweeds of Maine. Woodcock also talked about how seaweed is harvested, and its ecological,
economic, and culinary importance.
 On Saturday, Patti Luchetti, conducted the Saturday Stretch Series: Balance & Stamina with balance exercises, simple steps, and ending with relaxation. Those who are new to a movement program or who are seeking to regain past abilities are especially encouraged to attend. This sixweek series continues through the first Saturday in June, and is part of the Checkout Movement ... series.
 Also on Saturday, Firefighters Day. Kids were invited to help celebrate National Firefighters Day with a visit from our local firefighters! They had the chance to see the firefighting equipment and a firetruck up close.
 And one more Saturday event-- Magic the Gathering Club. Participants were invited to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with food and a few rounds of Magic the Gathering. Newbies were encouraged and snacks and drinks, as well as variety of decks & dice were for this fantasy card game.
 UPCOMING Adult Crafting: Quilted Cards. Why should kids have all the fun? Come join us in the Children’s Room to cut, glue, and create your own homemade cards in honor of Mother’s Day.
 Also, Tick Talk, with Dr. Bea Szantyr. May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Dr. Bea Szantyr will present a program on keeping yourself and family safe while enjoying the outdoors.

OFFICE OF THE COMMUNITY/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
 Grants. We submitted our application to the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Economic Development Assistance Program for the balance of funding ($830,000) needed to redevelop Rockland’s Fish Pier. Special thanks to the Harbormaster for his assistance. We are working on proposals to the Maine Department of Marine Resources’ Shore and Harbor Grants to fund development of a harbor plan, and on two applications to the Maine Department of
Community Development’s Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) due in May.
 Inaugural visit of the Fram. The City welcomed the Fram t
 Stakeholder suggestions: Recent suggestions include that the City should: make it a priority to update website content, and make things easier to find; make marketing Rockland a priority; develop its brand identity and choose one that others could also embrace.
 Housing Task Force – McLain School. Met with the Committee chairs to discuss initial actions, obtained a site plan, and toured the school. Set up a second tour with a construction advisor from MaineHousing to advise on the feasibility of converting the building to housing.
 REDAC. REDAC decided on areas of focus in 2018: incenting businesses or housing in underutilized spaces or areas; marketing Rockland and our pride of place; and advancing Camden St improvements. Goals and actions related to those areas of focus will be discussed at a future meeting.
 REDAC-Home Rehabilitation Program. REDAC is considering whether the City’s Home Rehabilitation Program should be changed to instead fund home improvements through Penquis; doing so could leverage City funds 3 to 1.

OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICES DIRECTOR
 Transfer Station building upgrades RFP pre- bid meeting has taken place.
 Attended Meeting with DEP and Woodard & Curran to review landfill closure requirements, remaining cell development, timeline and reimbursement.
 Arts in Action educational murals are starting, the children and Alexis have begun parts of the mural that will be part of the new recycling process expected to be rolled out this fall.
 Centerline painting bids were received and bids have been awarded. Painting is to begin on May 13th
 Woodchips and compost were delivered to the South School to assist with the school gardening
project.
 Park and Main Street pre-construction meeting was held and the project has started and is close to halfway completed. Project completion date is expected prior to 6/8/18.
 Attended Waste Watcher meeting. The Waste Watchers received the 2018 Volunteers of the Year award at the MRRA conference that will be held at the Samoset on 4/11/18 for their efforts in waste reduction, one use bag ban and public education. I would like to congratulate this group for their efforts.
 Leaf and brush pick up has started for zone 1 and is on schedule. The notification for leaf and brush pick was published in the Free Press. A link to the City’s webpage is also in the Free Press for more information on the week of pick up for each zone. 36’’ x 28’’ signs were posted at the transfer station on the front of the gatehouse and on the transfer station building illustrating the weeks of pick up for each part of the city.
 Rankin Street culvert repair.
 Ongoing cold patch city wide.
 City wide street sweeping.
 City wide sign repair.
 City wide trash removal.
 Chipping of brush and pallets was carried out at the transfer station.
 City wide right of way lawn repair and broken curb removal.
 Ramp repair at Johnson Memorial park.
 The Q2S pump was replaced.
 Sewer report was sent out.
 Ditching on the West Meadow Building.
 Repairs at City Hall and Library.
 The 9 Rockland street project is complete the area has been hayed and seeded.
 Attended first budget meeting.
 The transfer station building compactor bids have been received and are under review.
 Float assistance was provided to Harbormaster.
 West Meadow road shouldering and ditching.
 Met with MDOT to review the Maverick and Main intersection specifically dealing with improving pedestrian crossing safety.
 Picnic tables and trash can placement and parks cleaning ongoing.
 Investigated drainage problem on Acadia Drive.

OFFICE OF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
 John and Bill attended a Plumbing TRG meeting in Owls Head
 John and the Fire Department performed a pre-conveyance inspection at 52 Gay St and 21 Lindsey St.
 Bill attended a Comprehensive Planning Board meeting.
 Bill did a Safety Inspection of City Hall.
 John attended a Planning Board Meeting.
 We issued a Certificate of Occupancy at 72 Talbot Ave and a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy at 237 West Meadow Rd.
 Bill did seven license inspections, 420 Main St, 421 Main St, 266 Main St, 520 Main St, 271 Main St, 351 Main St and 488 Main St.
 John and Bill met with contractors, property and business owners regarding various proposed projects throughout the city, some of these meetings were in conjunction with the Fire Department and included on-site inspections.
 We issued ten building permits. We issued permits for the demolition at Melrose Circle and Broadway, a garage on West Meadow Rd, a shed on First St, a new foundation on State St and a home occupation permit on Cottage St.
 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:
 10 Building Permits
 5 Electrical Permits
 8 Plumbing Permits
 1 Planning Board Application
 5 Sewer Connection or Repair Applications/Permits
 1 Sign Permits
 2 Excavation Permits
 4 Misc/Side Walk Tables
 18 Inquiry/ Complaints
 1 Zoning Board of Appeals

OFFICE OF THE FIRE/EMS CHIEF
Over this preceding week, in addition to the response to 56 Fire and EMS calls, conducting apparatus checks, daily cleaning, routine repairs and maintenance to the fleet and of the quarters, the following occurred:
 The past few weeks have continued with budget meetings and deliberations. The fire & EMS budget goes before the Council next Wednesday.
 C- Shift attended Healthy Kids Day at the Flanagan Center this past weekend. It was a wellattended event and we were able to connect with the public and show off our equipment.
 We also attended an Autism Awareness Event that was held at Oceanside High School. Another well attended event that speaks to the importance of special needs children and how we as a community can make a difference.
 A class was held here for our Confined Space Technicians. Lt Cole and FF Shook put on an invaluable refresher class for the department that allowed new skills to be developed and old ones to be updated. Rockland Fire & EMS houses the only Confined Space rescue team in Knox County and can assist other towns with special rescue needs.
 We are hosting a Certified Fire Inspector course here in Rockland for the next 5 weeks. Fire personnel are attending from as far away as Yarmouth to gain knowledge in the field of Life Safety Inspections. The State Fire Marshal’s Office has offered to instruct the class, free of charge.
 Maine Fire Service Institute left us a training “smoke trailer” to use for a few weeks. This allows our members to search within a simulated smoke filled environment without the dangers of an actual fire bring with it.
 Both Engine 1 (1990 International) and Engine 2 (1999 HME) have had new suspension springs installed. Last year’s inspections documented the age and wear on the equipment and the work was completed on both apparatus over the last week.

OFFICE OF THE FINANCE DIRECTOR
 The budget committee has begun meetings with City Council this week. The first meeting reviewed budgets for the Legislative, Library, Harbor & Fish Pier and Executive Departments. The review included an overview of the Manager’s budget. This budget scenario represented a 3% increase over the fiscal year 2017’s budget. The Manager’s budget translated into a mil rate of 22.8773. The only change the City Council made was to increase donations to the Rockland
District Nurses Association from $20,000 to $30,000. This increased the mil rate 0.0129 and would theoretically raise taxes $2.38 on a home valued at $185,000.
 We have completed the audit process, and will be meeting with both our auditors and City Council for a final review next Monday evening in the Council chambers. Once those meetings are complete, the audit will be available online at the City’s website.
 Another Finance Department employee and I attended a Tyler Technology user’s conference in Boston in May. Tyler Technology is the owner of Munis Software which we use for our accounting, billing, accounts payable etc. The trainings offered were invaluable and this conferenced created an opportunity to meet with other users and to see, first hand, software improvements coming in
the future. We feel we walked away with some new ideas and are planning three related projects in the upcoming fiscal year.
 After much thought, we have decided to change our Emergency Management Services third party billing company. We feel that we have an opportunity to create a better working relationship and hopefully improve our revenue stream with a new company. We’ve interviewed two companies and will be issuing an RFQ to those two and perhaps a few others.
 As of today, the General Fund Account cash balance per the bank: $6.7MM.

Photos provided by Maine Windjammer Project

The Maine Windjammer Project started in 2007 to preserve the modern history of the Maine Windjammer and to make it available to the generations to come.

This historical archive is available to museums and for historical research.

For more info contact: dougmills@shootmainestudios.com

WATCH MAINE POSITIVE TV