PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — City councilors addressed a number of business issues at their Aug. 1 meeting at City Hall.
After brief discussion on various items on the month’s agenda, councilors took the following actions:
• Held the first of two public hearings on amending Chapter 49 Administration of Government, setting a second hearing date for the Council’s next meeting, Sept. 7;
• Held the first of two public hearings to amend Chapter 16 Land Use and Development Code Section 17 — General Development Zone, setting a second public hearing for Sept. 7;
• Withdrew without prejudice a public hearing to amend Chapter 16 Land Use and Development Code Section 12 — Retail Business Zone, to allow minor modifications. Once those changes are made, the item will be returned for councilors to take action on;
• Approved a special permit for music, dancing and entertainment for Hampton Inn, 768 Main Street;
• Received an update on the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival from Chamber Director Theresa Fowler, who informed councilors that the Mapleton Lions Club would be hosting the Balloon Festival, covering insurance concerns through the use of their own policy;
• Approved consent agenda items, as presented;
• Approved the sale of a surplus safe door located at City Hall to Bill’s Locksmith in the amount of $900;
• Approved the CDBG ACAP public service grant award by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. This is an invitation and not a guarantee of funding or permission to begin a project or expend funds for proposed project activities. It does, however, move ACAP, through the city, one step closer to receiving over $30,000 through the application process;
• Authorized and directed City Manager Jim Bennett to submit an application for the Community Planning Grant Program in the amount of $10,000 to the Department of Economic and Community Development;
• Approved closing Main Street for the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival on Aug. 25 from 4:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. between Riverside Drive and Academy Street. Truck traffic will be detoured along Riverside and connected back to Main Street via Chapman Road;
• Approved the agreement for a downtown consultant between the city of Presque Isle and the Eaton Peabody Consulting Group and authorized up to $12,500 from the $34,040 that is currently in the downtown infrastructure reserve account to cover the cost of the consultant;
• Discussed the city’s agreement with Time Warner Cable of Maine in regard to the franchise agreement with the cable company;
• Agreed to hold a joint meeting with the Presque Isle Water and Sewer District to discuss combining the trustee boards into one, as other communities do;
• Bennett presented councilors with a draft of the personnel policy, noting the policy would include a “couple different ways to deal with professional conduct, violation of public trust and other items” and that it does “cover all employees for anything not covered under the labor contract;” and
• Tabled approving labor contract with police patrol. Bennett said they’re (police) “not scheduled to vote on until later in the week, so I won’t ask you to act on that tonight. Traditionally, we let the unions vote first. Two weeks from now we can meet for a special vote on that.”
Under the manager’s report, Bennett advised councilors that a dedication ceremony was planned for the grand opening of the library on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 3 p.m., and would include a visit by Mary Smith, whose donation made the expansion possible.
Bennett told councilors that he has set aside two times — 4:45 and 5:45 p.m. — on Monday, Aug. 29, to make himself available to the public so they can “come talk about the budget.”
Thursday, Sept. 29, according to Bennett, has been set aside as the “first employee recognition banquet,” beginning around 5 p.m. at the Crow’s Nest.
“The first employee of the year will be recognized during this event, with the winner getting a week’s paid vacation,” said Bennett, noting that all retirees will also be recognized during the festivities.
The next regularly-scheduled Council meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 7 — due to Monday, Sept. 5, being Labor Day and City Hall will be closed. For more information, call 760-2785.
