PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Presque Isle city councilors have authorized minor changes to the city’s land use and development code and given official approval for a new ambulance service agreement between the Town of Fort Fairfield and Presque Isle Fire Department.
The changes to Chapter 1, Section 17 of Presque Isle’s Land Use and Development Code align with recent trends toward office spaces in residential zones, such as those for accountants or attorneys, and encourage folks to pursue similar business ventures. The code states that the zoning aims to “provide for a mixture of residential and office uses that will be compatible with the traditional residential character and building design of the area.”
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- Jeff Ashby, center, and a group from the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce celebrate the opening of the Ashby Law Office on Park Street in Presque Isle, Monday Oct. 15. (Anthony Brino)
Residential office spaces permitted under the code include business and professional offices, nursing homes and adult daycare facilities, bed and breakfast inns, daycare and home babysitting services, and public, institutional and professional services offices. Retail or wholesale businesses are not allowed to exceed 2,000 square feet of gross building area while professional services offices cannot exceed 3,200 square feet.
Businesses pertaining to junkyards, car dealerships, chemical mixing or bulk storage facilities, repair garages and other related services are excluded from the residential office zone. Additional changes to Chapter 2, Section 3, of the land use code will allow residential offices to display signs that do not exceed 2 square feet if attached to a home or 6 square feet if the signs are detached and standing in a front yard.
“The changes have been heard before the planning board and approved,” Ken Arndt, the city’s director of planning and development, told councilors during their regular meeting on May 1. “The zone is meant to be supportive of people who want to offer services within a residential area.”
Councilors also approved changes to Chapter 1, Section 22, that will add to the General Development Zone a section of Presque Isle from the bridge on Park Street to the portion of Kennedy Brook behind the Sargent Family Community Center.
Arndt explained to the councilors that when the community center was being built, the city adopted zoning changes that allowed the baseball field to be constructed near Kennedy Brook on Riverside Drive. Similar changes to the General Development Code could allow for businesses near the Presque Isle Stream.
“Changing the code would allow that type of development within 25 feet of the stream,” Arndt said.
In other business, councilors formally approved a new, one-year emergency services contract for which the Presque Isle Fire Department will provide ambulance coverage to the Town of Fort Fairfield. Fort Fairfield police chief and public safety director Shawn Newall recently announced that as of May 1 the town decided not to renew its contract with Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital’s ambulance service after being “unable to come to an agreement on costs and services.”
Council Chair Mike Chasse said he wanted city residents to be aware that Presque Isle did not approach Fort Fairfield in regards to taking over ambulance services. Rather, town officials from Fort Fairfield approached Presque Isle after failing to negotiate a contract with Northern Light.
Officials from Northern Light’s ambulance service were present at the council meeting but declined to comment when Chasse asked if they would like to address the public.
In 2017, Presque Isle split from Northern Light’s ambulance service after launching its own ambulance service through the fire department. As part of the new agreement, an ambulance will serve Fort Fairfield under the Presque Isle Fire Department.
City Manager Martin Puckett said that although the agreement came about quickly, there is interest in discussing with the Caribou Fire Department whether the two departments can split coverage of Fort Fairfield based on a similar agreement they recently began with Washburn and Wade.
“Service districts appear to be the future of ambulance services,” Puckett said. “In the future, we could definitely look at ways in which we could collaborate.”
The next regular council meeting is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 5, at Presque Isle City Hall.
