BELFAST — The Belfast City Council will hold its regularly scheduled public meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. and address an agenda that includes a reduction in the speed limit on Ryan Road, hiring a firm as a qualified environmental professional for the City of Belfast’s Brownfields Assessment Grant. The grant relates to properties in Belfast that may be contaminated or perceived as being contaminated by chemicals or other agents, among other topics listed in Belfast City Manager Erin Herbig’s report. 

One of the first items on the agenda is a discussion regarding the possibility of reducing the speed limit and changing the City Traffic Ordinances to permit installation of speed stables on Ryan Road. The issue came before the council when a resident of Ryan Road submitted a letter on behalf of multiple residents on the road requesting the speed limit be lowered to 15 mph and that at least two speed tables be installed on Ryan Road. 

Speed tables are similar to speed bumps, however they typically have lower heights. 

According to the report, Belfast Police tested the speeds in both directions on Ryan Road over the summer in response to a complaint filed by a resident of the road. They did not find any levels of speeding, nor did they observe unlawful activity. It is noted that Ryan Road is a dead-end road with a small amount of residential traffic. 

The wastewater superintendent is requesting approval from the Council to sell surplus equipment to the Anson-Madison Sewer District for $1,500. The department reportedly has a collection of parts for maintaining a belt filter press that was used to dewater sludge. The piece of equipment has since been replaced with a more efficient rotary press. 

A request from the economic development director will be heard at the meeting. The request would allow the hiring of a firm as a qualified environmental professional for the City of Belfast’s Brownfields Assessment Grant. Approval of the request would authorize the execution of a contract with that firm.

It is specified in Herbig’s report that, “The City of Belfast received a $500,000 in grant funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to continue the City’s Brownfields Assessment Program. The City has utilized this program to provide the owners and/or future purchasers of brownfield properties with environmental due diligence in support of bank financing, document the environmental liabilities associated with cleanup costs, help revitalize these properties, while protecting the environment and public health. The period of performance for this grant is July 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2026.”

According to the City’s website, the grant will be used:

“For owners, developers, and/or prospective purchasers of commercial and industrial properties in Belfast that have redevelopment potential, but are currently vacant or underutilized due to known or perceived contamination from by petroleum or other potential hazardous materials (or just the perception of contamination), the City can provide the owner or future purchaser with an environmental assessment and/or cleanup plan for that property at no charge, in order to provide environmental due diligence in support of bank financing, to document the environmental liabilities and associated cleanup costs, to help revitalize these properties, and/or to protect the environment and public health.”

Additional information about the grant is available in Herbig’s report, as well as on Belfast’s City website. 

Later on the agenda is a request from St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church for the City to waive a building permit fee the group would be required to pay to remodel the intersecting roof lines between the connector, the sacristy, and the church, according to the report. The fee associated is $337.50, according to Director of Code and Planning Bub Fournier. 

Belfast Police are considering the creation of a Belfast Police Explorer Program. Police explorer programs are part of a larger national program called “Exploring for Learning,” offered by the Scouts of America. The program allows local opportunities for youth to explore areas of interest, including law enforcement. Open to youth aged 16-20, the program is designed to teach important life and career skills. 

Belfast Police Chief Bobby Cormier has reportedly reached out to RSU #71 Superintendent Mary Alice McLean regarding the proposal. McLean has offered a staff member to serve as a volunteer liaison between the program and Belfast Area High School. Internally, Chief Cormier said that Sergeant Rick Smith has offered to oversee the program with the assistance of two patrol officers. 

Cormier plans to review the proposal in further detail at Tuesday’s meeting. If approved, the program would begin in Jan. 2023. 

Also scheduled for Tuesday’s city council meeting is a presentation on the City of Belfast Harbor Breakwater Improvements Evaluation Report. The City’s breakwater at the City Landing is a vitally important structure “in protecting the launch ramp and City Landing float arrays, which include a fuel dock and commercial fishermen’s basin, as well as the other structures along the west shore in the Inner Harbor,” the report states.

In 2019, Belfast, along with 10 other towns along Penobscot Bay, was chosen by the State of Maine to be part of the Penobscot Bay Working Waterfront Resiliency Analysis. The analysis concluded that “the breakwater and surrounding area were prone to damage from the predicted future sea level rise due to its low elevation. The breakwater itself is presently awash in spring tides and surges, which will only increase over time, increasing erosion and degradation of the structure,” the report states in part. 

Additional information about the study is available to review in the complete report.

Herbig’s report concludes with a message to residents and visitors about the holiday season, which reads in part: 

“This holiday season, I would like to express my gratitude to my Belfast neighbors and friend for their constant dedication, passion, and commitment to the continued development of our vibrant City. I am also expressly thankful to all members of our City of Belfast team for their unwavering service to our community. 

As we look ahead to the New Year, we move forward into 2024 with optimism and our eyes on the horizon filled with continued progress. The City we have built together offers inclusion, sustainability, and opportunity. In 2023, our City will remain committed to building unity, collaboration, and successes in all ways, big and small.”

Belfast City Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. Meetings can be streamed on the City of Belfast website. They also air live on BEL TV and on Belfast Community Radio at WBFY 100.9. 

Comments can also be submitted by emailing the Council during the meeting. Comments will be presented to the Council.

Information and documents related to this meeting are available on the City’s website. 

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com