Rockport to discuss a moratorium until land use ordinances get revised

Mon, 12/05/2016 - 12:58

Rockport’s Select Board will talk this evening about a proposal to place a moratorium on recreational marijuana facilities until town land use ordinances can be revised and presented to the voters for approval, and Rockland will likewise be addressing implications of the Nov. 8 statewide approval of legalizing recreational marijuana. Meanwhile, the Maine Secretary of State’s office is today, Dec. 5, recounting the votes tied to that measure.

Question 1, as it appeared on the ballot, would legalize marijuana for recreational use by adults 21 years of age or older. The referendum asked voters: “Do you want to allow the possession and use of marijuana under state law by persons who are at least 21 years of age, and allow the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products subject to state regulation, taxation and local ordinance?”

Official election night results show a difference of 4,073 votes between the Yes and No vote. According to the state, the vote was 381,647 voting in favor and 377,574 against. The recount is underway in Augusta.

In Rockland, the nonprofit Rockland Main Street, Inc., surveyed its members, many of them downtown business owners and operators, asking them three questions about marijuana stores in downtown Rockland. See attached PDF for the survey and survey findings.

The letter, and associated findings, reads as follows:

Dear Mayor and members of Rockland City Council, cc: RMSI Board of Directors

Rockland Main Street, Inc., conducted a SurveyMonkey consisting of three questions.

Are you in favor of a marijuana store locating in the downtown district in the City of Rockland?
Are you in favor of a marijuana store locating anywhere in the City of Rockland?
Do you own and/or manage a business in downtown Rockland?

The survey received 197 responses, which is a 400 percent higher response rate than any previous survey conducted in the past three years.

The survey was an agenda item at our board meeting on the 1st of December, and the results of the survey were distributed at that time.

Following review of the results and discussion by the board, the board opted to take no position on the matter. With the knowledge that City Council would be meeting soon to discuss how the City might handle the prospect of marijuana businesses in Rockland, the board did agree that the results of the survey might be of value to Rockland City Council as one of many possible puzzle pieces.

The first document is 3 pages long and shows the number and percentages of the answers, while the second document is 197 pages long and shows the comments offered by the participants. Not every participant offered comments, so you'll have to be patient as you scroll through the pages.

While we recognize that this survey is not a perfect source of information, the board of directors of Rockland Main Street, Inc., hopes that the results of the survey are useful to City Council members in some way.

In Rockport, the proposal to place a moratorium on growing recreational marijuana appeared on the agenda, but it is unclear where the proposal originated, according to municipal staff. The discussion will ensue tonight at a regularly scheduled Select Board meeting that will be televised on Channel 22 and streamed live at livestream.com/rockportmaine

The Rockport Select Board agenda is as follows:

AGENDA

Call Meeting to Order
Please either turn off your cell phones and other electronic devices or set them to mute while in this meeting room or the hallways. If you need to take or make a phone call, please step outdoors.
Public Hearing

a. None this meeting

III. Minutes, Meetings and Announcements

Approval of the minutes of previous meetings:
 Monday, November 9, 2015, meeting of the Select Board
 Tuesday, November 17, 2015, meeting of the Select Board
 Monday, May 9, 2016, meeting of the Select Board
 Wednesday, June 15, 2016, organizational meeting of the Select Board  Monday, June 27, 2016, special meeting of the Select Board
 Monday, July 11, 2016, meeting of the Select Board
 Monday, August 22, 2016, meeting of the Select Board
 Thursday, September 8, 2016, meeting of the Select Board
 Monday, September 12, 2016, meeting of the Select Board
 Tuesday, October 11, 2016, executive session of the Select Board
 Tuesday, October 11, 2016, meeting of the Select Board
 Monday, October 24, 2016, meeting of the Select Board
 Tuesday, November 8, 2016, executive session of the Select Board
 Monday, November 14, 2016, meeting of the Select Board
Announcements of upcoming regular Select Board meeting(s):
Regular Select Board meeting on Monday, January 9, 2017, 7:00 p.m., Rockport Opera House Meeting Room, to be streamed at http://livestream.com/Rockportmaine

1 Select Board Agenda December 5, 2016

c. Announcements of upcoming Select Board workshop(s):
 Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Workshop, Tuesday, December 7, 2016, 4:00

p.m., Rockport Town Office Richardson Room

Announcements: Town offices will be closed Thursday, December 8, 2016, from 12:00 p.m. (noon) to 1:30 p.m. for the annual town employee holiday luncheon Town Offices will be closed Monday, January 2, 2017, in recognition of the New Year’s Holiday
Town Offices will be closed Monday, December 26, 2016, in recognition of the Christmas Holiday
Note: All meetings and workshops of the Select Board and town committees can be found on the town website: www.town.rockport.me.us
Committee Openings:
-  Camden-Rockport Pathways Committee – 1 regular vacancy, 3 alternate vacancies
-  Conservation Commission – 1 regular vacancy, 3 alternate vacancies
-  Library Committee – 1 vacancy (to be filled by special election on June 13,
- 2017
-  Ordinance Review Committee – 2 regular vacancies, 3 alternate vacancies
-  Planning Board – 1 regular vacancy, 3 alternate vacancies
-  Zoning Board of Appeals – 1 regular vacancy, 3 alternate vacancies
All committees have openings for alternates who will be called to serve on those occasions that the regular members are not present for a particular meeting
Agenda Changes
Public Comment – public comment should be directed at issues not under discussion on this evening’s agenda. Comment from the public will be welcome prior to each agenda item. Further comment will be granted only by permission from the Board. All public comment should be brief and to the point.

Town Manager’s Report
Unfinished Business

a. Consideration of clearing title to the properties donated by Mary Louise (Curtis) Bok Zimbalist

VI. New Business

a. Acknowledgment of Gifts to the Town:

 A gift from the Camden Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the amount of $200.00 towards the General Assistance Heating Fund

2 Select Board Agenda December 5, 2016

Committee Resignation(s):  None this meeting
Committee Application(s)
 Alexander Armentrout – Ordinance Review Committee as Regular Member  Maggie Timmermann – Conservation Committee as Regular Member
Presentation by the Camden-Rockport Pathways Committee
Discussion of the revised Route 1 Sidewalk/Crosswalk Project
Vote to sign the Solar Power Purchase Agreement with ReVision Investments, LLC
Discuss placing a moratorium on recreational marijuana facilities until the land use ordinances can be revised and presented to the voters for approval
Vote to extend the contract with Camden for sharing the police chief
Discuss and give guidance to the Town Manager regarding the budget to be presented to the Select Board in March
Discuss the dates for having a Listening Tour, where each tour “stop” will be and what questions we specifically want to ask during the course of each “stop”
Reappoint Linda Greenlaw as Election Clerk effective January 1, 2017 for a term expiring December 31, 2018
Approve the resolution for the Lease Purchase Agreement with Androscoggin Bank for the new 2016 Ford F550 Public Works Truck