During the week ending June 4, a panel convened to choose a consultant for Rockland’s FY 2016 Brownfields Program. Penquis expressed interest in converting abandoned housing into affordable duplexes. The police department distributed scholarship funds. The Public Works director placed an order for downtown LED street lights with CED/Gilman Electrical Supply. And the code enforcer responded to four complaints: a dangerous deck, grass too high, a sewage smell from Lindsay Brook, and leased City property having advertising on it.

Read the entire Rockland City Manager’s Report below.

OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER

 I returned to work this week on June 1st, 2016 in a regular capacity. I feel well and can assume all of my duties once again. The doctor has suggested that I continue to monitor myself as I returned to work much faster that the recommended 12 weeks recovery. If I need modified duty again, I will inform the City Council.

 I attended the City Council budget deliberation meeting this week. I think the process is going along well. The impetus is on the City Council to make decisions regarding the operating budget for consideration before the June 9th, 2016 advertising date. Hopefully we can make some headway at the next meeting.

 I have finished reviewing the IT support contract procured through Systems Engineering. Pending funding from the City Council, this agreement will strongly improve the cities IT network.

 I continued working on the processes for hiring a Finance Clerk and Library Technician. Hopefully offers of employment will be made regarding these positions within the month.

 The Personnel Board Chairwoman and I will prepare the promotion board for consideration of internal applicants. This is always a rewarding process. Seeing existing employees graduate through the management ladder is always encouraging.

 The city has received the quotes for the downtown streetlights project. The quotes came in better than expected with the lowest coming from Gilman Electric Supply. The cost for equipment was $189,624. Delivery of the products is estimated to take about seven weeks. There is approximately $40,000 worth of additional costs for electricians and labor to accomplish this project. The project account is funded at approximately $85,000. Another $100,000 of project funding was never realized in a failed CDBG application. The matching component of the CDBG grant application was used for the Winter Street project before I arrived.

The project also called for realizing some of the electricity efficiency savings within the operation budget but the project has drifted off course since then. At the end of the fiscal year, there are no operation funds available to subsidize the project.

Therefore, an order appropriating the funds from the undesignated fund has been presented to the City Council, for the June meeting.

 At the conclusion of the budget meeting this week the City Council offered draft changes to the budget proposal. We have made those changes and have attached them in this report for your review. The changes significantly increase the tax levy burden. While some of the proposals have merit, I believe there are more cost sensitive solutions to the policy issues that the City Council is trying to solve.

 I worked on completing the CMCA pocket park easement that the City Council allowed in the downtown zone.

 Also included with this report is the FY 2015 audit. The auditor will be on hand for the agenda setting meeting to report on the audit findings.

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER/ECONOMIC & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

 I convened a panel consisting of the Finance Director, Public Services Director and myself to choose a consultant for our FY 2016 Brownfields Program. Ransom Consulting and Woodard & Curran both submitted proposals. Ultimately the panel chose Ransom Consulting. Ransom is very experienced with Rockland’s Brownfields Program and has conducted assessments for hazardous materials and petroleum on over a dozen sites in Rockland. Their knowledge of properties currently in Rockland’s Brownfields Program and sites that could potentially be included in the future is unparalleled.

 I had a meeting with Penquis’ Housing Development Director who expressed Penquis’ continued interest in developing affordable housing in Rockland or rehabilitating existing housing stock. I recommended they consider undertaking a small project, such as the rehabilitation of a single family home or duplex, to demonstrate to the community the quality of their projects and commitment to working in partnership with neighborhoods. They are currently looking at a number of abandoned residential buildings, many of which were identified by the Economic Development Advisory Committee as buildings that are causing blight in their neighborhoods.

Penquis is also still interested in having a workshop with the community to talk about the MacDougal School Site and find out if there is any potential support for them to undertake any kind of project on this site. They were very clear that they want any project they do to be generally supported by the neighbors and broader community. Therefore, the purpose of a workshop would be to explain what type of housing development project they may be able to do, answer questions and listen to any concerns or feedback that neighbors or other residents may have.

 A public hearing is scheduled during the Council’s June regular meeting regarding Rockland’s application to the CDBG Safe Neighborhoods Program.

Chief Boucher and I have mentioned this in our weekly reports but I thought this is a good opportunity to explain the program, and our proposed project, in greater detail. Safe Neighborhoods is a new CDBG program introduced by the State Government which focuses on providing resources to support new or expanded local law enforcement and crime prevention programming to alleviate illegal drug activity, violent crime and property crime in order to benefit residents.

Chief Boucher, Connie Putnam from Knox County Community Health Coalition and I worked to develop a project that addressed illegal drug activity (and related crime) in a holistic manner. Therefore, instead of just focusing on law enforcement our proposal strongly incorporates prevention education and treatment. The activities that will be funded include new and updated technology for patrol vehicles, officer training, after school programming and additional outreach. The City has requested $100,000 in funding. The purpose of the public hearing will be  to received feedback on the application and receive authorization from the City Council to apply for and, if successful, accept funds.

OFFICE OF THE FINANCE DIRECTOR

 I hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day Holiday.

 We received our 1.6M Bond for Old County Road. This will help defray costs that have been pulled from our General Fund. I have also submitted our first drawdown for this project and hope to receive funds within a few weeks.

 Kara completed end of month bills for payroll. We have processed payroll with our new bank The First. This went fairly smoothly. Only one minor hiccup that was easily fixed. I feel the transition went as smoothly as I had hoped.

 Laurie sent out our end of month Payables, this has changed over to our new bank as well. We are nearing the fiscal year end and Laurie is preparing that.

 I met with Jennifer Barnes from Munis, our software company. We discussed what is working for us and what is not. With the end of the fiscal year near, I will be setting up training on closing the year in Munis. I will be setting up an investment assessment which will help determine what modules we are currently using and how to better tailor these to our needs.

 This week, during budget deliberations, I submitted to the council all the scenarios that were requested. I have completed the Council requested changes and have submitted to the City Manager for Council approval.

 Dave, Audra, and I met to discuss and award the consulting services for the upcoming Brownfield Grant. This grant is funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency. This is to support redevelopment of brownfields impacted by hazardous substances and petroleum.

 I continue to work on the FY17 Budget including changes that the Council has requested as well as entering into our Munis Software. I am nearing the end of the changes to the chart of accounts in Munis. The end of June will prove to be an even busier time as I go through our charge codes and update them to correspond with the new general ledger numbers. This will all need to be completed before July 1.

 Although this has been a short week in Finance it certainly has been a busy one.

OFFICE OF THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR

 Due to the Monday Memorial Day Holiday, there was no Adult Drawing class this week; Catinka Knoth’s Children’s class drew migratory birds.

 LEGOTM Club was “on” this week, with a theme of memorials and monuments.

Library child (Jessie’s son) Riley Newton brought in his LEGOTM Lincoln Memorial.

 Children’s Librarian Jean Young met with folks from the Children’s Museum regarding ideas for some summer collaboration efforts.

 Did you know that Knox County has the highest rate of tick-borne illness in Maine, and that those 45 years and older have the highest rates of Lyme disease in Maine? Between now and through Wednesday, June 22nd, if you are age 45 or older, you can help the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention by participating in a month-long Tick-Free ME challenge and monitor your tick-risky behavior. The Maine CDC is partnering with a number of libraries in Maine (of which Rockland’s is one) on this very relevant topic.

 We are fortunate to have such a dedicated volunteer in Judith Andersen, for Wednesday Storytime. According to Jean Young, the magic word of the day was “pick-up.” Stories read on this theme included 10 Turkeys in the Road, by Brenda Reeves Sturgis, and Down by the Barn, by Will Hillenbrand, and because the lupines are blooming: Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney. The craft involved using Jumbo Tweezers (get a grip on fine motor skills) to pick up various combinations of interesting shapes and objects.

 Along with most of the Budget Working Group I attended the budget deliberations by the City Council. This week’s discussion included a discussion with members of the PLEA and Friends boards, as well as a couple of members of the Library Advisory Committee.

 The Thursday evening Arts & Cultural Event was a musical evening. Gardenia performed music from the great composers of the Golden Age of American song.

Vocalist Cindy Millar sang classic songs of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, and many others. Shaun Bolduc on bass and Dick White on guitar accompanied Ms. Millar.

 On Friday, we had (planned) visits from four South School kindergarten classes, led by teacher Jo Linscott. As they arrived, Jean treated each group to a story she read aloud, and to a simple craft.

 On Saturday, Box Crafts and Storytime Ms. Jean read the new book, What to do with a Box, by Jan Yolen, and then inspired by the idea in the book, children chose a box and began creating, using a variety of craft materials on hand.

 Upcoming: Rob McCall of Awanadjo Almanack; also, Friends of Rockland Public Library Book, Bake, and Plant Sale. The Friends are still looking for donations for this sale: Need to clear out some books? Have some plants that need dividing?

Feel like baking some treats? Give your Friends of Rockland Public Library a call! Book donations: Jeanie Schaden, 593-7112, jamesschaden@yahoo.com; Plant donations: Rebecca Albright, 975-3946, becalbright1@gmail.com; Baked Goods: Judy Grossman, 542-8189 friendsofrocklandpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE

 Continued working on the 2016 COPS Grant. The first portion of the grant has been submitted and is pending approval from the issuing authority.

 Coordinated with the Department of Public Services reference to flag posting responsibilities in Chapman Park, the traffic light at Park St. and Union St. and a road closure permit for Broadway.

 Met with the Code Enforcement Officer and signed off on three permits as the Police Department representative.

 Spoke with potential candidates for our current hiring process. During these conversations questions were answered about the City and the Police Department, facilitated the ride along of one candidate with one of our officers and went over final instructions for the physical agility and written testing scheduled for 06/04/16.

 Facilitated building maintenance to the AC system by Cordjia and ABM mechanical.

Criminal Investigation Division –

 Assisted the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency with ongoing investigations and intelligence gathering.

 Assisted the Maine Marine Patrol with an investigation their officers are involved with.

 Completed department firearms qualifications. Both Det/Sgt. Thompson and Det. Neal are the department firearms instructors.

 Det. Neal completed training of probationary Officer Cox in Taser, Pepper Spray and the ASP baton.

 Det. Neal who is the Chair Person for the Rockland Police Department Scholarship Fund, met with other board members to select this year’s scholarship winners. This year’s awards were presented to students on 06/01/16.

Patrol Division –

 Officers continued targeted traffic enforcement details for seatbelt violations.

These details are grant funded through the Bureau of Highway Safety’s “Click it or Ticket” campaign.

 Officers provided mutual aid to the Rockport Police Department for a domestic violence complaint.

 Compliance checks were conducted at area liquor establishments.

 Officers assisted Probation and Parole in transporting people arrested for probation violations.

 Officers conducted foot patrol on Main St. as staffing levels allowed.

 While conducting property checks Officers found an unsecure door at the high school.

 Officers conducted bail and probation compliance checks on offenders living in Rockland.

 Sgt. Lindahl attended autism awareness training.

 Officers conducted school visits and interacted with students and staff at all schools in Rockland.

 Officers conducted traffic enforcement details at various locations in Rockland including Main St. and school zones.

 Officers responded to 219 calls for service, conducted 52 motor vehicle stops and investigated 6 traffic collisions. As a result, 33 people were either arrested of summonsed for various violations.

OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICES DIRECTOR

 Pruned Trees on Main Street.

 Removed weeds growing along the edge of curb and pavement on Main Street.

 Completed installation of down town bike racks.

 Completed estimate to reconstruct the sidewalk on Warren Street.

 Repaired winter lawn damage on Broadway.

 Provided construction oversight and permitting on Broadway Street road opening.

 Collected water samples and delivered to courier as part of the Maine Healthy Beach Program.

 Attended budget meeting as part of budget working group.

 Competed roadside and landfill mowing.

 Worked on the hydraulics on the landfill bulldozer.

 Watered downtown flowers.

 Performed city wide trash pick-up.

 Continued culvert repair work on Traverse Street.

 Cold patched city wide.

 Placed jute on drainage ditch off of Old County Road.

 Repaired railing on Thompson Meadow bridge.

 Assisted Harbormaster with the installation of a parking sign.

 Trouble shooting SMS turbo MUNIS translation problems.

 Completed monitoring well readings.

 Placed downtown LED street light order with CED/Gilman Electrical Supply. CED/Gilman was the low bidder. The lighting supplies and equipment should arrive within 7 weeks.

 Contacted Brenda Hendrickson from CMP about coordinating the removal of the CMP owned street lights when the new street light order arrives.

 Reviewed the ROAM technology with Tim Reed

 Participated in the panel to review the Brownfields RFQ submissions.

 Working with an organization which is planning a retreat in the area and wants to donate volunteer time on a project, one project being considered is the continued ongoing clean-up of City acquired property on Rockland Street.

 Almost all Public Services attended the 25th Annual Highway Congress (American Public Works Association) in Skowhegan.

 Old County Road:

o The main sewer line from Cedar Street to Acorn Cemetery has been completed.

o The box cut from Rankin to Meadow way is now complete.

o Clean up crew is scheduled to begin next week we should begin to see the finished product.

o Change orders are limited to this point. The 350 CY bid allocation for ledge removal has been reached, and ledge removal is expected to overrun. Most of the ledge removal is being experienced in the sewer portion of the project.

o CMP utility line relocation is ongoing and continues to make good progress now we are waiting on Fair point to continue with the utility line transfer.

o The fifth weekly construction meeting was held Thursday 6/2/16. We continue to be on target for all tasks outlined with the master schedule and the August 8th completion date.

OFFICE OF THE CITY ASSESSOR

 Processed Real Estate Transfers, updating parcel cards, sales book, property splits.

 Processed Personal Property accounts, updating ownership, owned items, depreciation, State BETR’S 801 returns, BETE exemptions.

 Processed building permits, reviewing, updating property cards and assessments.

 Listening and reviewing properties at the property owner’s request.

OFFICE OF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

 John Root is currently on vacation until June 20th as he has gone to the mid-west for his grandson’s graduation.

 Bill performed a Certificate of Occupancy inspection for a residence at 71 Acadia Drive.

 Bill handed out sidewalk display and table permit applications to businesses on Main Street.

 Bill met with a prospective buyer of 69 Broadway who was interested in potentially building a duplex on the property.

 We issued residential building permits for a garage, additions, decks, and fences.

 Bill performed an annual secondhand merchant’s license renewal inspection this week, and in conjunction with the Fire Department, he performed a new victualer’s license inspection for Sammy’s Deluxe at 488 Main Street in the former Sunfire Mexican Grill location.

 There were 4 complaints filed this week. One was regarding a dangerous deck, one regarding grass too high, one regarding a sewage smell from Lindsay Brook, and one regarding leased City property having advertising placed on it. Bill continues to follow up and work on complaint issues within the City, including performing follow up inspections on Broad Street, Second Street, Forrest Ave, and Farwell Drive complaints.

 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 this week:

o 5 Building Permits

o 4 Electric Permits

o 1 Sidewalk Display Permit

o 1 Street/Sidewalk Encumbrance Permit

o 1 Driveway Permit

o 1 Keeping of Domesticated Chickens Permit

OFFICE OF THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY DIRECTOR

 Replaced the lower bearings and bearing support on the incline sludge conveyer.

The plant staff will overhaul the conveyor before the end of June due to the age and overall condition of the conveyor.

 Worked with a SCADA and instrumentation technician from Woodard & Curran on troubleshooting and repairs to the influent and effluent flow monitoring instruments and Dry Weather Pump operating parameters.

 Met with a Project Manager from Steel Pro to review scheduling and project

safety requirements in preparation for the influent bar screen rebuild project planned to be started and completed in June.

 Repaired the main entrance security gate to the treatment plant.

 Performed weekly inspection of the ten pumping stations.

 Set up staging in the headworks building for Thayer Corp. to replace a failed unit heater.

 Completed P.M. service on the #4 CSO hypochlorite mixer.

 Inspected the progress of a new residential sewer lateral being installed on Broadway Street.

 Responded to a complaint of sewer backing up on Cedar Street. No problem was found with the city sewer and the owner was advised to call a contractor to have the sewer lateral cleaned.

 Sent the GPS coordinates for the location of the sewer main crossing the property at 39 Summer St. to the legal dept. for reference in a sewer easement.

 Used the locator with sonde to locate the connection point of the sewer lateral to the sewer main at 45 Beech Street for the property owner.

 Entered new collection system data into the GIS.

 Met with a representative of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to review Rockland’s Draft MEPDES Permit and the accompanying Fact Sheet. The discussion covered sampling and reporting requirements under the new permit, mapping of the city’s collection system, and plans for the separation of the city’s sanitary and stormwater collection systems.

 Stream gauges were installed above the weirs in the final contact chamber. The gauges are a simple means of verifying the accuracy of the effluent data being collected by the SCADA system and would function as a backup method for calculating plant flows in the event of a system failure.

 Replaced the drive shaft and universal joints on the plant GMC pick-up.

 Normal lab work was performed for the week.

 Average plant flows were 2.1 MGD and no CSO’s occurred.

OFFICE OF THE HARBORMASTER

 Painting the bridge and posts.

 Updating electrical to code on the docks.

 Painting the house.

 M/V Independence has moored for the first time this season.

OFFICE OF THE FISH PIER DIRECTOR

 The following permits were issued this week.

o 2 lobster vessel

o 2 lot storage

 Submitted monthly metered user electric bills to the Finance Department.

 The transient herring carrier f/v Western Wave has docked at the pier for the herring season.

 Training new assistant harbor master on administration.

 The bait dealer has placed their bait cooler on the pier. Bait machine to follow shortly.