ROCKPORT — William Post, Rockport’s town manager, issued his Nov. 6 report in advance of the Nov. 12 meeting of the Rockport Select Board. In his report, he noted that 
 
 
Pascal Ave. Bridge
 
When I updated the Board on the replacement schedule of the Pascal Avenue bridge, a question arose as to whether MDOT would paint the bridge before it was replaced as the engineering will begin in 2022 and take 1-2 years to complete before construction would begin. MDOT will not paint the Pascal Avenue bridge before they replace it. 

West Rockport Fire Station Design Development

Fire Chief Peasley and I will meet with representatives from 2A Architects on Thursday, November 7, to discuss the design development of the replacement of the West Rockport Fire Station. This was put off with the change in management, and now is being moved forward. I will have additional details at the Select Board meeting on November 12 as to the results of that meeting.

Walker Park Seawall

Gartley and Dorsky has finished the engineering for the Walker Park Seawall and Mike Young and I reviewed two different design options with Will Gartley. Will Gartley will finalize the selected option, provide a cost estimate and file for permits with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The permitting process is expected to take 2 to 3 months. The engineer is also working with the abutting property and has engineering a solution to stabilize their portion of the seawall/bank. It is believed that the Town’s portion and the abutting landowners’ portion of the project can be bid out and constructed together so that the Town and the property owner both realize some savings.

I have tasked Planner Bill Najpauer with finding grant opportunities for the Town’s share. We are aware of one grant opportunity that fits this project which would require a fall construction because of the timing of the grant application and decision. This timing would also allow the Town to budget for this project construction in the FY21 budget.

Quarterly Department Budget Review Meetings

The Finance Director and I met with department heads last week to review the quarterly expenditure and revenue reports. This practice is called for in the Internal Control Policy and is a valuable practice that will continue under my administration.
Election Results

The Town Clerk reports the following results for the November 5, 2019 election: Total voters: 513, 18.2% voter turnout

State of Maine Questions
Question 1 – Bond Issue: Yes – 399, No – 109, blank – 5
Question 2 – Constitutional Amendment: Yes – 413, No – 94, blank – 6

Town of Rockport Question
Infrastructure Bond: Yes – 324, No – 185, blank – 4

New England Association of City and Town Clerks (NEACTC) Annual Conference

The NEACTC Annual Conference will be held at the Samoset Resort November 20th – 22nd. I have authorized the Town Clerk’s office to be closed on November 21 so that the three staff members can attend that day’s conference. Town Clerk Greenlaw will also be attending on November 20th. This is a great training and networking opportunity for the staff as this conference rotates throughout the New England states on an annual basis.

I have accepted an invitation to speak at the opening ceremony of the conference on November 20.

Town Office Plantings

The plantings in front of the Town Office (in the pots) will be moved by Guini Ridge Farm and stored for the winter to avoid winter damage from the falling ice and snow from the Town Office roof. The plantings will then be returned in the spring. We appreciate the help of Wendy at Guini Ridge Farm.

Veteran Parking at Town Office

Signs have been designed and ordered that will designate a parking space at the Town Office for veterans and active duty military. I expect this reserved parking space to be in place by December.

Audit Work

Representatives of RHR Smith & Associates have started their field work for the FY2019 financial audit. They have been working in the Town Office the week of November 4th and then will finish the work. The audit report is due to the Town by December 31st. This is the last year of the three- year contract with RHR Smith & Associates and this will need to be put out to bid in the spring.

No Second Select Board meeting in November

There will not be a second meeting of the Select Board in November. The next meeting will be December 9.