Last week, Rockland took another step toward reconstruction of Camden Street. Security locks and pest control were considered for the Rec Center. The Harbor Trail Committee met for discussion of Atlantic Street and Lermond Cove. The fire department responded to a complaint of an unsafe living condition, which was unfounded. The clock in the south end was reset, and the City continues to be audited.

Read the entire City Manager’s Report below.   

OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER

 As a reminder to everyone, the office is closed for recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. My favorite MLK quote can start the holiday weekend: “That the old law about an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.”

 Attended the Maine Employees Health Trust trustee selection meeting representing Rockland and the Maine Municipal Association. The trustees have always been a solid group keeping healthcare costs reasonable considering the healthcare context.

 I participated in the Farnsworth Art Museum strategic planning session.

They have hired Carol Wishcamper to assist them in this venture. I found it uplifting that the museum is searching for ways to integrate with all the aspects of the community. Their presence in the community is great and it appears they want it larger and more comprehensive.

 Attended a conference call meeting with representatives from Maine Department of Transportation regarding Camden Street. We are trying to integrate the planned $500,000 MDOT repair investment with the Camden Street study and the stormwater analysis. This was a productive meeting and will be followed up with another next week with Gorrill-Palmer. The Camden Street road study will be ready before the budget and the framework of the stormwater analysis will be ready for the budget. This could give the City some favorable options regarding future construction of this segment of road.

 I met with John Grondin, Tree Warden, about the potential of a forest management plan for the City’s forest. We will start with a primer discussion with the Bog Association, George’s River Land Trust, abutters, and some potential foresters. I will report further as it develops.

 I met with vendors regarding scanning capacity at the City. I am entertaining the possibility of starting a paperless initiative in the City of Rockland. This was a start to that venture from a budgeting perspective.

It was a promising meeting.

 The City concluded interviews with laborers from the Department of Public Services. We made three offers of employment to replenish the crew.

Census has been low in DPS for a little while. I will introduce the new City workers when they have officially given notice to their previous employers.

 Met with the Fire Chief and Code Enforcement Officer about the City’s approach to a violating building. The safety violations are extensive but the City was sensitive to displacing the families occupying the building.

The City has offered a draft consent agreement that will drive compliance within the next six months. Thank you to Councilor Geiger for her leadership.

 Attended the Harbor Trails Committee meeting. The Department of Public Services was launching a pilot idea for constructing new sidewalks and paths. The committee was going to hear the first introduction of this idea.

Thank you to Mayor MacLellan-Ruf for her leadership on this issue. It is exciting.

 Met with Wright-Pierce, DPS Director, and WWTF Director for the initial discussions regarding the stormwater flow monitoring. It was very illustrative of where the issues are in the City. Next steps will be to cross reference the data with other forms of research to provide the easiest and most immediate solutions to stormwater issues.

 Attended the Personnel Board meeting for the Assessor’s position. I will conduct 2nd interviews with promising candidates.

 Opened and reviewed the bids for the Old County Road project.

Considering the complexity of the project and bids, it will take some time for analysis. I will report soon on the preliminary award.

 I spent a great deal of time responding to inquiries regarding personnel issues. I keep reemphasizing that we want professional integrity, fiscal responsibility, and a better government for Rockland. There isn’t much more that can be commented on.

 I worked on several constituent’s issues regarding navigating the governmental system. Winter is most notorious for an uptick in these requests due to plowing and winter weather but my requests were not limited to those issues.

 We continue to work diligently on the finance system, audit, and the budget. The Finance Director has reformatted the quarterly report. I think you will find this helpful.

 Floodplain maps are officially concluding. In your information is a letter regarding the appeal status. The final issues are minute and technical in nature. Additionally, the City will need to adopt the new proposed floodplain ordinance by July. Code and Planning are already working on this to present to the City Council.

 After no fanfare and a lot of frustration, I have registered the new domain for the City website and email system. It was done through the federal website portal and it was very difficult. The new domain will be rocklandmaine.gov. This will be a nice compliment to the website and digital presence of the City.

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER/COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

 Meeting of the Knox County regional Microloan Review Committee to discuss Rockland business’ application.

 Meeting of the Harbor Trail Committee where we discussed:

o Feasibility study for the bridge cross Lindsey Brook (at Lermond Cove)

o Trail route around Lermond Cove

o Atlantic Street segment of Harbor Trail

 Meeting with business to discuss potential submission of CDBG Microenterprise Grant.

 Review of RFP responses to Midcoast Economic Development District for Midcoast Solarize project.

 Preparation of draft RFP for engineering and design services for the redesign of the Public Landing.

 Meeting with the Harbor Management Commission to discuss:

o Update to the Marine Resources Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan

o Review of the RFP for engineering and design services for the redesign of the Public Landing

 Preparation of draft RFP for Government and Community Access Channel Production.

 Preparation of grant application for the Efficient Delivery of Local and Regional Government Services to the State Government Department of Administrative and Financial Services.

OFFICE OF THE CITY ASSESSOR

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

 Analyzing qualified sales of all properties and neighborhoods for a fair and equitable assessment.

 Completing State forms and returning for processing.

 Updating GIS with the new splits and merging parcels.

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

OFFICE OF THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR

 Keith Drago offered Drop-in Tech Help—this is available on Monday evenings; patrons may also make appointments for individual assistance.

 Catinka Knoth’s Children’s Art Class drew penguins, while the Adult classes drew both penguins and winter sports figures.

 This was an on-week for LEGOTM club; participants created monster trucks.

 The service technician from Otis Elevator performed scheduled inspection and maintenance.

 The new cleaning service for the Library (and City Hall and Police) began work this week; while there are a few kinks to be worked out, I am satisfied by the supervisor’s response, and believe they will do a good job here.

 Staff have begun to book appointments for the annual AARP Tax Aide, free income tax filing assistance, from trained volunteers. This is a very popular service, and we are so glad we are able to offer it. Once again, Jack Kurowski is the coordinator as well as one of the preparers.

 This Wednesday was the second Family PlaceTM Library Workshop, Speech, Language, and Reading. Jean Young was assisted by Friend’s member Nancy Eugley, who retired a couple of years ago after 28 years as a teacher.

 Concurrent with the above-mentioned workshop, guest storyteller Judith led Storytime and read to a group of preschool boys. Titles included Henny Penny, retold and illustrated by Paul Galdone, Caps for Sale, told and illustrated by Esphyr and playing with the trains, the boys each colored a fireman picture to take home.

 The Thursday Evening Arts and Cultural Event was a Camden Conference Talk: Mali-Yesterday & Today: History, Religion & Life. Andrew Stancioff , who spent his career assessing conditions in some of the more disadvantaged and distressed countries on Earth spoke about his experiences in Mali.

 I attended an after-hours get-together with the Library’s three support groups, with members of the Library Advisory Committee, Friends, and RPLEA in attendance.

We hope this will become an annual or semi-annual event.

 On Saturday, Jessie Blanchard hosted Coloring for Adults. If you’ve ever wondered why coloring for adults is so popular, join Jessie every 3rd Saturday for Adult Coloring and find out the benefits of this cool new/old activity.

 Mark your calendars so you can attend Love Your Library; this will be the third year for this wonderful event—the Library’s “Valentine to the Community”.

OFFICE OF THE FIRE CHIEF

Over this preceding week, in addition to the response to 49 Fire and EMS calls, conducting apparatus checks, daily cleaning, routine repairs and maintenance to the fleet and of the quarters, the following occurred:

 Asst. CEO Bill Butler and I investigated a complaint about unsafe living conditions.

While the report was mostly unfounded, we did uncover an occupancy that had not been properly inspected for its current use. We conducted a full follow-up inspection and are working with the owner to sign a compliance agreement.

 Paramedics Planeta, Mullane and I attended the Community Health Needs Assessment Workshop hosted by PBMC at City Hall on Tuesday afternoon. There was a lot of data presented and a plan to set 3 year goals to better provide for the communities healthcare needs. We also participated in a break-out session on Substance Abuse. It appeared we were one of, if not the only care providers in attendance that see patients outside the clinical or office setting.

 I met with our two EMS Only personnel to review our goals, needs, and to strategize our EMS training program for 2016. These two paramedics keep our ambulances supply stocks, ensure training availability, and review and prepare our reports for billing. They do an excellent job at these things, which our billing company reports keeps us at the highest rate of return possible.

 I attended the Enhanced Mutual Aid Group meeting Thursday afternoon. This is a small working group made up of mutual aid Chief’s that are looking for ways to work together more efficiently and minimize costs. We’re currently working to collaborate on many of our equipment purchases to find quality discounts as well as sharing training resources and policies and procedures as we all find ourselves calling for outside help more and more often as the availability of trained personnel shrinks.

 “The Rossen Report” on Thursday morning’s Today Show provided a glimpse at the dramatic difference between the safe escape time from modern furnished homes and those furnished 30 years ago. A quick Google of “Rossen Report Fire” will bring you directly to this piece.

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE

Officers responded to 171 calls for service. Rockland Police Officers responded to 8 motor vehicle crashes and 4 animal complaints. Fourteen (14) traffic stops and traffic violations were conducted. Officers charged or made arrests of 7 individuals for various offenses, to include Warrants of Arrest, Traffic offenses, Sex Offense and Operating under the Influence.

Administration

 Completed security training for the new cleaning crew.

 Distributed officer of the year nominations to all officers and staff.

 Started the process of employee evaluations to be completed by all supervisors by March 11th.

 Coordinated the repair of a broken window in C.I.D. This was repaired by Pen-Bay Glass. The broken window was the result of a fight by two individuals in out parking lot. They have been identified and charged. The department will be asking for restitution.

 Working on the department budget preparations.

C.I.D. –

 Worked with the State Fire Marshall’s Office and the Knox County Sheriff’s Department investigating an explosion in Union.

 Conducted an annual audit of the department’s evidence room.

 Conducted sex offender compliance checks.

Patrol Division –

 Conducted school visits at all schools in Rockland.

 Conducted speed enforcement details at various locations in Rockland including school zones and Main St.

 Conducted fugitive from justice enforcement sweeps looking for targeted wanted persons.

 Continued grant funded OUI saturation patrols.

 Officers were called to Ocean Side High School to assist faculty with student related issues that were ultimately handled by the district.

 On two occasions over the past week Rockland Officers provided mutual aid assistance to neighboring police departments. Both of these incidents were resolved quickly and the officers returned to Rockland to resume patrol functions.

OFFICE OF THE MUNICIPAL FISH PIER DIRECTOR

 Issued two lobster vessel permits this week.

 Met with the Finance Director to discuss the new forms used in the budget preparations for FY-2017.

 The price per pound for scallops is still $12.50 per pound.

 The price per pound for lobster is $3.85 a pound.

OFFICE OF THE FINANCE DIRECTOR

 It’s been another busy week for finance. The auditors were back again with more questions, and more requests for information that we need to gather for them.

They have also asked for some clarifications and adjustments that will require City Council votes; the recommendations to the City Council will be ready for their February regular meeting.

 Part of the audit has uncovered an issue with the City’s reserve funds. Previously, when money was recorded as having been withdrawn from the funds, the money was never actually withdrawn. What this means is that the funds held in trust by Bar Harbor Trust Services might actually have more money than the accounting of those funds shows in MUNIS. In other words, some of the reserve funds actually owe the general funds some money. In essence, the reserves need to pay the City back. As an example, there is over $187,000 still invested in one of the reserve accounts with BHTS; but the actual value of that one account is zero because these funds had already been used. The auditors and I will work on getting all the investment accounts corrected to reflect their current values; and payment back to the City’s general fund will be issued. This will slightly improve the City’s cash flow.

 As a side note to the reserve issue; stock markets this year have not been favorable. As a result, the overall value of the funds has dropped from a high of $3.92 million to a little more than $3.87 million; a loss of more than $60,000 in fund market value from July 1, 2015. At some point in time the City may wish to consider putting some of the smaller reserve funds into a CDARS, rather than risk losing funds continually each month as they have been losing. If the City does not have a formal reserve policy, or if the policy is in need of updating, it may be time to consider an updated policy that would only invest long-term funds in the format currently in place, and opt to place smaller accounts in either a simple savings account, CD, or CDARS. (Definition: CDARS - Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service; FDIC insurance on multi-million dollar CD deposits that earn CD rates, which often compare favorably to Treasuries and money market mutual funds.)

 Also this week, I, along with the Public Services Director and the Community Development Director joined the City Manager, in listening in on a conference call with MDOT dealing with a proposed Camden Street reconstruction project.

There are a number of items to consider as the possibility of this major project unfolds; the City Manager is on top of getting his team involved to make this a successful project.

 I continue to work on formatting the budget form for the upcoming budget work sessions. This year the budget will be presented differently than it has in the past; hopefully the budget and the information provided will be a welcome change; providing a wealth of information enabling the City officials to deliberate on a budget that is understandable and works well for the City for the coming year.

 On Thursday I enjoyed my first training session with MUNIS. My staff and I all participated in some part of the day-long training, and we each learned valuable information. We have been able to restrict access to the accounting database; a restriction that still allows department heads to have access to the requisition process that also allows them the opportunity to review and print reports of their budgets whenever they wish to procure budget information. I become more comfortable with the software daily. In the future I will be looking into the cost of adding a module for the clerk’s office; the module will include motor vehicle, licensing, and other clerk work. It is imperative, from a financial internal control aspect, to have the clerk’s office on line as soon as possible. I expect to include a proposal in the new budget.

 Another busy week has ended; I expect they will continue.

OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICES DIRECTOR

 Cleaned up downed trees around the City that were caused by this week’s high wind storm.

 Cleaned Basins in preparation of rain and snow.

 Electrical Work on wiring at Public Works Garage.

 Fixed Washouts on Upper Masonic Street, Pen Bay Acres, West Meadow Road, Oliver Street and various other locations.

 Picked up trash City Wide.

 Replaced Injectors on Landfill compactor.

 Fixed door latch on Kobelco Excavator.

 Applied landfill cover material on 1⁄4 of active landfill surface.

 Cold patched City wide.

 Continued to complete incidental storm repairs.

 Pre loading of trucks and prepped plows to be ready for Tuesday’s storm.

 Pre-treated roads with brine prior to icy conditions on Tuesday night.

 Roadside litter pick up was performed.

 Organized garage behind City hall so that we can begin to make our own picnic tables and trash can holders and other City related carpentry work.

 Throttle issues fixed on Landfill dozer.

 Assembled lifting chains.

 Worked with Sargent Lock to replace locks on Harbor Master building.

 Completed storm cleanup, sanding and salting of the various City sidewalks and walkways associated with City public buildings.

 The Sinkhole on Camden Road in front of VIP Tires was repaired.

 A load of cold patch was picked up at All States Materials Group in Windsor.

 Began to address drain issue at Broadway. This is a temp measure to address runoff that is in turn creating road icing. This is a temporary fix until spring time when we will install a more permanent underdrain.

 Worked with Fisher Engineering to address issues with brine maker. We are working toward improving operation of machine.

 Fisher Engineering installed a demo model in one of our City plow trucks to assist with field testing.

 Worked with Sargent Lock and Safe on installing locks on various rooms in the Rec Center.

 A hot water tank was leaking at the Nurses office in rec building. We are scheduling this to be replaced.

 A washout located in the vicinity of the brook by the trade school was repaired.

 Completed injector line repair on Landfill compactor.

 Preparation for Saturday’s snow event.

 Attended Harbor Trail Committee meeting and presented a work plan to begin using Public Services labor to install stamped concrete walkways.

 Met with Modern Pest Control to begin an ant treatment plan for the Rec Center.

 Attended meeting with Maine DOT and Gorrill Palmer Camden Street Workshop.

 Attended the Wright & Pierce Waste Water/Storm water flows analysis presentation.

 Completed second round of interviews for the Public Services laborer positions.

Three offers were made pending physicals.

 PDQ door repaired the overhead door to transfer station building and will be installing safety devices next Monday.

 Attended bid opening for the Old County Road Reconstruction.

 Met with Arborist to review various trees around town that may be in need of pruning.

 Submitted wastewater pretreatment report.

 Reset south end clock.

OFFICE OF THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY DIRECTOR

 Replaced the battery in the uninterruptable power supply at the Industrial Park Pump Station.

 Inspected and cleaned #3 aeration blower filters.

 Repaired a failed sump pump in the plant.

 Cleaned and pumped the wet well at the Glenwood Avenue Pump Station with Interstate Septic.

 Inspected and approved a new sewer lateral on Talbot Avenue.

 Responded to a Dig-Safe request on Limerock Street for Maine Water.

 Responded to a Dig-Safe request on Old County Rd. for Central Maine Power.

 Rebuilt electric motor for bar screen rake.

 Installed new 8” valve in FMC influent line.

 Plant personnel met with representatives from Wright-Pierce to review results from the recent flow monitoring project. This project is part of a larger Inflow, Infiltration (I&I) and Flow Study.

 Woodard and Curran worked on-site to provide SCADA system technical support.

New alarm parameters were established for chemical storage tanks and problems with the #2 Vortex Pump speed control were corrected.

 Average flows through the plant were 3.1 MGD.

OFFICE OF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

 Due to a family health issue, John was out for a couple of days and unable to attend the City Council meeting.

 John and Bill performed several electrical and building permit inspections as well as another license inspection. Bill has also done several inspections on his own.

 There were 4 complaints this week. Both John and Bill followed up on these plus several older complaints.

 John and Bill spent some time prioritizing what issues we intend to follow up on with regards to ongoing violations.

 Bill attended the Comps Commission meeting. He will be staffing this committee in the future.

 John continues to be busy with various inquiries about properties and potential development.

 There were 4 new complaints received this week.

 The following permits were received by the Code Office this week:

o 1 Building permit

o 3 Electrical permits

o 1 Plumbing permit

o 1 Sign permit

o 1 Planning Board Application (for amendments to approved plan)