During the week ending May 27, 2016, the code enforcement officer inspected five abandon residences. Chief Boucher finalized a grant initiative with Knox County Community Health Coalition. Ledge blasting started at the Old County Road construction site. Public Works submitted RFQs for the LED street light project. REDAC voted to provide Habitat for Humanity’s families living in 30 and 34 Brewster Street with grants to pay for sprinkler system instillation, and Friends of Rockland Public Library are still accepting donations for the upcoming book, bake, plant sale.

Read the entire Rockland City Manager’s Report below.

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

 I finalized the contracts with Woodard & Curran and SMRT for the technical assistance they provided in the development of the power generation ordinance.

 I am still preparing information for the Parks Commission regarding potential grant opportunities and recommended park improvement projects that are in line with these opportunities. After I present this information to the Parks Commission for feedback I will provide it to the City Council.

 I received the first 3 applications to the Housing Redevelopment Program. REDAC heard presentations from Habitat for Humanity on 2 projects and Kevin Boggs, Bangor Savings Bank’s mortgage loan officer, who represented an applicant.

REDAC voted to provide Habitat for Humanity’s families that will be living in 30 and 34 Brewster Street with grants to pay for the cost of installing sprinkler systems in these homes. The other applicant will return for REDAC’s June meeting to provide more information on their project.

 FMC’s Plant Manager, Jeff Hamilton, came to REDAC’s meeting on Thursday (5/26) to speak about his concerns regarding the draft power generation ordinance and the impact he believes it will have on business in Rockland.

REDAC expressed concern they were never consulted in the development of this ordinance and have asked to see a copy of the latest draft. I have sent them the draft I received on 5/26. Once REDAC has a chance to read the ordinance they will determine whether or not to make formal comment on it to the City Council.

 I am happy to report that the EPA has approved Rockland to do a Highest and Best Use Study and Urban Design Study for the Tillson Avenue Area with Brownfields Assessment funding. This will be an important step in helping to implement the 2011 Waterfront Area Redevelopment Plan; more specifically implementing the proposed street layout. REDAC will be the steering committee for this project.

We’re hoping to begin in July 2016.

 The City Manager (or myself) and Cr Pritchett, have been invited by the Town of Falmouth to participate in interviewing engineering firms for the multi-town streetlight RFQ. This meeting is scheduled for June 23rd. This should be on the City Council’s radar because the time for Rockland to make a decision regarding participating in the next stage of this project is fast approaching.

OFFICE OF THE FINANCE DIRECTOR

 Another busy week in Finance, preparing for the upcoming long Memorial Day Weekend.

 The end of the month is near, with the last payroll for May complete; monthly payroll bills need to go out. I have been working with Kara on how to prepare the bills and submit to Payables. With that comes the monthly reconciliations. Kara and I also met with our new Assistant Harbor Master this week for new hire paperwork. He is going to be an asset to the City of Rockland.

 Jason Atwater from ICMA retirement came in this week and gave a presentation on retirement. This was a great presentation on preparing for retirement. The presentation provided us with a guide on how to ready ourselves for retirement; when do you plan to retire, how much will you need, and social security. It is never too early to think about the future. Although the City only contributes to one retirement plan – we do offer through ICMA the 457B plan that employees can contribute to. This is an additional plan to help you plan for the future. If any employees want to learn more they can contact myself or Kara.

 The Clerk’s office had training for animal licenses this week. I will need to input some additional information into our software system before we can continue on to phase II of training. As with everything new it takes time. In the end I feel this will be well worth the effort.

 Laurie has returned from vacation and has been busy entering invoices for payment. She finished up with Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable reconciliations for April.

 I attended Budget Deliberations this week. The topic was Capital Improvements for the City. I applaud the Council for their ability to prioritize a large list of projects the City needs to undertake over the next several years. I am continuing work on the summary of changes the Council would like to see. I have been working on those changes this week to see how they affect the overall budget.

 This week I have been busy with Budget; entering Council figures into Munis and also getting prepared for the end of the fiscal year and start of FY2017.

 Lastly, our cash flow has dipped to around 3.5M. Due to our payment to RSU13 and payments for the Old County Road project. I expect this to increase when we receive our first Bond payment and drawdown from the State for this project.

OFFICE OF THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR

 Both the Adult and Children’s Art classes centered around Memorial Day this week. These classes are led by Catinka Knoth, and open to the public—no previous experience is required.

 On Tuesday, the Library hosted a very special event—An Evening of Bi-lingual Poetry. The award-winning Afro-Brazilian poet, Salgado Maranhão, read poems from his books Blood of the Sun and Tiger Fur in Portuguese and translator Alexis Levitin read the English translations. They also discussed life in Brazil, Maranhão's unusual life, and questions of translation.

 I met with members of the Library Advisory Committee, and also with a few members of the PLEA Board, to pass along the Mayor’s invitation to attend the June 1 Budget Deliberations workshop of the City Council.

 Judith Andersen was the guest reader once again for Wednesday Storytime.

Judy’s featured storybook this week was, Twenty Yawns, by Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley. Jean Young supplied a craft to complement the book. She set out primary color paints with a large picture of a baby yawning and space to practice the letter Y. Other books read included Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, by Simms Taback, and Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, by Mac Barnett  ABM Mechanical Services was on site to do an AC start-up.

 Along with the rest of the Budget Working Group I attended the budget deliberations by the City Council.

 The Thursday evening Arts & Cultural Event was the documentary film--The Salt of the Earth. For the last 40 years, the photographer Sebastião Salgado has been travelling through the continents and witnessed the major events of our recent history; international conflicts, starvation, and exodus. He is now embarking on the discovery of pristine territories, of the wild fauna and flora, and of grandiose landscapes as part of a huge photographic project which is a tribute to the planet’s beauty.

 Upcoming: Destination Wellness Talk: Medical Marijuana: Current Knowledge and Controversies also, Friends of Rockland Public Library Book, Bake, and Plant Sale.

The Friends are still looking for donation 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

The officers responded to 224 calls for service. Rockland Police Officers responded to 6 motor vehicle crashes and 5 animal complaints. Forty-three (43) traffic stops and traffic violations were conducted. The officers charged or made 20 arrests of individuals for various offenses, to include Bail violations, Stalking, Domestic Assault,Assault, Traffic Offenses, Alcohol Offenses, Warrants of arrest, Probation violations and OUI.

 Chief Boucher finalized a Grant initiative with Knox County Community Health Coalition Director Connie Putnam for a CDBG application.

 Chief Boucher attended the Knox County Recovery Coalition meeting in Rockport this week.

 Chief Boucher attended the Board meeting of Sexual Assault Support Services of Mid-Coast Maine on Wednesday evening.

 DC Young coordinated with the Department of Public Services concerning a road closure for utility repairs.

 DC Young coordinated minor building repairs / maintenance to ensure compliance with the Department of Labor.

Criminal Investigations Division –

 Assisted the Department of Health and Human Services in conducting an interview of a high risk offender.

 Assisted the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency with an ongoing investigation.

 Coordinated with the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a security checkpoint at the Maine State Ferry Terminal.

 Provided landlords with copies of the Disorderly House Ordinance and information on how to evict disorderly tenants.

 Both Det/Sgt. Thompson and Det. Neal are department Firearms Instructors and have been conducting firearms qualifications this week for all department personnel.

Patrol Division –

 The Rockland Police Department welcomed Addison Cox to the ranks. Off. Cox has completed phase two of the law enforcement pre-certification and is currently undergoing field training. Off. Cox will be attending the 18 week Law Enforcement Basic Academy at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in the near future.

 Off. Andrew Redden and his wife Crystal welcomed a healthy baby boy into the world. Mom, Dad and Son are doing great!

 Assisted Thomaston P.D. with response to an alarm investigation.

 Assisted Probation and Parole with a drug investigation / probation violation.

 Provided escorts to various banks so they could safely refill ATM machines.

 Assisted Rockport PD by responding to Denny’s for an erratic vehicle complaint.

 Utilized grant funding to conduct seatbelt enforcement details and underage drinking details.

Parking Enforcement/ACO

 Issued 25 parking tickets in 3 days.

 Assisted Special Olympics Maine by delivering running shirts for the upcoming Law Enforcement Torch Run.

 Responded to two animal calls.

OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICES DIRECTOR

 Completed zone 4 of leaf and brush pick-up.

 Repaired hot zone hose and valve at the landfill.

 Attended the CIP portion of the FY 17 budget.

 Legal review of the MSW/Recyclable hauling contract is complete and ready to be presented to the contractor for review.

 Installed most of all of the downtown bike racks.

 Cleaned up trash City-wide, cleaned out the swap shop at the Solid Waste Facility.

 Met with Gartley and Dorsky to review discrepancies on the Winter Street CMCA sidewalk, and storm water basin locations.

 Build and placed two picnic tables by the Rankin Center.

 Contacted Kim Rand from Fisher Engineering to review current fees and recycling agreement with Fisher.

 Met with Alexis Iammarino and Nate Davis regarding a community project.

 Replaced United States Flag located at Chapman park.

 Weeded the intersection of Pleasant Street and Route 1.

 Continued ditching drainage at JC Field.

 Worked on road painting.

 Attended GIS training at Knox EMA.

 Mowed lawn at Samoset park.

 Installed flags along Main Street in preparation of Memorial Day.

 Installed flower baskets along light poles on Main Street in preparation of Memorial Day.

 Scheduled staff to water flowers and pick up the parks and trash cans next Monday due to the long weekend.

 Water flowers along Main Street.

 Worked on landfill compactor.

 Removed head on excavator to determine engine problem.

 Cleaned up the back of the public works garage.

 Mowed lawn at the Solid Waste Facility.

 Transfer waste oil from small tank to larger tank so waste oil burner could be serviced.

 Evaluated the changing rooms and bath room at Johnson Memorial Park. We will be cleaning and painting next week in preparation for summer.

 Performed street sweeping City wide.

 Installed float and buoys at Johnson Memorial Park.

 Attended Healthy Maine Beaches sampling training session in Rockport.

 Mulched trees in parks and on Main Street.

 Submitted RFQ’s for all of the LED street light project with responses due by June 6th.

Old County Road:

 All stormwater and sewer pipe has been completed from Thompson Meadow to Acorn Cemetery.

 Crooker is in the process of paving road aprons up to Rankin St.

 Ledge blasting has started this week. Check out the ledge blasting video out on the City of Rockland Public Services Facebook page.

 CMP utility line relocation is ongoing and making good progress.

 The fifth weekly construction meeting was held Thursday 5/26/16. We are on target for all tasks outlined with the master schedule and the August 8th completion date. Maine Water attended to assist with waterline location.

 Currently we have excavated 16,542 cubic yards of material, installed 6,557 linear feet of culvert, underdrain and sewer pipe, 32 basins and removed 156 cubic yards of ledge. Blasted ledge will be calculated as it is removed.

 Crooker will stop work on 5/26/16 for the long Memorial Day Weekend.

OFFICE OF THE CITY ASSESSOR

 Dennis Reed, Kevin Beal and I met with Bill Dale regarding the OSJ hearing. They have requested a postponement.

 Attended the MMA Board of Assessment Review Workshop in Augusta.

This was a very educational workshop that outlines the responsibilities of the Board and the assessor when an application is submitted.

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

 Processed Personal Property accounts, updating ownership, owned items, depreciation, BETE exemptions.

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

 Processed requests for property valuation assessment.

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

OFFICE OF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

 Bill attended Shoreland Zoning training for 2015 model ordinance & participated in plumbing training at the Maine Code Enforcement Officers’ meeting.

 I did a pre-sheetrock plumbing and electrical inspection at the Trade Winds where they are renovating six units on three floors. Some of the rooms are being combined to make larger rooms.

 I investigated earthwork being done on Beech Street. I have received several inquiries about what is going to be done. I talked to the excavation contractor and met the new owner. He is simply grading to try to address drainage issues from his property onto others and will be developing pathways and gardens. It was nice to be able to tell concerned that what is being done will be a vast improvement from the swampy mess that it was.

 I inspected a vacant house on James Street after receiving a complaint about stagnant water in barrels and tire in the back yard. The house is secure and in good shape. The barrels are catching rain from the roof gutters, so I did not want to turn them over. The grass needs mowing. I spoke with the realtor who is selling the property. He had a call into the owner. He said he would bring the issues to her attention and if that did not resolve it he would let me know. People seem to be very concerned about mosquitoes these days.

 I did an under-slab plumbing inspection for one of the two houses being built by Habitat on Brewster St.

 I met with Peter Johanson who owns Johanson’s Boatworks on Rt. 90. He would like to add a 2,760 square foot building for boat storage. We calculated the building coverage and found that it would not exceed code limits. He has submitted a Site Plan Review Application and the Planning Board will review it on June 7th.

 I met with a resident to discuss adding a dress shop to the front of a dwelling.

 Bill and I went out to inspect 5 abandoned buildings, some of which have been unused for years, but are kept secured. We will be following up in some fashion as most need some maintenance on the exterior.

 I had a conversation with an owner of numerous properties, who may purchase a problematic multi-family dwelling on Summer Street. All projects he has done are top notch, so both the Fire Chief and I are hopeful he will end up following through.

 I inspected footing for the second house at the Habitat site on Brewster Street.

 F.E.M.A. hosted an informational session at City Hall at 4pm Tuesday. There were about 10 representatives from F.E.M.A. and the State.

 I attended a Planning Board meeting with the Energy Committee to review FMC’s concerns about the regulations for electrical power generation facility. Most of their concerns were not applicable to their operations, but some points were valid and proposed adjustments were made for Council’s consideration.

 The Fire Chief and I inspected the Masiello Group’s new offices on Main Street for a Certificate of Occupancy. It was a well-done project.

 The Fire Chief and I met with operators of the Steel House to discuss the occasional functions that were being held in the basement of the facility. They already have plans to relocate the functions to a newly purchased building just down the street. We discussed the particulars with regards to codes and I believe they found the information very helpful.

 The Fire Chief and I inspected a single-family dwelling at 26 Union Street where they desired to sell furniture (retail) downstairs and maintain a living space upstairs.

We determined that extensive renovations would be needed to provide a fire separation between the uses to properly separate the uses, or the upstairs would have to remain vacant. The building and life safety codes must be enforced, and converting a dwelling to a mixed occupancy is always a challenge. A short time later they inquired about using the garage for the business. The Fire Chief and I both agreed that this would be no problem.

 I met with an engineer who is assisting a resident in building a remote dwelling off West Meadow Road. We discussed several construction items as well as their desire to procure electrical power from other than Central Maine Power. They will be seeking advice from someone knowledgeable in that field.

 I met with a resident who is having a boundary dispute with her neighbor. I explained that other than to provide all information we have, this is a civil matter and is best resolved by a survey.

 I prepared a map and talking points for Councilor Clayton who is trying to assist the owner of 218 Main Street to be able to let the owners of a local restaurant operate a shop specializing in pizza.

 I met with a resident of Mountain View Extension to try to assist her with the location of her property lines and determining which subdivision she belongs to.

 The Fire Chief and I inspected Center for Maine Contemporary Art at 21 Winter Street and issued a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy. There are some issues with the sidewalk that need to be resolved and an easement must be granted for public access to the plaza.

 Bill and I attended a REDAC meeting to talk about abandoned buildings.

 We had a staff meeting with Code and Assessing departments on Thursday.

 I inspected framing for a stone and masonry shop at 1 Farwell Drive.

 I met with the owner of Rockbound Computers who is interested in developing a residence above their business.

 Bill and Roxy attended a Comprehensive Planning Commission meeting on Thursday evening.

 As a result of a complaint inspection we issued a building permit this week for a residential deck that was built without a permit being on file. We also issued building permits for another residential deck and a residential fence.

 Bill performed an annual victualer’s license renewal inspection.

 There were 5 complaints filed this week. Four of them were regarding excessive junk or garbage and unkempt properties, and one was regarding a property line dispute. We continue to follow up and work on complaint issues within the City, including performing follow up inspections on Bunker Street complaints which showed improved compliance with the codes.

 I answered dozens of calls regarding numerous subjects throughout each day.

 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 3 Building Permits

o 1 Plumbing Permit

o 2 Sidewalk Display Permits

o 1 Street/Sidewalk Encumbrance Permit

OFFICE OF THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY DIRECTOR

 Completed installation of new level alarms at the Region 8 and Steel Pro pump stations. These will provide an additional safeguard to prevent sanitary overflows from occurring during weather emergencies or equipment failure.

 The skimmer arm in the #2 primary clarifier was repaired.

 A sandblast cabinet was installed in the maintenance shop. This will facilitate cleaning and inspection of parts prior to rebuilding them.

 A leaking hydraulic line on the #1 belt filter press was replaced.

 The 4” check valves currently used in the plant are of various lengths and the industry has adopted a standard length valve since their installation. Plant valves needing replacement will now be a standard 11 1⁄2” in length. In some cases the new valves will be shorter than ones currently in use but will have an identical function. Adopting a standardized valve will reduce the number of valves and rebuild kits that need to be kept on-hand in the treatment plants spare parts inventory.

 All materials are now on-site for the influent bar screen rebuild project. A preconstruction meeting will be held next week to coordinate schedules, roles and responsibilities during the work.

 Worked with Interstate Septic to clean and pump the wetwells at Waldo Ave. and Glenwood Ave. pump stations.

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

 The collection system crew completed CCTV inspection of the sewer main on lower Rankin Street.

 The Environmental Technicians attended a 2 hour Geographic Information System training course that was being conducted locally.

 Located and marked the location of the sewer lateral on Melrose Circle South.

 Collected a water sample from the storm water outfall pipe at Water St. for analysis at the treatment plant lab.

 Checked water temperatures and cleared debris from the sample locations along Lindsey Brook in preparation for the monthly water testing done in the summer and fall.

 Composite samples monitored during the week: Municipal Influent, Aeration Basin Influent, Secondary Effluent, FMC Effluent, CSO Influent and CSO Effluent.

 The following tests were performed on the above composite samples throughout the week: 27 TSS tests, 15 BOD tests, 10 Nitrate tests, 5 Nitrite tests, 5 Ammonia tests, 5 COD tests, 5 Settleable Solids tests.

 Grab samples monitored during the week: Aeration Basins, Municipal Influent, Primary Effluent, Secondary Effluent, Chlorine Contact Chamber, Hypo Pump.

 The following tests were performed on the above grab samples throughout the week: 26 TSS tests, 25 VSS tests, 5 Phosphorous tests, 5 Microscopic evaluations, 18 Settleable Solids tests, 18 pH tests, 17 conductivity tests, 30 Cl2 tests, 5 fecal coliform tests

 Lab reports for water analysis were prepared and sent to North Haven.

 Performed E coli testing for a property on Ocean St.

 The lab staff initiated testing for the yearly Discharge Monitoring Report Quality Assurance Study (DMR-QA) for the Maine DEP. DMR-QA evaluates the analytical ability of the laboratories that perform self-monitoring analyses required by their NPDES permit. This testing is required under the cities discharge permit and the Rockland lab has consistently performed well during these studies.

 Conducted a further review of the draft discharge permit with engineers from Wright Pierce.

 Average flows through secondary treatment were 2.2MGD and no Combines Sanitary Overflows occurred.