Rockport Town Manager William Post issued the following June 4 report in advance of the June 8 Select Board meeting.

All five Rockport attendees to the EMS-basic class passed their written class final test a week ago and all five passed the hands-on practical test. The next step is the State practical exam which is on hold during the pandemic. After that is the National Written test in order to obtain an EMS License.

Short Term Rentals

As you know, during the pandemic, many projects were put on hold and the short-term rental project was one of them. Some research had been completed before the pandemic, and now this project will begin again. I have assigned Intern Olivia LaRoche to work with the MCEDD staff (Hannah Sisk and Bill Najpauer) to continue researching short-term rentals. We will also update the original timeline to see if we can prepare licensing standards or ordinance regulations for the November ballot. I will keep the Board informed.

Payments In Lieu of Taxes

The Town received two payments in lieu of taxes from the Midcoast Solid Waste Corporation in the amount of $4,130 and from the Vesper Hill Foundation (Children’s Chapel) in the amount of $500.

EMS Education Initiative and Analysis

Another project put on hold due to the pandemic is the emergency medical services education effort and analysis. You may recall that I am working with Tom Judge of Life Flight Maine and another consultant to develop an education program that will be an unbiased review of emergency medical services, the different levels of licensure and the different models of providing EMS to residents. I hope to have this proposal to the Board later in June.

Library Re-Opened

As you know, the Rockport Public Library re-opened to the public on June 1st. While the library is open there are many new rules and restrictions which are intended to maximize safety for both the patrons and the staff. Curbside pick-up is still offered for anyone who wants to use that service.

Below are the rules in place until further notice:

Patron Limit
Based on the size of the building we can only have 5 patrons in the library at one time. Every person counts toward this limit, regardless of age. If one family member can come into the building to pick items for everyone in the household, we urge you do so.

Time Limit

Since we can have so few patrons in the building at one time, we have put a time limit on visits. We ask that you keep your visit to the library to 30 minutes or less.

Masks
For the safety of the staff and other patrons we are requiring that anyone that comes into the building wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth. Many of our patrons are in high risk categories and we all must work together to keep the Library safe for everyone.

Browsing
We encourage you to browse and read book descriptions but please do not put a book back on the shelf after you have touched it. If you touch a book and do not intend to check it out, please place it on one of our quarantine carts. Any item that has been touched needs to go into a 72-hour quarantine.

Public Computers

While the pandemic is ongoing, we will only be offering one station for public computing. This is so we can clean the computer between each use. The 30-minute time limit is in effect for using the computer. If you need an exception, please see a librarian.

Social Distancing

Please follow all social distancing guidelines in the Library and maintain a 6-foot distance from other people. Some rooms have specific occupancy limits due to the inability to practice appropriate social distancing in those rooms.

Entrance and Exit: Now One Way

The front door by the book drop is our entrance. The side door with the ramp is our exit. Please use the front door to enter the building and the side door to leave. If you have any mobility issues do not hesitate to use the side door with the ramp to enter the Library. The area around the desk is tight; by having a specific entrance and exit we can better maintain social distance around the circulation desk.

Donations

The Library will not be taking any book or magazine donations at this time. We will let everyone know when we will resume taking book and magazine donations.

Cleaning

We will be cleaning and disinfecting high touch surfaces at the Library multiple times a day. We encourage you to use our hand wash station and we will have hand sanitizer for patrons to use.

Hours
Our hours have been reduced to the public. We will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. This is to give the staff extra time to process curbside pickup orders and for cleaning of the building.

MRC Summer Tennis Camps

Midcoast Recreation Center approached me to be allowed to use the tennis courts at the Marge Jones Recreation Fields for their youth summer camps so that they could more easily follow the Maine and Federal CDC guidelines. I am pleased to announce that I have allowed this use and MRC is providing two spots per week in the camps free of charge to Rockport residents. The classes are held Monday through Thursday in the mornings so that the courts are open for use by all after MRC is done for the day during the week and are open to all on Friday through Sunday. Signs have been posted at the courts to notify users.

Other Uses at RES Site

I have been approached by different groups that want to use the former RES site for various activities including exercise classes. These requests are coming to the Town because social distancing inside exercise studios is difficult. As the weather has improved, these folks want to continue their exercise, but cannot really do that inside and practice social distancing. Brandy Hare with the Public Works Department is assigned the tasks of reserving the use of the RES site (and others). I continue to work with her on these requests and most are granted.

Glen Cove Rest Area

A crew from the Public Works Department has done a very nice job trimming brush and trees at the Glen Cove Rest Area and removing brush that was left by the Maine Department of Transportation. The view is back! This trimming was long-overdue and makes a big difference for resident’s and visitor’s enjoyment of the park.