Meeting tonight: police chief report; inviting windjammers to tie up at town docks

Mon, 11/14/2016 - 8:30am

The Rockport Select Board will, this evening at a regularly scheduled meting, consider getting voter approval for installing solar panels on the Town Office roof, and review a Gartley and Dorksy report to help mitigate ongoing pollution problems at the popular harbor spot known as Goodie’s Beach.

The Select Board is expected to discuss the recent vote against building a new library on the existing library site on Nov. 30 at special workshop, details to be determined.

Tonight’s meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Rockport Opera House downstairs room, will be televised on public access channel 22, and streamed live at http://livestream.com/Rockportmaine

The full agenda also includes hearing from Camden-Rockport Police Chief Randy Gagne about progress to date of the six-month arrangement between the two towns to share the police chief position.

And, the agenda will also include a discussion about harbor fees, and the proposal to charge windjammers $35 a night to tie up at the town’s new commercial docks during the summer season.

Goodie’s Beach

The small beach that is adjacent to Marine Park has had a pollution for years, with work beginning in 2009 to decipher where the contamination originated.

The town has investigated inside sewer systems with cameras, repaired leaks, and fully analyzed the landscape, and still could not determine exactly where the contamination is coming from, the town has said.

In response, the town has shifted course and decided to figure out how mitigate the storm water management options to divert and reduce the outflow of pollution next to the beach.

A report on proposed next steps will be heard at tonight’s meeting.

Solar

The Select Board will consider scheduling a Dec. 5 public hearing on a proposed contract with ReVision Energy to lease and then purchase solar panels to install on the town office roof.

If approved, a town warrant would be prepared and a special town meeting would be convened to answer the question: “Shall the Town authorize the Select Board to negotiate and execute any and all agreements, and to take actions and execute leases and documents reasonably related thereto, necessary to facilitate solar energy installations that will serve the Town of Rockport municipal facilities?”

Police Chief

Rockport has been contracting with Camden for police chief duties since last spring, when former Rockport Police Chief Mark Kelley retired.

Interim Police Chief Randy Gagne is to provide the board with a scheduled progress report, as he did in September.

“All in all, as I have reported in my previous manager’s reports, the agreement has gone much better than expected,” wrote Town Manager Rick Bates, in a memo to the board.... I believe that the officers are happy with the arrangement. They are training together, supporting each other and the residents are getting better service all around. At this point, the only action that would have to be taken, would be in the event that the Board wanted to dissolve the relationship we have and hire our own chief. If that were the case, you should make that decision soon, so that I can start the process of hiring a new chief. Absent a decision to dissolve the relationship, we should set up a time for the two Boards to meet to look at extending the agreement another six months and begin the process of budgeting for the next year.”

The full agenda follows:

- PUBLIC MEETING - Rockport Select Board Monday, November 14, 2016

7:00 p.m. Rockport Opera House Meeting Room Streamed at http://livestream.com/Rockportmaine

AGENDA
I. Call Meeting to Order Please either turn off your cell phones and other electronic devices or set them to mute while in this meeting room or the hallways. If you need to take or make a phone call, please step outdoors.

II. Public Hearing a. None this meeting III. Minutes, Meetings and Announcements a. Approval of the minutes of previous meetings:

 All tabled to December 5 due to the pressures of the November 8 Election

b. Announcements of upcoming regular Select Board meeting(s):

Regular Select Board meeting on Monday, December 5, 2016, 7:00 p.m., Rockport Opera House Meeting Room, to be streamed at http://livestream.com/Rockportmaine c. Announcements of upcoming Select Board workshop(s): 

Wastewater Workshop, Monday, November 28, 2016, 4:00 p.m., Rockport Town Office Richardson Room 

Library Workshop, Wednesday, November 30, 2016, 7:00 p.m., Rockport Opera House Meeting Room, to be streamed at http://livestream.com/Rockportmaine 

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Workshop, Tuesday, December 7, 2016, 4:00 p.m., Rockport Town Office Richardson Room

d. Announcements: Note: All meetings and workshops of the Select Board and Town Board, Committees and Commissions can be found on the Town Website: www.town.rockport.me.us

Town Offices will be closed Thursday, November 24, 2016, and Friday, November 25, 2016, in celebration of Thanksgiving.

e. Committee Openings: All committees have openings for alternates who will be called to serve on those occasions that the regular members are not present for a particular meeting 

Camden-Rockport Pathways Committee – 1 regular vacancy, 3 alternate vacancies 

Conservation Commission – 1 regular vacancy, 3 alternate vacancies 

Library Committee – 1 vacancy (to be filled by special election on June 13, 2017 

Ordinance Review Committee – 2 regular vacancies, 3 alternate vacancies 

Planning Board – 1 regular vacancy, 3 alternate vacancies 

Zoning Board of Appeals – 1 regular vacancy, 3 alternate vacancies

f. Agenda Changes

g. Public Comment – public comment should be directed at issues not under discussion on this evening’s agenda. Comment from the public will be welcome prior to each agenda item. Further comment will be granted only by permission from the Board. All public comment should be brief and to the point.

IV. Town Manager’s Report V. Unfinished Business

a. Approve the change to the Alternate Committee Member Policy VI. New Business a. Acknowledgment of Gifts to the Town: 

None this meeting

b. Committee Resignation(s): 

None this meeting c. Committee Application(s) 

None this meeting

d. Discussion regarding the arrangement with Camden vis-à-vis the Police Chief

e. Presentation by the Harbor Committee

f. Approval of the 2017 Harbor Fees

g. Goodies Beach Feasibility Study presentation

h. Discussion of the Solar Power Purchase Agreement with ReVision Investments, LLC

i. Call a Special Town Meeting for Monday, December 5, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. at the Rockport Opera House in the Meeting Room