Election Results
A special town meeting election was held on Tuesday, August 30. where our voters elected a new Select Board member, Denise Munger, whose term ends in June 2024. This special election was created to fill a vacancy due to John Strand’s resignation in June. There were three candidates, and we had a relatively strong turnout given the unusual time of year for an election.

Tax Collection
With the release of the tax bills this past month, the Town Office has been quite busy. What many residents may not realize is that though we are a town of 3,600 people, we have more than double the number of property tax accounts due to the timeshare units at the Samoset Resort.

Every week of every unit stands as one account and must be treated identically to property tax billing for your average home. While the Samoset and the Town have worked well to ease this responsibility, the sheer volume of tax accounts the Clerk’s Office must process is considerable through the first property tax due date of October 15.

Retirement Announcement
Town Clerk Linda Greenlaw has announced she will be retiring on January 5. Linda has served as Rockport’s town clerk for 26 years and served as a deputy clerk for 18 months prior to her promotion to clerk.

For those new to the area, Linda is a native to Rockport and grew up not far from the Town Office. Linda’s passion for Rockport, its residents, and its history will be impossible to replace, but that is the task before us. Between Linda’s 26- year tenure and the 30-year tenure of the town clerk who preceded her, Brenda Richardson, that is an amazing 56 year run in Rockport with only two clerks at the helm. Therefore, it is very uncommon to be in need to hire a new clerk, but nevertheless an advertisement has been circulated and those interested in the position should reach out to Town Manager Jon Duke or email employment@rockportmaine.gov

A celebration of Linda’s tenure will be set for this winter, and we welcome so many of the residents, co-workers, and customers who want to congratulate Linda for an outstanding run. Details on the celebration will be forthcoming this fall and those who wish to support this celebration should reach out to Brenda Richardson.

Milestones
Appreciation. We held our annually employee barbeque last week to show appreciation to our employees for all their hard-work and dedication. Also, at this time we take a moment to thank employees who have reached certain milestones in their tenure working on behalf of the people of Rockport.

This year we had five employees that were recognized for their years of service.

Shay Ames, Assistant Town Clerk – 10 years
Mike Young, Public Works Director – 10 years
Antonio Del Vecchio, Patrol Officer – 5 years
Jacob Powers, Patrol Officer – 5 years
Molli Bennett, Administrative Assistant, Assessing and Finance – 5 years

Thank you, Shay, Mike, Tony, and Molli, for your efforts!

Building and Grounds
We have hired a new full-time Maintenance Custodian, Matthew Nelson, to oversee the maintenance, general cleaning and minor repairs for Town buildings, parks, and other municipal properties. Matthew will begin work in a couple of weeks and we are excited to have him join the team.

Finance
Training. Molli and Megan will be attending NESGFOA Conference week of September 12.

Assessing
Valuation Questions. Undoubtedly there are a number of questions from residents concerning their new valuation in the aftermath of receiving their tax bills a few weeks ago. Please contact the assessing department with any questions you may have regarding these updated property values. In addition, we have seen a fair number of residents reaching out regarding the new state law to stabilize property taxes for senior citizens. Applications are available online and at the Town Office and are due by December 1.

Training. Assessor Kerry Leichtman, Deputy Assessor Caitlin Thompson, and Administrative Assistant Molli Bennett attended the International Assessing Officers Organization Conference this week in Boston.

Public Works

Paving Projects
Paving has largely completed for the year with the completion of the projects on Park Street/Meadow Street, Alexander Drive, Ledgewood Drive, Hope Street, and the Rockville Street loop. Shoulders have been supported with additional gravel and some driveways required additional support to meet the new road heights adequately.

With the paving work complete, we will be back to doing other needed maintenance to culverts and brush cutting as we move towards fall preparation which includes clearing catch basins and drainage systems to ensure the rainfall does not overwhelm the streets.

Maine DOT ADA Crosswalk Review. Town staff and Maine DOT personnel reviewed crosswalks along Pascal Ave, Central Street, and Union Street to ensure the crosswalks comply with the Americans with Disability Act. Because those streets are state-aid roads, the state determines how crosswalks are treated on their roads and as a result a combination of state and town funds will be needed to ensure compliance with ADA requirements. Added signage, safe landing areas, and dimple boards will be just a few of the additions required at these crosswalks.

The Town will do its best to work with businesses impacted and find solutions to preserve pedestrian access in a safe and code compliant manner.

Winter Prep. We have purchased 1,800 yards of winter sand in preparation of the upcoming winter season. We have also already started preparing our equipment, sanders, plows, wings, etc. to ensure when the first snow flies, we will be ready.

Streetlights/Road Issues. If you notice any streetlights out or road issues that need to be addressed, please the Public Works Garage at 236-6245.

Fall Clean Up. Please be mindful while doing fall cleanup, plowing, and/or disposing of yard debris, such as leaves and snow into the street, these are not just safety issues but can cause additional issues for storm drainage and public works clean up, but it is also illegal to push anything into the road.

Annual Town Reports
2022 Annual Town Reports are available at the Town Office for pick up, or you can view on our website at https://rockportmaine.gov/annualreports

Civic Ready
Currently we only have 160 residents signed up for this service to use text or email alerts to help our community know what is happening in our community. If you ever felt like you want to be “in the know” of Town affairs... this is how you do it.

What is great about this system is that you decide which types of information you receive whether it is a reminder when property taxes are due to letting you know Election Day is tomorrow or when a public works project are happening in your neighborhood; Civic Alert can keep you informed. Those interested can also sign up for alerts on our website athttps://rockportmaine.gov/civicready

Emergency Management
Town officials will be meeting with FEMA next week for the next round of reviews to obtain reimbursement for the costs incurred due to the Halloween 2021 storm. This process has been very frustrating and slow for what should be a fairly straightforward reimbursement.

Harbor
Summer Concerts. The Happenings on the Harbor Summer Concert Series has been a tremendous success this summer with free live music events scheduled on selected Sundays from 4-8 p.m. at the Marine Park in Rockport Harbor. These have been great events for the whole family to bring a chair and/or blanket and come down and enjoy a wide range of musical acts from Dave Mallet to Bay Chamber Jazz to the Right Track.

Parking. Though the activity at the harbor should ease as we move into September, it is important to be respectful of others regarding where you are parking and for how long. We want to make sure everyone has a chance to enjoy Rockport Harbor. Unless otherwise marked, parking at Marine Park is 2-hour parking though we have added a pair of loading zones for those who merely need to park for a short spell to load onto their boat. Limited trailer parking exists next to the launch ramp, but additional trailer parking exists in Cramer Park. To ensure everyone has their chance to enjoy our harbor, we need all users of this space to obey parking rules and be courteous as they use this facility.

Winter Boat Storage. Boats can begin to be stored after September 15, please reach out to Harbormaster Abbie Leonard for more information.

Staffing. With summer winding down, so will be our staff. Many thanks to Rob Parent, one of our two deputy harbormasters, who is ending his time at the harbor for the season. Our other deputy harbormaster, Drew McMullan, will be with us through October, but please be patient while we try to accommodate all requests.

Dockage. Parking struggles also extend to the water as dockage continues to be an issue and we are doing our best to try and accommodate everyone’s needs and docking space.

Protect our harbor. It is important to remember not to throw trash in or around the harbor, pick up after yourself and be respectful of others if you are holding a special event.

Fire Department
The fire department has been quite busy with car accidents through this summer. In total, we have had 148 calls so far this year.

The UTV arrived a few weeks ago which will greatly aid our department in rescue situations far off the beaten path, which seem to be coming more frequently. Many thanks to all involved who funded this important piece of apparatus which will allow us to respond to these calls in Rockport and for our mutual aid partners.

Volunteers Needed. We are also always looking for new recruits to join the volunteer force, for those that are interested in learning more, please contact Chief Jason Peasley at jpeasley@rockportmaine.gov

Employment Opportunities
We have a couple of job openings with the Town of Rockport, stop by the Town Office for an application or call and we can email you an application.

Job applications are available on our town website, along with a detailed job description.

https://rockportmaine.gov/jobs

All applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The Town of Rockport is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

• Town Clerk - This position requires responsible administrative and supervisory work in the management of the Town Clerk/Tax Collector’s Office functions staff duties. This position also includes Registrar of Voters, Deputy Treasurer and Deputy General Assistance Administrator, and requires considerable interaction with the public.
• Deputy Library Director - The Deputy Director Librarian is a professional position and is responsible for the development and implementation of adult programs and services, which support the library’s mission statement. This position also has administrative duties involving a broad range of public library functions.

• Public Works Truck Driver/Equipment Operator/Laborer - This position involves manual work in road construction, repair, and maintenance, snow and ice removal, and other seasonal public works projects. A CDL is preferred This is a full-time year-round position.

Library
Comings and Goings. We are excited to announce we have hired a new part-time employee, Caroline Saxe-Cobaugh, who will replace Stephanie Miller who recently accepted the full-time Youth Services Librarian position. Sadly, we regret to announce that our Deputy Library Director Keith Drago has resigned and his last day at the library will be September 3rd. We wish Keith all the best on his future endeavors.

Events. Many events are happenings at the library through September so please keep an eye on the Rockport Public Library website and Facebook page. We will also provide a list of events in our Rockport Resource Fall Edition Newsletter which will be in mailboxes mid-September.

Opera House
The Opera House hosted its first wedding since 2019 a few weeks ago, and we are looking forward to many more. Currently, our Opera House booking agents are working on a holiday winter concert series and winter community events schedule as well as a donut hole festival for the spring. Stay tuned for more updates.

Another free event for live music organized by the Town is the Mary Lea Music in the Park concert series. The concert starts at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon in Mary Lea Park, next to the Opera House.

New Hire. We are excited to welcome Eric Winters to the Opera House team as our new Technical Services Technician, who will handle the sound and lights for events. Eric is no stranger to this type of work as he cut his teeth in the “lights and sound” game as he volunteered as a member of the Parks and Beautification Committee to produce the Sunday Music In The Park series last summer. Welcome Eric!!

Planning and Community Development
Staffing Update. While Scott Bickford has been Rockport’s code enforcement officer for decades, last week was his first week as a full-time employee. Rockport, like so many communities in our area, has been incredibly busy in terms of building construction so we have an ever-increasing need for code enforcement. Scott will be available by appointment after 10 a.m. so as to allow him time to complete inspections. Please call 236-0989 or you can email him at sbickford@rockportmaine.gov to set up a time to meet.

TIF District Update. The Select Board will be considering a pair of articles for the November ballot on its agenda Tuesday evening concerning TIF districts. The first will modify the existing Downtown TIF, which is centered in the Village, to account for wastewater treatment as an added area which can benefit from the TIF’s proceeds. The second establishes a TIF district along Route 90 to support the potential expansion of sewer beyond Camden Hills Regional High School and toward the Route 90/Route 17 intersection.

TIFs, for those unfamiliar, allow municipalities to dedicate property tax revenues generated within a given location toward capital needs that largely support the developments which that district. If the Select Board approves the articles to be placed on the warrant, voters will decide at the polls in November whether to make these changes.

Comprehensive Plan Tour of Rockport. The Comprehensive Plan Committee will be conducting a series of meetings in September around Rockport to hear from residents in specific areas of focus.

Tour of Rockport Schedule

• September 12 – West Rockport Baptist Church, 6 p.m. – Housing and Transportation
  
  
• September 20 – Samoset Resort, 6 p.m. – Land Use Issues & Business Community
  
  
• September 27, Rockport Masonic Center, 6 p.m. – Public Facilities and Services & Education
  
  
  

Police Department
Training. The Camden and Rockport Police departments conducted a joint training at the public schools a couple of weeks ago to walk through the facilities and review safety protocols.

Chief Gagne and Sergeant Moore will be attending the New England Safety Conference in early October.

“One of the Rockport police officers pulled in here a little while ago, they are usually here for some kind of ridiculous complaint so that is what we assumed when they pulled in here for. A bunch of the kids were playing on the lawn and started yelling ‘ice cream man!’ Officer Del Vecchio pulled in here just to hand out ice cream sandwiches to the kids and any adults who wanted them! It is definitely warms my heart to see an officer think of the kiddos like that, even though none of them were our own kiddos, so kudos to the Rockport PD for having officers who truly do care!!”

“Officer Del Vecchio from the Rockport PD is at it again....I wasn't home earlier cuz we were out fishing but we were just informed that he stopped by earlier and this time he came by just to hand out popsicles to all the kids and anyone who wanted any! HUGE thank you to Officer Del Vecchio and the Rockport PD, now we don't have a bunch of kids around this place having panic attacks when they see the PD pulling in here.”

It is always nice to hear good things about our employees – from a resident

• Speed. Rockport officers have been conducting numerous traffic details. A speed study was recently conducted on Union Street in front of the Post Office. Over a 10-day period in mid- August, 18,753 vehicles crossed through that area and approximately 0.8% of those vehicles traveled more than 10 mph above the posted 25 mph limit.
• MIDC. The Midcoast Internet Development Corporation sent out surveys that will help in their efforts to bring state-of-the-art high-speed internet to all residents and businesses in the area. The survey will have a couple of questions and it will send in your actual internet speed to Midcoast Internet rather than relying upon the often-inaccurate speeds claimed by the larger telecom companies. This data is important and useful in these efforts, and we look forward to your participation. You can also fill out the survey by going to https://midcoast.vetro.
• Recreation Committee

With fall arriving, we are pleased to welcome Pen Bay Soccer back to the Marge Jones and RES fields. For anyone who has kids or grandkids in the Pen Bay Soccer program, they will appreciate how busy these fields will be over the next two months. Best of luck to the PBSC teams as they begin their season!

The Marge Jones Sports Fields remain open, so if you want to schedule the use of a field, emailrockportrec@rockportmaine.gov.

Rockport Resource Newsletter

If you would like to receive the Rockport Resource Newsletter via email you can sign up through our website.