#rockport_select_board

Commercial operating permits, tie-offs also rise
Mooring, dock fees in Rockport Harbor increase by 50 percent
Thu, 12/16/2021 - 6:15pm

Mooring rental fees in Rockport Harbor are set to rise in the coming year, with the base mooring fee for residents set at $150, up 50 percent or $50 from the previous year; the base fee for non-residents will remain $225. These and other changes to the Harbor Fee Schedule were approved unanimously by members of the Rockport Select Board at its Dec. 13 meeting. In addition to the increase in the base mooring fee, other changes to the fee schedule include: *Resident tie-off fees: $225, up $50...
Kelley: Information from meetings should be shared with public sooner
Rockport Select Board waits to officialize Parking Task Force, cite lack of progress
Tue, 12/14/2021 - 11:15am

ROCKPORT — On Dec. 13, members of the Rockport Select Board voted to table a motion asking that they approve the “mission” of the Town’s Parking Task Force, citing a lack of communication or progress reports from the task force. A new committee policy enacted last month requires that all committees and tasks force have their missions clearly outlined and approved by the Select Board. The meeting also heard an appeal from Select Board Vice Chair Mark Kelley that meeting minutes from all of the...
$7.8 million for road repairs over next 10 years
Rockport spotlights infrastructure, capital improvements
Tue, 11/16/2021 - 2:00pm

Rockport officials met for a workshop Nov. 15 to discuss a longterm 127-page Capital Improvement Plan, which identifies infrastructure improvements and funding requests from each of the municipality’s departments for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. The meeting was attended by members of the Select Board, the Budget Committee and the Capital Improvement Committee, as well as Town Manager Jon Duke and Finance Director Megan Brackett. As the meeting was a workshop of the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)...
Decision follows Camden rejecting interlocal wastewater agreement
Rockport moves forward with $64,000 Route 90 sewer study
Tue, 11/02/2021 - 5:00pm

On Nov. 1 members of the Rockport Select Board unanimously approved a proposed $64,600 engineering report for expanding the town’s sewer service along Route 90. The decision comes weeks after the board rescinded approval of a $40,000 study for the same project, citing concerns that this proposal, by a different engineering firm, would jeopardize the construction of a new sewer system receiving Economic Development Act (EDA) funding. Acting as Wastewater Commissioners at the Monday night meeting...
Route 1 sewer extension may be completed next spring
Rockport officials rescind approval of Route 90 sewer extension study
Wed, 10/13/2021 - 6:15pm

ROCKPORT — On October 12, members of the Rockport Select Board voted unanimously to rescind their previous authorization of a $40,000 engineering study which would explore extending wastewater treatment facilities along Route 90. Acting in their role as wastewater commissioners, the board withdrew their approval of the initial work on the project which engineering firm Woodard & Curran had been contracted to do. Town Manager Jon Duke recommended the board rescind their approval of the...
New US Cellular tower will not appear on November ballot, but request is forwarded to Ordinance Review Committee
Rockport Select Board approves $40,000 Route 90 sewer extension study
Tue, 09/14/2021 - 1:30pm

ROCKPORT — The Rockport Select Board unanimously approved a sewer study at its Sept. 13 meeting. The goal is to examine the feasibility of extending sewer lines along Route 90 (West Street) and into West Rockport. The study will cost approximately $40,000 and will be conducted by Woodard & Curran, the firm hired by the town to plan the sewer extension now under construction along Route 1. The board also denied a request from U.S. Cellular to erect a new telecommunications tower on Vinal...
Request $750,000 from county for broadband internet project
Rockport readies warrant for November vote: RES redevelopment, new fire station, ordinance amendments
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 9:15am

The Rockport Select Board approved four articles Aug. 30 that will be placed before voters on the November 2021 ballot. They include taxpayer approval of funds to continue efforts redeveloping the former Rockport Elementary School (RES) site as well as building a new West Rockport Fire Station. The remaining articles involve proposed changes to portions of Rockport’s Land Use Ordinance. The board also authorized Town Manager Jon Duke to submit an application to the Knox County Commissioners...
Redevelopment of former Rockport Elementary Property requires public vote
Rockport Select Board to consider placing RES development proposal before voters in November
Sun, 08/29/2021 - 6:00pm

ROCKPORT — The Rockport Select Board will decide at their Aug. 30 meeting whether or not to place a proposed redevelopment plan for the former Rockport Elementary School (RES) site on the November ballot as a warrant article. The next meeting of the Rockport Select Board will be held via ZOOM on Monday, Aug. 30, at 5:30 p.m. It will be streamed live at https://livestream.com/Rockportmaine The article would ask voters to approve an agreement with development...
Select Board approve new participation bylaws
November vote expected on new West Rockport Fire Station
Tue, 08/10/2021 - 1:15pm

ROCKPORT — In a unanimous vote Aug. 9, the Rockport Select Board authorized Town Manager Jon Duke and Town Clerk Linda Greenlaw to draft language for a warrant article asking taxpayers to approve the construction of a new West Rockport Fire Station. A warrant article seeking voter approval on the proposed approximately $2 million structure is expected to appear on the November ballot. The board also unanimously approved extending a music series at Mary Lea Park through the autumn season,...
400 percent increase in daily rental of harbor park
Rental fees at Rockport’s Marine Park rise exponentially
Tue, 07/13/2021 - 10:45am

ROCKPORT — A list of proposed fee increases for the use of Marine Park in Rockport Harbor was approved by members of the Rockport Select Board on July 12. The rate proposal had been submitted by Harbor Master Abbie Leonard, and included hiking the price of a daily rental of the park from $600 to $3,000 for Rockport residents, an increase of 400 percent. The fee for non-residents has increased from $900 to $4,800 per day. The Rockport Select Board considered the new rates at its regularly...
$2 million building to offer additional space, safety
Select Board to review design, cost of new West Rockport Fire Station
Sun, 07/11/2021 - 5:15pm

On July 12 the Rockport Select Board will review the design and costs of a new West Rockport Fire Station, which would replace the existing building at the corners of routes 17 and 90. At the meeting, the board will also act on an application for seafood food truck to serve customers from Marine Park in Rockport Harbor. West Rockport Fire Station The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Watch it livestream here. Click here for complete Select Board...
Town proceeds with plans for internet agreement with Camden
Hannan takes helm as Rockport Select Board Chair
Wed, 06/09/2021 - 6:30pm

ROCKPORT — At a June 9 organizational meeting of a newly configured Rockport Select Board, Michelle Hannan was elected to serve as the board’s Chair for the remainder of her term, which expires in 2023. Hannan replaces outgoing Chair Debra Hall in the role. Hannan was nominated by Selectman Mark Kelley to serve as the board’s chairperson. Following a unanimous vote, Hannan nominated Kelley to serve as Vice Chair. He, too was unanimously elected. ‘I am very excited to chair the Select Board and...
Rockport’s outgoing Town Manager outlines transition period
Kerry Leichtman appointed as interim Rockport Town Manager
Tue, 05/25/2021 - 2:00pm

ROCKPORT — May 24 marked the last meeting of the Rockport Select Board that would be attended by Bill Post in the the role of Town Manager; the meeting was also the last which outgoing Select Board Chair Debra Hall and Selectman Jeff Hamilton would participate in as elected officials. After nearly two year’s working for the municipality, Post announced his resignation as Town Manager last month. Last week Hall announced that Jon Duke, one of 11 applicants for the vacancy, was selected as...
Cite concerns of transparency
Rockport officials wait to appoint Zoning Board applicant
Wed, 05/12/2021 - 7:00pm

ROCKPORT — At a vote of 3 to 1, members of the Rockport Select Board chose not to appoint applicant Bob Hall to the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals for a term that would begin June 9. The decision came after some board members expressed concern over appointing Hall to the ZBA while his wife, Debra Hall, Chair of the Select Board, was still in office. Debra Hall’s four-year term on the Select Board will expire at the time of the June 8 elections; Town Manager Bill Post suggested June 9 as a...
Rockport’s wastewater fees highest in area
Rockport officials consider wastewater options, new treatment facility
Mon, 05/03/2021 - 8:00pm

Members of the Rockport Select Board were recently presented with a number of options for how and where the municipality’s wastewater is processed in the future, ranging from maintaining existing intermunicipal agreements with neighboring communities to building two new wastewater treatment facilities in town. Nate McLaughlin, a principal at Saco-based firm Woodard & Curran (W&C) outlined five options for the board at its April 26 meeting. W&C had been hired by the Select Board in...
Concerts would be held Sunday, free to the public
Approval given to small summer concerts in Rockport Village Mary Lea Park
Tue, 04/27/2021 - 8:45am

ROCKPORT — On April 16 the Rockport Select Board unanimously approved a proposal which would allow small musical concerts to be held in Mary Lea Park over the coming summer. The idea was brought before the board by members of the town’s Parks and Beautification Committee, represented at the meeting by committee member Doug Cole. Cole said the Parks Committee had been considering using Mary Lea Park on Central Street as a possible concert venue for some time, and through talking to other...
Lot would be located near bridge, new hotel
Select Board considers 28-space parking lot in downtown Rockport
Tue, 04/13/2021 - 8:15am

On April 12 the Rockport Select Board heard a presentation by Bill Lane of Gartley & Dorsky Engineers of a proposed 28-space parking lot that would be built above Rockport Harbor, near the Goose River Bridge and the meeting point of Main and Central streets. The board also heard a presentation of the proposed SAD 28 (Camden-Rockport K-8) and Five Town CSD (Camden Hills Regional High School) budgets by Superintendent Maria Libby. Proposed Parking Lot Gartley & Dorsky...
Pizzeria, Mexican eatery seek liquor licenses
Two new restaurants proposed in Rockport
Sun, 04/11/2021 - 7:00pm

The owners of two new restaurants will go before the Rockport Select Board April 12 seeking liquor licenses for their respective businesses – a pizzeria and a Mexican restaurant. A public hearing on both applications will be held via ZOOM through the Town of Rockport’s website at 5:30 p.m. Streamed at https://livestream.com/Rockportmaine Please note: Due to the pandemic, the Select Board has been authorized by the state to meet remotely. At this meeting, the Board will be using a...
Select Board votes 3-2 to place article on June warrant
Rockport voters to be asked if they favor new regulation of short-term rentals
Mon, 03/22/2021 - 9:00pm

At the 2021 June Town Meeting, Rockport voters will be asked whether or not they favor the development of an ordinance which would regulate the operation of short-term rentals in the municipality. At a March 22 Select Board meeting, three of the five board members voted in favor of a motion which would place a non-binding warrant article to that effect on the municipal warrant. Select Board Chair Debra Hall and board members Denise Kennedy-Munger and Jeff Hamilton supported the motion; Mark...
April 9 deadline for letters of interest
Rockport officials renew search for RES site developers
Mon, 03/15/2021 - 4:45pm

ROCKPORT — In a continued effort to find potential developers for the site of the former Rockport Elementary School (RES) at the corners of Route 90 and Route 1, members of the municipal RES Task Force have begun seeking “letters of interest” from parties that may choose to convert the undeveloped, town-owned 7.4 acre parcel of land. Members of the RES Task Force drafted a document titled “Invitation to submit a letter of interest,” which asks prospective developers to submit copies of their...
Select Board Chair: ‘warrant article essentially a ‘survey’
Rockport officials reconsider excluding short-term rental regulations from June ballot
Tue, 03/09/2021 - 7:30am

Members of the Rockport Select Board met March 8 and remained undecided as to whether or not an ordinance regulating short-term rentals in the municipality would be placed as a warrant article on the Town Meeting ballot in June. Exactly one month prior, at a Feb. 8 meeting, the board voted 4 to 1 that the proposed ordinance would not not appear on the June ballot as originally intended, with board member Jeff Hamilton opposing. At that meeting, Select Board Chair Debra Hall and board member...
Authorize financing plan for new plow truck
Rockport officials approve $5.8 million sewer extension
Mon, 02/22/2021 - 8:30pm

Members of the Rockport Select Board voted Feb. 22 to approve a $5.8 million sewer extension project which would extend the town’s sewer line from Sea Light Lane to South Street. The town received three bids for the project, and selected low bidder Nitram Excavation and General Contractor, Inc. of Benton, to perform the work for $5,846,748. At the meeting the Select Board also approved a financing plan from Androscoggin Bank to purchase a $202,730 Daigle & Houghton Western Star 4700SF plow...
Select Board Chair cites ‘heated rhetoric’
Proposed short-term rental ordinance will not appear on Rockport’s June ballot
Tue, 02/09/2021 - 5:00pm

In a Feb. 8 vote, members of the Rockport Select Board decided that a proposed ordinance that would regulate short term rentals in the municipality will not not appear on the June Town Meeting ballot as originally intended. Select Board Chair Debra Hall, who worked to draft the proposed ordinance with Vice Chair Denise Kennedy-Munger, said that although she felt that the voices of the community could be best represented if the ordinance were put to a public vote, she felt that it best that the...
Third draft of ordinance presented during meeting
Rockport Select Board divided over timeline, need for short-term rental ordinance
Mon, 01/25/2021 - 11:00pm

ROCKPORT – After hearing a presentation Jan. 25 on a third draft of a proposed short-term rental ordinance, some members of the Rockport Select Board expressed concerns over the proposed deadline of a public vote in June on the ordinance, as well as the very need for such regulations in the municipality. Select Board Chair Debra Hall and board member Denise Kennedy-Munger presented to remaining board members, Mark Kelley, Michelle Hannan and Jeff Hamilton the third and most recent draft of an...
‘This is entirely inappropriate and if it isn’t outright illegal, it is certainly legally suspect’’
Rockport Select Board hears citizen concern over short-term rental ordinance article published in town newsletter
Mon, 01/11/2021 - 8:15pm

ROCKPORT – At their Jan. 11 meeting, members of the Rockport Select Board were read a letter submitted by resident Stephen Bowen, who outlined concerns with how a proposed ordinance that would regulate the operation of short-term rentals was editorially presented in a municipal newsletter. That newsletter, funded by the town, was recently mailed to Rockport households. The board listened to the bulk of the letter, but no discussion about it ensued. “I think we will take that up at another...
Short-term rental ordinance undergoes legal review
Select Board on proposed West Rockport fire station: ‘Delightful to have a very functional layout and a proposal’
Tue, 12/15/2020 - 10:30am

On Dec. 14 members of the Rockport Select Board heard a presentation by architects and engineers engaged in designing a new West Rockport Fire Station which would, upon voter approval, replace the existing facility at the intersection of Routes 17 and 90. A brief update was also given by Town Manager Bill Post regarding the draft of a short-term rental ordinance which was drafted by two members of the Select Board and received a great deal of public comment during a by the board and received...
Tensions high during Select Board meeting
Rockport residents question need for short-term rental regulations; mull over draft ordinance
Tue, 11/10/2020 - 7:45am

ROCKPORT — More than 20 members of the public offered comments or concerns at a Nov. 9 meeting of the Rockport Select Board over a draft ordinance that, if approved by voters, would impose regulations on short-term rentals throughout the town. The overwhelming majority of citizens who spoke questioned the need for such a document, and in some instances expressed anger over the manner in which the draft was written and the very format of the meeting itself. Although originally the meeting was...
Outlines fees, registration process for homeowners
UPDATE, MEETING VIA ZOOM: Rockport’s proposed short-term rental ordinance ready for review, discussion
Thu, 11/05/2020 - 10:00pm

ROCKPORT — This evening’s Select Board meeting, which was to be held at the Rockport Opera House in person, has now been relegated to Zoom, online only. To participate in the short-term rental ordinance discussion, send an email to dhamilton@rockportmaine.gov and she will send you the link to the meeting. Otherwise you can email the Town Manager during the meeting at wpost@rockportmaine.gov with any questions, or directly on the town’s livestream link at https://livestream.com/rockportmaine/...
Concerns raised over public input, participation
Rockport officials get ready to introduce short-term rental ordinance
Sun, 11/01/2020 - 8:45pm

ROCKPORT — A draft of an ordinance that would regulate short-term rentals in Rockport will be presented at a Select Board meeting on Nov. 9. After a lengthy discussion on the topic at their Oct. 27 meeting, the board agreed that the meeting would be held in-person at the Rockport Opera House rather than remotely via Zoom. Select Board Chair Debra Hall and board member Denise Kennedy-Munger have been working to create a draft of an ordinance that could be adopted by the town to govern how short-...
Call from town attorney ends Rockport Select Board workshop with SAD 28 school board members
Tue, 10/27/2020 - 8:30pm

ROCKPORT — An intervention from the town of Rockport’s legal counsel, Monday night, Oct. 26, put an abrupt end to an impromptu workshop between members of the Rockport Select Board and representatives of School Administrative District 28 at the Rockport Opera House. The group had started the workshop with members of the SAD 28 School Board Oct. 26, following technical difficulties which prevented their regularly scheduled meeting from being broadcast publicly. The two groups convened to discuss...