01/31 -

To be approved at the February 5, 2008 Town Council Meeting


MINUTES
FREEPORT TOWN COUNCIL MEETING #02-08
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
January 22, 2008




CHAIRPERSON’S CALL TO ORDER PRESENT ABSENT EXCUSED

Genie Beaulieu, P.O. Box 74 x
Charlotte Bishop, Maquoit Drive x
James Cassida, 5 Timber Ridge Road x
Rich DeGrandpre, Timber Ridge Road x
Joe Migliaccio, 2 Vinmar Lane x
Bill Muldoon, 2 Roos Hill Drive x
Frederick White, 45 Pleasant Hill Road x

Chair DeGrandpre called the meeting to order and took roll call.



FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS: To waive the reading of the Minutes of Meeting #01-08 held on January 8, 2008 and accept the Minutes as printed.

MOVED AND SECONDED: To waive the reading of the Minutes of
Meeting #01-08 held on January 8, 2008 and accept the Minutes as printed.
(Cassida & White) VOTE: (7 Ayes)



SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS: Announcements

Chair DeGrandpre pointed out that AARP will be offering free tax help for middle/low income residents with their basic tax returns from February 6-April 9 on Wednesdays from 8-11:30 a.m. Appointments are necessary and can be obtained by calling 865-4743, Extension 120. Residents will need to bring their last year’s tax returns to their appointment.

The Fifth Annual Chocolate Bash will be held at the Community Library on February 12 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. There will be a chocolate tasting, a dessert raffle and tickets will be $1.00. A chocolate basket will also be raffled off and will go home with a winner. Those tickets will be $1.00 as well.

Councilor Migliaccio noted that FCS has a pressing need for donations from the public for heating oil. He asked residents to contact Johanna Hanselman at the Town Office. FCS is also looking for wood donations. Chair DeGrandpre noted that FCS could also use extra help with food items and urged residents to give them a call to see what is needed.

THIRD ORDER OF BUSINESS: Public Comment Period – 30 Minutes (Non-Agenda Items Only)

There were no members of the public wishing to speak.
____________________________________________________________________________________
FOURTH ORDER OF BUSINESS: To take action on the following items of business as read by the Council Chairperson.


ITEM #11-08 To consider action relative to adopting the January 22, 2008 Consent Agenda.

BE IT ORDERED: That the January 22, 2008 Consent Agenda be accepted. (White & Beaulieu)

Chair DeGrandpre reviewed the items on the agenda for members of the public. Mr. Olmstead pointed out
that the May 13 budget workshop with the School Committee is being moved to May 7 at the request of
the School Department.

Councilor Migliaccio noted he would be recusing himself since he has a victualer’s license the Council
will be voting on.

ROLL CALL VOTE: (6 Ayes) (1 Recused—Migliaccio)

ITEM #12-08 To consider action relative to a proposed amendment to the Administrative Code concerning Solid Waste/Recycling Advisory Board Membership. (Chapter 2)

BE IT ORDERED: That the Public Hearing be scheduled for February 5, 2008 at 7:00 PM in the Town Hall Council Chambers to discuss a proposed amendment to the Administrative Code concerning Solid Waste/Recycling Advisory Board Membership.

BE IT FURTHER ORDERED: That copies be distributed equally between the Town Clerk’s Office, the Town Manager’s Office and the Freeport Community Library for inspection by citizens during normal business hours and the notice be placed on Freeport’s local cable channel 3 and the Town’s website. (Beaulieu & White)

Vice Chair Bishop explained how difficult it has been for this Board to find seven members to serve. It
has been running with five members for years and now it is officially being reduced to five members.
Chair DeGrandpre urged residents that have an interest to serve on a Town Board or Committee to fill out
an application on the Town’s website or at the Town Hall.

ROLL CALL VOTE: (7 Ayes)




ITEM #13-08 To consider action relative to a resolution supporting the Expansion of Downeast Passenger Rail Service from Portland to Brunswick.

WHEREAS, passenger rail services provides an environmentally sound, safe all weather transportation choice to travelers; and

WHEREAS, passenger rail service has proven that it results in economic development in areas which it serves; and

WHEREAS, a rational balanced transportation system provides travelers with transport choices; and

WHEREAS, the over one and a half million people who have ridden the Downeaster passenger rail service operated since December 15, 2001 by Amtrak for Maine’s Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, as well as the economic benefits associated with that service in Maine and surrounding areas; and






WHEREAS, federal support for the operation of the Downeaster passenger rail service will terminate in 2008;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Freeport Town
Council assembled this 22nd day of January, 2008 that,

The Town of Freeport, Town Council, strongly supports the Downeaster passenger rail
service and urges the Maine State Legislature to provide operating support on an ongoing
basis for the portion of the costs of the operations of the Downeaster service that are not
covered by other revenue sources, which, as proposed by Governor Baldacci’s Task
Force on Passenger Rail Funding, can occur without raising tax rates for Maine citizens;
and

The Town of Freeport, Town Council, strongly supports the expansion of the Downeaster
passenger rail service, and the obvious resulting economic benefits, which now exist
between Portland, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts, northward through Yarmouth and
Freeport, Maine, within no more than two years, with further expansion and connections
after that time.

MOVED AND SECONDED: To support the resolution as written. (Cassida & Bishop)

Councilor White wonders how viable this resolution really is after giving it some thought. He noted
that at some point, someone really needs to look at it and move it forward or stop talking about it.
Mr. Olmstead shared his experience serving on a Task Force to give the Governor a number of
recommendations to fund the annual budget gap of nine million dollars. Discussion followed.

ROLL CALL VOTE: (6 Ayes) (1 Nay—White)




ITEM #14-08 To consider action relative to issuance of Parking Credits for property at 10 Bow Street. (Map 11 Lot 118, etc)

BE IT ORDERED: That Ten (10) parking credits be approved to Bow Street Reality, LLC for property located at 10 Bow Street (Map 11 Lot 118, etc). The credits are for spaces lost resulting for the creation of a pedestrian access way providing entry to the Freeport Village Project. The credits are conditioned on site plan approval, creation of the pedestrian access and the pedestrian access being open to the public. (Migliaccio & Beaulieu)

Mr. Olmstead explained that the Zoning Ordinance was amended many years ago which provides credits
For the creation of a pedestrian walkway providing entry to the Freeport Village project. They are all
Shared parking spaces. He provided pictures showing the spaces to Councilors. He noted that the
Planning Department monitors the spaces in the village and that 40 credits have been issued during the
past 15 years. Discussion followed. The Town derives income from 155 spaces. There are 4,000 spaces in
Town.

ROLL CALL VOTE: (7 Ayes)


Mr. Olmstead explained that the deadline for the CDBG application is February 1, 2008 and no local match is required.

MOVED AND SECONDED: To introduce an item not on the printed agenda. (Beaulieu & White) VOTE: (7 Ayes)

ITEM #15-08 To consider action relative to endorsing a Community Development Block Grant Application to provide for Substandard Mobile Home Rehabilitation.

BE IT ORDERED: That a Community Development Block Grant Application in the amount of $55,000 to provide for Substandard Mobile Home Rehabilitation be endorsed.
(Beaulieu & White)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The Town of Freeport is requesting funds to continue its successful housing rehabilitation program for
substandard mobile homes. The proposed program will renovate an additional five (5) seriously
substandard mobile homes occupied by low-income households. The budget for this project calls for an
average grant cost of $10,000 per home plus 10% for administration. The total project will require
funding of $60,000 to complete. This application is requesting $55,000 of 2008 CDBG funds to complete
five more of the homes that were identified in the first year of the program.

ROLL CALL VOTE: (7 Ayes)

Chair DeGrandpre asked Mr. Olmstead to thank the staff involved in this grant.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

OTHER BUSINESS:

1. American Heart Association- Chairperson Proclamation.

Councilor White read the following proclamation into the public record:


PROCLAMATION

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATON

“Wear Red for Women Day”

*****

WHEREAS: diseases of the heart are not only the nation’s but Maine’s leading cause of death, and stroke is the third leading cause of death; and


WHEREAS: cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death for women, accounting for over 2424 deaths of Maine women; and

WHEREAS: heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of more than half a million women in our country each year—more than the next five causes of death combined, and nearly twice as many as all forms of cancer including breast cancer; and

WHEREAS: the cost of cardiovascular diseases and stroke in the US is estimated at $352 billion; and, in 2002 hospital charges for cardiovascular disease for all Maine adults were $474 million and for Maine women were $205 million; and

WHEREAS: one in five females in the United States have some form of cardiovascular disease; and

WHEREAS: 64 percent of women who died suddenly of coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms of this disease; and,

WHEREAS: February is designated as American Heart Month; and

WHEREAS: The American Heart Association is launching a new campaign, Go Red For Women, to encourage women to pay attention to their hearts and help them live longer, stronger lives by reducing their risk for cardiovascular disease.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, THAT I, DALE OLMSTEAD, TOWN MANAGER of Freeport, Maine and the members of the Freeport Town Council, in recognition of the importance of the ongoing fight against heart disease and stroke, do hereby proclaim February 1, 2008, as “Wear Red for Women Day” within the Town of Freeport and urge all citizens to wear red in recognition of family, friends and neighbors who have suffered from heart disease, and as a show of support to fight it. By increasing awareness of the risk factors for this devastating disease and taking actions to reduce them, we can save thousands of lives each year.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of January, 2008

_______________________________________
Richard DeGrandpre, Chair
Town Council
Freeport, Maine

No vote was necessary. Chair DeGrandpre signed the proclamation.
_________________________________________________________________________________

2. Nims 700 Training for Town Councilors.

Chief Fournier explained that Councilors are required to have Nims 700 training. He recommends that Deputy Chief Conley be scheduled to provide a condensed one-hour PowerPoint presentation with handouts, which will satisfy the Town’s requirements. Completion of this training will enable Freeport to apply for federal grants in the future. He mentioned that taking the training on line would take at least 2 ˝ hours.

Mr. Olmstead suggested targeting February for this training and will work with Chief Fournier to schedule the training before a regular Council meeting or workshop. He will bring in soup and sandwiches.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. NET Program Year end Results.
Mr. Olmstead explained that the NET Program made a profit of $172,000 last year. We are now in our fifth year. This money will be applied to the $200,000 loan, leaving an outstanding balance of $14,000. Greg L’Heureux has informed Mr. Olmstead that the program is enjoying another successful year to date. Discussion followed on how to spend the incoming money once the loan is repaid in full. Councilor Cassida suggested looking at the best way to spend the money, when that time comes.
Councilor Beaulieu mentioned that there was conversation about using the revenue to pay for full-time staff when the program was initiated in order to control costs. Councilor Migliaccio noted that it would be motivational if the money at least stayed in that department.

Chief Fournier explained that he has excellent staff providing excellent service. Looking towards the future, there is an elderly housing project projected on Pine Street and for every bed in a nursing home, two calls are generated a year. Last year NET responded to 1,800 emergency calls. He thanked the Council for letting them get this off and working. Freeport was ahead of the curve. He suggested that the Council thank the staff when possible.


4. School Consolidation update. (Councilor White)

Councilor White provided handouts to Councilors containing an agenda for tomorrow night’s meeting in
Pownal. The Subcommittee is recommending grandfathering choice for Grades 6-12 presently in private
and public schools.

Transportation is another piece. Durham would pay for transportation to Brunswick for two years. After
that point, transportation would stop. Pownal is working with their legal folks on how to address
transportation. They are a School Administrative District. They will eliminate choice but they need some
legal language. They will be less lenient but will require a shorter time. Discussion followed.

Councilor Cassida asked if the Freeport people appointed have been attending the meetings consistently
Councilor White noted that this is a really good group and there is good cooperation. He noted that
Freeport/Pownal/Durham has developed a fourth subcommittee that is looking at education. He expects
straight talk to come out of this group and the skills sets are there.

Councilor Migliaccio asked if the alternate moved up since a regular member is out of state until May.
Tomorrow night Councilor White will discuss whether another alternate should be named since one of the
original members is out of state. The State’s February 1 deadline has been pushed out to March.

At some point in order for the RPC to be successful, there will need to be a well-thought out action plan
for all three towns. Councilor Migliaccio asked if there would be a model showing cost sharing 5-10 years
down the road. Councilor White mentioned that models would have to be developed at some point.

Councilor White will provide another update at the next meeting. He is confident that they will have a
recommendation by the first of April. They will be coming to the Council for endorsement. It is an
evolving process and the State is listening and overcoming obstacles and hurdles. The tone is improving.
____________________________________________________________________________________
5. Update from the Municipal Facilities Committee.
Councilor Migliaccio noted that the committee met on January 16 and discussed some tax-acquired
property. He wanted to bring to the Council’s attention a meeting scheduled on February 5 at 6 p.m.
with the Freeport Housing Trust and Habitat for Humanity to discuss their interest in the Town’s West
Street property. It will be purely an informational exchange. On March 26 there will be a second meeting
to again discuss tax-acquired property. The committee would like to have a spring neighborhood meeting
for the West Street zone to discuss the Curtis tax-acquired property as well as the West Street property.
They are hoping to get a notice out to folks in that area and also posting a notice on the Town’s website to
seek feedback from folks on what they would like to see or not see, similar to the process we went
through on the Soule School property. On the West Street property there are contractual agreements in
place that limits the use to residential-type uses. No businesses or parking lots are allowed. The Curtis
property can have whatever is allowed in the zone.

The French School of Maine is interested in interior expansion. They cleaned out an old boiler from the
basement and would like to add another classroom. They will be bringing a plan forward. Mr. Olmstead
advised that he spoke to the Codes Enforcement Officer and the Town Planner and learned that they feel
they need to see the plan but most likely site plan or administrative review will not be required for that interior renovation. They feel
approval from the Municipal Facilities Committee will be required and the issuance of a building permit will be needed.


6. Information Exchange


Councilor Muldoon explained that the FEDC met this morning and they talked about the type of
presentation they would like to give when they come before the Council at next month’s workshop.
Stephanie presented the results of a survey done recently by businesses. 55 responded and there were
some interesting findings. Employment is flat. No new jobs are anticipated. They are generally
optimistic about their outlook on things. Councilor Muldoon suggested that whatever plans and
strategies they plan to talk about with the Council, they should try to correlate with the community
survey. He congratulated everyone in the public that returned his or her community survey.

He mentioned that 32% of the respondents were pleased being in Freeport because of an airport.
Councilor Cassida was welcomed as a citizen member of the FEDC Board. Councilor Muldoon noted that
it was a good meeting. He also mentioned that comments regarding the Chamber of Commerce have been
mostly favorable.

The FEDC workshop with the Council will be held on February 13. The amended calendar is posted on
the website. Mr. Olmstead will provide an updated schedule in the next Council packet. He is planning
on doing some flipcharts at the next meeting.

Chair DeGrandpre advised that the School Facilities Committee met this morning and discussed the
Middle School repair. They will need new sheathing, new insulation, a new roof and an overhang and the
estimate is $375,000. The School folks have put a grant application together. Their capital budget is going
to the School Committee on Monday. Debt was discussed going into an RSU but Councilor White did not
wish to be quoted. Councilor Beaulieu noted that this would have to go to referendum. Council leadership
met with School leadership and Chair DeGrandpre noted that they got the message to read our goals. CPI
is based on people’s ability to pay. They discussed capital items, school population and where the State
may be in their Aid to Education.

Councilor Migliaccio noted that the School Committee has a meeting scheduled on February 4 from 6:30-
8:30 at the High School Library to learn more about the budget process.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

MOVED AND SECONDED: To adjourn at 8:45 p.m. (Beaulieu and Bishop)
VOTE: (7 Ayes)


Respectfully Submitted,



Sharon Coffin
Council Secretary