MANAGER’S REPORT
For Council Meeting
Tuesday, October 16, 2007 

       TO:  MAYOR AND HONORABLE CITY COUNCILORS
FROM:  Joseph J. Slocum, City Manager
 DATE:  Friday, October 12, 2007

Business Agenda: 

11.B Second reading and possible adoption of proposed amendment to the City Code of Ordinances: Chapter 102, Zoning Article V, District Regulations, Division 24, Route 3 Commercial Development. This amendment addresses the amount of retail that will be permitted on the Perry’s Furniture property. Wayne will have documentation and comment on this.  (Pink) 

11.C  First reading of proposed amendments to the Belfast Code of Ordinances (Zoning) To establish specific structure setbacks, buffer yard and screening standards for any development that occurs on the former Les Hills Property, currently owned by Bank of America, along Route #3.  Wayne will have documentation and comment on this. (White) 

11.D  Discussion and Action to reduce speed limit on Swan Lake Avenue. We have received a request from a resident to reduce the speed limit on Swan Lake Avenue (around the Goose River Pond area).  If the Council agrees that we should consider pursuing this request, we will have the Police Chief contact the State DOT and they will likely do a road survey to identify the speeds and traffic pattern in this area and report their recommendation to us.  

11.E  Discussion and action on a request for a street light on Court Street.  A telephone call from Father Koury at Saint Francis Church on 47 Court Street, requesting the city to consider putting up a light. He is concerned about the lack of lighting for church patrons and residents in and around this area.   

11.F  Consideration and possible action on the City acceptance of a grant or loan of contemporary art.  Your packets include a letter from Mr. Tinker. (Blue)  I have never seen this sculpture, nor do I know exactly where by the Footbridge Mr. Tinker wants to display it. I am a Manager and I am supposed to manage the property that belongs to all of the people of Belfast. I have no guidance on how the City wants its public land to be utilized when issues like this come up.

There are significant policy issues that should be considered. The Parks Department has policies for things such as trees and benches that are donated and I attach them for you to consider. I am concerned about what limits if any the City wants to impose. The only example of this that I am familiar with is the carved eagle on City Hall but I have assumed that the carver was asked to do this work as part of the building restoration. 

-         Do you want every piece of City property to be available for donations of public Art?

-     Do you want Plaques at each of these sites noting the donor and where they live?

-         Do you want to limit such things to functional items that people actually use such as benches, paver bricks, water fountains, trees, vehicles (as in a donated ambulance, bus etc)

-         Do we want donations that memorialize donors or others who have no connection to Belfast?

-         Does the City want to issue IRS proof of the gift so that the donation to a public entity can be taken as a tax advantage and if so who will value these gifts for such purposes?

-         Do you want local business to advertise their business with their donation?

-         Do we want donated things to be in and around our natural settings or do we want to limit them to areas where there is a lot of human development?

-         What if local families want to memorialize their loved ones- should we let them know that they have an opportunity to use a piece of City property for such purposes?  

This is not an easy issue – particularly when it comes to Art- particularly any kind of Art that is outdoors and then becomes a part of the permanent landscape. These decisions call for balancing the interest of the Community as a whole and the party making the offer.   

11.G  Discussion and action on the replacement of a portion of the City Hall Lobby heating system.  Last spring the heating coil and evaporator in the first floor heating system went causing a flood.  Presently this Unit is broken and in need of repair. We have one quote from Honeywell for $6,350. We are trying to get other quotes but may not succeed. I would like authority to spend up to $8,000 because I do not know at this time whether there will be any unanticipated work associated with this installation. Our plan is to have the unit removed, relocate everything in the room to temporary quarters, paint the room, reinstall the section of the Unit and then bring all the storage back into the room.   (Gold) 

11.H  Action on nominations to the Performance/Conference Center Feaibility Committee. We have three expressions of interest in this Committee for you to consider and I attach them for your review.  (Gray) 

11.I  Discussion and possible action on a request to fund replacement holiday lighting to energy efficient LED lights.  We have a proposal from the Mayor to replace Downtown Holiday lights with energy efficient lights. There is an attached e-mail from the Mayor in your packet explaining this proposal. The City is being asked to contribute $1,000 towards the $1,800 cost. We can spend the money out of the electricity budget, as this is where we should see the savings. (Orchid) 

11.J  Consideration of Financial Assistance to the University of Maine Hutchinson Center expansion project. I am attaching a letter from the University asking that the City waive various building permit fees, site review fees etc. I am also attaching a copy of an e-mail I received from Wayne Marshall regarding the likely amount of these fees and his concern that the University would pay for any unanticipated cost for outside services incurred by the City. I fully support the waiver of these construction related fees as this expansion will certainly enhance the City’s economic development, cultural development, educational opportunity and will enrich the lives of our citizens for centuries to come. This is but one area where the City should help with this expansion. In the near future I will likely be bringing you additional options that may assist in the creation of this much needed and valued community asset.   (Green)