City Council 10/20 Meeting Summary

The Sanford City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 20. The following items were among those presented or discussed:

• The Mayor, Councilors and City Manager all gave kudos to City Clerk Sue Cote and her staff for the way early voting and absentee voting have progressed so smoothly. As of Tuesday, the office had received 5,451 requests for absentee ballots, and 3,717 of them had been returned.
• James Nimon of the Sanford Growth Council presented his quarterly report to the Council. See separate story.
• Beth Della Valle, Sanford’s Director of Planning and Development, presented a report on the progress in updating the city’s Comprehensive Plan. It is a lengthy process which will include a number of public presentations, as well as other opportunities for residents to comment on the updates. She expects to have the updated document ready for Council approval by the end of next summer.
• The Council heard the first reading on a zoning change from Rural Residential to RR Mixed Use, for part of the property where the J&S Grocery store was formerly located on Route 4 (see plan above). Jonathan Mapes told the Council the change would enable a safer traffic flow situation for the new store. The next Council meeting is scheduled for the second week of November, but to accommodate the project, a special meeting may be held the first week of the month for the second reading.
• The Council approved creation of a new special revenue account for a maintenance contract between the Next Era solar facility and the Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport. The maintenance will be done by airport staff with some work subcontracted. Airport Manager Allison Navia told the Council the revenue generated will solidify the Airport maintenance department’s financial self-sufficiency.
• The Council approved a bid for demolition of a property at 49 North Avenue, and accepted a $150,000 grant for renovation of City-owned homes. See separate story.
• The purchase of two new Ford Interceptor police vehicles from Casco Bay Ford was approved. The purchase price is $38,812 after trade-ins.
• The Council authorized Code Enforcement Officer Jamie Cole to proceed with a civil action against the owners of 277 Blanchard Road. See separate story.
• The Council approved a proclamation of October as Dysautonomia Awareness Month. Learn more about dysautonomia here. Councilor Lucas Lanigan noted that the lights at the dam are teal blue this month to further raise awareness.