City Council 9/22 Meeting Summary

At the City Council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, September 22, the following items were among those presented or discussed:

• Mayor Tom Cote began by reminding people who wish to report violations of the mask ordinance to call the Police Department, not the City Council. He also described a conversation with Governor Janet Mills, who called him to express her support for everything Sanford is doing to contain the outbreaks of Covid-19, and offer whatever state assistance might be needed. Mayor Cote said the conversation was very productive, and added that Governor Mills was impressed by the PSA made by Sanford High School students. He thanked State Representative Anne-Marie Mastracchio for putting the call together.
• City Manager Steven Buck reported on an ongoing issue with a property at 277 Blanchard Road in Springvale that has been the site of several large outdoor gatherings. The Public Safety Subcommittee has had lengthy discussions at recent meetings on possible enforcement actions. Mr. Buck said that Police Chief Thomas Connolly issued a stern warning to the property owners last week, and as a result, a gathering advertised for this past weekend did not take place.
• Mr. Buck gave an update on the ongoing Covid-19 situation in Sanford with the latest information from Maine CDC. He said that all social clubs in the city have been notified of the mask ordinance and told that the Code Enforcement Officer will be doing inspections. He reported that the city and the state are now coordinating their efforts regarding inspections and licensing. He described the planned testing of “upwards of 1400 people” at Sanford High School/SRTC, and how current guidelines call for retesting every seven days until there are two test cycles with no new positives. An outbreak is not declared clear until 28 days have passed since the last positive test. Mr. Buck said he encouraged Matt Nelson, Sanford’s Superintendent of Schools, to discuss possible new guidelines with state officials, as it may not be possible to ever close the High School outbreak with that large a testing pool. See related story.
• The Council approved a new medical marijuana grower/cultivator license for 207 Hydroponics, LLC, located at 168 Country Club Road, Unit B.
• The Council approved a $50,000 Public Service Community Development Block Grant to support Waban Projects, Inc. with workforce development. Executive Director Jennifer Putnam told the Council that Waban is having a very difficult time attracting enough staff to care for its clients, and that the pandemic has made it even harder. The grant funds, matched by $120,000 in funds from Waban, will be used to expand its recruitment and retention efforts.
• On a 6-1 vote, the Council approved the closure of all public parks and recreational programs until the School Department brings the High School back to a yellow designation. See separate story.
• The Council approved the Trails Committee’s application for a $50,000 grant, which would mostly be used to improve a section of the trail behind Indian Ledge condos. That quarter-mile section of trail, which Trails Committee representative Lee Burnett said has been a problem for over twenty years, would be paved to eliminate dust, and have traffic-calming features installed to reduce speed. Mr. Burnett said the Indian Ledge Townhouse Association is fully on board with the project, and the Sanford ATV Club is contributing most of the matching funds. See plan above.

Watch the full City Council meeting video here.