City Council Meeting Summary 2/18/2025
- February 21st 2025
- City Council
Caption: Representatives from Great Bay Services presenting Duck Nesting Boxes
Photo: Ayn Hanselmann
By: Kendra Williams
Duck Boxes, Child Care Incubator, Police Dept Grants
In his report, City Manager Steven Buck shared that he recently testified in Augusta in support of a bill to amend Maine’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) expansion for public safety facilities. Fire Chief Scott Susi and Director of the Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council Keith McBride also provided testimony. The proposed change would allow 100% of TIF revenue to be used for public safety infrastructure, removing the existing 15% cap. This would align it with other essential economic development expenditures and help to ensure adequate funding to support the continued economic growth of Sanford.
Buck updated the council on pending legislation and the local efforts of the Homelessness Task Force, focusing on prevention.
The city and school administration recently toured the Lafayette School with professionals seeking pre-engineered examination of the cost to renovate the school into incubator childcare with potential living quarters on the 3rd floor for staff. A quote will be developed to determine the next best use of the building.
The Land Bank sub-committee met recently to discuss several dangerous buildings needing remediation. Buildings of concern are located on: York St; Pleasant St; Beaver Hill Rd; Gerrish Drive; Emerson St; Summit Ave and the A frame building on Main Street.
Representatives from Great Bay Services presented two wood duck nesting boxes to the city. They were built recently in collaboration with SRTC Building Trades students. They’ll go to Three Rivers Land Trust and Number One Pond where they will provide habitat for the wood ducks who can’t build their nests on the ground. They also built about 30 bat houses that help with mosquitos.
Growth Council Director Keith McBride provided his final quarterly report for 2024 and outlined the 25-27 workplan with a focus on housing projects at the Stenton Mill Building, the Eagle Drive Industrial Subdivision and The GVS America Lease renewal.
Two public hearings were held. The first was to receive comments about the proposed permanent ordinance to regulate syringe service programs to a 1:1 exchange of hypodermic apparatus when operating within the City of Sanford. No comments from the public were received.The first reading of the ordinance was held with a second reading to be held at the first meeting in March at which time the City Council will vote on the ordinance.
The second public hearing was to determine whether a property at 254 Sunset Road is a dangerous building or nuisance and to determine a remedy. Special Counsel to TD Bank Stephanie Williams and Tony Cerceo from the bank’s field services, spoke and requested more time to complete the process of foreclosure and ongoing remediation before the city designates the home as dangerous. TD Bank has invested $100,000 to date, believes the property is salvageable and wants to work with the city.
Following the hearing, a motion was made outlining the description of multiple findings of fact related to the dangerous and nuisance conditions of the property. An order that the property must be secured within 24 hours and several other conditions must be met within the identified time frame as the process of foreclosure and remediation continues was unanimously approved.
Two grants to the Sanford Police Department were accepted and approved. The first was a $10,557 federal grant for overtime reimbursement costs of officers who responded to the 2023 tragedy in Lewiston.
The second grant of $5,760 from the Bureau of Highway Safety,with local matching funds of $1,500, was for the purchase of ten in-car printers. The department will be outfitting its police patrol vehicles with “eCitation” which allows officers to print violation summons and complaints from their vehicles. It also ensures timely and accurate collection of citation data which is required under Maine’s profiling law.
The council approved Levesque Excavation to be prequalified to bid on any Sanford projects finding they successfully completed the extensive application process available to contractors. Prequalification ensures they can perform the work and administrative requirements. It doesn’t replace the bidding process but shows a good record of performance. Subsequent approval was given to begin an open discussion with Levesque Excavation for roadway reconstruction services on High Street from River St to North Avenue based on them being the low bidder and the city’s positive experience working with them.
Following a presentation by Public Works Director Matt Hill, the Council voted to adopt the recommended roadway acceptance standards for new city roads.
The City Manager was authorized to sign a purchase and sales agreement between the City of Sanford and the Sanford Sewerage District for property at 281 River St for $340,000. Once the Sewerage District builds and moves to their new facility, the Parks Department will move there and be able to operate out of a much larger building and be more efficient in their work. The large garage bays will enable staff to work on equipment and store vehicles in the winter, eliminating wasted travel time to the DPW at the beginning and end of the day. It will increase storage space and there will also be separate space for office staff.
An application by the Maine Attraction Water Ski Show Team to use the Memorial Gym for their March 15 fundraising event was considered. A $600 fee, including cleaning, was agreed to. Pilot’s Cove LLC was granted an off premises catering permit for that event. While considering the request, a discussion ensued regarding the need to revisit and develop standardized charges for renting the facility given future maintenance and capital improvement costs to the facility.
Road closure requests for several 2025 events, as presented by Parks and Recreation Director Brady Lloyd, were approved. The events include: the Memorial Day parade; the July 3rd block party and 4th of July parade; Sanford Soccer’s Pete Levasseur Fall Classic and Fall Festival; and the Holly Daze parade.
The council also approved closure of the Recreation Area at Holdsworth Park on Tuesdays and
Wednesdays from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, for safety reasons, for 2025 summer camp.
Sanford Airport Manager Allison Navia presented proposed termination amendments to the agreement between The Sanford Fish and Game Protection Association and the City of Sanford. The Fish and Game and police shooting ranges are both currently on Airport property. The amendments prepare the property to be sold to them. Acceptance of the agreement was unanimously approved.
$73,300 for purchase of a new heavy-duty pickup truck outfitted for frontline plowing response for the Airport was approved. Revenue will come from other currently available resources and not have an impact on the CIP or taxation.
The entire meeting may be viewed here: https://townhallstreams.com/stream.php?location_id=82&id=64993
