Council Addresses Campgrounds, Needle Exchange, More

Volunteer interpreters Dr. Brendan Spinelli and Dr. Joshua Pongan were recognized by the City Council as Extra Mile Day Heroes.

Photo: WSSR-TV

By Zendelle Bouchard

After hearing from residents and campground owners unhappy with a proposed ordinance regulating new campgrounds in Sanford and Springvale, the City Council on Oct. 15 decided to seek a compromise measure that can be voted on next month. Councilors also responded to online discussion about the fire station project, advocated for a change in the state’s needle exchange program, and recognized volunteer interpreters who have helped the city. All councilors were present.

A dozen residents spoke against the campground ordinance, which would apply only to new developments like the one proposed for the Sand Pond area. Campground owners and developers all said the proposed 75-foot setback was too big, while residents and members of the Sand Pond Association advocated for 200 feet instead, which they said several other York County towns require. The council discussed the ordinance at length, including season of operation and zoning as well as setbacks and vegetated buffers. Finally, Deputy Mayor Maura Herlihy recommended having a Zoning Subcommittee meeting in the next two weeks to come up with a final compromise that the council could vote on in November.

Fire Station bonding: Mayor Becky Brink and City Manager Steve Buck both addressed comments on social media regarding the cost of bonding the $42.5 million principal to build the two new fire stations. The total cost with principal and interest will be $74.9 million. Brink compared this to taking out a mortgage, but reminded voters that if the project is approved, the city will be able to apply for grants to help reduce the principal, and therefore the interest on the bond as well. Buck explained that the interest was included in the net taxation figures the city has publicized on its website as well as at last week’s informational forum. “There’s no smoke and mirrors,” he said.

Needle exchange: The council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution asking the Maine Center for Disease Control to return the state’s syringe exchange program to a 1:1 swap system, which was changed during the covid pandemic to allow drug users to receive 100 syringes at a time, even if they have none to turn in. The resolution will be distributed to the commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services and to Sanford legislators as well as to Maine CDC. Brink and Buck met recently with Gordon Smith, director of opioid response for Gov. Janet Mills’ office, who said adopting a resolution is the quickest route to getting action on the issue. Brink said other mayors are ready to sign on to the request due to problems with discarded syringes littering public places. (Portland Mayor Mark Dion was unable to persuade the Portland City Council to support the resolution on Monday.)

Volunteers recognized: The council approved a proclamation recognizing Joshua Pongan and Brendan Spinelli as Extra Mile Day Heroes. Both men have PhDs in Spanish linguistics and have served the Sanford Police Department and General Assistance office as volunteer interpreters on numerous occasions. The award was initiated by Police Chief Eric Small, who said Pongan and Spinelli have “saved the day many times.” Extra Mile Day on Nov. 1 is a national day recognizing volunteerism.

Fire Department grant: The council voted to accept $28,925 in grant funds from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation to purchase 55 escape system bailout kits, which will enable our firefighters to safely escape from a second-floor window. Assistant Chief Brian Watkins told the council that up until now, Sanford firefighters had to “cross our fingers and jump” if first-floor egress was blocked.

Police accreditation: James Willis of Dirigo Safety, LLC, presented a plaque to the Sanford Police Department for successfully completing the Maine Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. MLEAP was created by the Maine Chiefs of Police as a proactive way to instill best practices in law enforcement. The exhaustive two-year process was spearheaded by Professional Development Coordinator (and former Assistant Chief) Tim Strout but involved all members of the SPD. Only about a quarter of Maine police departments are accredited. One benefit of accreditation is the city will receive a 15% discount on its liability insurance from the Maine Municipal Association.

November meetings rescheduled: The council voted to change the dates of its November meetings to avoid conflicting with Election Day. Regular council meetings will be held Nov. 12 and 26, with subcommittee meetings scheduled for Nov. 19 and 20.

Helicopter agreement: The council voted to approve and authorize an updated operating rights agreement with Pine Tree Helicopters at the Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport. The update will allow PTH to operate different types of helicopters and perform more helicopter-related services for other companies, as their business is growing. Airport Manager Allison Navia said the amount of revenue PTH pays the airport will increase, which will help cover the cost of plowing and maintenance.

Soccer festival: The council voted to approve the closure of Shaw Road from Spur Road to Shaw’s Ridge Road from 7 am to 5 pm on Oct. 26 and 27 for Sanford Soccer’s Fall Festival.

General Assistance: The council voted 6-1 to amend the General Assistance ordinance that was discussed at the previous meeting. The amendment was needed to adopt the state’s updated maximums for GA payments. Councilor Martell cast the sole vote in opposition.

Anderson Learning Center: The council voted unanimously to approve amendments to the master lease agreement with the Sanford Springvale Development Corp., which operates the ALC. The most significant change was to the section of the lease regarding capital improvements and requires the SSDC to maintain a six-year plan for improvements that will allow the city to anticipate and budget for them. Space in the ALC is subleased to organizations which provide a public benefit, at lower cost than they would pay to lease space elsewhere.

Other items:

• The council voted to accept a bid for concrete sidewalk demolition and construction services from Genga Excavation Contractors of Springvale. The bid is for future work as needed, due to the retirement of the city’s long-term sidewalk contractor.
• A public hearing and first reading on an update to the City Ordinance Chapter 70 Airport Article IV Rates and Fees was held. Navia said putting the fees the airport charges into the ordinance will provide its users with continuity and certainty and creates a more business-friendly environment. The proposed rates will keep the airport competitive and financially self-sufficient, and the rates will be updated every five years.
• Councilor Nate Hitchcock reported on the Oct. 9 meeting of the Land Bank Commission, which was the first one held in several months. The commission is reexamining the process of dangerous building hearings, which are expected to start up again soon. It also looked at buildings that had an action plan that failed and reviewed next steps. Commissioners also plan to restart the process of planning how to address blighted commercial buildings in town.
• Buck noted that the Maine Department of Environmental Protection has completed a cleanup of the Regco property off Heritage Drive where leaking transformers saturated the earth with oil.
• Buck reported that the town of Alfred has removed the Hay Brook Bridge after Sanford won a judgment in court to force the issue. A contractor will now close off both ends and install guardrails.
• The city has been awarded $50,000 for work on a market analysis and parking study to assist with the Comprehensive Plan update.
• Assistant Fire Chief Watkins repeated the presentation on decontamination that he gave to the Public Safety Subcommittee last week. Decontamination is imperative due to the carcinogens released during a fire, which coat gear as well as the skin of firefighters.
• The council voted to appoint Sue Cote as the warden for the Nov. 5 municipal and state election.