Municipal Operations & Property Subcommittee 8/9 Meeting Notes

The City Council’s Municipal Operations and Property Subcommittee met on Tuesday, August 9. The Subcommittee members are Mayor Anne-Marie Mastraccio, Deputy Mayor Maura Herlihy and Councilor Becky Brink.

American Legion: Joe Doiron and Bill Cameron of American Legion T.W. Cole Post 19 spoke about their plans to install an elevator attached to the facility at 656 Main St. They are working with electrical and elevator contractors to get quotes and plans, and expect it will take two years to raise the funds and get the work done. Mr. Cameron said the lack of accessibility has led to older members becoming less involved in activities at the Post. The property was deeded to the City in the 1930s with the covenant that it could only be used as an American Legion Post. City Manager Steven Buck said the Legion has been an excellent tenant. The elevator is the latest of many improvements they have undertaken. This will be on the agenda for the full City Council’s approval on August 16.

Fryeburg Airport: Allison Navia, Manager of the Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport, presented a proposal to do pavement marking at the Eastern Slope Airport in Fryeburg. The Town of Fryeburg will pay for the Sanford Airport’s crew to bring the paint machine up there and do the work. The fee of $3,679.56 will be put toward purchase of a new machine. This will be on Tuesday’s City Council agenda.

Lighting Upgrade: Matt Hill, Director of Public Works, presented a recommendation for an interior and exterior lighting upgrade at the highway facility on School St. as well as at the transfer station. He said there are dark spots in the yard, and when they are performing night operations, they have to use vehicle headlights to see what they are doing. He is proposing to have the work done by Affinity, the same company that recently hired to maintain the City’s LED streetlights. While the lighting upgrade was not budgeted, Mr. Hill said savings in salaries from the Department being shorthanded would cover the cost. Mayor Mastraccio said she is getting calls from residents who still have streetlights out near their properties, and doesn’t want to spend money on new projects until that work is caught up. Mr. Hill agreed the response from Affinity has not been what he expected. He has a meeting scheduled with the company and will get some answers before proceeding any further with the lighting upgrade proposal.

Security Upgrade: Mr. Hill also presented a recommendation to upgrade the Public Works Department’s security system. He said the current system is antiquated, and doesn’t cover the entire property. Recently a catalytic converter was cut from one of the City’s trucks out of sight of any cameras. He would like to get a system that can be monitored from a mobile device. Mr. Buck said he wants to be sure all of the City’s security cameras can be integrated so they can be monitored with one system and have one vendor for maintenance. They will work together to get more information before presenting a request to the full Council.

Fleet Management Update: Mr. Hill reported that he is working with a vendor to procure a new compactor trailer for the transfer station to replace the one that is no longer running. The cost is just under $150,000. He said his staff is currently getting the job done with one trailer, but having a second will make the process of transporting material much more efficient. Delivery is expected in four to six months. A roll-off truck and backhoe are also high on the priority list to be replaced. He is looking for equipment that is currently available, rather than risking ordering vehicles that never get delivered, as was the case with two plow trucks the City ordered last year.

Paving Update: Mr. Hill said work will begin next week on the light paving projects that are being funded through budget savings. The streets that will be paved are School St. from Washington to Rushton, both ends of Rushton St., High St. from Washington to Emery, Pioneer Ave. from Washington to Emery, Beulah St., and Hanson Ridge Rd. from Lebanon to Douglas. This light paving will last three to five years, until they can be scheduled for reconstruction.

Mr. Hill also presented a proposal from Beta Group, Inc. to survey Sanford’s roads to update the Pavement Management Program, which was last done five years ago. The proposal included two different quotes, one by an automated system and one to be done manually. Mr. Buck explained that the automated system, done by Lidar, is more expensive because it picks up other attributes like storm drain covers, that could then be added into the City’s Graphic Information System (GIS). He said the survey would be money well spent so that the City Council and administrators could make better informed decisions about where to spend taxpayer dollars.

Westside Village Update: Mr. Hill gave a short history of the Westside Village road construction project. The Berwick St. section of the project was cut at one point due to budget constraints, then was added back in after the work had to be split over two seasons due to labor shortages. A local contractor, Levesque’s Excavation, started work on Berwick St. this week. The street will be open to local traffic only until at least mid-October. Subcommittee members said they have been getting calls from Westside Village residents whose driveways or walkways no longer line up properly with the street. Mr. Hill said all those issues will be addressed, one at a time. Twombley Rd. near the corner of Main St. is especially tricky as it will require an extra step up to the sidewalk. The cement will be stained a different color in that spot to make the step visually apparent.

Community Resilience Partnership: Planning Director Beth Della Valle presented information on a state program to offer grants for local projects that would implement goals of the Maine Climate Action Plan. Projects that would be eligible for grants include transportation, clean energy, natural resources and more. She would like a letter of support from the Council to join the Partnership, which allow the City to apply for up to two $50,000 grants a year. She also requested the Council appoint an advisory committee to help select the projects. The Council would have final approval over any grant application. The Partnership proposal will be on the agenda at next Tuesday’s Council meeting.

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