-- APPROVED --
BRUNSWICK TOWN COUNCIL MINUTES
April 19, 2005
7:00 p.m.
Municipal Meeting Facility
7:00 P.M. Vice Chair Galloupe called the meeting to order and asked for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Councilors Present: W. David Watson, Jacqueline A. Sartoris, Robert A. Galloupe, Douglas A. Rice, Louise V. Ansari, Barbara A. Desmarais, Ralph L. Tucker, and Joanne T. King.
Councilors Absent: Forrest Lowe.
Town Staff Present: Donald H. Gerrish, Town Manager; Fran Smith, Town Clerk; Clark Labbe, Fire Chief; Sandra Carleton, Deputy Fire Chief; Jeffrey Emerson, Deputy Fire Chief; and the TV video crew.
Public Comment:
Louis Cousineau, 41 Belmont Street, read letter about a public meeting to be held on the proposed thirty three (33) condominium units to be located at the end of Boody Street and corner of Barrows Street. He wanted the Council to be informed that this meeting was taking place.
Roy Peddle, 4 Lori Drive, commented on the report from RKG Associates regarding the lack of a need for an additional airport in this area. He disagreed with this comment since people are going to Boston and Manchester to get planes, with the limitations at the Portland Jetport. All roads go through Brunswick. He called Southwestern Airlines Corporation to ask them if they would be interested in coming to Brunswick and they said they would look into it. The Navy has spent a great amount of money improving the facilities. It could even become a dual purpose airport, serving both the private and military sectors.
Correspondence: None.
Manager’s Report:
1. BTIP Program: MDOT
Manager Gerrish said the Maine Department of Transportation has completed the Biennial Capital Work Plan for 2006/2007. Funding is based on Legislative approval, Federal funding and Bond approval. The town did well under the proposals. He reviewed several projects for Brunswick:
Bridge improvements on Interstate 295 over River Road;
Work on Bath Road in front of Merrymeeting Plaza to help with the traffic backup;
Four (4) projects for the Maine Street railroad crossing area;
Paving sections of Old Bath Road;
Durham Road bridge improvements;
Traffic analysis on Route 1 from Pleasant Street, beginning at Interstate 295 to Maine Street; and,
Paving portions of the one-way section of Pleasant Street and also sections of Mill Street.
Manager Gerrish said, responding to Councilor Sartoris’ question, he is still pushing for basic improvements to be made to the Maine Street railroad crossing even if there is a larger proposal.
2. MDOT Additional Funding: Swinging Bridge
Manager Gerrish said the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge project has been approved for additional funding from the state. Funding is based on Legislative approval, Federal funding and Bond approval.
(A copy of a letter from MDOT will be attached to the official minutes.)
2005/06 Budget Schedule
Manager Gerrish discussed the draft of the budget meeting schedule. After Council discussion, it was decided he will revise the schedule and get it out to the Council.
Adjustments to Agenda: None
58. The Town Council will hear public comments on the following applications for Food Service Licenses and will take any appropriate action.
Food Service with Malt and Vinous
Asian Grill, LLC d/b/a Asian Grill
164 Pleasant Street Thisakorn Tatiyanunthaporn
Food Service with Mobile Carts, Take Out, Catering
Wayne and Kathleen Parent, d/b/a Wrappers
On the Mall Wayne and Kathleen Parent
Robert & Dianne Catalano d/b/a The Lobster Roll
Cooks Corner Mall Parking Lot Robert & Dianne Catalano
Vice Chair Galloupe opened the public hearing; hearing no comments, he closed the public hearing.
Councilor Sartoris moved, Councilor Desmarais seconded, to approve applications for food service licenses for the Asian Grill, Wrappers, and the Lobster Roll. The motion carried with eight (8) yeas.
(A copy of the public hearing notice will be attached to the official minutes.)
59. The Town Council will hear public comments on proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance and will take any appropriate action.
Manager Gerrish said the Planning Board made this recommendation to allow for the fee from big boxes to be used for certain purposes in the Cook’s Corner area. He read the text of the amendment.
Vice Chair Galloupe opened the public hearing.
Ed Benedikt, 45 Harding Road, said he would like the fee structure applied to the entire town - not just to the big boxes.
Manager Gerrish explained that Cook’s Corner is the only place where big boxes are allowed.
Vice Chair Galloupe closed the public hearing.
Councilor Sartoris moved, Councilor Desmarais seconded, to approve the amendments to the Zoning Ordinance, as attached. The motion carried with eight (8) yeas.
(A copy of the public hearing notice, which has the adopted language, will be attached to the official minutes.)
60. The Town Council will hear public comments on a proposed Bond Ordinance to construct a Fire Substation at Cook’s Corner and will take any appropriate action.
Manager Gerrish said this is a public hearing on an ordinance to issue bonds in an amount not to exceed two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000) for a fire substation.
Vice Chair Galloupe opened the public hearing.
Pem Schaeffer, Crestview Lane, said he did not agree with how the process has been done. The town should have established target costs by setting minimum requirements and having additional functionality done as objectives. Then, they should pick a contractor who can come in at that amount. The town did the opposite and he sees nothing to indicate any fiscal management occurring.
Fred Blanchard, Harpswell Road, provided examples of stations built in Raymond and Oxford being built for much less, around one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000). He cannot understand why Brunswick cannot do that.
Ted Crooker, 44 Storer Road, spoke in support of this project. The longer the town waits, the higher the construction costs will be. It is only fair to firefighters, and the station will take pressure off of Maine Street with less responses coming from the Central Station. East Brunswick does not currently have good response time. It is time to do something. He suggested building a fourth bay.
Chris Gutscher spoke in support of the substation. The Council needs to take the lead on this project. There is a lot of growth at Cooker’s Corner and the station is needed.
Randall Hamilton, Bridge Road, firefighter and taxpayer, spoke in support of the station. There is a chance to build a quality building which will serve the town for many years.
Vice Chair Galloupe closed the public hearing.
Councilor Rice said he respected all the comments made tonight. After much public input, the town went through the process of selecting a builder and realized that the one million two hundred fifty thousand dollar ($1,250,000) figure was not going to happen. Construction cost has increased over the period the town has been looking at a substation. The proposal for the building is just under two million dollars ($2,000,000) and some of the cost is due to the Cooks Corner design standards. He reviewed the other costs for the land, 5% contingency figure, preloading the site and other elements. (These numbers where discussed in more detail at the April 4, 2005 meeting and are included in those minutes.) There will be some cost recouped from selling another property and from one hundred seventeen thousand dollars ($117,000) of impact fees collected.
Councilor Rice said, responding to Councilor Tucker’s question about the fourth bay, it would be just under one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) and would have to be agreed to by the time the foundation was poured. He feels that it probably will not occur, in order to save money. He added the project is slated to go to the Planning Board next week.
Councilor Ansari said she is not against this project, but her concern is taking this out of the entire budget review process. She would like it to be part of that review.
Vice Chair Galloupe reviewed the steps it took to get to this point. At first the Council was looking at a central station and that has evolved to the substation, with the central station going to the bottom of the project list. The substation will only serve twenty percent (20%) of the town and the central station serves the whole town. He is concerned about the central station project getting done because of potential issues surrounding the base. He is concerned about the long term operational cost. He wants to look at the whole budget or they may just see no money left if this is done. He would like to have a motion to table this item until a later time.
Manager Gerrish said, responding to Councilor Ansari’s question, last year the substation was approved in the CIP. The impact of this project for this upcoming year will be debt service of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) and an operation cost of two hundred seventy thousand dollars ($270,000), with it not being opened the full year. There is an impact on the upcoming budget. The town has new income from the Navy to assist with this and other expenses. The Council wanted to stay under the state tax cap, which he thinks the town will be very close to in its budget. If they go forward, they are making a commitment and would have to make decisions in other areas in the budget for cuts.
Councilor Sartoris said she will vote against it since the project is going to be taken out of context of the entire budget – not because she is against the substation. She did not think the town exhausted all other options that are less expensive, such as regionalization. Her biggest concern is not the capital cost, but the long term operational costs, which are based on “found money” from the housing privatization, which is only a five (5) year agreement. There are questions about the future of the base and BIW. Brunswick may have fiscally tough times in the future. If it is going to be built, the town should build the additional bay. She also pointed out that originally the central station was the bigger priority.
Councilor King said this substation has been forty (40) years in the making. It will help out with the needs of the central station and is going in the correct zone, with a lot of development occurring there.
Councilor Rice said, responding to Councilor Ansari’s question about the harm in waiting until the budget review process, there was a project schedule and it was intended to get a substation built by the end of the year. Every time there is a delay, there will be increases in cost. It is time to move on this project. He did not think regionalization for emergency service would work with West Bath and Harpswell having volunteer departments and the Bath fire station is no closer than the central station to East Brunswick. When the Council started this process, they knew there would be operational costs – even before the five (5) year military housing deal. He does not think the Council is acting irresponsibly. He wants to vote tonight.
Councilor Tucker said he was not around for the original debate, but feels the project has been moving along and he sees no reason the Council should not “close the deal.”
Councilor Sartoris said, as clarification, under the regionalization discussions, it was never considered to have a volunteer staff instead of a full time staff operating the shared station.
Councilor Desmarais said it is becoming harder to get call firefighters so there will need to be more full time ones hired, so there would already be an additional cost. She is not happy with the high cost but respects the committee’s work to have the cost as low as possible and meet the substation needs. She supported building the fourth bay, saying it would be short sighted not to do so.
Councilor Rice said it would be nice to have the fourth bay, but he is trying to keep the cost down.
Councilor Watson said this is a forty (40) year plus project. He is the only Councilor who has served on all the fire station committees over the last four (4) years. This is the closest they have ever come to doing this project. As an East Brunswick resident, he would like to see a public safety presence there. The substation serves all of Brunswick by reducing pressure on the central station and many people shop in that area, some of whom may need emergency services. West Bath is interested in regionalization once the substation is built and this will reduce costs. This is a cornerstone to improving the community’s facilities which are needed to run this town.
Councilor King moved the question, but there was no second.
Councilor Ansari said she is for building the substation, but she does not feel it is wise to take this out of context of the rest of the budget.
(A copy of the public hearing notice and adopted ordinance will be attached to the official minutes.)
61. The Town Council will consider adopting the Cumberland County Hazard Mitigation Plan and will take any appropriate action.
Manager Gerrish said the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires municipalities to develop and adopt a hazard mitigation plan, which has been done by Cumberland County. It is necessary for all twenty seven (27) municipalities within the county to adopt the plan. Clark Labbe has reviewed the plan and recommends approval.
Chief Labbe provided additional information on the plan.
(A copy of the Cumberland County Hazard Mitigation Plan Executive Summary will be attached to the official minutes.)
Councilor Desmarais moved, Councilor Sartoris seconded, to adopt the Cumberland County Hazard Mitigation Plan, as presented. The motion carried with eight (8) yeas.
62. The Town Council will consider annual appointments of Town Staff and will take any appropriate action.
Vice Chair Galloupe reviewed the list.
Councilor Sartoris moved, Councilor Watson seconded, to approve the list of town appointments. The motion carried with eight (8) yeas.
(A list of appointees will be attached to the official minutes.)
The meeting adjourned at 8:40 pm.
PLEASE NOTE: THESE MINUTES ARE NOT VERBATIM. A VIDEO RECORDING OF THE MEETING IS AVAILABLE AT THE TOWN CLERK'S OFFICE DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS.
Frances M. Smith
Town Clerk
April 21, 2005
May 2, 2005
_________________________
Date of Approval
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Council Chair