September 29, 2008
Work Session
Present were: Mayor Bertrand, Councilors McCue, Lafleur, Cayer, Goudreau and Donovan; absent were Councilors Remillard, Poulin and Evans. Nicole Plourde, Mitch Couture, John Moulis, Laura Viger, Mike Perreault, Marion Huntley, Patrick MacQueen, media and public were also present.
School Department Capital Request
Mitch Couture presented the School Board's proposal asking to purchase buses through a capital appropriation from the City Council. With the $15,000 that was already appropriated, a bus was ordered and was going to be leased; however for an additional $59,294 the schools can buy rather than lease the bus. The School Board is also asking for the purchase of a second bus and a ¾ ton pickup truck with plow and sander.
Mr. Couture was confident that, through the State bid, a truck with plow and sander can be purchased for $35,000. Councilor Donovan was pleased to see that the School Board has a plan to keep up with vehicle replacements.
Councilor McCue confirmed the capacity of the buses at 66 to 72 students per bus which is a standard size bus. He questioned whether smaller size buses should be considered so that buses would not be going along empty. Mr. Couture explained that the athletic teams travel at near capacity.
Councilor Donovan asked if changing the routes and having more students walk to school has been considered. Mr. Moulis acknowledged that bus routes have not been changed and the school department bought software at a cost of $14,000 that will point out alternatives regarding busing.
Councilor Goudreau moved to have staff prepare a resolution to convert a lease to purchase on a bus to a purchase; to purchase an additional bus as well as a ¾ ton pickup truck with plow and sander at a cost of $169,638.; Councilor Donovan seconded and further discussion ensued.
Mayor Bertrand encouraged the schools to continue their practice of borrowing a dump truck to deliver recyclables to the transfer station. With regard to the fifteen year old sander, Public Works has been known to refurbish equipment and they may be able to bring this one back to life. There is also the Welding Program at the high school to be considered. Mayor Bertrand added that he would like to see what the software can do before going ahead with the second bus. Council members voted unanimously in favor of the motion before them.
Mr. MacQueen established that the school budget will be increased with funds that are not appropriated and therefore a resolution, public hearing and 2/3 majority is needed to pass this increase.
Fuel Oil Bid Results
Mr. MacQueen presented the results of the fuel oil bid that was put out by the Gorham Schools. The results were significantly lower than the bid results in July and closer to what is in the budget.
There was some question about downward protection and whether the City could buy oil with the insurance. It was estimated that, at this price, there would be an approximate $87,000 shortfall overall. Mr. MacQueen reported that if the Council is not comfortable accepting this bid, the City can bid it ourselves or we can try to negotiate a price. Since the city is the largest buyer, it is possible that if we don't go with this, it will affect the other communities. At the Mayor's request a show of hands affirmed going ahead with the firm price with Munce's.
Snow Policy
Mayor Bertrand acknowledged a memo from Mike Perreault, Public Works Director responding to questions the Council had about the snow policy.
Councilor Lafleur asked about why snow is removed from Oak Street and not removed from York Street. Mr. Perreault indicated that he would review and get an answer back.
Councilor Donovan voiced that Berlin is the only community that has a process of salt before sand. All others have a plow in the front and sand in the back. Mr. Perreault stated that he is willing to explore new techniques and he will talk to other directors and see what process they use.
Councilor McCue expressed concern about marking catch basins to keep them clear. Mr. Perreault noted that most are marked with a yellow line in the road. Mr. MacQueen added that it is impossible to keep them clear from plowing but the plan is to get a loader there to dig them out.
Other
Prison. Councilor Goudreau reported hearing from his constituents about the prison building their own waste water treatment plant. Mr. MacQueen stated that the BOP wants to look into building their own facility and also wants to keep the option with the city open.
Mayor Bertrand added that because of the location of the prison which is close to the Brown Farm Well, the City's back up water supply, there can be no risk taken with the pump station. Because of the aquifer, a very expensive pump station was designed. Hopefully the Bureau of Prisons will take capital, maintenance and operating costs into consideration when making their decision
Rotary Park. Councilor Donovan informed the Council that in the spring a better project could be happening for Rotary Park with canoe access. The Council will have a presentation on the activities.
Tax Breaks for Energy. Councilor McCue wanted to clarify remarks he made regarding tax breaks for energy projects. He noted that, in his mind, tax breaks for energy would only be considered if a company were to give something back to the community.
Riverfire. Councilor Lafleur commended the City Manager for hauling wood to the piers for Riverfire. He encouraged everyone to come to the October 4 event.
CIP. Mr. MacQueen indicated that he will get the CIP out in the next week or so and he wants the Council to go through a goal setting process and CIP review is an opportunity to do that. In the past a tour of the CIP items has been organized so that the Planning Board and Council can see the projects first hand.
Elm Tree Ceremony. Laura Viger informed Council members that the Elm Tree Ceremony will be on October 13 at 5:30 at Community Field. Tyler Couture has a program prepared.
There being no further business to come before the Council, Councilor Lafleur moved to adjourn; Councilor McCue seconded and the motion carried. The meeting ended at 8:00 pm
Respectfully Submitted,
Susan Tremblay
Administrative Assistant
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