Public Present
Noel Musson, CES, Inc.
Board Members Present
Ellen Brawley, Chair, James Clunan, Vice Chairman; Gerard M. Miller, alt; Patti Reilly, Secretary
Kim Keene, CEO; Claire Woolfolk, Recording Secretary
I. The meeting was called to order at 6:06 p.m. It was agreed that the Board would discuss the New Business: Seal Cove Auto Museum petition for directional road signs first.
II. New Business:
Seal Cove Auto Museum Maine Department of Transportation Signage request per Section 6B.16.4.5 Directional signs on roadsides within the Town of Mount Desert.
The Planning Board reviewed the petition by the Seal Cove Auto Museum and after discussion agreed to recommend that the Board of Selectmen approve the petition to put up no more than one (1) sign at each of the proposed locations.
MOTION to recommend that the Board of Selectmen to approve the proposed MDOT signage at the locations provided per the attached site plan and pictures BY Mr. Clunan; SECONDED by Mr. Miller. (4-0) Approved.
III. Old Business:
Continuation of the Presentation of Proposal for Planning Services
Noel Musson, Planner/Project Manager CES, to discuss overall planning needs for the Town of Mount Desert as recommended within the Objectives and Strategies within the Comprehensive Plan.
Mr. Musson briefly summarized what he discussed with the board at the 8/9 meeting to bring Mr. Miller up to date. In response to the last meeting, Mr. Musson put together a brief outline for the Board to review the goals as he understood them. Goals include Downtown Zoning Changes for NEH, Downtown NEH Study, Scenic Vistas ordinance update, Stormwater Management ordinance update, and Shoreland Zoning compliance.
He also discussed possible funding sources and reiterated that none of the sources were guaranteed. Highlighted grant sources are: USDA, CDBG, Transportation Improvement Grants, and Park Service Grants. (Mr. Musson’s list is attached.) Mr. Musson described in more detail a few of the grants that could be possibilities.
• Brownfield sites that have been contaminated (i.e. gas stations, dry cleaners, etc.) could qualify for clean-up funding from the Federal and State government to be redeveloped.
• Spot Blight to identify eyesore properties for improvement.
• NEW: Communities for Maine’s Future has funding for municipalities with a public revitalization or economic development strategy focused on areas such as a historic downtown, village center, or Main Street.
• Working Waterfront Grants (The town is currently using one to fund phase II of the marina redevelopment.)
• Private Funding Grants: Friends of Acadia might fit into the town’s mission and we fit into their mission.
Mr. Clunan asked if the grants are 100% or if they were matching funds. Mr. Musson stated that the grants would typically be matching grants; that towns like NEH wouldn’t qualify for many of the grants due to their relative financial/wealth status and that the amount of grant money we could be awarded would be improved by the amount of money we would have available to put towards a grant.
MS. Brawley said that it was confirmed that the town has approximately $22,000 that it could use for planning services related to the LUZO and Subdivision ordinances. Prior issues with view sheds gave us money to deal with this matter. Ms. Keene also said that her planning board budget has over $30,000 for planning services that continues to roll over each year.
Mr. Musson thinks that the town could benefit from a part-time planner and that he could do the job as 20 hr/week. Mr. Clunan stated that the job could be more than 20 some weeks and 0 others and that perhaps we should look at capping the hours for the year.
Mr. Miller asked how Mr. Musson would balance his dual roles as planner for the town and developer representing major interest groups. Mr. Musson stated that he thought it was important that Mount Desert Township have a representative at the various meetings to report back and to maintain consistency in the towns’ response and position on the issues.
Ms. Reilly thought there would be a conflict of interest for the town hiring Mr. Musson as our Town Planner due to his employment at CES, a major developer on the island. Mr. Musson stated his background and interests lend himself as a unique candidate (namely that he lives in the area and knows the community well, and as a resident on the island he has the interest of the town as a priority. He also does not think his employment with CES would be a conflict of interest because the work he does for them is already in line with what he would be doing for Mount Desert: land use evaluations, researching grant possibilities, and economic planning. The grant funding aspect could piggy back on the work he does for other small towns.)
Mr. Miller suggested that the board write a job description for what they want the part-time planner to address and identify what the priorities are. Ordinances are one of the primary goals, namely Stormwater Management. (As the ordinance is currently written, it doesn’t address the steep slopes as true management, rather it is a reactive response to development. Also, the current ordinance only applies to shorelands and not inland. It is inadequate.) Other examples are driveways vs. roads and subdivisions.
The operating timeline the planning board is working within is to have budget items ready to submit to the Board of Selectmen by February for next year’s budget (2011/12). The Board of Selectmen is going to want to know how a town planner would be funded beyond the first year (that we have funding for).
It was agreed that the Ms. Brawley will make a list of 7 priorities and send them out to the other members for their input so that the absent members would be able to include their input. From the list, a job description will be made to present to the Board of Selectmen. The 9/27/10 meeting will be the next opportunity for discussion.
IV. MOTION to approve the draft minutes from the 7/26 meeting as amended made BY Mr. Clunan ; SECONDED BY Mr. Miller. The draft minutes from the 7/26/10 meeting were unanimously approved (3-0). Ms. Reilly was excluded from the vote as she was absent from the 7/26 meeting.
V. MOTION to adjourn BY Mr. Miller; SECONDED BY Mr. Clunan. (Carried 3-0) Meeting adjourned at 7:18 p.m. The next scheduled meeting/public hearing(s) is at 6:00 p.m., Monday, September 13, 2010 in the Meeting Room, Town Hall, Northeast Harbor.
Respectfully submitted,
James Clunan, Acting Secretary
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