Public Protection Committee
Minutes of 10:00 A.M., April 8, 2009 Meeting
Northeast Harbor Library
Abbreviations Description Abbreviations Description
BOS Board of Selectmen PS Pump Station
FD Fire Department PT Part-time
FF Fire Fighter SWH Southwest Harbor
FT Full-time WC Warrant Committee
MDWD Mount Desert Water District WWTP Wastewater Treatment Plant
MMA Maine Municipal Association
I. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at approximately 10:05 A.M. by Chief Bender.
II. Roll Call of Members
Attendance Present Attendance Present
“Voting Members (9 total)” Citizen Rep. Dennis Shubert (DS) Yes
Citizen Rep. Mary-Lee Bayne (MLB) No Pub. Works Dir. Tony Smith (TS) Yes
Citizen Rep. Katie Bell (KB) No Police Chief Jim Willis (JW) Yes
Fire Chief Mike Bender (MB) Yes “Non-voting attendees/at large”
Citizen Rep. Marilyn Damon (MD) Yes Town Mgr. Mike MacDonald (MM) No
Harbormaster Shawn Murphy (SM) No BOS Liaison Rick Mooers (RM) Yes
NEHA Joanne Robbins (JR) Yes MDWD Mgr. Paul Slack (PS) No
Selectman Jean Bonville was in attendance for the entire meeting.
III. Discussion/Approval of Minutes
Minutes of March 11, 2009 approved. 6-0 (DS-JW).
IV. Unfinished Business
A. BHE Procedures: Tabled until next meeting due to absence of ML-B who is very interested in the agenda item.
V. New Business: Items taken out of order.
B. Project Worksheets: DS distributed and discussed the project worksheet developed to aid the Committee members in the prioritization and recommendation of public safety capital improvements to the BOS. The items on the first page were ranked on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being of high priority.
A general discussion ensued of office space e.g. MB’s office, the old office at the highway garage. Issues raised were access/egress, handicapped accessibility and lack of ADA compliance. MB pointed out that he has had to deny letting groups use his office for meetings because it dies not meet egress requirements. TS pointed out that MMA recently sent the Town the results of their inspection conducted last June and, in it, are requiring a structural evaluation of the highway garage.
RM suggested we look focus on the big picture over the next 5-10-15 years to address all needs to bring us to equal standing with the rest of the country.
JW discussed issues related to the PD’s lack of privacy and safety issues. He pointed out that the Mount Desert PD addresses issues just like the rest of the country does – rape, domestic violence, assaults – and needs secure space to conduct investigations and interviews. When a victim is in the PD they must be absolutely certain they are safe and are able to speak to the officers in private. JW stated that they need a changing room and that things would definitely have to change if they employed female officers.
RM pointed out that there is an increase nationwide in community policing and that the PD should be a welcoming place where people feel comfortable.
MB questioned why the FD and PW equipment replacement schedule was being addressed by the PPC. DS responded that the PPC is to evaluate, based on FD and PW input, if we have adequate equipment with which to work. TS and JR agreed with DS.
MB discussed his request of $45,000 made to the BOS for FF compensation. He stated that he and TS did not offer support of the concept to the BOS. The BOS thought that up-to-date equipment might be more of a recruitment draw than monetary compensation. DS made the point that potential volunteers are the people that should be asked about being paid to respond to calls, not the current ones – those not on the FD should be targeted. DS went on to say that he thought the PT FF’s should be able to look at serving as a part-time job.
MB stated that the average age of the FD is getting older. Due to our demographics and loss of residents the number of volunteer prospects is dwindling. SWH’s numbers are increasing but ours are dropping, primarily because of SWH being more of a year-around community and ours becoming more and more a seasonal one. The lack of volunteers is a nationwide problem with many departments being a combination FT and PT. In Maine, there are only three FT departments, the rest are combination. IF we maintain the status quo e.g. all PT, our level of service will be reduced as our numbers decline. If there is not a recruitment base, no amount of pay or benefits will increase the number of volunteers.
MD asked if the BOS asked the SWH BOS to attend one of their meetings to discuss a combination PD and FD. They did not. The BOS agreed that the issue falls under the purview of the PPC and they would wait for us to review and make a recommendation at a later date. TS stated that there was only one member of the SWH BOS that wanted to reduce the PD by one person. JW stated that this individual did change his mind and the SWH BOS voted unanimously to maintain the status quo.
DS asked TS about the pump station replacement costs and why the Seal Harbor library costs ($450,000) were so much less than Bracey Cove ($750,000). TS explained the difference is that Bracey Cove includes an emergency stand-by generator. The Seal Harbor station is readily accessible from the street by a portable generator; Bracey Cove is a long distance from the street and is not readily accessible, particularly in the winter. DS asked if the pumps were worn-out or poor technology. TS responded that they are not worn out but typically have a design life of 20 years and are now well over 30 years old and, they likely reflect the technology of their time. TS pointed out that if the pumps fail, we would have the possibility of raw sewage backing up into people’s homes, out onto the ground and into the ocean
until we were able to locate, transport and put portable pumps on-line as an emergency and temporary fix.
A. Taking Minutes: After a brief discussion, TS agreed to continue as secretary rather than requesting office staff assistance with recording and transcribing minutes. His concern was taking notes detracting from participation in the discussions.
VI. Adjournment:
The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 A.M., May 13, 2009 at the Town Office meeting room. The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 (MB-JR).
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