PRESENT: Councilor Friedman was elected Pro tem Chair, Councilor Perkins, Councilor King and Councilor Hathaway were present. Chairman Champaco was absent and excused. Also present were Town Manager Reed, Police Chief Leonard, Assessor / CEO Thomas, Travis Noyes, Jim Parker, Stephen Moores and a University of Maine reporter E. Bowers.
ITEM 1. The February 5, 2007 Veazie Town Council meeting was called to order at 7:00PM.
ITEM 2. Consideration of minutes: Motion by Councilor King—to accept the January 22, 2007 meeting minutes as written. Seconded: Councilor Perkins, There was no discussion, Voted 4-0 in favor.
ITEM 3. Consideration of the Agenda: No additions were made.
ITEM 4a. Hobson Avenue Review
Travis Noyes, of Woodward and Curran, reviewed a conceptual design for roadway improvements for Hobson Avenue. He outlined that he had offered his preliminary design services at no cost to the Town due to the fact that he lives here in Veazie and that he just wanted to display what a major construction project might cost.
The Town Council reviewed the preliminary design that Travis Noyes had presented. The estimated cost of construction was in a range of $151,500 - $197,500. It was noted that this proposed project was based on a worst case basis. It was outlined that test borings displayed that the base gravel had mixed over time and that the base layer has now minimal structural strength.
Jim Parker, of CES, outlined that there could be other reconstruction methods to use for the roadway to minimize cost. Councilor Perkins questioned drainage concerns, Councilor Hathaway gave a brief history of the roadways construction and improvements, Councilor King expressed concerns pertaining to the estimated costs of reconstruction and how long the improvements would last.
It was noted that any sort of reconstruction project would be designed to last 20 to 50 years. It was also noted that re-pavement of the surface layer would still occur on a regular basis. The reconstruction would address drainage and subsurface integrity. The Town Council thanked Travis Noyes for his informational presentation and it was the consensus of the Town Council to continue review options for the Town’s roadways.
ITEM 5a. Senior Housing Project Update
Stephen Mooers and Jim Parker gave an overview of the senior housing project. Stephen Mooers outlined that the project was ranked number two in the state for tax credit issuance. He also outlined that the Federal Home Loan Bank issued a $395,000 grant which was unheard of recently. Total tax credits issued will total some 3.1 million dollars also. Jim Parker outlined that the final drawings were in progress and the ESA was also in the works. It is hoped that construction would start in the summer and that completion would be in June 2008. Stephen Mooers thanked the Town Council and the Town’s staff for all of the hard work that was conducted over the past several months to make this project successful.
ITEM 6. Comments from the public
There were no comments.
ITEM 7. Manager’s Report:
a. The Town Council reviewed a copy of a Conservation Plan that the Town is currently working on with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. It is a program that will cover 75% of the costs of the proposed five year project. The Conservation Commission has had direct input and has worked on the plan.
b. The Town Council reviewed a copy of the Shoreland Zoning Newsletter.
c. The Town Council reviewed a copy of an article from the Bangor Daily News on the anti-smoking ban; a copy of a letter received regarding the anti-smoking ban; and a copy of cartoon on the ban.
d. The Town Council reviewed a copy of an article from the Bangor Daily News on the security grant that the Fire Department received.
e. The Town Council reviewed a copy of a page from E-One’s national product guide that features Veazie’s aerial.
f. The Town Council reviewed a copy of Code Enforcement Officer Allan Thomas’s certifications from the State of Maine.
ITEM 8. Request for information and comments by Council:
The Town Council was informed by CEO Thomas that the ISO rating review of building codes was completed and that the full report was received and Veazie did very well. He outlined that if any Council member wished to receive a copy he would make copies up.
There was then discussion on the Davis property meeting and that discussions were ongoing and that some items of mutual benefit were being discussed. It was noted that the Land Trust has become an active participant.
It was discussed that the next meeting would be canceled due to the holiday.
Councilor Hathaway discussed the concept of developing a community wireless internet service like Hermon and other communities in Maine. The manager outlined that he would look into what Hermon’s RFQ / RFP produced and follow up with the Town Council as soon as possible.
ITEM 9. Warrants: Town Warrant 16, Town Payroll Warrant 16, School Warrant 16, School Payroll Warrant 16, and School Lunch Warrant 16, were circulated and signed.
ITEM 10. Adjournment: Motion: Councilor King to adjourn. Seconded: Councilor Hathaway, there was no further discussion. Voted 4-0. Meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
William Reed
Town Clerk
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