Library, bike path top Council news
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Library improvements and an extension of the bike path topped City Council’s Monday night meeting agenda. All but Councilor Jessica Chase-Smith were present for the session.
City Manager Jim Bennett provided councilors with a bit of background as to why funds should be transferred to the library’s capital account, for administration by the Board of Trustees.
“The library is about to go through a substantial change, thanks to private donations, that will include a new entrance to the building, change to the structure to improve customer flow, energy upgrades and changes to the layout of the building, including walls and offices, as well as new furnishings. This will be privately funded,” said Bennett.
Bennett recommended reauthorizing $41,000 left over from the last project be used for this latest round of improvements.
“This would put the money back into the latest project. This will be more than $1 million and less than $2 million for the next round of projects,” said Bennett.
Council unanimously approved the transfer of funds.
Deputy City Manager Martin Puckett requested councilors approve the MDOT Quality Community Program Enhancement & Safe Routes grant, as presented.
Puckett said for the city to proceed with the proposed expansion of the bike path along the loop near Peace Park (west of Parsons Street), the city would need to fund a 20 percent match, or about $32,000, to qualify for a possible MDOT grant.
“The bike path would be adjacent to the loop road by Peace Park. The MDOT thought it was a worthwhile program and that 20 percent would be sufficient to go forward,” said Puckett, noting city officials wouldn’t know until next spring if the grant is approved.
“The money would come from funds set aside for matching funds, with no impact to future budgets,” noted Bennett.
Puckett said once completed, the route would provide a safer path for pedestrians traveling from housing, Northern Maine Community College, Presque Isle Middle School and Homeless Services of Aroostook.
“There’s a lot of competition out there. There were over $46 million in application requests submitted, but only about $6.4 million in funds are available. We were one of about 100 projects submitted to DOT. A lot of emphasis was put in that this would tie in with downtown,” said Puckett.
Bennett said another plus for the city with DOT is that the bike path “is also included in several policy documents, such as the Strategic Plan.”
“Unlike a lot of grant applications for projects that communities then question how to make the grant fit their needs, this is part of an overall vision and the Strategic Plan the city’s been working on for a while,” said Bennett.
Councilors unanimously approved the request.
