Council approves permits and licenses
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — City Council took care of a number of issues during the Sept. 7 meeting at City Hall.
Topics for the monthly session included hearings on zoning and ordinance issues, as well as several license and permit renewals for area businesses.
During the meeting, councilors made the following decisions:
• Scheduled a second public hearing on amending Chapter 36, Dog Ordinance, for Oct. 3;
• Scheduled a second public hearing for Oct. 3 to approve the rezoning of Map 39, Lot 30 from urban residential zone 2 to business zone;
• Approved an amendment to Chapter 49, Administration of Government;
• Approved an amendment to Chapter 16, Land Use and Development Code, Section 27, General Development Zone;
• Approved liquor licenses for: the Crow’s Nest Event & Convention Center, 150 Maysville Street; Pat’s Pizza, 9 North Street; and David DeMerchant, d/b/a Rosella’s, 18 North Street;
• Approved the renewal of automobile graveyard and/or junkyard permits for: Fred Bonville, db/a/ Fred’s Auto, Chapman Road; Geary S. Bonville, d/b/a G.S. Bonville & Son, Chapman Road; Timothy Cowett, d/b/a Cowett’s Used Auto Parts, Carmichael Street; and an automobile recycling permit for Geary S. Bonville, d/b/a G.S. Bonville and Son, Chapman Road. City Manager Jim Bennett indicated a lot of restrictions had been dropped or are no longer applicable, since it would be a matter of restating what current state law requires;
• Approved consent agenda, as presented;
• Condemned a dangerous building owned by Edgar Eldredge at 66 Exchange Street, with clarification that the home currently is not properly numbered for 9-1-1 purposes but that 66 is the correct address. Code Enforcement Officer George Howe and Fire Chief Darrell White discussed numerous safety issues and told councilors that the structure was uninhabitable in its present state;
• Condemned a dangerous building owned by Dave Morin at 26 Exchange Street, noting that the decision was discussed and actually made during a special meeting Sept. 6 at which the owner was present. Safety issues led to the decision;
• Voted to take no action with regard to a request for a new street light on University Street, noting budget concerns and that there were a number of areas in town that lighting might be an issue and to approve this light would set precedence;
• Appointed Nicole Cote to fill Greg Curtis’s term, to expire Dec. 31, 2012, on the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library Board;
• Appointed Tim Lavin to the Downtown Revitalization Committee to fill the unexpired term of Sandy Gibson, which runs through Dec. 31, 2011;
• Approved a Presque Isle Development Fund loan to Jeffery A. and Jill A. Willett in the amount of $40,000, amortized over a 10-year period with a five-year balloon, at an interest rate of 2.25 percent per annum, provided they show proof of disability insurance and $40,000 term life insurance with an assignment to the city of Presque Isle. The city will hold a pro-rata second real estate mortgage on the property located at 9 Skyway Street and also a second on the business assets at the same location, and a third on the property located at 5 Skyway Street;
• Received an update on the Pay As You Throw trash program;
• Approved a communications site permit for the Presque Isle Water & Sewer District, as presented;
• Authorized the creation of a deputy city manager position;
• Discussed the 2012 municipal tax rate;
• Received information on the personnel policy;
• Authorized the transfer of funds from the Designated Fund Balance — Wages, into the Contingency Expense Account and authorized Finance Director Pat Webb to allocate those funds from the Contingent Expense Account to the appropriate departments’ budget accounts, as agreed upon between the various unions and city management;
• Approved labor contracts with: New England Police Benevolent Association; Teamsters Local 340, Airport Unit; Teamsters Local 340, Public Works Unit; and Teamsters Local 340, Police Sergeants Unit. A request to approve a labor contract with Teamsters Local 340, Fire Unit, was withdrawn, according to Bennett, who indicated discussion was ongoing in that case;
• Accepted the resignation of Councilor Walt Elish;
• Approved the manager’s report, as presented. Bennett informed the Council that the city’s Annual Report was now available and this year’s issue is dedicated to former Public Works Director Gerry James and his wife, Carol.
City Council’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 3, at 6 p.m. at City Hall. The public is welcome and encouraged to participate. For more information, contact 760-2785.
