By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer
The Caribou City Council met September 12, for a regular meeting with councilors Jon Boone, Mary Kate Barbosa, David Martin, Mayor Kenneth Murchison and Steven Buck, city manager in attendance.
The final report of the Caribou City Charter Commission (please see separate article) was presented to the panel by Patricia Collins, chairwoman of the commission. Councilors opted to table setting a public hearing date regarding the commission’s report until all councilors were present; a date for this hearing will be decided upon at the next regular meeting to be held on Sept. 26
Other business considered by the council members included:
• A continued review of the Welcome to Caribou sign design and cost estimates. Michael Shrewsberry, community development director, presented a second proof of the sign originally proposed to the council. In his presentation Shrewsberry stated that the sign had been redesigned to be larger than previously shown, now being 8-feet-by 5-feet which brought the ‘Caribou’ lettering over 12 inches tall. The projected cost of this sign was $3,750 plus an estimated $250 in delivery charges.
Councilman David Martin asked if the question regarding copyright issues had been addressed and he also inquired if Shrewsberry had brought the project to other, local vendors or if the project had been proposed to groups that might be possible sponsors of the signs.
Shrewsberry replied he had not heard from any local vendors nor had he placed an ad stating the city was seeking bids for this project.
Mayor Murchison commented that he did like the looks of the sign and thought the increase in the size was appropriate but encouraged Shrewsberry to look for several other possible vendors interested in doing this work for the city.
• Considered authorizing a multi-year telecommunications contract agreement for phone services.
In August, Buck had informed the council, “the city administration has been working with a number of providers over the past months towards improving and developing cost savings for a comprehensive phone service solution for the entire organization. To this end, two firm quotes and contracts have been received with a pending quote and contract from Time Warner. The city currently budgets approximately $21,500 per year for phone connectivity local and long distance.
This cost does not count the cost of purchasing and maintaining switching gear, phones, or technology upgrades. The city does not have a connected system to allow for call transfers between buildings or departments and all facilities are working with independent systems.
As per the recent multiple activations of the Emergency Operations Center, administration has identified the need to establish a phone triage center with the EOC and to provide redundant phone and internet connections to three facilities: the municipal building, emergency operations center at the Lions Community Building and the fire department.”
Following further discussion at the recommendation of the city manager, the council approved entering into a five-year contract with OTT communications. According to Buck, OTT has provided a quote for bundled services. Their quote will provide for Hosted PBX services, cloud technology upgraded on an ongoing basis, 5 MBX5MB redundant uplinks for the fire department, EOC and the city office. Services will be expanded and all phones will be connected by a four-digit extension for call transfers and interfaculty dialing.
OTT can also program their cloud servers to accommodate a single button transfer of dispatch services between the police and fire dispatch centers. Activation of phones and the associated transfer protocol, will also be automated by single button activation.
Pursuant to the contract period, OTT will provide all new phones and installation of equipment organization-wide. OTT communications quote for services include $1,871.46/mo or $22,457.52/yr; an anticipated direct savings of $957.52/yr (this does not include installation costs of $3,3692.40 for the 5-yer contract amortized at $738.48/yr.
OTT Communication’s technology equipment is housed in the FairPoint node on High Street. OTT Communications will run dedicated trunk lines to the city office, EOC and the fire department to create the redundancy.
Buck stated, “Given the proximity to the FairPoint node on High Street, loss of redundant system, Time Warner or FairPoint hard lines simultaneously is unlikely. OTT purchases connectivity through both Time Warner and FairPoint to ensure redundancy and has nodes in Caribou and Kenduskeag. If either system fails, the switch over to the other system is automatic. GWI has a single path into and out of Aroostook County with switching and technology located in Portland.”
After discussing the possibility of tabling a vote on this contract due to the absence of councilors Christopher Bell, Mark Goughan and Miles Williams. Martin moved to authorize the multi-year contract; this motion was seconded by Boone and passed unanimously.
• The panel voted to authorize the financial statements for the period ending Aug. 31.
• Authorized a one-year license and service agreement with eCivis for grant consultation.
• Authorized an amendment to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Utilization Plan.
• Authorized a municipal quit-claim deed for taxes paid in full regarding Tax Map 17, Lot13.
• Authorized license and permits for the following: restaurant class liquor license and special entertainment license for Tammie Crouch d/b/a Caribou Bowl-a-Drome/Sports Inn, 97 Bennett Drive; Texas Hold’Em Game of Chance for the American Legion Post 15, 67 Sweden Street for Oct.1.
• In other business the council set a date of Sept. 26 for a workshop with code enforcement officer Steve Wentworth to discuss the city requirement (which is in the code enforcement manual) for mobile home parks to be annually licensed by the city. This requirement states that mobile home parks be licensed; licenses to expire on April 30 of each year. Licenses only to be reissued with the approval of the police and fire chiefs, health officer and the code enforcement officer. Caribou currently has eight mobile home parks. Wentworth is recommending that the city council establish an annual license fee based on the number of mobile home sites within each of the parks.
• At this time the city council panel also reviewed a timeline of actions pertaining to the Halfway Home Pet Rescue and the associated zoning issue. Norma Milton, owner, and Robin Smith, board member were present.
The zoning issue regarding the Halfway Home Pet Rescue stems from a July 20, 2011 complaint filed pursuant to the operation of an “animal shelter” at 11 Pioneer Avenue inside an R-1 zone. The city code enforcement officer issued a communication, not a Notice of Violation, to Halfway Home Pet Rescue. communication does not stipulate immediate cease and desist nor does it stipulate a specific time to cease operations.
According to the time line also on July 20, “ Phone and personal communications with Ms. Milton occurred with the city manager and code enforcement officer further explaining the July 20 communication and affirming the intent to work with the ‘pet rescue’ to resolve the zoning violation.”
Aug. 12 — Ms. Milton sends a letter appealing a decision based upon the July 20 communication from Wentworth indicating that the city “demanded they cease operations.” Letter states they (pet rescue) believe the city’s codes “do not in any way address the issue of animal rescue shelters as defined separately under state law from kennel.”
Aug. 12 — Zac Smith, affiliated with the Halfway Home Pet Rescue board of directors, requests a copy of the zoning ordinance and is given a copy of Chapter 13 with the land use tables. Both the city manager and Wentworth discussed the chapter with Smith pertaining to the areas to review. Smith indicated he was going to strongly contest this matter.
Aug. 16 — Wentworth issues a response with the definition for kennels pursuant to city code as “any place, building, tract of land, abode, enclosure, or vehicle where three (3) or more pets owned singly or jointly are kept for any purpose.”
Aug. 17 — Code enforcement officer communicates with the State Animal Welfare program offices in Augusta and inquires as to the license granted by the state pursuant to the operation of a “Pet Rescue” facility at 11 Pioneer Ave.
Aug. 25 — Ms. Elizabeth Somers responds to City on matter of licensing of Halfway Home Pet Rescue. Halfway Home Pet Rescue is fully licensed as an animal shelter pursuant to title 7 MRSA 3932-A. This is the same level of licensure as for the Central Aroostook Humane Society in Presque Isle with whom the city contracts for animal shelter services and as the Caribou Animal Shelter was previously licensed.
Aug. 26 — Code enforcement communicates to the state and to Halfway Home Pet Rescue that the operation of an animal shelter at 11 Pioneer Ave. is a violation of Caribou’s zoning ordinance as a non-allowed use inside the R-1 district. State indicates it will not renew the license for an animal shelter in this zone at the end of this year, Dec. 31, 2011.
Aug. 29 — Halfway Home Pet Rescue issues a communication to the planning board requesting that they address the deficiencies of lack of depth in definitions differentiating between an animal shelter and a pet rescue facility and the allowance of these within the various defined zones. The communication further outlined the hardship that ceasing operations by year end would place upon the rescue operation. Possible solutions were proposed pertaining to refining the definitions and operations to a greater extent than current.
The pet rescue facility requested that the planning board consider allowing the current operation and location remain temporarily until such time as an alternative can be found or that proposed changes to the current ordinance could be made.
Included with the timeline of events were an excerpt from the planning board meeting of Sept. 1 documenting the boards actions and willingness to continue to work with and address the need of Halfway Home Pet Rescue.
Request by HHPR for consideration included: Council to issue a consent agreement with restrictions and timeframe to allow for code enforcement officer to notify the state that the zoning violation will be allowed to continue for a certain period of time; to review and identify possible tracts of land (tax acquired) that might be donated to the pet rescue as a challenge grant, donated, upon the achievement of raising sufficient funds to build a facility and for the council to consider assigning their current contract for animal shelter services to Halfway Home Pet Rescue to provide a stable funding source to sustain their future operations, currently $14,131 per year of $1.70 per capita.
During the Sept. 12 meeting, Mrs. Milton addressed the panel, obviously upset with the pending revocation of her state license and the closure of the facility.
“Apparently you don’t want free help,” stated Milton, “When I moved to Caribou, it all started on a much smaller scale than when I was living at Madawaska Lake, but it just started exploding. I have spoken with my neighbors and have not had any complaints or concerns regarding the cats that I care for at my house.” Milton reminded the panel that in 2009 her facility helped more than 300 animals, 62 of them belonging to low income families — at no cost.
“Do you want animals left dying on the streets?” Milton asked. “We have spent $18,000 to care for these animals through grant money and donated funds — to fix your problem. I told you I needed help, I can’t just turn my back on these half-dead animals.”
Mayor Ken Murchison stated, “You have outgrown your home.”
Milton replied, “We need time to find somewhere else and you need to help. That last letter to the state was “kind of dirty,” we had just been inspected and were told we were in compliance and had terrific records of our work and all of our animals were very healthy. We have done everything right. We have to move but we can’t do it overnight. You are not helping and I want to know why.”
Councilwoman Mary Kate Barbosa remarked to Milton that she had received a number of complaints regarding the location of the pet rescue from residents on Pioneer Ave. as well as Coolidge Ave. and Sweden Street. She informed Milton that others expressed their concerns regarding the facility not being in compliance with zoning laws and that other animals were being drawn to the Pioneer Ave. address. “The problem being discussed here is that your pet rescue is not where it needs to be,” she said.
Buck addressed Milton stating, “In the initial correspondence there were no definitive timeline for you to cease your operation on Pioneer Ave. You and other individuals filed the appeal. I take great exception regarding the city of Caribou, that you chose to elevate this situation. These choices were made by you not the city. It’s a zoning issue. I know for a fact that no one cares about animals more than Norma Milton.”
The next meeting of the Caribou City Council will be held on Sept. 26. beginning at 7 p.m.
