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WEEKLY MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor MacLean, Members of the City Council, and Department Heads
FROM: Scott Morelli, City Manager
DATE: September 10, 2010
RE: Weekly Memo
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Next Week's City Meetings are available on our Calendar
Below please find an update on recent City activities:
- Stormwater issue: At a meeting back in August the Council asked that I come back with a recommendation for a policy on stormwater connections to the wastewater system, which is currently prohibited by City ordinance. You also asked that I give an estimate on what it will cost to prevent stormwater back-up into the residence of a homeowner that appeared at this same meeting. Although we had intended to have this proposal ready for September 15th, we need more time to come up with a comprehensive plan and to also include the City’s Wastewater Advisory Board. Coincidentally, the WWAB heard a presentation last night from Dirigo Engineering about: 1) different sewer billing structures, 2) fees that could be imposed (such as for illegal stormwater connections to the sewer system), and 3) capital improvement planning. Once the WWAB holds an additional hearing on this matter in October, they will bring forth recommendations to the Council for consideration, likely at some point in
November.
- The Wastewater Advisory Board (WWAB) also met last night briefly about proposals received to address the sewer odors on West Street. The board will meet again next Tuesday at 6 p.m. to review the proposals from six different firms. It is expected that the board will choose three of these firms to interview and, based on these interviews, the WWAB will make a recommendation to the Council as to which firm to select. City staff has opted to include three West Street residents in this decision making process, including Councilor Liberatore. The goal of the winning firm will be to help the City identify the cause of the odors and come up with a plan to mitigate and/or eliminate the odors altogether.
- The “bio-pile” of contaminated soil from the waterfront has been completed. As you will recall, the City was able to swiftly work with the DEP to get grant funding to erect this bio pile, which has been constructed in the back of the Wastewater Treatment Plant. This bio pile is set up in a manner such that in 18 – 24 months time the contaminates will have “baked” off and the soil will be able to be re-used anywhere within the City. This bio-pile should not result in any odor or well contamination for neighbors that abut the plant. We also continue to work with Webber officials to seek reimbursement for the initial pile of contaminated soil, which had to be hauled off site at City expense so the waterfront construction could proceed.
- Mayor MacLean, Councilor Trask, and I met with a group interested in entering into a long-term lease agreement for the operation of the New Mills dam for power generation. While these talks are preliminary, in essence a lease would absolve the City from dam maintenance and liability and would also provide us with a percentage of the group’s annual gross revenue. Any final decision would require approval of the Council.
- Our new Executive Assistant, Robin Plourde, began her duties this past Tuesday. She has spent the week working closely with Finance Director Denise Brown, so that she can learn the City’s financial software system and process both payroll and accounts payable. She has also received a tour of the Wastewater Treatment plant, where she will be situated about one day per week. As you will recall, the City eliminated 1.5 positions during the budget process, and this position is a hybrid of three different positions. Robin previously worked for McGee Construction and is a Gardiner resident. Please join me in welcoming Robin to City staff!
As always, I appreciate the opportunity to serve the people of Gardiner as City Manager.
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