City Managers Report
John D. Bubier, City Manager
February 17, 2015
A WORD FROM THE CITY MANAGER:
2015 County Budget Board:
John Sylvester ,Chair of the County Budget Board assures Biddeford that he will call us with
info on the time location and 2015 date of the caucus for election to the 2015 Budget Board.
Biddeford City Council has endorsed At Large Councilor Marc Lessard for the spot.
Public works Storm update: 2nd worst storm streak in Maine History going after #1
Last night, Monday, Public Works picked up quite a bit of snow with running three crews. They
did quite a bit of cutting streets and picked up the downtown. We are not working Tuesday based
upon the potential for snow tomorrow Wednesday which might be significant into Thursday.
Need to let the crew get some rest and be ready for the potential of a plowable storm. We will
regroup tomorrow Wednesday and see what happens and adjust plans accordingly.
WINTERFEST Fete D’ Hiver
Here here for the great Winterfest of 2015. And to all the great band of volunteers led by John
Maxson. I am so impressed with the activities and fun created by the wonderful event. I heard
the Mayor was throwing snow balls . I hope more successfully than the first pitch efforts for the
Sea Dogs in 2013.
City Manager going to Idexx Tour and Meet and Greet on Wednesday Night:
I will be joining Mobilize Maine's Energy Action Team for Energy Drinks!, a program of
engaging discussion about how we can energize our local economy by saving energy and
developing innovative energy projects. It is a great way to meet new business people and
get to chat about their experiences and ideas for growth.
5:30 - 6:00 p.m. Social Networking
6:00 - 6:30 p.m. IDEXX Sustainable Initiatives
6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Synergy Center Tours
Mark your calendar and join us for an energizing evening learning about "IDEXX's
ParXX" and Sustainable Transportation Program, followed by a tour of the Synergy
Center, a LEED gold certified building that boasts state-of-the-art en ergy conservation
and efficiency measures.
Interesting Chart on Education Levels and Unemployemnt:
Human Resources sets Safety Committee meeting Wednesday February 25th
:
Marcy has requested to schedule a Safety Committee Meeting for Wednesday, February 25,
2015. She will send a calendar event once the meeting has been updated with the agenda.
Please forward the items for the agenda that you wish discussed on the 25th. Once complete I
will forward to each of you for this scheduled event.
Because the meeting is scheduled for next week, we have a short window to work with. Please
forward your items as soon as possible. Questions or concerns, please contact Connie
Ransom. She is in the HR office Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays.
Lincoln Mill relocations plan in good hands and is evolving:
Thanks to Brian Doyle of DECD for his help and continued interest in the relocation issues in the
Lincoln Mill . Brian was trying to find some help a Federal Labor Department for business that
were trying to overcome the forgien competition but he got word from DOL late Friday that their
funds support workforce training only. There aren’t any monies to support any relocation costs
of a business.
The program to find alternative space is in the hands of Ty Hobbs of CREBoulos and are being
handled on an individual basis. Dan Stevenson has spoken this the businesses and I have been in
contact with Ty Hobbs. It is a good plan and it’s in place. Paul Schumacher of SMRBD is also
in the loop along with his development staff. Dale Akeley of Riverdam has been brought into the
loop and staff at Northdam has been discussing the options.
Greetings City Councilors!
People all over Maine are talking about what's happening in Biddeford. We are
fortunate to have strong City leadership, active commissions and non-profits,
entrepreneurial business owners and developers, and a burgeoning arts scene.
Here's what they're saying in the news:
This weekend, the Portland Press Herald called Biddeford, “The hippest,
happeningest Maine city south of Portland.” Read the article to find out about the
role the arts are playing in making this statement true!
A reporter from the Public News Service interviewed HOB and the Maine
Association of Non-Profits about the impact of non-profits on Maine’s economy.
Listen to the interview here.
Palace Diner makes the news again, keeping Biddeford's dining scene in the news!
Watch the Restaurant Report here!
AND, while it's awesome to be featured in the news, nothing shows your love like an
actual visit to Biddeford's many downtown restaurants, retail stores, service
businesses, and events! See you downtown!
What's your news? Email me and I'll include it in the newsletter!
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Entrepreneurs Group
It's Maine Entrepreneurship Week (E-Week) and we'll celebrate with a gathering at Elements this Friday, Feb. 20 from 8:30-9:30
a.m. There's no guest speaker this month, just a chance to network and have a group discussion about what's making your
entrepreneurial venture work, and where you're hitting road blocks. Coffee and pastries provided. Free and open to the public.
Restaurant Owner Meeting
All downtown Biddeford Restaurant owners (or their designee) are invited to a
meeting on Monday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. at Biscuits & Company (25 Alfred Street).
Stacy Cooper, owner of Biscuits & Company, will facilitate a 45 minute meeting
about the possibilities of Biddeford Restaurant Week in March. Want to be
involved? See you at the meeting!
Permaculture & Placemaking
Hear from a recent UNE grad, Matthew Bibeau, tonight, Tuesday, Feb. 17, in Portland. More info
here.
Get the App!
The City has created a new app called,
“Access Biddeford” Scan the code, or
download it directly from the Apple App
Store, or from Google play. Get it on your smartphone
now, and watch for updates!
Now, businesses (from around the whole City) can “claim” their
business and post deals there via the app too!
Events@Elements
Tues., Feb. 17, 7 p.m. Trivia at Elements
Fri., Feb. 20, 8 p.m. BillyBilly
Sat., Feb. 21, 8 p.m. Alicia Phelps Quartet
Sun., Feb. 22, 1 p.m. Brian Callaghan
Events@Engine
Annual Rumpus Revival Call for Work
Anyone can participate in this egalitarian art show: professional artist or not, young or old.
The Rumpus Revival will open on March 27 at Engine. People can enter up to two
pieces of work, 2- or 3-dimensional. Work can be dropped off between March 17
and 21 during regular hours at Engine, 265 Main Street. For more information on
the Rumpus Revival, email Engine executive director Tammy Ackerman or call
207-370-9130.
LET'S TALK PARKING
As Biddeford continues to see more revitalization, let's keep the conversation about
parking going.
This week’s informational offering is a podcast called, “Parking is Hell,” by
Freakonomics Radio. Stephen Dubner talks to parking guru Donald Shoup, a
professor of urban planning at UCLA and author of the landmark book The High
Cost of Free Parking.
Click here to listen!
SAVE THE DATE
Saturday, March 21, 7 p.m. Don
Campbell Band: An Evening of Dan
Fogelberg Music.
Don Campbell Band Presents an
Evening of Dan Fogelberg Music.
This spring’s HOB Fundraiser is going
to be an intimate evening of music at
City Theater featuring Don Campbell.
Tickets are $15, and available through City Theater’s website and at the door.
Here’s a video clip of Don’s band making beautiful music.
Inspired by the music of multi-platinum selling artist Dan Fogelberg, the Don
Campbell Band will enchant audiences with an intimate evening of music in City
Theater. With 12 CDs under his belt, and opening performance credits that include
Willie nelson, Carrie Underwood, and Toby Keith (to name a few), Biddeford is
proud to welcome this national-level performer to City Theater. With a voice that can
only be described as mesmerizing, and command of guitar, piano, and mandolin,
Don and his band create a memorable musical evening. The evening is a fund-
raiser to support Heart of Biddeford’s programs and projects that help spur
Biddeford’s downtown revitalization. Sponsored by Saco Biddeford Savings
Institution.
BIDDEFORD CARES Vote for City Theater!
Go to this link and take a moment to cast your vote of support for our own City Theater through Bangor Savings Bank’s
Community Matters More campaign.
York County Community Action: Care4Kids5K
Help out our community's kids while getting a little exercise! Sunday, April 12, 9:30
a.m. (with 9 a.m. Kiddie run). Registration and more info here.
Mary’s Walk and Kerrymen 5K, March 15.
Register by Feb. 1 for a free shirt! FMI and to register.
ON-GOING
ENTREPRENEURS GROUP.
Networking and educational
information for business
owners/entrepreneurs that meets on
the third Friday of every month at 8:30
a.m. at Elements, 265 Main
Street. Join our Biddeford
Entrepreneurs Facebook group to
keep up to date on more events
DONUT CLUB. 8 a.m. every first
Tuesday of the month at Reilly's Bakery. Hear about what's going on downtown and
share your events, promotions or news.
CITY THEATER: Visit their website for upcoming shows.
ENGINE at 265 Main Street. Gallery hours: 1-6pm Tues-Friday and 11-4 Saturdays.
HEARTWOOD COLLEGE OF ART in the North Dam Mill, 2 Main Street.
HEART OF BIDDEFORD COMMITTEES: Four committees meet each month to
further the goals of Heart of Biddeford. If you would like to join the folks in Design,
Promotions, Business Enhancement or Organization, take a moment to fill out
the online Volunteer Application on Heart of Biddeford's website. We'll get
back to you with some ideas that might match your interests and skills!
EVENTS HOSTED BY HEART OF BIDDEFORD
EVENTS HOSTED BY THE BIDDEFORD + SACO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE +
INDUSTRY
EVENTS HOSTED BY SACO SPIRIT
BIDDEFORD + SACO ARTS + CULTURE ALLIANCE WEBSITE, with links to our
local cultural organizations, museums, and festivals!
Notice of Formal
PUBLIC MEETING
IN BIDDEFORD
_________________________________________
To Discuss Improvements
To Main Street in Biddeford
Thursday, March 12, 2015
At 6:00 p.m.
At Biddeford City Hall
205 Main Street
Biddeford, Maine 04005
Please join MaineDOT at a formal public meeting to discuss the proposed improvements to
Overlay Main Street from Alfred Street (Route 9) to Elm Street (Route 1), and Rehabilitate Main
Street from Elm Street to Railroad Ave.
Accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Auxiliary aids will be provided
upon advance request.
Any inquiries regarding this project may be directed to the attention of Rob Betz, Project
Manager I, Maine Department of Transportation, Highway Program, 51 Pleasant Hill Road
Scarborough Maine 04074. Telephone: (207) 885-7000. Email:[email protected].
Work Identification Numbers 20291.10 & 20292.00
Federal Aid Project Numbers STP-2029(100) & STP-2029(200)
TTY Users Dial Maine Relay 711
New art collective debuts in Biddeford Autus shows work of its members at Engine through March 21.
BY BOB KEYES STAFF WRITER [email protected] | @pphbkeyes | 207-791-6457
Share
BIDDEFORD — They could have named their art collective anything. That they settled on
Autus says something about their hopes for their new collective and for the contemporary art
scene in the hippest, happeningest Maine city south of Portland.
In Latin, Autus means growth. Autus and Biddeford both are poised for growth, said collective
member Sarah Baldwin.
ADDITIONAL IMAGES
The artists of Autus: from left, Sarah Baldwin, Julie Gray, Keiren Valentine and Tina Guay at Engine in Biddeford. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
Keiren Valentine, unnamed, 2009, 11 x 14, C-print
Sarah Baldwin, “Coastal Lowlands,” 2014, 8 x 8, ink on vellum
IF YOU GO
WHAT: “PRIMUM”
WHERE: Engine, 265 Main St., Biddeford
WHEN: Through March 21; 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
HOW MUCH: Free
INFO: feedtheengine.org or 370-9130
“There is a budding art scene here. We want to help it grow and develop,” she said.
Biddeford and neighboring Saco are changing with Maine’s new economy. The mills, which
once bustled with industry, are home to artists and creative entrepreneurs, and the cities have
seen an influx of brew pubs, bookstores, frame shops and other new businesses.
“I think it’s important to have an art collective in Biddeford, especially right now,” Autus
member Keiren Valentine said. “There’s a real resurgence in downtown, and artists have a strong
role to play in the direction the town is heading when it comes to culture.”
Autus formed late in 2014 and recently opened its first exhibition, “Primum” – more Latin, “for
the first time” – at Engine, a Main Street arts center and gallery. The show, which includes the
work of each member of the collective, is up through March 21.
In addition to Baldwin and Valentine, the collective includes Julie K. Gray and Tina Guay. All
four live locally, and all are in the development stages of their art careers.
They want to add members. Autus will host a question-and-answer session and portfolio review
at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at Engine. It’s an opportunity for other artists to meet the collective and
receive feedback about their own work. It’s also a chance for anyone, artist or otherwise, to see
the show and learn more about Biddeford’s art scene.
The goals of Autus go beyond showing their own work. Details aren’t firm, but Engine executive
director Tammy Ackerman has offered some curatorial duties at the gallery to Autus members
beginning in 2016, with the goal of bringing a different perspective to the exhibitions and
providing diversity in ideas and dialogue.
Engine formed in 2010 to promote arts, culture and economic development in Biddeford. It was
founded on the belief that artistic expression and creativity lead to cultural, social and economic
revitalization. In addition to showing art, the gallery hosts workshops, classes and arts-related
events.
Presently located on Main Street next to Elements, a bookstore, coffee shop and bar that opened
in early 2013, Engine is renovating the former Renys on Main Street and will move into that
space later this year.
The art space has been a catalyst for economic development, Biddeford City Manager John
Bubier said.
“In Biddeford, the creative arts have really been first in. They came in and bought into the notion
that the city had good bones and was a great place to be,” he said. “The arts groups have been the
hallmark of the early success in Biddeford. People took notice of that, and then we noticed
success in other areas.”
The work of the art collective dovetails with Engine’s role in the community, Ackerman said.
“We look at Engine as an incubator. The members of the collective are all making work, and
we’re glad to show it,” she said. “This is a chance for them to craft their own careers, and we
want to help facilitate that.”
In its role as exhibitor and curator, Autus is interested in working with emerging artists and
experimental art. Its exhibitions will focus on young artists with active studio practices who have
little gallery representation.
The idea, Baldwin said, is to encourage young artists to show their work to bolster the
commercial aspects of their careers.
Biddeford’s abundant mill space and affordable rents relative to Portland have made it attractive
to artists and creative entrepreneurs. The city’s emergence as an arts destination got a boost two
years ago when the city purchased a trash incinerator downtown. It had operated for 25 years and
was seen as a blight.
The incinerator’s closing led to multiple housing project proposals and mixed-use redevelopment
of the mills. What’s happening in Biddeford mirrors what happened in Portland years ago and in
other cities across the country. Artists move in because of affordable rents and fix up run-down
spaces. Retail and housing developments follow, with restaurants, brew pubs, bookstores and
apartments in condos in large, open mill and warehouse spaces.
That’s where Biddeford and Saco stand now. Their downtowns are vibrant and evolving.
Guay, one the collective members, grew up in Biddeford, graduated from Biddeford High School
in 2008 and received her bachelor’s degree in photography from the New Hampshire Institute of
Art. The changes that have occurred in her hometown since she left prompted her to return. In
addition to her studio practice, she operates a frame shop in town, Four Corners Frame Shop &
Gallery.
“I never thought I’d ever end up here,” she said. “When I graduated from high school, all I
wanted to do was leave. But now I’m back.”
She lives in North Berwick. Baldwin lives in Wells, Valentine moved to Arundel from Colorado
and Gray lives in Saco.
They all studied art in college, and all see themselves as artists. They have other jobs in fields
related to their art, and all intend to make their studio practices a part of their professional
careers. Baldwin earned a bachelor’s in fine art from the University of Southern Maine with a
concentration in drawing. Valentine studied fine art at Metropolitan State College of Denver,
with a focus in photography. Gray studied at Rhode Island School of Design and received a
master’s in fine art from Maine College of Art. She is a multimedia artist, working with
photography, needlepoint and video.
The work on view at Engine shows the diversity of their studio practices.
Baldwin makes abstract drawings and digital images to explore and document natural
environments, including wetlands. Her work is colorful and layered, suggesting dramatic forces
are at work to shape the landscape.
Guay makes what she calls “sunflower people.” She takes photos of human figures and replaces
their faces with sunflowers. The human faces end up inside glass bottles that are displayed on
pedestals below the photos, which hang on the wall. Her intent is to “envision the human
potential for a closer connectedness with the natural world.”
Gray’s work begins with photos of human faces from the 1920s through today. She translates
those images into needlepoints drawings, conjuring domestic craft skills. Her work addresses
themes of mortality and what she calls “the psychological state of limbo.” She was part of the
Portland Museum of Art Biennial in 2013.
Valentine comes to her photography with a traditional background and melds modern
technology. For the Engine show, she has several large blue Cyanotype prints, some that are
abstract and others more representational. Her works represents “life as a dream, blinking into
the darkness and mystery of the subconscious.”
It was Ackerman’s idea to bring this group together. She knew the artists individually and
recognized the power of strength in numbers. Collectively, they can accomplish more than each
working alone, she said – an attitude that also reflects the larger dynamic at play in an evolving
city.
Biddeford’s mills at center of downtown revival
By Jim BaumerGlobe Correspondent February 08, 2015
BIDDEFORD, Maine — Like other mill towns dotting the landscape of New England,
Biddeford’s economic fortunes tracked those of its textile industry and the mills bordering the
Saco River. When textile manufacturing moved elsewhere — first south, then offshore — the
city, particularly its downtown, languished.
For much of the past half-century, the hulking mill district cast a shadow, literally and
figuratively, over Biddeford’s downtown, becoming a symbol of the city’s decline and decay.
Even as places like Providence and Lowell, Mass., found new life in old mills, Biddeford
struggled with abandoned industrial space and empty storefronts, so desperate for jobs and
investment that it sited a trash-to-energy power plant in one of them, just a few blocks from City
Hall.
Today, Biddeford’s 35-acre mill district is at the center of a downtown revival, housing an array
of startups and small businesses — from manufacturers to a distillery to an art school — that
together employ more than 400 workers. Two weeks ago, Portland Pie Co. opened a 130-seat
restaurant in the sprawling Pepperell Mill complex. And less than a month ago, a Kennebunkport
company completed the purchase of the 233,000-square-foot Lincoln Mill for a planned $50
million development that would include 100 market rate loft apartments and condominiums, and
a 80-room luxury hotel.
“It’s an exciting time,” said Mayor Alan Casavant, a lifelong resident of the city. “We’re seeing
more and more people here, catching the wave of optimism and developing a ‘yes we can’
attitude.”
A combination of factors have come together in recent years to provide the spark to downtown
redevelopment, including an improving Southern Maine economy, affordable commercial rents,
the shutdown of the trash plant, and an influx of newcomers attracted by a walkable
neighborhood with new coffee shops, boutiques, and other stores.
Deena Presby is a stitcher at Hyperlite Mountain Gear, where she’s helping to keep Biddeford’s
textile tradition alive.
Another key ingredient: the vision of developers like Doug Sanford, who saw the potential of
both the mills and a city with a major hospital, Southern Maine Medical Center, a well-regarded
university, the University of New England; and easy access to beaches.
“There were a number of assets that a vibrant community has to have,” said Sanford, who began
redeveloping downtown properties 30 years ago, “and they were all here. ”
Biddeford is a city of 21,000 residents, located about 90 miles north of Boston. It became a
textile center in the mid-1800s, when a group Boston industrialists were drawn to the power of
the Saco River. At its peak in the early 20th century, more than 10,000 people worked in the
mills in Biddeford, and Saco, across the river.
The mills began closing in 1960s, followed by the downtown businesses that had supported them
and their workers. At the same time, retail development was moving from central business
districts to strip malls, shopping centers, and big boxes on the periphery.
By the 1980s, both foreclosures and empty store fronts were multiplying. Desperate for
investment and tax revenues, and with few options, the city in 1987 sited the trash-to-energy
incinerator. But that only made things worse.
Garbage trucks queued up along downtown streets. The smell of rotting trash was in the air. Ash
showered downtown businesses.
The interior of a mill building owned by Doug Sanford, who predicts that this space will be used
for offices.
Through it all, Sanford kept buying and rehabbing individual downtown properties, convinced
that people and businesses would one day return. Then, in 2004, he took a leap, buying the
vacant, 370,000-square-foot North Dam mill, part of the larger Pepperell Mill campus, for about
$300,000, according to property records. Five years later, when the city’s last textile maker shut
down, he acquired the rest of the Pepperell complex for $1.1 million, giving him control of a
total of 1.1 million square feet of mill space.
Sanford, however, would need to stay patient. The recent recession hit Biddeford hard. In
addition to the 120 jobs lost when the textile company closed, the city lost 350 jobs when the
Hostess Bakery plant shuttered and more than 100 after a Lowe’s home improvement store
closed.
“We were still trying to stop the bleeding,” said Daniel Stevenson, Biddeford’s economic
development director.
As the economy improved, city officials looked ahead. Stevenson and Casavant, elected mayor
in 2011, reached out to local businesses, developers, and residents for ideas to boost economic
growth, particularly downtown. A tipping point came in 2012, when the city shut down the trash-
to-energy plant.
That decision opened the door for Tim Harrington, a Kennebunkport developer, and his Atlantic
Holdings LLC. Harrington recently acquired the former Lincoln Mill with plans to invest $50
million to transform the complex across from City Hall into a luxury hotel and loft-style
apartments and condominiums. The project is expected to create 200 full-time jobs and 350
construction jobs.
“We would have never chosen the Lincoln Mill if the incinerator was still in downtown,” said
Harrington.
Harrington also credits Sanford’s pioneering efforts at the other end of Main Street, which
demonstrated the potential of the mills. Sanford redeveloped and marketed the property as a
business incubator, offering startups and other small firms rents that are nearly half those in
nearby Portland. About 150 companies today call the Pepperell Mill campus home.
The city’s textile industry has even had a small rebirth in Sanford’s mills, with companies such
as Angelrox, which makes the clothing line of the designer Roxi Suger; Saco River Dyehouse,
which dyes yarns; and Hyperlite Mountain Gear, which designs and manufactures backpacks,
tents, and other outdoor gear from durable, lightweight fabrics.
Hyperlite was launched by two brothers in their father’s garage in Kennebunk in 2010, but they
soon decided they needed a new location when they found themselves testing tents by staking
them in the front yard. They moved to Biddeford in 2011 and today, the company employs 17.
“What we found attractive here was the size — the room and space to grow,” said Dan St. Pierre,
who founded the company with his brother, Mike.
Tammy Ackerman became captivated by the mills while visiting Maine in 2006. Today, after
relocating from Nevada, she is among a colony of artists that has located in downtown and
Sanford’s mills, attracted, like Hyperlite, by low-cost space.
Ackerman, a graphic designer, later cofounded Engine, a nonprofit that promotes the arts in the
city. Located on Main Street, in the historic building of a former department store, Engine serves
as a hub for arts and education.
When she saw the mills for the first time, Ackerman said she was struck by their beauty. “We’ve
been able to utilize those spaces often for performances and other events,” she said.
This increasing activity meanwhile, has led to more investment in the downtown. The Palace
Diner, Maine’s oldest, is an example.
Greg Mitchell handed the check to Jon Jacques at the Palace Diner in Biddeford. Mitchell is co-
owner of Maine's oldest diner.
Chad Conley and Greg Mitchell worked as chefs in Portland’s well-regarded restaurants, but
wanted their own place to run. When the diner came up for sale last year, they investigated,
sensed the momentum in downtown Biddeford, and bought it, opening last March.
The Palace, which once fed hungry mill workers, was selected by Bon Appetit magazine as one
of the 50 best new restaurants in America in 2014.
Despite progress, the revitalization of downtown Biddeford faces challenges. Nearly half the mill
space remains vacant. Merchants still face competition from suburban malls and big box stores.
Tourists still bypass Biddeford for the bustling Old Port and lively restaurant scene in Portland,
just 15 minutes away.
Sanford, hardened by 30 years of shifting economic trends, fluctuating the real estate markets,
and changing political leadership, said Biddeford needs to keep a long-term view, that a half-
century of decline isn’t reversed in a few years. The city, he said, needs to invest in public works,
such as parking garages, promote the downtown, and continue to provide a climate that
encourages businesses to invest.
But, he added, Biddeford has passed a turning point. “The development that’s been taking place
downtown and in the mills,” he said, “has moved beyond mere speculation.”
Jim Baumer can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @jbomb62
PUBLIC WORKS:
The week of Feb. 8th
, 2015
Vehicle Maintenance
Regularly scheduled Preventive Maintenance
Repairs of day to day breakdowns and damages
Street Maintenance Division
SNOW PLOWING, DEICING AND SNOW REMOVAL !!!!!!!!
Solid Waste Division
Curbside waste collection
Recycling / transfer station operations
Inventory control trash and recycling containers
Downtown trash containers maintenance
Treatment plant sludge hauling
Cardboard collection – commercials and school facilities
Parks Maintenance Division
SNOW PLOWING, DEICING AND SNOW REMOVAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cemetery Maintenance Division
Closed for season
Wastewater Division
Operations / maintenance Water St. Treatment Plant
Operations / maintenance Bidd. Pool Treatment Plant
Operations / maintenance pump stations & CSO tank
Rebuilding bathroom in de-watering building
Roof replacement project on dewatering building
Repairs to west side screen
Cleaned process water room
CSO inspections
PLOWING SNOW, SNOW REMOVAL PUMP STATIONS & PLANTS
Trucks / equipment cleaned and checked
The week of Feb. 14th
, 2015
Vehicle Maintenance
Regularly scheduled Preventive Maintenance
Repairs of day to day breakdowns and damages
Street Maintenance Division
SNOW PLOWING, DEICING AND SNOW REMOVAL !!!!!!!!
Solid Waste Division
Curbside waste collection
Recycling / transfer station operations
Inventory control trash and recycling containers
Downtown trash containers maintenance
Treatment plant sludge hauling
Cardboard collection – commercials and school facilities
Parks Maintenance Division
SNOW PLOWING, DEICING AND SNOW REMOVAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cemetery Maintenance Division
Closed for season
Wastewater Division
Operations / maintenance Water St. Treatment Plant
Operations / maintenance Bidd. Pool Treatment Plant
Operations / maintenance pump stations & CSO tank
Rebuilding bathroom in de-watering building
Roof replacement project on dewatering building
Repairs to west side screen completed
Started work on replacing blower #2
CSO inspections
Sewer line camera inspection of Stonecliff Road sewer
PLOWING SNOW, SNOW REMOVAL PUMP STATIONS & PLANTS
Trucks / equipment cleaned and checked
CODE ENFORCEMENT: RE: Operational Report for January 2015
PERMITS, FEES, CERTIFICATES OF OCCUPANCY: During the month of January, (15) building permits were issued. Estimated values were $310,900 and building permit fees of $4114.00 were collected.
During the month of January, (25) electrical permits were issued. Electrical permit fees collected were $3,135.00. During the month of January, (2) plumbing permits were issued. Permit fees collected were $150.00. Total permit fees collected in January: $7,399.00
COMPLAINTS RECEIVED AND ACTED UPON (not including animal complaints): 69 NEW TRASH AND RECYCLING PROGRAM: ---42 violations
INSPECTORS REPORTS: During the month of January, office personnel conducted the following inspections:
Roby Fecteau: (Director of Code Enforcement and Emergency Management) Roger Frechette: *44 inspections Richard Verrier: (Electrical Inspector) *10 inspections
Roger Jalbert: (Electrical Inspector) * 54 inspections
George Monteith (Code Enforcement) * 37 inspections * 5 summonses David Finocchietti (Code Enforcement) *12 code enforcement inspections *8 general assistance *4 summons Brian Stetson (Life Safety Inspector) *24 inspections
Garth Russell (Animal Control) *56 animal calls *10 summonses
INSPECTIONS COMPLETED (not including animal calls): 190
ENGINEERING:
Engineering Department February 10, 2015
The following highlights work items that the Engineering Department has performed during this
reporting period. It should be noted that a majority of our projects are long term type projects that
often take many months to complete.
Ongoing projects include:
Continued work on the Thatcher Brook Watershed Management Study –submitted draft report
Project Management Work on the Taylor Street Sewer and Road project –winter suspension
Project Management Work on the Amherst Street Sewer and Road project- winter suspension
Project Management Work on the Beacon Street Sewer and Road project- winter suspension
Project Management Work on the Dartmouth Street Sewer and Road project- winter suspension
Drafting work on Main Street Sewer Separation Project
Work on Diamond Street Sewer Separation Project
South Street and River Road Intersection Project -base paved, winter suspension
Performing field work for upcoming projects
Topo drafting and Boundary survey work on Mile Stretch Rd
Preliminary Planning and Engineering for Mile Stretch Road project
Preliminary Planning and Engineering for future projects
Worked on MS4 stormwater program
Shorter term projects include:
Prepared grant application submissions for MPI and BPI programs
Attended various City meetings
Attended Stormwater Group meeting at PWD
Attended Elm Street meeting with MDOT and Maine Water Co
Attended Elm Street meeting with Maine Water Co.
Attended MDOT 2015 Paving Progress meeting with MDOT
Attended MDOT 2015 Paving Progress meeting with MDOT
Cost Estimating work for Lincoln Street
Attended meeting on elevated platform
Attended meeting on economic development issues
Attended comprehensive plan meeting about sea level rise
General
Administration type projects include: Review of various documents prepared by other departments,
general department administration functions, general consulting with Economic Development
Department on technical aspects of new business opportunities, meeting with various departments
regarding proposed projects, review MDOT planning documents for pending street projects, Assisted
public on document and map requests, Assisted other departments on various projects
Wastewater Department Administration February 10, 2015
The following highlights work items that the Wastewater Department- Administration has performed
during this reporting period. It should be noted that a majority of the projects are conducted in
conjunction with the Engineering Department and are often long term type projects that take many
months to complete.
Ongoing projects include:
Project Management Work on the Taylor Street Sewer and Road project-Winter suspension
Project Management Work on the Amherst Street Sewer and Road project-Winter suspension
Project Management Work on the Beacon Street Sewer and Road project-Winter suspension
Project Management Work on the Dartmouth Street Sewer and Road project-Winter suspension
Project Management Work on Elm Street Sewer Separation Project-Under Winter Suspension
Drafting work on Main Street Sewer Separation Project
Work on Diamond Street Sewer Separation Project
Compiling data for flow monitoring work
Preliminary planning for continued sewer separation work
Project Management Work Sewer Manhole replacement project prior to 2015 MDOT paving
Shorter term projects include:
Project administration on Elm Street sewer project
Attended weekly WWTP staff meeting
Prepared Ability to serve letters and Sewer Permit documents
Worked on Wastewater letters and reports
Attended meeting on elevated platform about force main
Sent letters relative to I & I issues at Biddeford Pool
General
Administration type projects include: Review of various documents prepared by other departments,
general department administration functions, general consult with Economic Development Department
on technical aspects of new business opportunities, review MDOT planning documents for pending
street projects, preparation of Capital Improvements Project estimates, ongoing preparation of sewer
billing statements and customer support, weekly staff meeting at wastewater treatment facility, sewer
lateral inspection, work with IPP coordinator on developing documents for FOG program