BELFAST — The Belfast City Council will hold its regularly scheduled public meeting Tuesday evening, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m., to address topics including several new City employees, including a new full-time police officer. Also on the agenda, new police cruiser, and a possible Belfast Breakwater grant, among other topics.

The first item on Belfast City Manager Erin Herbig’s pre-meeting report is the addition of new deputy city clerk. Andrew Legacy is expected to be appointed to the role. Legacy reportedly has a strong background in an office settings and clerical work, most recently working as the operations/office manager at Casco Bay Recovery. He recently moved to Belfast and is looking forward to laying roots in the community and being part of the City’s team of dedicated municipal employees. 

Legacy will be in attendance at the meeting. 

Also expected to be appointed, Brooks Taber-Grotton, of Belfast, who will be assistant assessor for the City. Taber-Grotton has worked for OnProcess in Belfast for the previous eight years in a variety of management positions, according to the pre-meeting report. He brings with him experience handling confidential information, managing complex tasks, and implementing best practices, among other attributes. 

Taber-Grotton will also be in attendance. 

Belfast Police Chief Robert Cormier is asking the Council to confirm Ashley Babcock, of Bangor, as a full-time police officer for Belfast PD. Babcock will fill the departments final full-time slot.

Babcock served in the U.S. army for over five years, according to Herbig’s report. During those years, she was assigned to a military police company, spending four years assigned to the horse-mounted unit. Babcock has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Husson University, and a master’s degree in animal sciences from Unity College. 

Chief Cormier is also asking the council for approval to purchase a new police cruiser, for a cost of $47,800. The new cruiser was reportedly outlined in the police department budget request for fiscal year 2023-2024, leading Cormier to solicit bids from four automotive dealers for a 2023 Ford Police Interceptor Utility Hybrid Vehicle. 

The lowest bid received on the chosen model was from Quirk Auto, which reportedly indicated to Cormier that it has but a few of that specific model left, and once they are sold will not have any additional inventory until 2024. 

Cormier noted that while past practice has been to place larger purchases, such as police cruisers out to bid; unfortunately, he said, police are still experiencing the effects of the pandemic on supply chains. This makes finding a vehicle outfitting in a way that is appropriate to the needs required challenging.

If approved the funds would be taken from the Department’s Purchase of Equipment Account for the purchase. The current balance of that account is $55,000. 

Public Works Director Bob Richards is requesting the Council formally accept the bids for road salt and awarding the bid to the lowest bidder. The lowest bid received for road salt was $70 per ton delivered, from the New England Salt Co. LLC. This is a decrease of $6.88 per ton delivered from the fiscal year 22-23 cost, according to Richards. 

If approved, the funds will be taken from the Public Works Salt and Calcium account, which has a current balance of $120,000. 

The Council will hear a request that they authorize the submission of a letter of intent to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Resilience Regional Challenge for the Belfast Breakwater. The request is being made by Economic Development Director Thomas Kittredge, who will be available at the meeting for additional questions. 

According to Kittredge’s request, the City of Belfast continues to seek funding opportunities that could possibly assist with the rebuilding and expansion of the Belfast Breakwater. The cost of the project was estimated at $11,170,994 in November 2022. The City was recently made aware of a new opportunity, in the form of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Resilience Regional Challenge.

The program will make $550 million available for grants ranging from $15,000 to $75,000, with no matching fund donation requirements, to be used to support implementation of transformational resilience and adaptation strategies and associated actions for coastal communities anchored in previous planning efforts. 

Kittredge wrote that the program will not fund a shoreline stabilization structure project, such as a breakwater, unless it is part of a hybrid “green” (natural) and “gray” (structural” adaptation action.

The City’s current preferred breakwater rebuilding/expansion would be considered a gray project as it does not contain any natural components.

“In order to still be able to submit the Belfast Breakwater to this consortium of State agencies for their consideration, the City engaged WSP U.S.A. Environment & Infrastructure to develop an additional project option that would be considered a hybrid of green and gray project. 

Letters of intent are due to NOAA by Aug. 21, and if the State’s letter of intent is accepted, they will be invited to submit an application that would be due by Feb. 13, next year. 

If approved, Kittredge requests that a motion be made to indicate that should the Belfast Breakwater not be included in the State of Maine’s letter of intent submitted to the NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, the City of Belfast will submit its own letter of intent to the program, for the Belfast Breakwater and two additional eligible projects. 

Kittredge will be in attendance at the meeting to answer any questions. 

Several executive sessions are scheduled after the completion of the initial agenda. 

They include a real estate matter, and a legal matter with the City attorney.

There will also be a discussion regarding a specific City property, including possible action. 

City Manager Herbig ends her report with the signing of the Council orders, where she noted that at this time of year, the City Clerk’s Office has begun taking the first steps in gearing up for the November election. Each election requires a lot of time and preparation by the Clerk’s Office, and one of the first steps is putting a notice for nomination papers for open positions. Open positions for the upcoming election include:

• Mayor Two-year term
• Councilor Ward Three Two-year term
• Councilor Ward Four Two-year term
• Warden Ward 1&2 Two-year term
• Ward Clerk 3&4 Two-year term
• RSU #71 Board of Director Two-year term

Anyone who is interested in pursuing one of the available positions can contact the City Clerk’s Office at 338-3370 ext. 114 with any questions.

Nomination papers must be turned into the City Clerk’s Office by 5 p.m. on Sept. 7.

Additional information regarding this project and other agenda items, the full agenda is available on the City’s website.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com