BELFAST — The Belfast City Council will hold its regularly scheduled public meeting Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m., to consider topics including a new Belfast Police officer, memorial benches, shore stabilization, and new pickleball courts, among others. 

The first item on the agenda is a request for the Council to confirm Noah Lang as a full-time officer for Belfast PD. According to the request, submitted by Chief Robert Cormier, Lang has been a part-time officer with the department since May 2022, and is a Waldo County native, according to Belfast City Manager Erin Herbig’s premeeting report.

Chief Cormier also requested the Council accept two donations to BPD, one for $25, and a second donation of $300. If accepted the amount would go into the Department’s revenue account, which has a current balance of $0. 

Parks and Recreation Director Zach Dozier is asking the Council to expend an additional $103 for the purchase of memorial benches. The Council approved the expenditure of up to $4,000 at a Jan. 17 Council meeting, to purchase two memorial benches. The benches, which will be placed along the Harbor Walk, will be funded from the Harbor Walk account, which has a current balance of $54,111. The additional $103 will cover the full invoice amount, according to Herbig’s premeeting report. 

Dozier will attend the meeting to answer any questions. 

Director of Code and Planning Bub Fournier has requested the Council approve shore stabilization permits for a property on Ocean Street. The owners of the property in question have proposed shoreline stabilization for their property and on the adjacent frontage of the Race Street Rangeway. The City shoreline has been subject to erosion for many years, but was significantly damaged during the Dec. 23-24, 2022, storm. The owners of the property have proposed to hire and pay for a contractor to install stabilization along both their property and the Rangeway frontage. 

Work on the project reportedly began prematurely, before permits and official authorization from the City had been received, but work ceased at the request of Fournier. 

According to the request, Code and Planning has since received the required documentation and is recommending, if approved by the Council, that work begin again on the project. 

The Council will also further discuss the proposed new pickleball courts at Belfast City Park. Doug Oliver, who represents the Belfast Pickleball group, presented the proposal to the Council at the Sept. 19 meeting. The presentation included information about the proposed new locations and how parking would be addressed, among other considerations. Following the meeting, City staff brought the proposal to the Parks and Recreation Commission for both feedback, and to get a quote from the City engineer with regard to cost. 

The Parks and Rec Commission reportedly reviewed the proposal at their Oct. 12, meeting, with City staff providing their feedback before the Council meeting tonight at 7 p.m.

City Engineer Olver and Associates provided two quotes. The first quote of $9,350 would be used to complete a survey and create a plan. The second quote of $5,800 would be to to develop plans and specs for bidding on the pickleball courts.

During tonight’s meeting, the Council will review the feedback and quotes and discuss next steps. 

The Climate, Energy, and Utilities Committee is requesting the Council accept the Climate Action Plan. According to Herbig’s premeeting report, the Council held a joint work session with the CEU Committee on Oct. 3, during which time the Committee discussed the plan and answered questions from the Council. 

For additional details about the City of Belfast Climate Action Plan, or to view the complete agenda, see City Manager Herbig’s full premeeting report.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com