ROCKLAND — Last week (June 7 - 13), fire fighters extinguished a small grass fire started by juveniles. No injuries were reported. Three Rockland Police Officers participated in the Special Olympics Torch Run. 600,000 pounds of herring were offloaded at the Municipal Fish Pier. The harbor master took part in a visit by executives of the Holland America Cruise Lines, and Dave from the Code Enforcement Office met with Rock Harbor Pub and Brewery to discuss noise restrictions. Read the full report below.

OFFICE OF THE CITY ASSESSOR

Processed Real Estate Transfers, updating parcel cards, sales book, property splits.

Processed Personal Property accounts, updating ownership, owned items, depreciation, State BETR'S 801 returns, BETE exemptions.

Processed building permits, reviewing, updating property cards and assessments.

Analyzing qualified sales of all properties and neighborhoods for a fair and equitable assessment.

Completing State forms and returning for processing.

Listening and reviewing properties at the property owner's request.

Updating Tax Maps and posting to the web site.

OFFICE OF THE FIRE CHIEF

In addition to the general response to 42 Fire and EMS calls, conducting apparatus checks, daily cleaning, routine repairs and maintenance to the fleet and of the quarters, the following occurred:

Notable:

Met with members of the Law Enforcement review team as part of their survey of Rockland PD.Ø Attended the negotiation meeting between the City Manager and Rockland Professional Firefighters Local 1584.

Conducted two inspections to ensure compliance with safety rules/laws.

Requested a plan of corrective actions with timeline from Ford regarding our ambulance chassis that is out of service for the fourth time in 12 months.

Incidents: RFD responded to a small grass fire that had been started by juveniles and involving a can of gasoline. This was a true "near-miss" incident where these two kids could have been seriously injured if not worse, and only due to luck were they spared any injury. This serves as a strong reminder that parents must take every precaution to ensure their kids are fire safe.

Training: A-shift participated in an online program hosted by Fire Engineering on addressing tactics to meet challenges stemming from modern building practices. Numerous best practices were discussed that may lead to new avenues we can follow to ensure the future safety of personnel.

OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICES DIRECTOR

Picked up trash City-wide.

Spring clean-up continued.

Watered flowers three days.

Voting booths set up and taken down.

Flagged traffic for Treatment Plant.

Truck #4 to dealer, cold patch picked up on return trip.

Assisted CMP with power pole replacement on Cottage Street.

Swept streets.

South pump repaired at Transfer Station.

Picked litter three days at Transfer Station with three inmates.

New roller installed on dozer.

Began repair of snowplows for winter.

OFFICE OF THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR

Catinka Knoth's Adult Drawing class featured blue jays and lilacs this week, and Children's class this week drew summer activities.

Eastern Fire performed routine inspection and maintenance.

The Memoir Writing Workshop was held on Tuesday. This group meets weekly, and is open to anyone who wants to write, share, or just listen.

ABM Mechanical repaired a leaking flange and gasket above the boiler, and confirmed leaking in the line from the building to the AC Chillers.

On Tuesday evening, we hosted an Historical Society Talk: Dramatic Images of the Commercial Fishing Industry in Maine. This event was co-sponsored by the Library and the Rockland Historical Society, with photos by photographer Sam Murfitt.

I attended a meeting of the PLEA.

Judith Andersen was guest reader for Wednesday Storytime once again. Miss Judy blended books on dragons and father's day books, and among other titles, read Daddy Is a Doodlebug, by Bruce Degen, When Someone is Afraid, by Valeri Gorbachev, Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light. Judith mentioned having a special time with one shy little girl who came to the reading couch after the others had adjourned to coloring father's day cards. Judith read Dinosaur Farm several times over and then the little girl read the book to Judith. Both were enchanted...

Jean Young made the final weekly trip to North Haven Community School Library.

The Thursday Evening Arts and Cultural Event was a Gardening Talk: Home Composting. Led by Liz Stanley of the Maine Cooperative Extension, participants learned how to help their pocketbooks and the environment by keeping kitchen and yard waste out of the landfill. They spoke of the art and science behind making a valuable soil amendment for your lawn and garden without any odors or unwanted visitors. Attendees were encouraged to bring gloves and appropriate clothing for a hands-on demonstration.

The Northern Maine Library District Executive Board, on which I serve, meets every other month by conference call, has one annual in-person meeting a year, where the agenda is set for the upcoming year. I attended this year's meeting, held at the Jessup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor.

On Saturday Jessie Blanchard presented another What's in the Trunk? (this month's answer-- Paint Science. Children were able to explore a Science Trunk from the Cornerstones of Science program. This trunk serves as an introduction to archaeological science through a look at prehistoric cave dwellers and the earliest forms of painting. Activities included Paint & Painters: the earliest records (discussion), Carbon-14 ½ Life Game: How old is Sally, Natural Paint Brushes & Paint Making, and Painting.

Also on Saturday—the Friends' one-day Book, Bake, and Botanicals sale!

And as if Saturday weren't jam-packed with excitement already, a new program was offered, an Art Series for Teens & Tweens: Chalk & Charcoal. Students learned how to use chalk and charcoals. Local artist Alayna Smith taught basic techniques such as how to properly shade and find the light source, as well as how to draw different textures such as smooth and harsh marks. This series is part of The Arts... for Kids and Their Families at the Rockland Public Library.

Upcoming: Our Neighbors' Gardens Tour to be held Sunday, June 28. This annual garden tour sponsored by the Friends of Rockland Public Library will be held on Sunday, June 28, from 10:00 to 2:00 and features pocket gardens. Come enjoy six small private gardens in Rockland and the gardens of the three Historic Inns in early summer bloom. Advance tickets $12, $15 day of tour, available at the Library from mid-June. Also—Ukulele lessons! (part of The Arts... for Kids and Their Families at the Rockland Public Library.

OFFICE OF THE MUNICIPAL FISH PIER DIRECTOR

Issued one lobster vessel permit.

The f/v western sea offloaded 400,000 lbs. of herring

The f/v western wave offloaded 200,000 lbs. of herring.

Working on salt water wash down pumps.

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE

Officers responded to 231 calls for service. Rockland Police Officers responded to 5 motor vehicle crashes and 7 animal complaints. 19 traffic stops and traffic violations were conducted. Fifty-five (55) parking violations were issued. Officers charged or made arrests of 9 individuals for various offenses, to include Warrants of Arrest, Bail violations, Traffic offenses, Alcohol violations, Protection from Abuse violation and Operating under the Influence.

Assisted the Maine Chiefs of Police while they were conducting their three day internal review of the police department.

Escorted local law enforcement through Rockland while participating in the Special Olympics Torch Run. Three Rockland Police Officers participated in the event.

Conducted school visits at Rockland area schools.

Assisted a downtown merchant by providing consultation regarding the implementation and placement of cameras.

Provided family outreach for the family members of the deceased female found in the Brunswick Rooms on 06/04/15.

Three officer initiated school visits were conducted.

Three officer initiated radar details were conducted.

Two grant funded underage drinking details were conducted.

Two ATM / bank escorts were conducted.

Mutual Aid was provided to Thomaston P.D. for a burglar alarm at the Smoke Shop.

Mutual Aid was provided to the Knox County Sheriff's Office for traffic control while they investigated a motor vehicle accident.

OFFICE OF THE HARBORMASTER

Removed a few older derelict moorings from the harbor.

Inspected and serviced another handful of the city's rental moorings.

Helped with another visit from executives of the Holland America Cruise Lines. They love the new gangway at the Public Landing, we hope that this generates some more ship visits.

Attended a meeting of the Parks Commission and discussed the potential for a "Lost at Sea" memorial.

Worked a bit more on the plumbing for our holding tank pump-out system, hopefully we'll be done on Friday.

OFFICE OF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

John Root has been on vacation this week so Dave has been very busy with permits, inspections and answering the many questions that come in to the Code Office.

Dave did an inspection at 11 Dunton Avenue, a property recently acquired by tax lien.

Dave inspected the plumbing at the new CMCA building on Winter St. and the new Dollar Tree Store going in at the former WalMart building at 265 Camden St.

Dave attended the Mid Coast Regional Planning Committee meeting on 6/10/15 and the Comprehensive Planning Commission meeting on 6/11/15.

License inspection was done at The Pearl.

Dave met with the manager of Rock Harbor to discuss measuring sound at the Pub/Brewery, so they will be compliant with their conditional entertainment license.

Dave met with a representative of the Rockland Golf Course to discuss a subdivision on a portion of their property off Old County Road.

There were no complaints filed this week.

The following permits were received by the Code Office this week:

6 Building permits 

3 Electrical permits 

1 Plumbing permit

1 Sewer Connection Permit

2 Sidewalk Display permits

2 Sidewalk Tables & Chairs permits

3 Street Excavation permits