ROCKPORT — The Select Board meets this evening, May 13, at 7 p.m. at the Rockport Opera House (televised on Public Access Channel 22) with a full, important agenda. New business items include:

*  SAD/CSD representative - school budgets

*  Review and Acceptance of FY11-12 Audit Report by Town Auditors, James Wadman and Wanese Lynch

*  Committee Resignation:  Art Zur Muhlen/Investment Committee; Ann Kilham/Opera House Committee

*  Committee Application: Will Gartley/Capital Improvement Committee. Bill Lane/ Capital Improvement Committee, Vern Hunter/Capital Improvement Committee. Steve Dailey/ Capital Improvement Committee, Margaret Carleton/Cemetery Committee, Heaven Bartlett/Lime Kiln Ad Hoc Committee

*  Capital Improvement Committee mission, Allen Mitchell

*  Appointment of Jason Peasley as the Fire Chief

*  Appointment of William Najpauer as Planning and Community Development Director

*  Approve the filing of an application for a COPS Hiring Program Grant with the U.S. Department of Justice for hiring an additional police officer

*  Re-allocation of the 2011 Cascade Foundation Grant from Canine to Town Video Security Infrastructure

*  Approve amended job description for the position of Fire Chief/Town Clerk

*  Approval of $8,000 from the Central Street TIF for purchasing granite curbing for Central Street and the placement of a concrete sidewalk surface

*Approval of a reallocation of $5,000 from the Harbor Walk budget line to other harbor-related projects

*  Quitclaim Deed for a foreclosed property MacClennen, Phillip & Lori,  664 West Street, Map 17, Lot 019

*  Acceptance of a donation of $1,000 from Johanson Boatworks to the Harbor

* Town Meeting: to videotape, broadcast or stream; that is the question

*  Wastewater Commissioners:  Commitment of Commercial/Residential Sewer User Rates for the period of March 2013; Approval of FY2013-14 Wastewater Budget; Commercial Street/Route 1 extension

* Approval of FY2013-14 Wastewater Budget; Commercial Street/Route 1 extension

The Next Regular Select Board meeting will be held on Monday, June 24.

The Rockport Public Library will be closed all day Wednesday, May 15, so that staff may attend a professional special training workshop in Bangor. The Midcoast Municipal Association Annual Meeting will be held Friday, May 17, at 10:30 a.m. at Maine Discover Center in Rockland.

Stephanie Kumble keeps an eye on Rockport municipal news in her regular column here.

Hospice Center at Pen Bay Medical Center gets greenlight

Last week, the Planning Board approved (by a 7 to 1 vote), Pen Bay Medical Center’s proposal for a Hospice Center (a 9,740-square foot building) to be built on the northwest corner of the Pen Bay Campus. The approval came after a lengthy discussion in regard to concerns over the Medical Center’s failure to provide overall long-range plans for the Pen Bay Medical facility as a whole.

In addition, the site plan review for a change of use from residential to commercial to accommodate a renewal energy business on a developed parcel located at 1126 Commercial St. was approved.

The next Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 19, at 7 p.m. at the Opera House, televised on Ch. 22. (Note this is the third Wednesday rather than the second since Town Meeting is scheduled for the second).

Zoning Board approves day care, tradesmen's shop

Both items brought to the Zoning Board last week were approved. A special exception was granted (6 to 0), for a day care facility at a family home at 5 Bella’s Way.

And, an application for a special exception review to operate a tradesmen’s shop on Park Street (near Simonton’s Corner), was also approved (6 to 0).

The next Zoning Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 26, at 7 p.m. at the Opera House, televised on Ch. 22.

Boards maintain continuity

Luckily, each of these boards will see continuity and remain staffed at full-strength (Planning/7, Zoning/7), as a new Planning and Development Director steps up to the plate in May. Two incumbent Planning Board members, Tom Murphy and Sarah Price, whose terms expire June 30, agreed to serve another term on that board.

Three incumbent Zoning Board members, Stephen Bowen, chairman, and Mark Masterson and Alexandra (Sani) Fogel, whose terms expire on June 30, agreed to serve another term on that board. Thanks to each of you for your service.

New town employees arriving

Providing some fodder for discussion, local media introduced two new town department heads to Rockport residents and the general public prior to the Select Board’s formal vote on the candidates on May 13.

Pending Select Board approval, new Planning and Development Director Bill Najpauer will assume his duties as on Monday, May 20. Tom Ford, current director, will remain at his position through Friday, May 31.

The Select Board will also vote this evening to approve Jason Peasley as Rockport’s new fire chief. Selected in a second round of applications (from 47 applicants), Peasley, a 1993 graduate of Camden-Rockport High School, has been a firefighter since the age of 16 and currently serves as Lincolnville’s Fire Chief. He’ll assume his duties (if approved), later this month.

It doesn’t seem possible that it’s been 42 years since the position of Rockport Fire Chief was last filled when then town manager Karl Betterly appointed Chief Bruce Woodward and the Select Board approved that appointment. What an incredible 42 years Bruce served! When I roughly figured Jason’s age, I had to smile recalling the very funny story Karl Betterly related at Bruce's "official" retirement party telling us about the then Select Board's concerns about Bruce's "young" age.