Rockport Town Manager Jon Duke submitted the following newsletter to the Rockport Select Board in advance of its Jan. 8 regularly scheduled meeting.

EMS Workshop

The Board is meeting next Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the library for a workshop on EMS concerns. Representatives from area fire and EMS services will be in attendance and we plan to have join the meeting remotely a pair of service chiefs from communities which recently underwent a move from working with a private EMS service to a municipally run services. 

Upcoming Town Office Closures

Tuesday, January 9 for Annual Employee Safety Training and Martin Luther King Jr. January 15

Town Clerk

Online Tax Payments.  Our online tax payment system is live on the Town website. This service will always be live, and we will be including information on the upcoming tax bills about how to use this service. 

Election News.    The primaries for the 2024 presidential election are set for Tuesday, March 5, from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. at the Rockport Public Library. PLEASE NOTE NEW LOCATION.  All ballot information will be available on our town website at rockportmaine.gov. Absentee ballots will be available.    

Dog Licensing. Now is the perfect time to year to swing by the Town Office and pick up your dog license. Your dog license expired on December 31 but there is no penalty unless you renew after 4 p.m. on January 31, then there is $25 late fee.  All dogs in the Town of Rockport older than 6 months of age must be licensed. Licenses for spayed or neutered dogs are $6, $11 for unaltered male or female dogs. Do not forget you need a valid rabies certificate at the time of licensure. 

Cemeteries. Town Clerk Liz Lowe is working with a new software program to manage the multitudes of records relating to the Town’s cemeteries. 

Planning and Community Development

Comprehensive Plan.  The current draft of the comprehensive plan is currently being edited and should be completed this month. The goal is to place this draft of the plan on the June town meeting warrant. 

LD 2003. Planning and Community Development Director Orion Thomas and the Planning Board have been working through the fall on amendments to the land use ordinance to address LD 2003 and improving opportunities for housing. These proposed amendments are aimed for vote on the June ballot. 

Public Meeting.  The VPI Task Force will be introducing the results of the Traffic Infrastructure Study conducted by Sewall and Viewshed on February 5 at 6 p.m. at the library.   This is an excellent opportunity to learn more of what was gathered through their work and the direction of proposals created to address concerns in the study area which stretches along Pascal Avenue.

Fire Department

Grant.  The fire department received a $20,000 grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation towards the purchase of a L.U.C.A.S. device (Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assist System), which will arrive in 15 weeks.  The L.U.C.A.S. device provides mechanical chest compressions to patients in cardiac arrest. It is an alternative to manual CPR because it provides consistent compressions at a fixed rate through difficult transport conditions and eliminates the physical strain on the person performing CPR.

Calls. We are once again on pace to set a record for calls for the department for a year with 286 calls for 2023, which is up 55 calls from last year. For comparison, the city of Presque Isle for 2023 had 235 calls for its fire department for last year. 

West Rockport Fire Station Updates:  Rubber coating was sprayed on the foundation and walls will soon be erected on the site of the West Rockport Fire Station. Recent rains caused flooding in the basement of the current station which necessitated repairs to the boiler, but thanks to quick action volunteer fire fighter Darren Robbins we were able to ensure heat was on in short order. Many thanks Darren!

For those interested in learning more about joining the fire department, please contact Chief Peasley at jpeasley@rockportmaine.gov

Police Department

Resignation:  Philip D’Ariano has resigned as of January 4; we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.  

Public Works 

Storms: We have once again entered that time of year where snow events hit with some regularity. Please do your best to stay off the roads if you do not need to be out. That not only helps keep you safe, but it also helps our crews to clear the roads faster and easier. Wednesday may be another challenge with significant wind and rain with the potential of power outages. We will have our crews ready to deal with the issues as they arise.

New Hire.  Hal Pease has joined the public works department as truck driver/laborer effective January 2.  Hal comes to us from Maine DOT’s Waldoboro camp. 

Harbor

Events.  Once again, the First Night Rockport event was a smashing success. The fireworks, the food trucks, and the unseasonably warm weather made for yet another fantastic event where we estimate 2,000 people attended. Congratulations to Harbormaster Abbie Leonard and her staff on yet another successful kick off to the New Year!

Footbridge: On a less positive note, following some exhaustive investigation of the footbridge, the difficult decision was made to remove the bridge. Following several fall storms, it seems the bridge was less safe than anyone was comfortable with and despite the bridge seeing less use in the winter months, safety is no accident. Abbie and I have been working through the fall on alternative bridge solutions and our goal is to see a replacement installed by Memorial Day weekend. 

Bathroom Project: Attendees at the First Night Rockport event at Marine Park likely noticed the appearance of two porta potties next to the Harbormaster’s building. These portable toilets were needed because our Buildings and Grounds staff are working on renovations on the bathrooms in the Harbormaster’s Building. We hope to have these renovations done in the next few weeks. These renovations were sorely needed with the incredible amount of foot traffic those bathrooms see on a daily basis in the summer months. 

Kayak Policy: The new policy for winter storage of kayaks has been a challenge and one that surely will require adjustment and change in the months to come. All of the kayaks which were not picked up by their owners have been removed from the racks and are being stored by the Town. If you need to retrieve your kayak, please contact Abbie to coordinate and pay the appropriate fee. 

Harbormaster winter hours.  While Abbie will continue to work through the winter, her schedule will be reduced while she takes time off. From now through March, Abbie will be working Monday, Tuesday and Thursday but she is available via email at aleonard@rockportmaine.gov and cell phone. 

Assessing

Timeshare Billing: This afternoon, Assessor Kerry Leichtman, Assessing Clerk Rebecca Ewen, Finance Director Megan Brackett, and Town Clerk/Tax Collector Liz Lowe met with representatives from the Samoset Resort regarding their timeshare properties and seeking out a better solution to our collective billing needs. I hope we can find a solution that works well for the Samoset, the timeshare owners, and most of all Town staff.

Mobile Assessor: Kerry and his staff have completed their training on the new Mobile Assessor program purchased earlier this year. This program allows our assessing department to make the changes to a property card in the field rather than taking notes and duplicating those efforts onto the card at the office later. 

Library

Events.  

Adult Program:

Simple Ways to Calm Your Nervous System, Presented by Wellness Coach - Hester Kohl Brooks - January 10, at 2:00 p.m.

Teen Programs:

Tween Gaming - January 17 at 5:30 p.m.

Enjoy an evening of video games and snacks! All games and controllers will be provided.

Ideal for ages 11-14. Drop-in. Free.

Tween Escape Room: The Poet's Dumpster - January 24, at 5:30 p.m.

Get ready for an all-new mystery to solve. A tasty reward will be given if you can escape in time!  Participants MUST register with the library beforehand by calling the library at 207-236-3642.  Ideal for ages 11-15.

Opera House

First Night: Creatures of Habit rocked out on New Year’s Eve with a show that sold out twice! Many thanks to the band and all those in our community who got together to rock into the new year at the Rockport Opera House.

Parker Room Repairs: We have just passed the one-year anniversary of the damage incurred to the Opera House from the broken sprinkler line and work will soon begin on repairs to the Parker Room. The tiles from the curved wall will be removed and stored for re-installation once funds allow. The focus for these repairs leans on new flooring, ceiling replacement and moving the dais to the other side of the room to allow a better view of those arriving into the space. I hope we will once again have this space to use for meetings this spring. Once these repairs are completed the contractor can complete efforts to construct the long delayed office spaces at the Town Office. 

New Hires: We are very excited to bring on three new part-time employees; Rebecca Jean Born as Marketing and Booking Agent, Karl Krahn and Ethan Tischler as Technical Services. Rebecca will be responsible for working with those who wish to rent the facility for private events like weddings or birthday celebrations and assist our staff in the marketing of our facility. Karl and Ethan provide some much needed support for our technical staff and allow us to hold more events.

Event.  Palaver Strings + little house dance: “Noisefloor” - Saturday, January 27, 2024, from 7 – 9:00 p.m.

Noisefloor is a unique collaboration between Palaver Strings and the contemporary dance collective little house dance. In this interdisciplinary performance, twelve musicians and eight dancers join forces, premiering a new composition by Courtney Swain written specifically for choreography by Heather Stewart. This project seamlessly integrates the media of music and dance, involving dancers in the composition process and including musicians in little house’s movement language. Noisefloor plays with the subjectivity of human experience, including visual and auditory perception and the logic of dreams. Musicians and dancers will move throughout the stage and surrounding areas, expanding the audience’s audiovisual field. Noisefloor is an immersive physical, visual, and musical experience.

Doors: 6:30  - Tickets: General Admission $25 Student/Senior $15 Sponsorship Ticket - $50

Civic Ready

We encourage all residents to sign up for this, if you are interested in knowing what is happening in the Town of Rockport. What is great about this system is that you decide which types of information you receive whether it is a reminder when property taxes are due to information on an upcoming event at the Opera House or when a public works project is happening in your neighborhood; Civic Alert can keep you informed. Those interested can also sign up for alerts on our website at https://rockportmaine.gov/civicready

Employment Opportunities

We have several job openings with the Town of Rockport, stop by the Town Office for an application or call and we can email you an application.  Also, job applications are available on our town website, along with a detailed job description.  https://rockportmaine.gov/jobs  

All applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.  The Town of Rockport is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  

• Public Works - Truck Drivers/Equipment Operator/Laborer - This position involves manual work in road construction, repair, and maintenance, snow and ice removal, and other seasonal public works projects. A CDL is preferred. This is a full-time year-round position.
• Police Department – Full-time Patrol Officer -  Applicants must have completed the Alert test and the Pre-Service training course of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA).  Preference may be given to applicants who have graduated from the MCJA or hold a degree in criminal justice or law enforcement.  Applicants must meet age requirements as established by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and successfully pass a physical agility test (MCJA standards), oral board, background investigation, psychological, polygraph and medical examinations.  

The Town of Rockport offers a very competitive wage and benefit package.  Currently they have set working schedules, working four days on and three days off. Officers with Full-time certification and 5- years' experience may qualify for a Fifteen-thousand-dollar sign on bonus, and lateral entry year for year pay and benefits.  

Donut Festival

Our 2nd Annual Donut Festival is on June 7 & 8, 2024. Mark your calendars!  More details to follow at a later date. 

Wastewater

Maine Water Assistance Program.  Is a federally funded program to help support eligible households in having access to drinking water and wastewater utility services.  Households will be required to have water liability to be eligible for the drinking water/wastewater program.  To receive an application, you can call 888-623-6762 or email water@mainehousing.org.  

Recreation Committee

If you want to schedule the use of a field for next year, email rockportrec@rockportmaine.gov.  

Rockport Resource Newsletter

If you would like to receive the Rockport Resource Newsletter via email you can sign up through our website.