LEWISTON — The City Council will be busy Tuesday night.
With 28 agenda items scheduled, officials are playing catch-up on more than two dozen issues ranging from organizational changes within City Hall, to reaffirming support for the controversial New England Clean Energy Connect project.
Highlights they will address include:
DOMINICAN BLOCK
The council could approve a contract zone to allow for the redevelopment of 143 Lincoln St., known as the Dominican Block.
Portland-based Fathom Properties is looking to develop 19 market-rate apartment units in the upper four stories, with commercial or retail space on the first floor.
Zoning allows a density of one dwelling unit per 1,250 square feet of lot area, which would allow six units. However, to make the project feasible, Fathom is seeking 19 units. The contract zone would allow one unit per 426 square feet of lot area.
According to a council memo, parking would be available for the apartments and commercial space on-site and at the city’s Chestnut Street Parking Garage.
CHARTER REVISIONS
The council will hold a public hearing and vote on several charter revisions that will face voters at the November election.
In August, the council forwarded several recommended revisions, including a shift to staggered terms for elected officials. However, during the discussion, a suggestion was made to expand language regarding removing an appointed official from office.
As proposed by the Charter Review Committee, the mayor could request the council to hold a hearing to judge the qualifications of members of boards such as the Finance Committee, Planning Board and Board of Appeals, and if there are grounds for removal or forfeiture of their position.
The proposed language would expand the rule allowing the request to be made by at least three councilors.
WARD 2 COUNCILOR
An appointment could be made Tuesday to fill the Ward 2 council seat vacated when Zack Pettengill resigned in August.
According to the memo, Mayor Mark Cayer was notified Aug. 13 of Pettengill’s resignation, after which the city issued a news release and accepted applications from interested residents of Ward 2.
Darcy Fisher, Ben Hundley and Caleb Roebuck applied before the Sept. 1 deadline. Roebuck has already qualified to run for the seat in the November election.
ORGANIZATION
Also on Tuesday, the council will consider several organizational changes within City Hall, including reestablishing a recreation director position and several other posts.
The council will vote to establish an official Recreation Department, which due to earlier budget cuts, was dubbed the Recreation “division” under Public Works.
In a separate agenda item, the memo states the council will consider reestablishing the Human Resources department and hire a director position, and “further evaluate the organizational structure within Code Enforcement, Planning, and Economic Development to add personnel capacity particularly related to assisting economic development.”
The memo says “given employee turnover, limited utilization of temporary workers attributed to COVID and semi-shuttering the library, and grant funding, the (fiscal year 2021) salary reserve account had surplus funds to carry forward.”
The council has scheduled an executive session Tuesday regarding the search for a new city administrator.
NECEC
The council will vote on a resolution “expressing support” for the controversial New England Clean Energy Connect project, which will bring hydropower from Quebec to Massachusetts via an expanded corridor that passes through Lewiston.
The city has long supported the project due to a $250 million converter station, that when finished, is slated to add more than $6 million in annual tax revenue in Lewiston.
Lewiston’s show of support comes as a referendum will appear on the statewide November ballot that attempts to block the project.
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