HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-03-04 Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Minutes
Transportation & Infrastructure Committee
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Minutes
Councilors Attending: Richard Stone, Harold Wheeler, Geoffrey Gratwick, Frank Farrington
Staff Attending: Ed Barrett, Jim Ring, Rebecca Hupp, Norm Heitmann, David Gould
Others Attending: Dan Cassidy, Lucy Quimby
Committee convened at 5:00 p.m.
1. Harbor Committee Activity Report
Dan Cassidy explained that Dan Field was present but had a meeting in East Corinth and had to
leave.
Dan gave an update on the activities at the Harbor had been working on this year:
Attract cruise ship traffic, now the base for American Cruise Lines.
Patience – running an afternoon/evening cruise.
Seasonal boating base and mentioned there was an issue with dock security that was being
worked on for surveillance video which would hopefully be funded through Homeland
Security funds.
Tar deposit remediation (Dunnett’s Cove, south of the ADA dock).
New areas of emphasis for the Committee:
Increase waterfront use by visiting boaters. Make Bangor a boater’s destination.
Concept for a new designation “Historic Port of Bangor”
Initiate a guide emphasizing the historic background of the river and Bangor.
Dockage would be made to visiting vessels, increase capacity for visiting boaters/moorings.
List the port more effectively in the Maine Cruising Guide.
Outreach to boaters via brochures and surveys (distribute around eastern Maine.
Effort to increase access to small boats (hand-carried, hand-powered vessels).
Adapt upriver dinghy docks for canoes, kayaks (make minor modifications, Jim would look into).
Future goals and plans for Dunnett’s Cove-park space and small area for hand-carried vessels.
Jim stated there was an extensive survey done of about twenty other ports. He informed the
Committee that the Turtlehead Marina applied for permits to create 63 new slips. He noted there was
a change in dynamics and acknowledged the work of the Harbor Committee. Councilor Stone offered
compliments and stated the brochure was nice looking. Dan stated Cheri, in Jim’s office did a lot of the
work on organizing that, and stated that if you were to look at the harbors around the prices were
competitive. Councilor Farrington asked what had triggered the burst of energy. Dan stated they were
looking at the waterfront from the water side as a boater and wanted to get the word out and build
business. Councilor Wheeler stated he thought the perception was that there were much fewer
moorings rented last year than the year before. Dan stated there were a couple of moorings. There
was an effort to get a few put in by the waterfront, upriver of the bridge but wouldn’t accommodate
sail boats. Councilor Wheeler asked how many brochures were printed. Jim stated about 100 but
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would be doing many, many more. Councilor Wheeler asked to speak with Dan privately after the
Committee adjourns and stated he had issues with the far right page, that the information was
erroneous and needed to be corrected. Lucy Quimby joined the table and spoke of being invited to
join the Lower Penobscot Watershed Coalition. She spoke of someone who likes to swim the length of
rivers and there was talk of him wishing to swim the Penobscot. The talk of attracting boaters and
proposed there was a link between what’s been heard and work to clean up discharges. Councilor
Gratwick noted changes would need to be made to the brochure, but was very impressed.
2. Stormwater and Watershed Management Issues
This item was reviewed first.
Jim described the CSO program over the past fifteen years and the Federal mandates. Millions of
dollars are anticipated to be spent environmentally for stormwater. He stated the City would be
facing regulation challenges to stormwater. John Murphy explained that there were 4 urbanized
areas. Municipalities are required to obtain a “Stormwater Distcharge Permit issued by the DEP.
Each MS4 (municipal separate storm system) must prepare a stormwater management plan. The
City is in the fifth year of the first five year MS4 permit and has a plan in place, now in negotiations
for the permit language for the next five year period. Wendy Warren provided a presentation on
what is expected and the expense over the next five year cycle. In Maine there are 28 MS4
communities, which are formed into four regional groups: Bangor, Lewiston, Portland, Kittery.
There are six minimum control measures:
Public Outreach & Education, such as ads, classrooms, the Garden Show/Folk Festival.
Public Involvement, such as stream clean-ups every year.
Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination, which Code enforces with a 2007 Ordinance that
meets this requirement. Examples would be construction site run off.
Soil Erosion- Inspect projects-post construction run off control, detention pond
maintenance. New requirement in the future would be to inspect a certain amount.
Pollution, Prevention, Good Housekeeping, such as street sweeping, catch basin cleaning.
Hazardous Waste management/fertilizer and pesticide control and protection.
The Bangor cluster was named Bangor Area Stormwater Group and had received grant funding from
DEP for 9,600, State Cooperatiive Service Grant for 75,000, Maine Municipal Bond Bank for 85,000 and
have applied for the 2008 Cooperative Service Grant for 65,000. All totaled would be $234,600. The
City of Bangor’s MS4 expense was 30,000-50,000 annual for non-collaborative activities, such as
fueling device, spill kits, training. Drains inside buildings were inspected to avoid anything entering the
stormwater systems which was required by EPA, some were found and plugged. Next permit cycle
would be 2008-2013 and they would require watershed management strategies for urban impaired
streams. Next Wendy outlined watersheds which are typically large land area that drain into one
resource (tributaries into streams and streams in rivers).
Urban Impaired Stream are:
Streams that do not meet State Classifications
Streams that do not meet expected types of aquatic life
Impaired to due to non-point source pollution run off.
Non Point Source pollution (NPS) would be discharged into receiving water from a specific point and
originate from diffused source(s). Residual fuels, pesticides, sediment increased temperatures in
stormwater are also pollutants and kill aquatic life. In Bangor Urban Impaired Streams requiring a
watershed management plan are:
Birch Stream - Airport/Air National Guard, crossing under the Airport Mall on Union and crosses
Ohio to the Kenduskeag Stream.
Penjajawoc – Hogan Rd., Stillwater Avenue, marsh area.
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Shaw Brook – 3-95/Route 2, Hildreth Street, Hildreth Street North, and goes into Hermon, near
Dysart’s, North Maine Junction, Hampden Landfill area. It involves three municipalities. Noted
that Hermon was not listed as an impaired area.
Artic Brook – Essex Street/Grandview, near Broadway Shopping Center crossing
Kenduskeag/Valley Avenue.
Capehart Brook – crosses Ohio St., Finson Rd., Davis Road.
In the future:
Sucker Brook – Near Airport and runs I-95/ 3-95, under Perry Road near Cole Transportation
Museum, crossing 202 through Hampden Industrial Park, goes to the Penobscot.
Kenduskeag Stream
There was a lot of discussion recently on the other impacts. Wendy indicated that DEP required City to
respond to EPA regarding cleaning up actions and was hoping to take them off the list. An outline of
the Elements of the Watershed Management Plan was provided:
To develop goals
Involve stakeholders
Create action plan
Create finance plan
Monitoring plan and milestone
Plan ensuring implementation of milestone regarding new staffing and who will implement this
plan.
The Watershed Management Plans required action to improve housekeeping by municipalities and
private with “super sweepers” which would pick up more and smaller particles, costing $200,000 per
vehicle. There would be a requirement to increase control of salt/sand/dumpsters/hazardous
waste/spill prevention and the City would be required to enforce. Wendy discussed the stream corridor
and riparian enhancement (correct the stream issues). Municipalities change the channel shape and
depth, bank stabilization, plantings. Private would need to increase buffer areas, plantings, preserve
areas.
Retro-fitting existing stormwater treatment systems would require private entities to install systems in
grandfathered areas, and to upgrade existing facilities. A municipality would install new systems in the
right-of-way and inspect post construction sites annually and maintain. Erosion and sediment control
would require enhanced enforcement. Increase buffer areas per Ordinance, there would be more
ordinances required once things progress and will have residents improve their water.
Plans to date:
Penjajawoc – DEP studies, preplanning costs $50,000 plus staff time to analyze the studies.
Some money had been received to work on the Watershed Management Plan which currently
was in draft stage.
Proposed improvements would be estimated at 10 million dollars.
Birch Stream – Bangor International Airport and Maine Air National Guard spent 3 million to
install systems to control de-icing.
The Steering Committee installed monitoring equipment in the streams at $10,000+.
Airport Drainage Study performed for $15,000 with improvements estimated at $500,000.
Public Works/Fleet improvements $100,000.
Wendy outlined the business owner’s concerns:
Largest part of work to be done would be on private property.
What is or was legal would no longer be adequate.
How much would it cost?
Why should they cooperate?
What would be the recourse?
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An outline of the City of Bangor Concerns:
Staffing
Financing
Private vs. public improvements (must determine)
No guarantee (new nationwide program)
Impacts on future development
Enforcement
Additional restrictive ordinances
Liability
Wendy stated the Watershed Management Plan was not complete, just getting started. All available
documents could be found on the City of Bangor website. The short term action would be to invite all
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to attend the stakeholder meeting to view the Draft Watershed Management Plan on March 20 at
5:00 p.m. at City Hall in the Council Chambers. She stated that with the MS4 involved a lot of planning
for the next permit which would be due to DEP in August. And noted a submitted proposal for Birch
Stream grant money was pending hiring a facilitator. Some noted items to be done for possible
funding would include updating a utility district study last done in 1994, work on GIS mapping,
adopting an ordinance for GIS implementation. Jim stated the City was legally required to do it, there
may be potential fallout and severe impacts, such as no more development. Ed stated staff had been
working on this in the background for quite some time. The Council in the near future would have to
make some policy decisions about what direction to go, with financing being a big issue. He suggested
establishing fees based on impervious surface with potential credits, perhaps offer people grants/loans.
The timeframe DEP expects the City to implement the Watershed Management Plans would be 10-15
years and would carry at least a 30 million dollar price to bring all five impaired watersheds into
compliance. It would be a matter of by whom and how it would be done. There was continued
questions and discussion by the Committee clarifying the presentation. John provided the Rubber
Duckie video to the Commission members and Wendy offered to make presentations to organizations
to get the public acquainted to the concept of these requirements.
Motion made and seconded to adjourn at approximately 6:30 p.m.
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