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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-02-16 Municipal Operations Committee Minutes Municipal Operations Committee Meeting Minutes February 16, 1999 � Councilors Attending: John Rohman, Nichi Farnham, Pat Blanchette, Gerry Palmer, ]oe Baldacci � Staff Attending: Edward Barrett, Jim Ring, Erik Stumpfel, Mary-Anne Chalila Others Attending: Gary Crosby (FrontierVision) 1. Discontinuance of a Portion of Texas Avenue (City Engineer) The City Engineer explained that tlie portion of Texas between Maine Avenue and Illinois Avenue is no longer necessary as a public way and discontinuance has been anticipated in the approved subdivision plan for the Maine business enterprise Park. This section of street is adjacent to the former FedEx building being redeveloped by Bangor Savings Bank and is not needed to accommodate that project. The City Engineer will prepare the appropriate Council Orders and conduct a public hearing regarding this proposed discontinuance as required by state statutes. ' � 2. Widening of Haynes Court Right-of-Way (City Engineer) ' Haynes Court is the narrow public way that provides access to lower Abbott Y Square. The City Engineer presented a plan to widen Haynes Court to include the former Better Homes lot. This proposed widening would provide sufficient right-of-way width to allow a wider travel way and creation of new parking spaces on both sides of the street., The City Engineer will prepare necessary Council Orders and hold a public hearing on the proposed widening as required by state statutes. 3. FrontierVision Channel Line-u� Gary Crosby, Regional Manager for FrontierVision Operating Partners, L.P., addressed the Committee in regard to a problem that arose with the implementation of FrontierVision's new program line-up for Bangor cable subscribers on February lst ' Mr. Crosby explained that upon implementation of the new program lineup, it was discovered that a number of Bangor cable subscribers were unable to receive channels in the higher frequency ranges without use of a converter box. The source of this problem is that several manufacturers of older "cable-ready" • television sets did not include channel capacity in the "FM" frequency ranges, because television sets capable of receiving channels in those ranges sometimes experienced interference from broadcast FM radio signals, when operated without being connected to a cable system. The problem occurs primarily in channels 90 and higher, although a few cable ready sets have reception blocked in the 60's, 50's and 40's channel ranges. In order to address the problem for basic cable subscribers, without the + necessity of a converter box, FrontierVision proposed to move QVC, EVNTN/TBN, and the Recover/Ecology channel from their current positions at channels 95-97 to channels 16, 17 and 20, respectively. Channels 95-97 would be occupied by three premium channels, which require use of a converter box in any event. Mr. Crosby requested action by the City Council to waive the 30-day notice period normally required by the cable franchise agreement for programming changes, so that the problem would be addressed at the earliest possible date. The Committee voted to recommend that the City Council waive the notice period. 4. Health and Welfare Proaram Budget Mary-Anne Chalila explained that the Administrative Division is responsible for providing general administrative sup'port and supervision to all program divisions Iocated in the Department of Healtfi and Welfare. This division consolidates all costs of planning, directing and coordinating all divisions of the department. All functions directly applicable to the adminstration of the General Assistance program are also located in this division. The General Assistance Program is currently assisting 355 households per month. � Four caseworkers are currently conducting 441 office visits per month. Since • maximum eligibility has been drastically reduced by the Legislature over the last few sessions, the households we serve present greater needs and the amount of time needed for appointments has increased dramatically. At the current time, there is a workable balance between the number of staff and caseload. Unless there is a drastic down turn in the economy of the region, this balance should hold through the next fiscal year. This may change further into the future when the impact of the five-year lifetime limit on TANF benefits begins to be felt. General Relief (General Assistance) General Assistance may be granted in the form of food, fuel, shelter, or, any other basic necessities not available',elsewhere. Eligibility is based upon need as determined through application of an income-based formula. Able-bodied adults are expected to participate in a workfare program as a condition of continued eligibility. The General Assistance program in the City of Bangor has been relatively stable for the past few years. Unless something unforeseen happens, this stability is • expected to continue through FY 2000. Further in the future, the picture becomes clouded by the five-year lifetime limit now placed on recipients of TANF. In the year 2001, the first households to reach their lifetime limit will find 2 _ _ _ _ _ _ -- themselves disqualified. How many households this will be is subject to debate. The impact on General Assistance is uncertain. It may/may not be significant. � Emergency Housing The emergency housing division provides short term (30 day) transitional housing to homeless individuals and families. The program is now located in two fourplex buildings (five units total) in the Park Woods Project. Intensive casework is done with shelter clients in order to move them into permanent housing as quickly as possible. The emergency shelters operated by the City are an integral part of Bangor's emergency housing network. We house single women, women with children and single men who are over the age of 18 years and do not suffer from either active mental illness or active substance abuse. Children under 18 years of age are referred to Shaw House. Active mental health consumers are referred to Acadia Recovery Community (aka. Hope House). A per diem payment is made to all three shelters for eligible general assistanc� clients. Approximately 100 individuals per year are housed in the City operated shelters. Workfare Able-bodied adults who receive general assistance are required to participate in a workfare program as a condition of continued eligibility. Assignments are made � to various City departments and local non-profit organizations. The number of hours assigned is determined by dividing the amount of assistance by minimum ' wage ($5.15). The City of Bangor has had a workfare program for the past sixteen years. Like many parts of our operation, the workfare program is cyclical. When the unemployment rate is high, we serve a larger percentage of able-bodied individuals who have marketable job skills and are capable of full participation in the program. When the unemployment rate is low we have fewer participants, higher turnover and a high percentage of participants with no prior experience or job skills. It is the responsibility of the caseworker to develop and coordinate job sites, match the participants with the job sites and follow up on their participation. In addition, she works with participants in order to facilitate their entrance into available education and training programs, which will prepare them for permanent full time employment. Currently, twenfiy-nine participants work 1,212 hours per month in various City departments at a value of $6,214. � 3 Shelter Plus Care � Shelter Plus Care is a five year - $1.3 miliion grant received from HUD to house the most difficult of Bangor's homeless population. This is the fifth year of the grant, which is being extended through December 1999. Funding for the program is awarded annually in a competitive process as part of the McKinney Homeless Act. We will be applying for renewal of the program (3 years) during the 1999 competition. Currently, 91 individuals are receiving rental assistance under this program. Park Woods Project Park Woods Project offers homeless individuals and families safe, affordable, transitional housing and case management services for up to 24 months. This project was designed to fill gaps in the existing homeless service delivery system. Without Park Woods, there is no transitional housing for homeless people who do not meet the definition of an existing special needs population (ex. Mental health consumers). The object of the program is to make participants as self-sufficient as possible within the time allowed and to make them capable of maintaining permanent housing. By definition (homeless) the � project serves people who are significantly dysfunctional and have faced eviction numerous times for various reasons including, but not limited to, nonpayment of � rent. Children's Dental Clinic The Children's Dental Clinic provides total pediatric dental care, including all forms of restorative treatment, sealants, and preventative dental education to Bangor's low-income children. Children under care return for continuing oral hygiene instruction and frequent fluoride applications. Surgical procedures, endodontics, space maintainers, minor orthodontics and laboratory work are � done within the office. The clinic would work more efficiently with the addition of a second operatory for the dentist and a full time receptionist. This would significantly increase the number of patients seen and it would maximize the dentist's time. Currently, the dentist and hygienist are completing 1,552 visits per year. School Dental Program � The Children's Dental Clinic operates the second largest school dental program in Maine, serving approximately 2,200 children in grades K-5. Each school is visited by the hygienist that provides presentations for students on a variety of dental 4 issues. Oral exams are often provided for students who do not have a dentists. Referrals to the clinic are made by the hygienist when necessary. A weekly fluoride mouth rinse program is performed by students with parental permission � and under supervision of a teacher or a volunteer. The School Dental program is operated a minimum level. With only one staff person spending less than 10% of her time on this program, expansion is unlikely. If we had more staff, perhaps the program could be expanded. For instance, with more staff, more children in more grades could be examined and referred to a dentist if necessary. At present, staff and staff time is limited. Maternal and Child Health Maternal and child health services are the heart of the City's Public Health Nursing Program. The primary duties of the nurses is health monitoring and health education to pregnant women and parents with children under the age of 5 years. The emphasis is on prevention rather than hands on nursing. This is achieved by home visits where assessments, appropriate intervention, referrals to other providers and/or in-home education programs and monitoring are provided. Currently, 2,446 home visits are made each year. Healthy Families � � Healthy Families is a voluntary intensive home visiting program for ten first time parenting families identified to be as risk for child abuse prenatally or at the time of birth. A trained PHN will visit weekly to offer support and intensive services in � � � a positive intervention model which addresses needs specific to that family. This is a pilot program with a five-year commitment of intervention with families progressing to a less intensive and more self-reliant level over that time. Grant monies managed by the Parent Child Alliance fund this program. As more funding becomes available, it is hoped these duties will be assumed by social workers that will supplement the work already being done by PHN's. Geriatric Nursina The Geriatric Public Health Nurse provides health promotion and supervision to the high-risk low-income geriatric citizens of Bangor. This is achieved by home visits during which assessments, appropriate intervention through referral to other providers, in-home education and/or monitoring are provided. Prior to 1985, all of Bangor's Public Health Nurses carried combined caseloads -- both MCH and geriatric patients. At that time, a decision was made to establish one position to service only our geriatric population. This is not a "home health" , type of position. We do not provide "hands on skilled nursing". We provide the type of health monitoring and health education, which is not reimbursed by insurance companies. s Currently, 1,073 home visits a year and made to Bangor's frail and elderly citizens. � Health Officer State law requires municipalities to appoint a health officer. Under Ordinance Chapter II, Article 21, Section 3.2, these duties are delegated to the Director of Public Health Nursing. This function is responsible for the prevention of communicable diseases in the community. In recent memory, we have been fortunate in experiencing a steep reduction in the major communicable diseases. As a result, the position of Health Officer in municipalities around the state has become less important. In spite of some recent planning, continuing education has been neglected and we are far from ready -- as a state -- to combat a major outbreak. Immunizations -- Nursing/Clinics The Immunization - Nursing Clinic program provides for immunizations of both children and adults for various vaccine preventable diseases through clinics and special appointments for foreign travel immunization. Testing for TB is conducted weekly at designated walk-in times. Health education about vaccine side effects and interpretation of TB testing is given at the time vaccines are administered. � Last year, the Bureau of Health decided that publicly operated immunization clinics/services were no longer part of the overall immunization plan for the State • of Maine. Rather than serving people directly, the state would provide vaccines to private providers for their administration and would put the bulk of the annual award from CDC into a tri-state computer record keeping system. The result was that we found our funds cut to a $10,000 grant. As a result, we are operating a part time program which is attempting to support itself on program generated fees. Currently, 115 individuals per month are immunized at the three walk-in clinics; 15 individuals per month are tested for TB; 55 individuals per month are immunized for diseases specific to their area of foreign travel. Immunization records for these patients are mailed to their primary health care providers. Patients receive a new or updated record at each visit. Immunization - Field The Maine State Immunization Program has seen cuts in federal funding. The result is that virtually all screening functions have been pulled back to the central ofFice is Augusta. � This program was eliminated by the Bureau of Health effective 12/31/98. 6 Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Pro4ram In 1998, the Bureau of Health received an extensive management letter from the CDC personnel auditing the CLPPP. Their response was to suspend the program � for six months as of 12/31/98 while they redesign the program. It is anticipated the "new" program wiil go out for RFP in the summer of 1999. Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic The Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Division is responsible for the promotion of health and well being of Maine people through the prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV. Clinical services allow for the diagnosis, treatment and management of STD's. Community educational presentations about STD prevention and a gonorrhea screening program offered to area medical providers also help us reach our goals. The clinic serves as a training site for many health care providers in the area. The functions of the STD Clinic are primarily supported by a grant from the Bureau of Health. The current grant, January 1, 1999 to December 31, 1999, is � $108,900. The balance of revenues is generated through fees paid by patients for the specific services they receive. The net cost tot he City of Bangor is $0. W.I.C. The W.I.C. Program is a special supplemental nutrition program for women, � infants, and children designed to address identified nutritionally related gestational and early childhood disorders within a high risk, limited income, and population. Specific nutritious foods and nutrition education are provided to all participants by qualified Nutritionists and Registered Dietitians. Health assessments are part of the eligibility determination. Anthropomorphic, medical, • hematological and dietary assessments are completed on all mothers and children participating. All expenses for the W.I.C. Program are reimbursed 100% from the Federal Government, through the State of Maine. With no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned. � �