The Gorham Town Council met for their monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 7. Chairperson Suzanne Phillips called the meeting to order and all seven members were present. They approved the minutes of the June 2 regular meeting (7-0).
Five members of the public addressed the board. One questioned why the board treated a local business so poorly, questioned why seniors needed to show identification to apply for tax relief but not to vote and encouraged the preservation of rural land. Three spoke in opposition of the proposed Amazon warehouse project and one spoke in opposition to the quarry expansion that was voted on last month. One also spoke favorably about a recent visit to the Baxter Museum in town.
Each council member was provided the opportunity to provide community updates. Councilor Simms spoke about the recent public meeting with the DEP concerning the Amazon project. Councilor Siegel spoke positively about the Spring Into Summer event at the Baxter Library and the Gorham Pride Event, thanked Gorham Public Works for their painting projects around town and congratulated the state champion GHS baseball team. Councilor Hamblen mentioned the work of the Presumpscot Land Trust and the importance of preserving land in Gorham.
Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak reminded the public of the transition to trash carts from totes that will be occurring at the end of the summer, and also mentioned the progress on Robie Park, the sidewalk work that has started on South Street, the food trucks at Little Falls on Thursdays beginning at 4 p.m., and that beginning on July 21 the town offices will be open until 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.
The council voted (7-0) to issue two renewal Special Amusement licenses to Benjamin Smith for SideCar and Junction Bowl. They also approved (7-0) a charitable gambling license application for the Reed Allen Community Fund for an event at Junction Bowl on Nov. 14.
The council voted (7-0) to authorize the removal of $98,425.69 in uncollectable ambulance billings effective June 30 for a 2-year period.
The council voted (7-0) to write off $66,500 in taxes from four campers no longer located in Gorham and considered to be uncollectable.
Two members of the public spoke about the Open Space and Trails Master Plan for the Town of Gorham. One spoke in favor; the other questioned why their input was not accepted and questioned spelling and grammatical errors in the report. The council voted (7-0) to refer this item to a public workshop.
After a long discussion, the council voted (7-0) to refer the discussion of the possible removal of the fire suppression requirement to a public workshop meeting in August and then to the Ordinance Committee in September.
The council voted (7-0) to coordinate a workshop with MDOT regarding the Portland West Transportation Study.
The council voted (7-0) to release up to $30,000 in TIF Funds to study possible future uses of Narragansett and Village Schools for potential municipal reuse in the event that one or more is ever replaced, consolidated or relocated.
The council approved (7-0) a referral to the Planning Board for public hearing and comment the proposed creation of a university district. This would assist the university in their implementation of their master plan, while protecting neighbors.
The council approved (6-1, Siegel) the recommendation of the Capital Improvements Committee on the adoption of a wayfinding signage standard as approved by BETA Group. They did vote to use the Town Incorporation date rather than the settled or founded date. (Founded date rejected 3-4, Siegel, Simms, Kuech, Hamblen)
For a complete account of the meeting, a copy of the minutes and a recorded video of the meeting may be found on the Gorham Town Council website.