BELFAST — Belfast City Council will meet Tuesday, March 19, for its regularly scheduled meeting. Agenda items on Belfast City Manager Erin Herbig’s pre-meeting report include the appointment of a new library assistant, creating a hazardous waste day, and a City-wide emergency alert system, and firefighting grants, among other topics. 

The first item on the agenda is a request that the Council appoint Tiffany Howard, of Belfast, as the library assistant for the Belfast Free Library. Howard’s duties will include tasks such as: assisting the public with using the library, finding materials, checking items in and out, shelving books and other items, processing interlibrary loan requests, sending out overdue notices, and registering new patrons, among other duties. 

Howard was chosen by Library Director Steve Norman, who is recommending her appointment. Howard previously worked for the City from Nov. 2018 through Sept. 2021, and has most recently been working as a bookseller and co-owner of Left Bank Books, in Belfast. 

Library Director Norman will be present at the meeting to introduce Howard and answer any questions. 

The Randall Collins VFW is requesting the City make a contribution to their flag fundraising efforts. The group is seeking a $250 donation from the City, which will go toward the total estimated cost of the group’s annual American flag placements. The initiative involves placing flags on telephone poles throughout the community, with the assistance of Belfast Area High School students and other volunteers. The total estimated cost is $2,968, which includes 56 flags at a cost of $53 per flag. That cost includes a spine pole, brackets, and grommets, according to Herbig’s report. 

The group will seek donations from local businesses and organizations to raise the remainder of the funds. If approved, the funds would be taken from an account for miscellaneous City promotionals, which has a current balance of $800. 

Belfast Transfer Station Manager Lottie Rolfe has submitted a request for the Council to create a hazardous waste day in April. According to the request, Belfast residents currently have to travel to Portland to properly dispose of hazardous waste, which is not viable for many. This leads many to either store the materials indefinitely, or dispose of them improperly, both of which have can lead to a serious risk of harm. 

Rolfe has found a company, Environmental Projects Inc., that is willing to come to the Belfast Transfer Station to conduct a hazardous waste day for a fee of $1,800. In addition to the cost to the City, citizens would also be charged $31.50 for five gallons of hazardous waste. Due to the cost per individual, Rolfe has recommended that the event be open to the public, not just residents of Belfast. 

If approved the fee would be taken from the Trans/Tipping/Disposal account, which has a current balance of $170,844.44 to help facilitate Hazardous Waste Day on April 20, at the Belfast Transfer Station. 

Belfast Police Chief Robert Cormier and Belfast Fire Chief Patrick Richards are requesting the Council approve the expenditure of City funds to implement On-Solve Code Red Emergency Alert System. The system, which will cost an estimated $4084.63, would provide the City with a tool to quickly alert City employees, businesses, and residents about critical, priority information. The information could include incidents such as active threats, significant weather, road closures, major fires, natural disasters, or other critical incidents which may be a threat to the public, impact City operations, or impact residents in a particular area of the City. 

It is noted in the request that getting critical information out quickly can be a matter of life safety, such as if an evacuation order is needed; it is an important part of managing emergencies correctly, according to the request. 

The alert systems are scalable, reliable, and alert messages can be sent from any device. Businesses and residents would be able to opt in and choose the type of information they want to receive, and the way they would like to receive it. (i.e., home or work phone, cell phone, email, or all of the above). If the City does move forward with the project, it would only message residents or businesses located within the geographic boundaries of Belfast, according to Herbig’s report. 

The purchase was budgeted for during the FY23-24 budget process, and after reviewing several products, the one that seemed to best fit the City’s needs and stayed within the budget is On-Solve, according to Chiefs Cormier and Richards’ request. If approved by the Council, City staff request authorization to make the purchase, the funds for which would be taken from the City’s capital reserve line. The account has a current balance of $5,000, which was designated for emergency alert software. 

Economic Development Director Thomas Kittredge is requesting the Council authorize the submission of a grant application to the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Program. 

The SAFER program “is one of three grant programs that constitute the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency’s focus on enhancing the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. The SAFER program provides funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to assist in increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate fire protection from fire and fire-related hazards, and to fulfill traditional missions of fire departments. 

“The SAFER program has awarded approximately $5.2 billion in grant funding to provide critically needed resources to hire new, additional firefighters, to rehire laid off firefighters, or to retain firefighters facing layoff, as well as recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. $360 million in funding is available under this program in fiscal year 2023, with 300 awards projected to be made.”

Additional information about the SAFER program is available to review in Herbig’s full pre-meeting report. 

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com