Hallowell will have a new councilor for Monday’s meeting at City Hall, where the council is expected to consider proposed amendments to the City Charter and hear updates about the Stevens School redevelopment and the city’s fire protection services.

Michael Frett, an attorney originally from Brooklyn, New York, was appointed to the council Tuesday by Mayor Mark Walker, replacing Sophie Gabrion. Gabrion, elected to the council representing Ward 2 in November, resigned this week, citing health problems.

Frett will jump right into discussions about many key issues facing Hallowell, Walker said. The mayor expects Frett will “hit the ground running,” in part because of his experience on the ordinance rewrite committee and the Board of Appeals.

The eight-person Charter Commission, which was created last year, has worked for more than 12 months on reviewing and recommending potential revisions to the charter, which hasn’t had many changes since it was first written more than 60 years ago.

One of the biggest changes the commission will recommend to the council Monday is changing the lengths of mayor’s and city councilors’ terms of office. The offices are now two-year positions. Commission Chairman Steve Langsdorf said two-year terms cause a possible turnover each year of half the members, so the commission proposes staggered three-year terms.

Other proposals include stipulating that certain positions that fall under the supervision of the city manager would be subject only to an initial approval by the council. After that, the city manager would handle all matters of employment under normal practices.

City Manager Nate Rudy said the council will receive an update on the Stevens School master plan from Matt Morrill, who bought the 54-acre campus from the state in April, and his attorney, Tom Federle. Morrill indicated last month that he planned to present his master plan for the site in September.

The council also will discuss a forgivable loan to Mastway Development, Morrill’s company, that could provide funding for immediate infrastructure improvements that would ultimately support an affordable-housing development in the next few years at the Stevens School site.

Rudy said he was hoping the fire services committee would make a recommendation to the council about the city’s fire protection services, but that won’t happen until October at the earliest.

The committee met Aug. 30 and discussed several possible options for Hallowell’s fire protection services, including contracting with Augusta, sharing Farmingdale’s station and building a new public safety facility at Stevens School. The committee had planned to meet again last Thursday, but because of the resignation of Gabrion — a committee member — and other scheduling conflicts, that meeting was postponed until Sept. 29.

Other items on the agenda include an update from Rudy on the city’s search for a new code enforcement officer and from Walker on the Central Street parking project.

Jason Pafundi — 621-5663

jpafundi@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @jasonpafundiKJ

 

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