WATERVILLE — The City Council on Wednesday is scheduled to consider appointing two councilors to the Marijuana Study Committee and authorizing the fire chief to issue mutual aid agreements with neighboring fire departments for fire and rescue services.
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Chace Community Forum on the first floor of Bill and Joan Alfond Main Street Commons, at 150 Main St. Council meetings usually are held he first and third Tuesday of the month, but because Tuesday is Election Day, the council session will be held Wednesday.
The council will consider appointing Councilors Sydney Mayhew, R-Ward 4, and Winifred Tate, D-Ward 6, to the marijuana panel, which was established in September to study current state law on all aspects of marijuana cultivation, distribution, sale, medical uses and other uses to determine better whether and how the city will add more conditions to the terms of marijuana-related activity.
Jennifer Bergeron is the committee’s chairwoman. Other members are Councilor Nathaniel White, D-Ward 2; Robert Vear; Luc Duplessie; Tom Ferris; and Anthony George, with Dan Bradstreet, the city’s code enforcement officer, and City Manager Michael Roy serving as ex-officio, or nonvoting, members.
The city now has a moratorium on the sale of recreational marijuana at retail establishments. Councilors last year voted to prohibit retail sales in the business district.
In other matters Wednesday, the council will consider authorizing Fire Chief Shawn Esler to execute three-year mutual aid agreements with surrounding municipalities for fire and rescue services.
The council also will consider extending a lease with Gizos Energy LLC, which wants to develop, construct and operate a solar photovoltaic facility on city-owned land on Webb Road.
Frederick “Rick” Fischer, of Fischer Financial Services at 315 Main St., is requesting that the council rezone his property from Commercial-B and Residential-B to Commercial-A in order to place the entire parcel in the same zone and eliminate building setback requirements as a potential impediment to redevelopment, according to the proposal.
The Planning Board on Oct. 22 voted to recommend the council approve the rezoning.
The council also will consider requests from Philip Roy and John Goodine to rezone 257 and 259 Main St. and 11 Hillside Ave. from Residential-C to Commercial-A. They are requesting the change to reflect actual current use of the properties and make them salable for commercial use if someone decides to redevelop them, according to the proposal. The two parcels abutting Main Street have been used commercially for many decades. The Planning Board on Oct. 22 recommended the council approve the rezoning.
Philip Roy, owner of Grondin Certified Cleaners at 259 Main St., said at the October meeting that he and Goodine, who owns Elm City Photo at 257 Main, had discussed the fact that it is unusual their properties are zoned residential when for 70 years, commercial operations have been on those sites. They have no plans for the properties now but are trying to envision uses for the future, according to Philip Roy.
The Planning Board may only recommend zone changes; the council makes final decisions on zoning.
Councilors on Wednesday also will consider rejecting a bid received for a foreclosed property at 59 High St. The city foreclosed on the single-family home in February and advertised the property for sale, saying bids were due Oct. 10. The city received only one bid, the amount of which does not cover the amount of property taxes due on the property — $5,800, according to the resolution councilors will consider.
The city recommends the council reject the bid and go out to bid again.
The council will be asked to appoint Cynthia Pearl civil constable, a position she has held three years. The new term would expire Nov. 7, 2019.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
Twitter: @AmyCalder17
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