Councilor Hartwell brought up the issue of clearing snow from sidewalks in Town and would like to bring it to the Council for discussion in the future. He reported that the Comprehensive Plan Amendment Committee met and voted to send that plan to the Council.
Councilor Phillips reported that the Capital Improvements and Economic Development Committee met and reviewed the capital projects that have been finished and ones that are on track to finish up soon.
Councilor Wilder Cross sat in on the Gorham Village Alliance monthly meeting and reported that there will be an Art exhibit and Sales fundraiser planned for this summer with more information to come. She also attended a GPCOG webinar on imagining Transit for Tomorrow. The webinar discussed ways for not judging ridership as a gauge to measure whether or not transit is successful. Councilor Wilder Cross also attended the GPCOG monthly meeting and reported that they discussed land use regulations that pertain to multi-unit housing and how hard it is to build or site multi-unit housing in a lot of areas in Gorham. She also noted that the Appointments Committee is beginning to work on filing vacancies on Town Boards and Committees and will have a full slate of nominees to present at the next Council meeting.
Councilor Shepard announced that the Ordinance Committee met on January 19th and discussed three Items which will be on the Agenda tonight. The next Ordinance Committee meeting will be on February 16th.
Councilor Kuech revealed that she attended the MMA presentation on ways to control air quality in your home and found it very interesting.
Councilor Hager reported that the Finance Committee met on January 25th and discussed the six month report of the fiscal year. He mentioned that the Town is in good shape with expenditures and on target with revenue. He also reported the Town has received most of the expected funds from the CARES Act and expects to receive the rest in the near future. He did note that the CARES Act funds that we have received was for Public Safety, including Fire, Rescue and Police only.
Chairman Pratt thanked Public Works for their clean-up efforts during the recent storm. He also reported that he attended a virtual meeting on MS4 Storm Water Permit Training that was very interesting and gave him a little more background on what needs to be done in Gorham. He also attended the January GEDC meeting where they discussed EV Charging Stations and locations within Town, and the Mask-Up video, which will be featured on GoCam and Facebook, reminding people of how businesses in Town are helping to keep us safe from Covid. He also pointed out that the Gorham Business Campus was featured in the latest issue of The Maine Biz and urged people to check it out.
Town Manager Paraschak also thanked Public Works for their hard work during the recent storm and reminded people of the overnight parking ban on Town roads. He reported that Department Heads have begun to work on their FY22 budgets and will present them to him in March. He also thanked the Gorham Fire Department for their continuous effort in vaccinating public safety members from Southern Maine and congratulated Ken Fickett on his recent promotion to Gorham Fire Chief.
Town Council approved renewal liquor licenses for the following establishments: Azul Tequila, located at 29 School Street; Grand Central Wine Bar, located at 7 Railroad Avenue; Lucky Thai, located at 593 Main Street; Blue Pig, LLC, located at 19 State Street; Sebago Brewing Company, located at 616 Main Street (6 yeas, 1 recuse: Hartwell – conflict of interest).
An Adult Use & Medical Marijuana License was approved for Green Trap LLC, located at 84 Olde Canal Way, property owned by Hani LLC. The conditions for the license require that they pass all inspections and receive a Certificate of Occupancy prior to beginning operations.
Town Council approved amendments to the Land Use & Development Code to Street Classification & Design Standards tables.
Robert Burns, Public Works Director, was appointed to the ECOMAINE Board.
Town Council forwarded amendments to the setback requirements section in the Land Use & Development Code to the Planning Board for public hearing and recommendation.
Town Council accepted Brenda Caldwell’s resignation from the Gorham Economic Development Corporation. The council also expressed gratitude for her several years of service.
The Appointments Committee was instructed to fill a vacancy on the GEDC.
Town Council instructed the Ordinance Committee to do a full review of the Firearms Ordinance and propose any changes needed with regards to the recreational Pump Track area off of Weeks Road.
The Finance Committee was instructed to review municipal fees and provide recommendations to the Town Council for adoption as needed.
The Town Council approved a yearly waste water increase over the next three years, effective on April 1, 2021, as follows:
Portland Water District Rate increase proposal:
| Current | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
| Base (1 HCF) | $13.74 | $14.39 | $15.04 | $15.69 |
| Additional HCF | $6.29 | $6.64 | $6.99 | $7.34 |
Ordered that the Town Council approve amendments to the Pettingill & County Road Tax Increment Financing Districts effective on February 2, 2021.
The full amendments and meeting details can be found at www.gorham-me.org/node/49/minutes.