Lewiston City Council regular meeting

April 5, 2016

Lewiston City Hall 

False alarms

What it means: False fire alarms can be time-consuming and expensive, so the city wants the alarm owners to pay for them.

What happened: The city currently charges $55 for the first false alarm and $90 for the second. That fee continues to increase with each false alarm, up to $380 for six or more false alarms.

Fire Chief Paul Leclair is proposing to create an alarm reset fee of $150 per false alarm if a responsible party cannot be found to reset the alarm. Inspections will be more expensive, too. Reinspections of failing systems will be free, but the second reinspection will cost $50. Canceling a scheduled inspection with less than 24 hours notice will cost $100.

What’s next: The fee change potentially takes effect right away, but Leclair said he plans to roll the fee increase slowly to explain the change to alarm owners. 

Dog packs

What it means: If you’ve been thinking about adding that fourth canine to the family, it’s now legal in Lewiston, according to city zoning codes.

What happened: A Lewiston woman trying to register her four dogs in January discovered a zoned limit of three. Fearing that she’d be forced to give up one of her dogs, she asked councilors to ease that rule — or get rid of it.

Councilors Tuesday opted to allow residents to keep up to four dogs, but promised to consider if the limit is necessary at all later this year.

What’s next: Councilors will vote on the four-dog limit at their next regular meeting and are expected to discuss the rule more completely this summer, once the spring budget hearings have wrapped up. 

Fitness downtown

What it means: Councilors cleared away at least one hurdle for YMCA to locate in Bates Mill No. 5, a zoning rule that wouldn’t allow big fitness centers downtown.

What happened: City staff discovered the glitch in the YMCA’s plan in February. According to city zoning codes, the YMCA can’t expand downtown, and neither can anybody else. A legacy zoning code allows large-scale fitness centers in two areas — the industrial park land near the Maine Turnpike interchange and along East Avenue.

Councilors patched that, voting for the final time Tuesday to allow fitness centers in several parts of the downtown.

What’s next: Councilors accepted the deal unanimously Tuesday night.

Franklin lots

What it means: Lewiston gets some new park lands and public space, all part of a deal to clear up property lines for some downtown homeowners.

What happened: The city and the Franklin Property Trust have been trying to fix ownership questions on homes sitting on 51 acres around the downtown for the past two years. Much of that trust-owned land contains private homes, and the city’s goal has been to help the trust divide those lots up and sell them to the homeowners.

As a result, some lots were left over and the trust offered to transfer ownership to the city. Councilors accepted the lots Tuesday, which include some easements for athletic paths between Lincoln Street and the Androscoggin River, some existing roads and two lots currently used as a park on Lincoln Street between the two ends of Lincoln Circle.

What’s next: Councilors accepted the deal unanimously Tuesday night. 

Canal Street utility

What it means: The owner of 113 Lisbon St. wants to rehab the property, and that includes improving the electrical system. To do that, builders will have to run a powerline across city property and the developer asked councilors for an easement to allow that to happen.

What happened: The electrical conduit will tie into a utility vault on Canal Street behind District Court and run up along Canal Street and through the vacant lot behind Rainbow Bicycle to the 113 Lisbon St. building.

What’s next: Councilors accepted the deal unanimously Tuesday night. 

Liquor licenses

What it means: A new Lisbon Street bar, two downtown taverns and a local restaurant are clear to serve adult beverages.

What happened: City councilors Tuesday approved special amusement permits for Bear Bones Beer, 43 Lisbon St.; Little Joe’s Bar and Grill, 740 Sabattus St.; the Derby Athletic Association, 37 Park St.; and DaVinci’s Eatery at 150 Mill St. While liquor licenses do not expire unless the business closes or changes hands, special amusement permits must be renewed by councilors each year. The special amusement permits allow on-site entertainment, including music from a DJ or a live band, karaoke and dancing. 

Go, Blue Devils!

What it means: Both the Lewiston High School hockey team and the cheerleaders got applause from the City Council and the mayor for their state and regional championship performances.

What happened: The boys’ hockey team defeated Scarborough on March 4 at the Colisee to win state honors. The cheerleaders won their fourth New England title in five years Feb. 5 in Bangor. 

staylor@sunjournal.com