Peaks Island Council — Portland, ME
Date: 2025-08-27
Time: 18:15

Peaks Island Council Monthly Meeting Wednesday,
 August 27th, 2025, 6:15pm

 in person at the Peaks Island Community Center
 and on Zoom - bit.ly/peakscouncilzoom
 Upcoming meetings: September 24, October 22, November 26
 full meeting schedule at linktr.ee/peaksislandcouncil

CALL TO ORDER

ROLL CALL

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

ANNOUNCEMENTS -

TREASURER’S REPORT

BRIEF PUBLIC COMMENT
THIS WILL BE LIMITED TO ISSUES THAT REQUIRE BILL TO WEIGH IN, CHAIRS DISCRETION AS TO WHETHER COMMENT
FITS THIS DESCRIPTION.


COMMITTEE REPORTS & UPDATES
  ● Executive - Zoom account
  ● Environment, Sustainability, Parks & Recreation-
  ● Housing & Zoning - Grant update
  ● Island Assessment -
  ● Paper Roads -
  ● Parking -
  ● Ferry Services -
  ● Golf Cart -

OLD BUSINESS
  ● Boat Removal




NEW BUSINESS
  ● Land use update - Karsten
  ● Impacts of Tourism
 ● Elections committee
 ● Tolman Heights zoning
 ● Swim buoys

OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT (any topic, 3 minutes per speaker)

ADJOURNMENT

Public Comment

Public comment will be open on those items marked “public comment”. The PIC is required to take comment on items
we are taking action on (i.e. voting on), although we may take comment on additional items if input is valuable.
Comment on any topic is always welcome during the public comment section at the end of the meeting.

PIC Links

 ● Check out our new "website" at linktr.ee/peaksislandcouncil.
 ● A digital archive of PIC meeting minutes, agendas, and materials is now available on our public Google Drive. ●
 Recent PIC email updates can be found here
 ● Our emails can be found on the City's PIC page. The full council can be reached at pic@portlandmaine.gov.

Zoom Info:

Direct link: http://bit.ly/peakscouncilzoom

Peaks Island Council is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: PIC monthly meeting

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Peaks Island Council
 WORKSHOP MINUTES
 Wednesday, July 23, 2025, 6:15 p.m.
 Hybrid ZOOM/in-person meeting in the Community Center
 NEXT Regular Monthly PIC Meeting
 August 27, 2025
CALL TO ORDER: 6:21 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Present: Laura Glendening, Fred Somers, Scott Mohler, Karsten Rees, Norm Proulx

Absent: Shelagh Reiser, Jess Burton

Number of Audience Members (AM) in attendance: 5 in person, 1 on zoom

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Unanimous approval of minutes from May 28th PIC meeting.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
No announcements.


TREASURER’S REPORT
Patnaude said the current account balance is now $45,000 since no money has been distributed yet.
Unanimous approval of Treasurer’s Report.


PUBLIC COMMENT (beginning of meeting)
Comment that the stairs to Sandy Beach are complete. Patnaude said the stairs to Ferry Beach will now get
into the queue, along with the fence repairs at the Welch Street Parking lot. Somers asked Patnaude about
moving the boat on Ferry Beach. Patnaude said it should be moved soon. Glendenning asked Patnaude
about repairing the sidewalks along Welch Street. Patnaude said that work hasn’t been considered yet.

AM asked how community could prevent boats from parking on Ferry Beach in the future. Patnaude said
community cannot prevent fishermen from parking boats on Ferry Beach without passing an ordinance that
would control that.

AM asked about paper versus private roads at Evergreen. Mohler said there is both a private road and paper
road at Evergreen.

AM said that more owners are letting their dogs run loose near Trefethen and on Island Avenue, which is
dangerous for bikers. AM also asked about whether electric bikes have any special rules and should be
equipped with bells so that they can warn regular bike rides that they are passing. Glendenning said the
issues raised should be addressed by Paper Roads committee and Sustainability Committee.

AM said that they still see some kids driving golf carts. Proulx said the ordinance exists to prevent that, but it’s
an issue of enforcement. Mohler asked AM to send an email outlining public safety concerns.




 PIC July 23, 2025 Meeting Minutes, DRAFT. Page 1
COMMITTEE REPORTS & UPDATES
• Executive Committee –
  No update.

• Environmental and Sustainability and Parks and Rec Committee
  Exercise equipment should be installed in September or October.

  Mark Gorsky said a $10,000 grant from Island Institute will be used for a culvert assessment on the
  backshore. The culvert work could happen simultaneously with the FEMA road work on the backshore.

• Ferry Service
  Operations Committee looking at the Down Bay schedule to see if there are changes that can be made.
  Finance Committee will begin looking at commercial vehicle rates. Rees said that PUC is asking CBL
  questions about the decision making process for the new passenger rates.

• Housing and Zoning Committee – ReCode Zoning survey
  Rees said the committee meets on second Thursday at 5pm at the community center. The committee is
  working with people who have purchased property on Brackett Avenue and who are considering developing
  year-round housing.

• Island Assessment –
  Mark Gorsky said that receipt of a $25,000 grant from Casco Bay Estuary Partnership to fund working
  groups to look at items on the Island Assessment has been slightly delayed.

• Paper Roads
  Norm Proulx said the committee met July 9th and will continue to meet once a month. Committee is
  considering how to display the information collected so far. Committee wants to add GPS markings to the
  map, not just longitude and latitude. Proulx said it would be some time before the map was complete.
  Proulx said the people involved in the lawsuits regarding paper roads have been asked to resign from the
  Paper Roads committee, which they have done.

• Parking
  Mohler read an update from Reiser. Eric Winchester said the new city parking director, Tony Wirkus, said
  that the city is working with DPW to investigate opportunities for more street parking within the “No Parking
  Overnight” restrictions. Ocean Gate parking will not close before the end of the summer.

  Casco Bay Garage is under new management and the parking committee will be meeting with the new
  garage management. Forward any questions or concerns to PIC.

• Golf cart
  No update.

• Election Committee
  Three PIC seats available, three CBL seats available. Committee is looking for a chair. Mohler will ask
  Jerzy Sylvester if he would like to be the chair.



OLD BUSINESS
Status of boat removal – discussed during public comment.

 PIC July 23, 2025 Meeting Minutes, DRAFT. Page 2
NEW BUSINESS
● Land use Code Update

Rees filed PIC Land Use Code amendment recommendation with City Clerk. City Clerk forwarded it
to the Corporations Council Office and the City Manager. The Corporations Council Office said the
amendment needed to go to the Planning Board. Rees says that the city ordinances don’t require the
PIC amendment to go before the Planning Board, so he is asking Corporations Council Office for
clarification.

Somers said that the City Council or City Manager will ask the Planning Board for their input so the
process might be correct. Rees said they have worked with Planning extensively and the Planning
Board reached out to him as a result of the Corporations Council Office advice to say that they are
not entertaining any amendments. However, there is nothing in the city charter or the city code that
prevents PIC from putting forward its land use recommendations.

Rees made a motion to file a letter with the Corporations Council Office to ask them to revisit
the guidance that they issued and to issue new guidance to the city clerk’s office asking that
the PIC land use recommendations can be brought to the city council. Proulx seconded.

AM asked if PIC would ask for a meeting with the Planning Board. Rees said PIC will ask for a
meeting.

Motion passed unanimously.

• PIC response to city regarding using CBL gift cards to purchase needs-based tickets

Patnaude said the city has strict protocols for gift card use, so that the cards are used only for their
intended purpose. The city wants the needs-based tickets program to purchase tickets directly.

Rees said PIC should ask for a waiver of the rules regarding gift cards for this program. Rees asked if
PIC council members could purchase the gift cards and get reimbursed. Patnaude said that the
finance department would have to weigh in on that. Rees said he would be willing to meet with the
finance department to discuss. Glendenning asked what the benefit of the pursuing 30-day pass is.
Rees said there is a cost savings and the vulnerable population on the island will benefit from more
access to the boat.

Proulx echoed the city’s concern that there is no way for PIC to guarantee that the CBL gift cards are
not used fraudulently.

AM asked if there is a way for CBL to bill the city directly for the 30-day passes so that the gift cards
could be taken out of the equation.

Rees said next steps will be for PIC to work with CBL to find another way to pay for the 30-day
passes.

• PIC Zoom and Mailchimp account

Patnaude said city will not allow purchase of software with a city credit card. He contacted Jennifer
Grondin, who recommended that PIC use Google Meets rather than Zoom.

Grondin also recommended that a PIC councilor purchase the Mailchimp account and submit an
invoice to be reimbursed.



PUBLIC COMMENT

 PIC July 23, 2025 Meeting Minutes, DRAFT. Page 3
AM said that there was an accident on Brook Lane, a steep hill, in which a woman on her bike almost lost her
life. AM asked if a cautionary sign “Steep Hill” could be added to the top of Brook Lane. Also, the sand that
accumulates on Island Avenue at the bottom of Trefethen and at the bottom of Brook Lane should be
removed. Patnaude said that if PIC emails him requesting a sign, he can get a sign. Patnaude said a street
sweeper has been assigned to Peaks Island so he can get the street sweeper out again.

Somers made a motion to adjourn. Proulx seconded. Motion passed unanimously.



ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPDATES

Next PIC Meeting: Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 6:15 pm in the community room and on Zoom.

Meeting Adjournment: 7:45 p.m.




 PIC July 23, 2025 Meeting Minutes, DRAFT. Page 4