Peaks Island Council — Portland, ME
Date: 2025-09-24
Time: 18:15

Peaks Island Council Monthly Meeting Wednesday,
 September 24th, 2025, 6:15pm

 in person at the Peaks Island Community Center
 and on Zoom - bit.ly/peakscouncilzoom
 Upcoming meetings: October 22, November 19, December 17
 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 -
  ● Environment, Sustainability, Parks & Recreation-
  ● Housing & Zoning -
  ● Island Assessment -
  ● Paper Roads -
 ● Parking -
 ● Ferry Services -
 ● Golf Cart -


OLD BUSINESS

 ●​ Update on Needs-Based Tickets
 ●​ Land Use Code Amendments

NEW BUSINESS

 ●​ Elections Committee – scheduling events, posting information for November election
 ●​ Restructuring Environment, Sustainability, and Parks & Rec committee
 ●​ Public water access discussion – boat storage, public dingy dock
 ●​ Scheduling of Special Meeting



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, August 27, 2025, 6:15 p.m.
 Hybrid ZOOM/in-person meeting in the Community Center
 NEXT Regular Monthly PIC Meeting
 September 24, 2025
CALL TO ORDER: 6:21 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Present: Laura Glendening, Fred Somers, Scott Mohler, Karsten Rees, Shelagh Reiser, Norm
Proulx on zoom.

Absent: Jess Burton

Number of Audience Members (AM) in attendance: 8 in person, 1 on zoom

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Unanimous approval of minutes from July 23rd PIC meeting.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
No announcements.


TREASURER’S REPORT
Patnaude said the current account balance is now $7,909. Money has been distributed to:
$35 bike tickets
$406 needs-based tickets
$25,000 to Peaks Island Taxi
$2,400 to Island Compost Project
$2,000 to PEAT
$7,250 to Children’s Workshop
Unanimous approval of Treasurer’s Report.


PUBLIC COMMENT (beginning of meeting)
AM asked that road repairs and seawall repairs on Seashore Avenue be completed before winter
storms. AM asked that the wall be “built back better.” Patnaude said that larger rocks can be used
in the riprap wall which may make the wall higher and wider. Patnaude added that in key locations
the wall will be pinned. Patnaude said the Peaks Island road repairs are in the queue behind repairs
to the barge landing on Cliff and the causeway between the Diamond Islands. The Peaks Island
road repair project is 12-18 months out. Somers noted that FEMA funds will pay for 75% of the
project cost. Somers asked if the city’s matching contribution (10%) and the state’s matching
contribution (15%) have been secured. Patnaude said the city’s contribution is in the CIP but he is
not up to date on the state’s funding.




 PIC August 27, 2025 Meeting Minutes, DRAFT. Page 1
AM asked about removal of the boat on ferry beach. Patnaude said the neighborhood prosecutor,
Rich Bianculli, (lawyer that works for the police department) is going to work with the police
department and, if necessary, issue a citation.

Patnaude asked about other boats (kayaks, etc) on the beach. Glendening said PIC should look
into establishing a sanctioned place for islanders to put their boats.

COMMITTEE REPORTS & UPDATES
• Executive Committee –
 Glendening said that the city reimbursement for the zoom account has not been figured out.
 Patnaude said that the city uses Google Meets and that may be the best way to move forward.
 Mohler said he would investigate using Google Meets as a platform for remote participants.

• Environmental and Sustainability and Parks and Rec Committee
  Timmi Sellers said the exercise equipment for Trott Littlejohn Park will be arriving Friday morning,
  and it will be installed within 2-3 weeks. Sellers said that PEAT is applying for a sustainability
  mini-grant to fund a one-day event to bring island groups together to discuss sustainability.

 Glendening proposed separating Parks and Recreation Committee from Environmental and
 Sustainability Committee. Mohler asked if it makes more sense to start a new Safety Committee.
 Glendening said the Environmental and Sustainability Committee could discuss issues about
 climate change effects, the effects on the island of the bigger boat, tourism, down front traffic, etc.
 Glendening said those issues are not part of Parks and Rec. Mohler suggested that PIC
 comprehensively look at the committee structure and reorganize which committees oversee which
 efforts. Rees said that the down front traffic work is more related to public safety. Proulx added
 that keeping the school open is also a sustainability issue. Councilors agreed to reassess
 committee responsibilities.

• Ferry Service
 Somers said the new ferry will be delivered in January 2026. Then there will be several months for
 staff training and coast guard approval.

• Housing and Zoning Committee – ReCode Zoning survey
 Rees said the Housing and Zoning committee met with Dan and Sarah Cutera about a workplace
 housing “cottage court” that they want to develop on land they have newly acquired. The
 committee is directing the Cutera’s towards state grants that might help fund the project.

 Rees asked what will be done with the residual amount that was appropriated to pay for the
 housing for the island fellow who has left the island. Somers said that PIC could see if funds were
 required by needs-based tickets as the fiscal year goes on. Patnaude said that re-allocating the
 money to an island organization would be more difficult than purchasing more needs-based
 tickets.

• Island Assessment –
 Somers said he would connect with Jess to get additional clarity about the $25,000 grant from
 Casco Bay Estuary Partnership.

• Paper Roads

 PIC August 27, 2025 Meeting Minutes, DRAFT. Page 2
 Norm Proulx said the committee may request funds to hire someone to make a final map with all
 the paper roads on the island.

• Parking
 Reiser said that the Parking Committee will be meeting with the new Casco Bay Garage
 management. Anyone with concerns should reach out to Reiser or Rhonda Berg (committee
 member).

• Golf cart
 No update.

• Election Committee
 Three PIC seats are up for election in November, three CBL seats are also up for election. The
 PIC Election 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.

NEW BUSINESS
● Land use Code Update
Rees filed PIC Land Use Code amendment recommendation with the 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 said that the
Planning Board must review the PIC amendment and make their own recommendations
before the PIC amendment can go to the city council. Rees and Glendening will meet with
the Planning Board tomorrow (August 28th).
Rees made a motion that Rees and Glendening are authorized to bring the application
for PIC land use amendment on behalf of PIC. Somers seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.

• Impacts of tourism
Glendening said that research must be done to understand the current level of tourism and
how much tourism the island can handle. Somers said there is some data in the land side
study and the Island Assessment report may have some information as well. Glendening
said the topic needs to be discussed by PIC on a regular basis. Somers said this is
something that could be reviewed when all the committee responsibilities are reviewed.

• Elections Committee
There are three openings on the PIC – Sheila Reiser, Scott Mohler and Norm Proulx. Three
people are running for PIC seats – Jonah Bradenday, Jerzy Sylvester and Norm Proulx
(Norm is running as a write-in candidate).

Councilors agreed to invite Jerzy to the next meeting and to ask him to chair the PIC
Elections committee.

 PIC August 27, 2025 Meeting Minutes, DRAFT. Page 3
Proulx asked what the Elections Committee would do. Mohler said the committee organizes
candidates nights for the CBL board election, the city council election, and the school board
election.

• Tolman Heights Zoning
Somers said a homeowner in Tolman Heights wanted to install a yurt as a “campground”
and was going to ask for a land use waiver, but that has been withdrawn.

• Swim buoys
Glendening said that swim buoys are a safety item for islanders to safely swim on island
beaches. The buoys cost about $500 and a cabinet for a lifesaving ring also costs $500.
Glendening asked who in the city should be contacted so that the swim buoys could be
installed. Patnaude said that Parks and Recreation would not get involved. Glendening said
that Long Island has a swim buoy off Singing Sands Beach and that buoy was just dropped
in by the community. AM asked if any public beaches in town have swim buoys. Patnaude
said there are no swim buoys or lifeguards at beaches in town. Glendening will speak with
the Harbor Master to discuss requirements.



PUBLIC COMMENT
Rees said he and Proulx are still trying to contact CBL about a method for purchasing needs-based
monthly passes.

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



ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPDATES

Next PIC Meeting: Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 6:15 pm in the community room and on
Zoom.

Meeting Adjournment: 7:45 p.m.




 PIC August 27, 2025 Meeting Minutes, DRAFT. Page 4