2021.01.08--Falmouth Focus, Volume 3, Issue 1

Please note:  This newsletter will be sent to subscribers of both The Falmouth Focus newsletter and Town News & Announcements. Please excuse cross postings. To change your subscription settings, visit E-Alerts. 

Town Services, Offices, & Facilities

• Town of Falmouth Facility Closures, Cancellation, and Status of Services
• Online and Remote Services
• A Guide to Participating in Virtual Town Council Meetings
• Transfer Station and Waste Disposal
• Falmouth Parks, Playgrounds, Trails & Trailhead Parking
• Falmouth Schools Updates

Please Note:  Town Offices will be closed on Monday, January 18 in observance of the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Vision & Values Project: Helping Shape the Future of Falmouth

by David Beurle, CEO, Future iQ

The Falmouth community-driven Vision and Values project is now well underway. The Community Survey #1 kicked off late last year, and we are now approaching 1,000 responses. This survey will be open until the end of January. By participating in this survey, you are having your say about the future direction of the community. There is a direct link between this survey and the future development of the community.

The Vision and Values project will progress and evolve through 2021, culminating in a vision that lays the foundation for Falmouth’s next Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan is a planning tool that guides future development in Falmouth and which, in turn, provides specific direction for future development through its Land Use ordinances. This plan will shape many aspects of the community including density, type, and location of future development, but also covers broader issues such as transportation, public facilities, neighborhoods, and environmental protection. Community responses to this initial survey will help lay an important foundation to this longer-term planning effort.

We are asking you to take this survey and seeking your help in getting neighbors and family to do the same. The survey takes 15-20 minutes and seeks your view across a range of important topics. To add your voice to the Community Survey #1 please visit the project portal at https://lab2.future-iq.com/town-of-falmouth-vision-and-values-project/

To learn more about joining us as a Community Connector, visit: https://lab2.future-iq.com/town-of-falmouth-vision-and-values-project/community-connnectors/

Falmouth EMS Receives First Round of COVID Vaccine

On December 30, ten of Falmouth’s EMS providers received the first of two vaccinations against the coronavirus. The first vaccination went to Captain Cuttler, call company Captain at Foreside Station and the most active provider in the department. Nine other active providers followed, including FF/AEMT Sam Whitener, pictured above. Twenty additional providers received vaccinations this week and the remainder of Falmouth Fire-EMS providers were vaccinated through their other affiliations. According to Chief Rice, the next phase of vaccinations, though not yet scheduled, will include Falmouth firefighters, police officers, and public works staff. "We are hopeful that the process will continue quickly and efficiently,” said Chief Rice, “so all our public safety personnel, who have been on the front lines throughout this pandemic, can safely continue to serve to the community.”

Despite Pandemic Restrictions, Second Annual Giving Tree a Success

by Chief John Kilbride, Falmouth Police Department

Falmouth Police Department's Second Annual Giving Tree was a complete success despite changes made to the program due to the pandemic. While last year we collected physical gifts, this year, we were restricted to only gift cards. Though not as exciting and photogenic as actual gifts, the spirit of the event and support for the cause remained the same. We closed out this year's giving tree with over $1300 in gift cards and monetary donations to assist those suffering from critical needs because of domestic violence. The generous support from our citizens was overwhelming and indicative of their kind and caring spirit. Special thanks to several students at Falmouth High School for taking the initiative and collecting over $350 in gifts cards for the event. All proceeds will be given to Through These Doors to support relocating and assisting victims of domestic violence and their children. Officer Amanda Hogg (pictured above) launched this program in 2019 to connect and provide some comfort to those displaced, victimized, and terrorized by this crime. Thank you to the community for your continued support of this worthwhile cause. 

Friendly Reminders Regarding Trash & Recycling Collection

By Susie Holt, Administrative Assistant, Department of Public Works

During the winter months, calls to Public Works regarding trash collection frequently increase. The Town of Falmouth contracts with Pine Tree Waste (also known as Casella) for trash and recycling collection services. Here are a few tips and reminders to help ensure your trash and recycling are picked up each week.

Put Your Bins/Trash Bags Out By 7:00am

The number one most important thing to remember is that bins and yellow trash bags must be placed curbside by 7:00am. But the garbage man always comes around 2:00pm, you say? That may usually be the case, but this is not a definitive schedule put in place by our waste haulers. Though on most days the drivers complete their routes at relatively the same time, many factors can impact when they will arrive at your house on any given day. In short, trash collectors may arrive earlier or later to your home depending on a variety of circumstances. Having your items out at 7:00am ensures that you are not missed. Let’s take a look at what impacts pick-up times.

1. Inclement weather may slow down the collection. On the other hand, collectors may finish the route more quickly if several residents opt not to put their bins out during a storm. 
2. Substitute drivers may choose to start or end a route at another location than the one your regular driver uses. These changes could affect pick up times.
3. Drivers in training also may start at another location where it is easier or safer to conduct training. New drivers can also be slower resulting in an altered pick up time.
4. Obstacles in the roadway could prevent the truck and collection staff from proceeding safely. Our waste haulers are charged with making sure that their vehicles and employees are conducting operations safely. In some cases, if a route cannot be completed and the schedule allows, Casella may add that route to its collections schedule the following day. Examples of roadway obstructions include:
   1. Road construction or private construction at someone’s home (such as painters, driveway pavers, contractors etc.) can result in vehicles or machinery on the roadway. The driver may get to your home earlier or later due to detouring from a construction area or may not arrive at all if a particular street is impassable.
   2. Another common missed collection issue is vehicles parked in the area where collection trucks turn around. If the driver does not think he/she can maneuver the truck safely without causing property or vehicle damage or keeping staff safe, a street may be overlooked. Leaving these areas clear on collection days and not parking your vehicles in turnarounds is a huge help to everyone in the neighborhood to ensure timely collections.

Trash Bags & Bins Must Be Placed Curbside

Bins and bags must be placed at the end of the driveway or on a plowed sidewalk, parallel to the street, to be picked up. This can be tricky during heavy snow events. Bins and bags covered in snow will not be collected, nor will bins and bags set part way up the driveway, even if the driveway is plowed. Some residents prefer to hold their items until the following week if their trash day takes place during or right after a heavy snowstorm. Or you can always bring your trash and recycling to the Transfer Station during opening hours.

Recycling Cannot Be Bagged

Recycling that is contained in plastic bags will not be collected. Plastic bags jam the sorting machines at the recycling facility. Place your loose recycling in an appropriately marked recycling bin. 

Holiday Collection

Generally, if your collection day falls on New Year’s day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, or Christmas Day, collection for that day will be moved to Saturday. For example, if New Year’s Day falls on a Friday (as it did this year), trash collection for that day will take place on Saturday, January 2. The Town of Falmouth sends E-Alerts and posts to its website and social media pages regarding holiday collection schedules. You can also find this information in our ads placed in the Forecaster. 

If Your Trash & Recycling Is Not Collected

If your bins were placed curbside by 7:00am but not collected, you may call Pine Tree Waste/Casella (our waste haulers) directly at their Customer Care Line at 207-883-9777. This is the most direct way to discover what issue prevented your pickup. If you have further questions or concerns, you may also call me, Susie Holt, at the Public Works office at 207-781-3919 and I will do my best to assist you.

Town-Wide Revaluation Project to Begin Mid-January

As noted in previous issues of The Falmouth Focus, the Town of Falmouth will conduct a town-wide property revaluation beginning in January 2021. Because property values fluctuate with market conditions, it is necessary to conduct revaluations to ensure an equitable distribution of the tax burden. During a revaluation, all real estate in the town is reviewed and assessments are adjusted to their fair market value. Falmouth’s last revaluation occurred in 2009. Click here for our Revaluation Fact Sheet to learn more about the revaluation process.

In January 2020, the Town of Falmouth hired Vision Government Solutions to assist in conducting this revaluation under the supervision of Cumberland County Regional Assessing, which provides real and personal property assessing services to the Town. Beginning mid-January, data collectors from Vision Government Solutions will begin visiting Falmouth properties to conduct exterior evaluations (interior evaluations will not occur until later in 2021 and 2022). Data Collection will begin in the northwest corner of Falmouth, near Cumberland and Windham. 

The Town of Falmouth has created a Revaluation Project Page which will include updates as the revaluation project progresses. The page will include information on the process as well as a project schedule. The Revaluation Project Page can be accessed via the home page of the Town website or by clicking here. Additional updates can be found via our social media pages, this newsletter, and in our regular Forecaster ads.

Reminder: our valued waste management partners, ecomaine, will be conducting a drive-by survey to see how residents are utilizing their curbside recycling bins. To complete the survey, ecomaine will be counting bins from their car and will not be getting out of their vehicle or sorting through your waste. So, if you see them driving their branded ecomaine electric vehicles through your neighborhood give them a wave hello as they pass by.

Route 1 North Project Forum, January 20, 7:00pm

On January 20, 2021 at 7:00pm, the Town will hold a Zoom public forum to provide an update on the preparation of a Preliminary Engineering Plan and Cost Estimate for the infrastructure component of the Route 1 North Vision Plan. This plan was developed in 2017 by an ad hoc Route 1 North Committee and endorsed by the Town Council. The project involves the Route 1 section between Bucknam Road and the Cumberland Town line and the Johnson Road section between Middle Road and Route 1. In July 2020, the Town Council authorized the preparation of a Preliminary Engineering Plan and Cost Estimate and Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. was retained to assist the Town with this work. The public forum will include an update on the Vision Plan, anticipated design work, and project schedule as well as an opportunity for the public to provide feedback on proposed design options. Project information can be found here: https://www.falmouthme.org/long-range-planningeconomic-development/pages/route-1-north-infrastructure-project-2020-2021. For more information, please contact Theo Holtwijk at tholtwijk@falmouthme.org or 699-5340. Information for how to connect via Zoom will be posted at the project page link above and on the home page of the Town website in advance of the forum.

Community Programs Winter/Spring Programming Open for Registration

Just a reminder that our Falmouth Community Programs Spring/Winter brochure is available and registration is now open. We have tennis lesson options for Grades 6-8 and for Adults, as well as Adult Pickleball Lessons and Gentle Yoga for Adults. And NEW this season is our S.O.A.R Program: Senior Outdoor Adventures in Recreation! Beat the winter blues and get out and exercise.

Check out the brochure here for program details.

Direct link to register here.

Facing Stigma, January 24

The Episcopal Church of St. Mary and the Town of Falmouth have joined forces to educate the community about the opioid crisis with a series of community discussions. The second of three programs in the series this year, “Facing Stigma: Anti-Immigration Bias in Maine and What We Can Do About It,” will be held virtually via Zoom on Sunday, January 24 from 4pm to 5:30pm. The event is free and open to the public.

Stigma is ubiquitous and takes different forms in our community. This series addresses the faces of stigma, its roots, its manifestations, its consequences, and how we may come together in community to overcome and combat it. The first presentation in the series, held in October, explored the stigma of mental illness. The second presentation and discussion features Human Rights educator, trainer and advocate, Steve Wessler. In March, a third presentation will focus on Facing Stigma and the Recovery Community.

The program will be offered via Zoom and accessed through this link: Facing Stigma: Creating Solutions. For more information, contact the Episcopal Church of St. Mary, Falmouth at the parish office, 781-3366, smary@smary.org or Jennifer Gregg, 781-2665, jenniferanngregg@gmail.com.

2021 Transfer Station & Parking Stickers Available

It's time to purchase your 2021 Transfer Station & Parking sticker to access the Transfer Station and to park at Town Landing. Stickers are $5.00 annually and can be purchased at either Town Hall or the Public Works Office on Woods Road. The color of the sticker changes each year. Stickers are valid for the calendar year from January 1 through December 31, 2021. To obtain a sticker by mail contact the Town Clerk's Office at 781-5253.

Remember, disposal of certain materials and large items at the Transfer Station require disposal tickets, which are also $5.00 each. These tickets are available at Town Hall, Public Works, Shaw's, Hannaford, Town Landing Market, and Waldo's. Tickets are NOT available for sale at the Transfer Station. Most materials will cost 1 or 2 tickets ($5.00 or $10.00). You can find a listing of accepted items and rates at: https://www.falmouthme.org/transfer-station/pages/transfer-station-procedures-and-rates

Winter Safety Tips for Natural Gas Users

Although natural gas equipment is designed to withstand harsh weather conditions, damage can be caused by snow and ice accumulation, as proper ventilation is required to keep equipment running smoothly. Vents for natural gas appliances help prevent the accumulation of carbon monoxide within buildings, and are needed for combustion equipment to operate properly. Customers should check the vents on their home or business and remove any snow or ice from the area. Summit Natural Gas, the primary gas utility provider in Falmouth, encourages all customers to check and test their carbon monoxide detectors to ensure the equipment is working properly. In addition, natural gas meters should be kept clear of ice and snow to avoid damage to the equipment and the meter should remain visible and accessible for maintenance personnel. Snow and ice should be removed from natural gas equipment as gently as possible, using a broom rather than a shovel or kicking the meter and pipes. Damage to the meter can also occur from overhead hazards, and customers are encouraged to remove icicles from overhead eaves and gutters to prevent dripping water from splashing and freezing on the meter or vent pipe. If you smell gas, immediately leave the area, do not try to turn off your gas or use any electronic devices such as a cellphone or light switch, and when in a safe place call 911 and your service provider. 

Summit Natural Gas provides more safety information on its website at: https://summitnaturalgasmaine.com/NaturalGasSafety. Until, which provides natural gas service in some areas of Falmouth, also includes safety tips on its website at: https://unitil.com/energy-for-residents/safety/natural-gas-safety.

Transfer Station to Close During Snow Events During Pandemic

Due to the pandemic, additional staffing is required at the Transfer Station to meet health and safety protocols. These additional staff members are also charged with snow removal. As a result, during some snow events, it will be necessary to close the Transfer Station so that the required personnel can operate snow plows. On these occasions, when closure is warranted, the public will be alerted through News & Announcements E-Alerts, social media, and the Town website. Every effort will be made to provide advance notice of these closures. The severity, duration, and geographic scope of a snow event will determine when and how long Transfer Station closure is necessary. The Town recommends that residents consult the Town website or call 781-3919 during snow events to determine if the Transfer Station is open. Residents are also encouraged to subscribe to News & Announcements E-Alerts for updates at www.falmouthme.org/subscribe.

Town Council Virtual Meeting, Monday, January 11, 7:00pm

The Falmouth Town Council will conduct a virtual meeting using emergency legislation, Sec. G-1 MRSA §403-A, that allows cities and towns to conduct meetings online. The meeting will be held on Monday, January 11 at 7:00pm using Zoom. This application will allow attendees to connect via computer or phone. A meeting link and phone instructions will be provided in advance of the meeting via the Town website homepage and E-Alerts that will allow you to join the meeting via computer or phone, as well as, a phone number to dial in. An agenda can be found here. Check out our Guide to Participating in Virtual Public Meetings. If you have questions, please call (207) 699-5329. 

At the Most Recent Town Council Meeting…

The Town Council held a meeting on December 7 at 7:00pm via Zoom.

The Council approved the minutes of the October 26, November 9, and November 23, 2020 Town Council meetings.

There was an update on the Community Vision and Values project. 

There was an update on the town wide property revaluation project.

The Town Council held a special meeting on December 16 at 6:00pm via Zoom.

The Council approved the re-enactment of Ordinance No.128-2020, an emergency ordinance to temporarily suspend certain provisions of the Falmouth Code of Ordinances relating to outdoor eating areas and outdoor retail display to assist businesses suffering economic loss due to COVID-19 in a manner consistent with the Governor’s re-opening plan.

The Council approved an order to go into Executive Session pursuant to the Laws of Maine to discuss real estate rights, pursuant to 1 M.R.S.A. § 405 (6) (C). The Council did not return from Executive Session. 

View past Town Council meetings here. 

Planning Board

The Planning Board acted upon the following items at the January 5 meeting:  

• ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION ITEM:  Libby Construction, Inc. – Cavendish Road – Request for Subdivision Amendment to add drainage easements.  Approved with conditions. 
• PUBLIC HEARING - Amendments to Section 19-40 of the Code of Ordinances to provide certain allowances for the keeping of animals in the RD and HL zoning districts.  Recommended.  
• Falmouth Shopping Center - 251 US Route 1 – Request for Site Plan Approval for a 24,870 sf Bank/Office Four Story Building. Tabled.
• Anthony Wilkins – 9 Hidden Oaks Way – Request for Private Way Approval for one new lot. Tabled.

For more information please visit: https://www.falmouthme.org/planning-board

Board of Zoning Appeals 

The Board of Zoning Appeals acted upon the following items at its December 22 meeting: 

• 331 Foreside Road – Kevin Browne Architecture representing Brian Corcoran and Melissa Smith - Request for Conditional Use Approval under Section 19-77 for expansions of the first and second floors. Approved
• 446 Pride Farm Road – Kevin Browne Architecture representing David Rudnick and Laura Thurston - Request for Conditional Use Approval under Section 19-84 for a tear down and rebuild of single-family dwelling. Approved 
• 6 Robinson Road – Beppie and Bob Cerf – Request for Conditional Use Approval under 19-77 for second floor expansion and removal of two decks. Approved 
• 44 Lowell Farm Road – Afterglow LLC – Request for Conditional Use Approval under Section 19-84 for a tear down and rebuild of single-family dwelling. Approved
• 16 Poppy Lane - Dawn Ascanio – Request for Conditional Use Approval under Section 19-54 for a home occupation. Approved

The following items are expected to be considered at the January 26, 2021 Board of Zoning Appeals meeting:

• Matthew & Margaret Blake – 7 Pitt Street – Request for Variance under Section 19-120 to replace existing unsafe and non-compliant front entry stairway with small exterior porch landing and stairway.
• Melissa Shattuck – 1 Webber Way – Request for Conditional Use Approval under Section 19-77 for a 8’ x 16’ 3-season porch addition.
• Marilyn A. Lalumiere – 20 Glen Road – Request for Administrative Appeal under Section 19-124 of Code Enforcement Officer’s decision regarding a fence permit.

For more information please visit: https://www.falmouthme.org/board-of-zoning-appeals

Stay Informed with the Town of Falmouth Website and E-Alerts

There are many Town committees and boards that meet on a regular basis. The events calendar on the Town of Falmouth website homepage lists upcoming board, committee, and Town Council meetings. We send E-Alerts when Town Council, Planning Board, and Board of Zoning Appeals meeting agendas and minutes are posted to the website. Subscribe via E-Alerts to those that most interest you. Agendas and Minutes for these meetings are also posted online. Town Council, Planning Board, and School Board meetings are live-streamed on Falmouth Community TV Channel 1301 (Former Channel 2). Recordings of these meetings are also available for viewing online. Board of Zoning Appeals Meetings are not broadcast live but can be viewed online within 24 hours after the meeting. E-Alerts allows you to subscribe to specific e-mail lists about Town-related issues that interest you. Over 70% of respondents to our Communications Methods Survey found E-Alerts to be an effective means of getting info about Town activities. The Falmouth Focus, this bi-weekly newsletter, is another way to stay in the loop. Subscribe via E-Alerts. Please let us know what kind of information you would like to see included in your town newsletter.