[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6375312,"mediaKeyId","2142110-470b6e954a6bb1d9ace3238271f79bbc","parentId",2142110,"title","Lewiston reviews condo classifications and solid-waste costs as downtown converts to more owned units","audioSeconds",2242,"startMs",1962000,"endMs",4204000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2142110-470b6e954a6bb1d9ace3238271f79bbc&start=1962&end=4204","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2142110-470b6e954a6bb1d9ace3238271f79bbc/thumbnail_1962000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6375312/Lewiston/Androscoggin-County/Maine/Lewiston-reviews-condo-classifications-and-solid-waste-costs-as-downtown-converts-to-more-owned-units","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6375312-d98cf54fd2dd21204e13a3a6985d82b7/orig.mp4?Expires=1776064254&Signature=W4-ZECBvR497i0XKYDjmVvsM3Iy-~kxz9bxxzUszCSRHeYpGqatr9rEK7l4cPFdIf~JXbDCrPjohdqhId16qqYV68VOq9d9Ov8NRHXRjS1CvoXZumHVSKgnMtXMbCHiJBilTZV9szLqbI1uG26zf-s7T0aoVFbj5R~vfUgm6c0jZShLjyzNrwkShK0JBPCS0j9LwFLoRP-WP8NwRK4K-xHHB-WOxau8l12DJn1LgIio6r3Ehgs1nG2xky7gx8LqKDx03jFP6f~49KMYDD~Uek64ZYDAcRbPbSph13f3viMWtrGG7JQ3A7ylmb7qEzP8S4PgaMwF7gVoQi0JBybCz~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Lewiston","date","2025-01-22T01:10:54Z","article","Public Works staff and Deputy Director Megan Bates briefed the Lewiston City Council on condominium properties and city solid-waste collection policy at a workshop, laying out how Chapter 62 treats condominiums, what properties currently receive city curbside service, and rough annual cost comparisons between private dumpsters and the city’s apartment/curbside program.

Megan Bates displayed maps and photos of multiple condominium locations across the city — Westview Drive (8 units), Ledge's Court (32 units, private drive), Foliage Arbor Lane (33 units), Mount View Terrace (16 units), a garden-style complex at 191–193 Russell (16 units), a downtown property at 403–409 Lisbon Street (renovated 1902 building) and 250–274 Blake Street (12 units). Bates recited ordinance text identifying commercial activity and said city collection practice currently treats some condos as eligible for the multifamily curbside program.

Bates described program costs and rules. Chapter 62 allows the city’s \"multiunit apartment curbside collection\" program for properties constructed prior to May 6, 2003. Participation requires a one-time $100 application fee and an annual $170 per-unit fee. Bates said the city “is costing the city $2.50 per unit to cover the cost of this program,” and presented private-dumpster annual estimates from haulers: a 4-yard dumpster servicing 3–4 units at roughly $2,100 per year, a 6-yard for 4–6 units at about $2,600–$3,000 per year, and an 8-yard for 7–8 units at about $3,400–$4,000 per year. By contrast, Bates said the city program range is roughly $510 to $1,400 per year for 3–8 units (figures presented as comparative estimates).

Bates and other staff emphasized operational constraints: some condominium sites sit on private drives or lack adequate room for dumpsters; the city contract with Casella was negotiated as a per‑unit price that covers curbside trash and recycling for residential units. The city is proposing FY26 budget line items that would increase collection costs from about $700,000 in FY25 to a proposed $2,060,000 in FY26 for solid-waste collection citywide, and estimated recycling cost around $950,000 in FY26. Bates said adding the mapped inventory of about 223 units to city service would increase costs in the tens of thousands of dollars and that staff could return with updated fee schedules and options.

Councilors framed the discussion as an equity and policy question rather than a purely operational one. Councilor Harriman argued that individually owned condominiums should be treated like single-family homes for service parity: \"If I own a single family, but I don't live in it and I rent it to somebody... It seems to me in this whole procedure that condos… it seems like a basic fairness issue. If I own a single family and I my taxes are paying for the for the trash collection… If I own a condo, it seems like it should be the same way.\" Councilor Nagy urged standard service quality across haulers and suggested the city define service standards so private haulers meet the same expectations as Casella; Councilor Nejean and others said they supported including some condos on the city program but emphasized the need to update fees so the city does not subsidize services.

Other councilors raised operational specifics: Councilor Glantz asked about school-bus parking for field trips and conditional weekday-designated spaces; Councilor Roy proposed treating individually owned condo units similarly to single-family homes in the ordinance and offered to draft specific ordinance language. City staff said changes to fee schedules are made through the city’s solid-waste policy and coordinated with finance during the budget process.

There were no formal votes or ordinance changes at the workshop. Staff committed to return with cost scenarios and fee schedules for council consideration and to explore how expanding the program might interact with the existing Casella contract and with private haulers.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Workshop & Meeting 01/21/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Public Works staff and Deputy Director Megan Bates reviewed how Lewiston treats condominiums under Chapter 62 of the solid-waste ordinance, compared private-dumpster costs with city curbside service and outlined proposed FY26 collection-cost estimates.","taxTitle","Lewiston, Androscoggin County, Maine","taxId",2584,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6375317,"Lewiston hears two concept options for Simard Payne Park in River Island master-plan update",1964,0,1964000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2142110-470b6e954a6bb1d9ace3238271f79bbc&start=0&end=1964","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2142110-470b6e954a6bb1d9ace3238271f79bbc/thumbnail_0.jpg","/articles/6375317/Lewiston/Androscoggin-County/Maine/Lewiston-hears-two-concept-options-for-Simard-Payne-Park-in-River-Island-master-plan-update","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6375317-fcfb513e9b82c2b18d91f05dcfcf3c35/orig.mp4?Expires=1776064254&Signature=L1K1cBv4Pphf4YDL8-GJswoJhphMyfl2i18g3rk76iUBbgOu6~8l3V5w15iG~6DczS-WmU0iNWAtDx9-36-SKyHMJLlNbOWdWZd9VqFKxn42mJsTNksVqN6P0YZU9LbkyHUgCAJQfL92kQrTN7js79to~MCdW9oUXdOfGkPt~S13O7R-wbjqJKF1izHS3f~vOeqaU7w9A9eNJBqNeBJpYouwgbkxTSrrpKDiQSPaH-95Q5v66xjB8OHTVEZe-uxllEGIZMWzlUJycPxt6krCrTc-D34RPkdTTxDFUCWm8CLvsXtrYueVRewD8bz~F5pslu9w3Y3DPH6-kJlx18CLoA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City engineer Jeff Bullies and designers from View Shed presented two concept plans for the Simard Payne Park portion of the Riverfront/Island master-plan update at a Lewiston City Council workshop, asking the council for feedback and a one- to two-week comment window before a final design presentation in late March or early April.

The proposals aim to narrow a slate of future projects for capital planning and to guide Local Capital Improvement Program (LCIP) requests. View Shed showed Concept 1, described as a simplified plan with a targeted canal access stair at Oxford Street, a new pedestrian bridge from Oxford Street into Simard Payne, canal overlooks, a dining plaza near the red shop, an enlarged stage and accessible restrooms near an amphitheater, and an adventure playground adjacent to a picnic pavilion. Concept 2 keeps many of the same elements but repositions features: cantilevered canal overlooks, the memorial moved north to a more prominent place as people come in across the pedestrian bridge, a splash pad with a new retaining wall that creates an elevated play area and potential climbing wall, and removable seating for flexible use of the amphitheater footprint.

\"We are going to go through this very quickly, and we will wait for your comments both at the end, and we will give a period of 1 to 2 weeks for you to get back to us with any questions that you may have as well,\" View Shed project manager Jessica Higgins said during the presentation. Principal Hilary O'Judge described a range of strategies to “activate the canal,” including stepped access that adapts to changing water levels, kayak and paddleboard launches, artwork integrated with bridges and canal walls supported by an NEA grant the city has received, and winter uses such as natural or chilled skating rinks in contained pavilion areas.

Director Gagne said the city does not typically change canal water levels on a regular basis but noted dewatering can occur for maintenance: \"Right now, we don't actively change those levels. We've discussed, we have dewatered the canal to do maintenance. You've seen that this past summer…so we now can manage that better because of those improvements that we've recently done.\" He cautioned full dewatering can cause freeze–thaw problems in retaining walls and that designers were exploring options such as raising the canal bottom in places to create shallower, more recreational water.

Councilors and staff pressed the team on specific operational and program questions. Councilor Stoll said she preferred Concept 2 for family features and praised the splash pad: \"I think that's a fantastic it gets pretty hot sometimes in the summer.\" Councilor Glantz voiced support for placing the memorial in a prominent spot and raised questions about dogs, school-bus parking for field trips and how flexible staging would be used for performances. Councilor Nejean urged flexible, multiuse design for the pavilion and stage area, noting the existing railroad loading-dock stage is fixed: \"I just would suggest that it be flexible. Whatever it is, it'd be flexible so that, different community groups can use it in different ways.\"

Designers described a range of accessibility accommodations planned for both concepts: a central ADA-accessible path through the park to provide views and seating for people using wheelchairs, smaller ADA ramps connecting amphitheater seating, and changes to the riverside loading and dock areas to support accessible launches. The team also identified maintenance considerations for proposed elements: the splash-pad requires a retaining wall; some play elements with moving parts will need durable design to limit long-term maintenance and vandalism.

Jeff Bullies, city engineer, closed the presentation by asking the public and council to send comments to staff: \"You can forward all your comments to me,\" he said, and acknowledged additional project staff—Shelley Norton, John Connor and Nate Libby—who have been involved with the work.

Next steps: the design team said they will incorporate council feedback, accept written comments for about one to two weeks, and work toward a final master-plan presentation at the end of March or early April.","City engineer Jeff Bullies and View Shed presented two concept plans for Simard Payne Park’s master plan, asking the council for feedback and a one- to two-week comment window before a final design presentation in late March or early April.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6375307,"Council adopts zoning changes on homeless-shelter rules and other items; multiple measures pass 7–0",1654,4995000,6649000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2142110-470b6e954a6bb1d9ace3238271f79bbc&start=4995&end=6649","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2142110-470b6e954a6bb1d9ace3238271f79bbc/thumbnail_4995000.jpg","/articles/6375307/Lewiston/Androscoggin-County/Maine/Council-adopts-zoning-changes-on-homeless-shelter-rules-and-other-items-multiple-measures-pass-70","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6375307-63dd1eb07e6f7e98d933432168639f31/orig.mp4?Expires=1776064254&Signature=JdSUly7iZNPkLZE2VhTS0gPIG1ensDNqSM92kQjWh2tUQyVCiGAfegxFxWPN2p-Eq8rfbPoxCW4fMxNRGdDgPExp7dW1DaNh8ElkQwn-bCZdzxFQz9cmUerRUHBKLSHgfPjn9GUPXan4k6BW5YiemALKCI5fH2JtmcYEe0EmdzjTelT--eMkN5Evi0ZOBikCVM2J63hJeIgjk~NQh~I-kiml3M5xyObXydH593AaBIzlFhyGCXA8N1HbM~5PqMW-jCnJbqX6oSmO1-UPnAoofif9DgVcZc3c9fp91SfaspyGahA5k3AczDFCf5kS7bjzNhbJ1l0O~iDXpXtMLPRq3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its meeting following the workshops, the Lewiston City Council took final votes on a series of land‑use and administrative items. The council approved multiple amendments to Appendix A of the zoning and land‑use code concerning homeless-shelter definitions, the official map, district regulations, conditional-use review criteria and the No Name Pond Conservation Overlay District. The council also approved routine business items, a special-amusement permit and minutes.

Votes at a glance

- Minutes of Jan. 7, 2025: Approved (motion moved by Councilor Chittum; second by Councilor Glenn). Outcome: approved, vote tally 7–0.

- Consent agenda (appointments to boards/committees; municipal quitclaim deeds for 242 Oak Street and 25 Peter Boulevard; appointments to Lewiston area public health committee): Approved, outcome 7–0.

- Special amusement permit (Midtown Athletic Club, 875 Lisbon Street): Approved, outcome 7–0.

- Amendment to Appendix A, Article 2 (definitions) — revise definition of homeless shelter: Final passage approved, outcome 7–0.

- Amendment to Appendix A, Official Map — eliminate homeless-shelter overlay district: Final passage approved, outcome 7–0.

- Amendment to Appendix A, Article 4 (establishment of districts) — eliminate homeless-shelter overlay district: Final passage approved, outcome 7–0.

- Amendment to Appendix A, Article 10 (conditional uses) — add review criteria for conditional-use permits for homeless shelters (including a clarified minimum square footage per person): Final passage approved, outcome 7–0. (Councilor Chittum’s proposed wording change to the ordinance — specifying a 250‑foot buffer from city parks measured property line to property line — was considered as an amendment and failed by a roll call vote of 2–5.)

- Amendment to Appendix A, Article 11 (district regulations) — identify additional districts where homeless shelters are allowed and remove the homeless-shelter overlay district: Final passage approved, outcome 7–0.

- Amendment regarding No Name Pond Conservation Overlay District (Article 11): Final passage approved, outcome 7–0.

Several motions were moved, seconded and approved by roll-call votes. Where roll-call entries listed only ward positions, the council recorded a unanimous 7–0 tally on the noted final-passage ordinances. The one contested council action was the failed amendment to remove the park buffer language; that amendment failed on a roll call recorded as 2 in favor and 5 opposed.

What changed and next steps

The adopted amendments remove the previously designated homeless-shelter overlay district and instead amend base district regulations and conditional-use criteria so that shelter siting is regulated by conditional-use review in specified zoning districts. The council included a review criterion that specifies at least 50 square feet per person for certain shelter facilities (language amended during council consideration). The failed amendment would have removed a provision that requires shelters be located 250 feet away from city parks (measured from property line to property line); the council rejected that change and therefore retained the park buffer language as part of the conditional-use criteria.

Staff and the planning department will implement the code changes and update official mapping and zoning documents. Several councilors said they will continue to study park buffers and park definitions in follow‑up conversations with staff.","Lewiston City Council approved a package of amendments to the zoning code and related items, including changes to definitions and conditional‑use criteria for homeless shelters. A separate amendment to remove a 250‑foot park buffer failed. Several consent items and a live-entertainment permit also passed.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Lewiston reviews condo classifications and solid-waste costs as downtown converts to more owned units

Lewiston hears two concept options for Simard Payne Park in River Island master-plan update

Council adopts zoning changes on homeless-shelter rules and other items; multiple measures pass 7–0