Council President Dennis Canario and Chief Lance Hebert look on as Town Clerk Kathy Viera-Beaudoin swears in police officers.

The Portsmouth Council Chambers were packed with more than 60 people for the swearing in of half-a-dozen police officers to new positions (2 Lieutenants, a Sergeant, and a Detective). All the officers got a hearty round of applause from the Council and audience.

Most of the family, friends, and State Troopers left after that, but there were still about 25 folks there as the Council formally adopted the budget for 2008-2009, which Town Clerk Kathy Viera-Beaudoin read into the record. And, for the record, it comes in under the S3050 cap, with total tax levied at $40,364,490. It was a tough budget process, but, finally, it was over.

That was the end of the fun for the evening.

There was a landmine, as expected, in the item on Solid Waste. Committee chair Ernie Caron took the podium to explain the draft Request For Proposals (RFP) which was rejiggered following the appearance by Waste Management after the last unsuccessful attempt to award the contract. You'll recall that they did not believe the RFP had been properly circulated, and similar concerns came up this time, and loudly, from the Council.

Councilor Jim Seveney wanted to revisit the issue of a mandatory pre-bid conference, suggesting that it either be optional, or that it be canceled if only one bidder showed up. "There's got to be a better way than the last experince we had," said Seveney. "We're doing the same thing we did the last time that didn't work."

When Caron mentioned that to avoid a repeat of the last time that he and the committee had done some "advanced calling," it raised questions for several on the Council.

"What's going to happen if someone who's not on the list wants to bid?" asked Council President Canario. He worried this was reminiscent of the situation with Waste Management, where they felt they had not been notified. "I just want to make sure we don't get ourselves put in that predicament."

Tailgunner kept arguing that the last time had been "a glitch in the computer," which Councilor Seveney disputed. "I don't think that's a matter of fact," he said.

"There are at least two two companies interested," said Caron, trying to argue that the situation would not recur. But that only got the committee in deeper.

"How could they know," asked Seveney, "Before this Council has even seen it?"

Tailgunner tried to move on to another issue. "It's resolved in my mind," she said.

But Canario was having none of it. "My question still remains," he said. "Who was called, who was not called?" Neither Caron, nor committee member Judy Staven could remember who they had called. But Caron reassured the Council, "There was no solicitation whatsoever."

Eventually, they did move on, and discussed the minutiae of the RFP, including not allowing the operator to subcontract security. Canario wanted to be sure the Town had control over who was checking stickers. Gleason, on the other hand, wanted to be sure "We'll still have the spirit of recycling."

(Like the guy checking your sticker is going to say, "Irashaimasen!" Get real, Tailgunner.)

Then Caron had to defend the proposed change to regulations to prohibit personal construction debris from the transfer station.

"Where is a homeowner going to take it?" asked Canario.

"If I have a home and I'm stripping shingles, hire a dumpster," said Caron, who suggested that maybe they could have a separate construction debris container. When asked about how people could get their debris into such a thing, he opined that perhaps they could build some steps.

"If you're gonna put in stairs, you better plan to put a defibrillator down there," said Canario.

None of this was going over well with the Council. Seveney moved to table, and the whole item got put off to a workshop next Monday June 30.

The Council then took up a revised letter of to the State about the Escape Bridge, which had been stiffened up with some language and supporting detail about the importance of this route for evacuating Island Park. Bob Gilstein described the actual deterioration, which is mostly in the under-decking of the bridge where the bonding between the road sections has worn away, leaving the reinforcing bar connectors exposed and rusting. Like most RIDOT nightmares, this appears to have been another maintenance failure. The Council unanimously approved the letter requesting rehabilitation or replacement.

In other biz, the contract of Bill Clark, Director of Business Development, was approved for another year. A dispute about the condition of a house on Stagecoach Road ended up in Town Solicitor Kevin Gavin's lap, in an attempt to draft an ordinance that would provide some leverage in promoting better upkeep.

And the Council was considering the tentative ranking of respondents to an RFP for streetscape design work in the Town Center when Tailgunner wanted to revisit the whole idea. She was not sure the foot of Quaker Hill was the "best location" and wanted everyone to keep an "open mind" about moving it further up East Main Road. "Maybe up to Park Avenue."

"If this is being brought up now, where were we for the past 5 years?" Canario wanted to know. The Council approved the RFP ranking 5-1, Gleason opposed.

Then there was an insanely dragged-out discussion about the ponds at Melville Park, which, it was argued by Melville Park Committee Chair Ed Rizy, needed engineering analysis. "If you do nothing," said Rizy, "Melvile Park Campground will be called Melville Swamp Campground."

It was a very colorful turn of phrase, but by now it was almost 10pm, and the Council cut to the meat of the item, which was to do the first phase of the analysis for $12K. Tailgunner tried bravely to get the Council to spend almost three times as much for the whole package, but her motion failed, 5-1.