HOULTON – Residents crowded into Monday night’s Town Council meeting to voice support for the town manager, who some said had been unduly criticized in recent weeks.

The council also tightened the town’s loitering ordinance, adding a $100 fine for violators, and approved a grant application in an effort to come up with $15,000 for a skate park.

Town Manager Peggy Daigle had come under fire at the April 26 council meeting when a lawyer and other residents questioned her about the process that awarded the town’s geographic information system mapping project to the James W. Sewall Co. of Old Town.

GIS involves use of software to present information, often in the form of a map.

Daigle’s handling of bid inquiries and her relationship with Sewall were questioned in the previous meeting. Daigle formerly worked for Sewall as director of municipal GIS.

On Monday, Frank Dunn, a Houlton resident and former town councilor, said he was asked to speak at the council meeting by “many members of the business community.”

“We voice our support for our town manager,” Dunn said. “I’ve lately come to the conclusion that some factions with personal agendas have tried to discredit Mrs. Daigle, so much so that we feel a need to speak out.”

Dunn did not elaborate on who the factions were. “We urge Mrs. Daigle to stick with us,” Dunn said, “as we see the excellent job that she is doing.”

Daigle thanked the public for the praise, saying that it benefited both herself and the councilors.

After Dunn’s comments were met with a near-standing ovation, Houlton resident and Aroostook County Commissioner Paul Adams offered a prepared statement.

“I have had the good fortune to work with [Daigle] and the town on numerous items,” Adams said. “She was gracious, articulate, and I found her enthusiastic about her job.”

Adams said that Daigle played a significant role in the development of the communications center at the Maine State Police barracks in Houlton, now equipped and staffed to answer 911 emergency calls.

“I’ve found it dismaying that Daigle has suffered abuse as of late,” Adams said. “My challenge to you as councilors is to work with [Daigle] as a team … and all of the county commissioners support my message.”

Councilor Phil Bernaiche, proclaiming himself “the black sheep of the family,” expressed continued frustration about the GIS bid process. Bernaiche said that he was going to request the minutes of the workshop that determined the Sewall Co.’s proposal to be the better of the two presented.

Daigle told Bernaiche that there were no minutes “because it was a workshop-type process.”

“I would like to thank people for their show of support,” Daigle told the crowd. “It is strengthening and enlightening … . To hear from the citizens has got to be encouraging for the council.”

Councilor Gerald Adams agreed with Daigle’s statement, but reminded the council of those who spoke at the last meeting. “I am tickled to death to see the support here tonight,” Adams said. “But we can’t forget what happened at the [April 26] meeting … Those people were questioning the process … everyone that stands at that podium has validity and strength.”

After hearing testimony praising both the town and Daigle, Councilor Paul Cleary upheld statements by residents voicing support for Daigle and her impact on Houlton.

He then expressed doubt that the newspapers would publish the residents’ compliments.

“Your comments won’t be in the papers,” Cleary told the audience. “And that’s wrong. Our local paper and our Maine paper have only printed what is negative in Houlton.”

“There are a lot of good things happening in Houlton,” Cleary said. “And if the Bangor Daily News and the Houlton Pioneer Times would print them, people would see that the council is doing their job, and that the town manager is doing her job. It really makes me mad.”

Councilor Gerald Adams said he disagreed with Cleary. “We all like to see positive things in the newspapers, but we need to see the things that aren’t positive as well,” Adams said. “Newspapers only print the things that are being said. It was not right to make that comment.”

In other business, councilors voted unanimously to tighten an existing loitering ordinance. The revision allows officials to impose a $100 fine. Before the council’s decision, there was no fine for loitering.

The ordinance defines “loitering” in part as “remaining in essentially one location, seated or standing, and shall include the concept of spending time idly … to saunter; to delay; to stand around.”

Loitering would be prohibited in public places, which the proposal partially defines as “any place to which the general public has access and a right to resort for business, entertainment or other lawful purpose.”

“Many would say we have a loitering problem in this town,” Police Chief Daniel Soucy said. “And I can’t disagree … many people tell us they’re afraid to go to certain places in town due to the problem, and we don’t want that.”

Soucy assured the council that the revised ordinance would not infringe on anyone’s constitutional rights, such as the freedom to assemble or to pass petitions.

It also would not prohibit people who like to sit at various locations throughout town and watch traffic, according to Soucy.

Councilor Cleary expressed concern that the ordinance was “open-ended.”

“I am wondering if there is a way to make it more specific,” Cleary said at the meeting. “This is so open-ended, and there are so many different areas where one can argue that they aren’t [loitering.]”

“I think to a certain extent that it needs to be open-ended,” Soucy explained. “So that it does not infringe on anyone’s constitutional rights … I hope that we’ll be able to find a middle ground.”

Councilor Bernaiche questioned whether the ordinance could be changed after it was “tried out.”

“Yes, it can be changed and improved,” Soucy told councilors. “And, indeed, it might need specific wordsmithing.”

The council also approved a grant application to the Libra Foundation to garner up to $15,000 for the town’s proposed skate park. The park will be built on 12,000 feet of paved parking lot near the Randall Street entrance to Community Park.