BREWER – For those who wonder what it’s like to stand in the shoes of a police officer, the Brewer Police Department is hosting a citizens police academy, Acting Chief Danny Green announced Tuesday at a City Council meeting.

The academy, limited to 20 residents, will be held 7-10 p.m. every Wednesday at the police station beginning April 13 and running until June 15.

“We’ve been looking for better ways to communicate with the public and get more in touch with the public, and it gives [us] an opportunity to interact,” Green said Wednesday during a phone interview.

After spending three hours a week with local officers, the participants are bound to create relationships, the acting chief said.

“They’ll get to meet just about every police officer, because the officers will be running the classes,” he said. “We’ll go visit the [shooting] range, the jail and dispatch. We’ll do as much as we can. We want them to see as much of our work in the 10 weeks as possible.

“I think it will be a lot of fun for the people participating,” Green said.

Residents must be 18 years old and cannot have any prior felony convictions to enroll in the academy. To find out more or for an application, call or stop by the Police Department.

During Tuesday’s meeting Green invited members of the Brewer City Council to attend the sessions.

“You’d be honoring us by attending,” he told councilors.

Also Tuesday, the council:

. Recognized the contributions of two former Brewer employees who died in February – including Elaine F. Waggoner, a 25-year city tax collector, and John A. Melrose, former economic development director.

. Renewed the $1,200 Brewer Auditorium parking lot lease with the Bangor-Brewer Farmers Market Association to allow the organization to sell fresh produce between May 1 and Oct.31, and a $12,043 annual contract with the Bangor Humane Society for stray animal sheltering service.

. Accepted Carroll Court, formerly known as Gracie Drive, as a public road; $3,000 from J&C Land Development for the purpose of constructing a dry hydrant on Wiswell Road for fire protection for a new subdivision under construction by the company; and $7,522 in forfeited funds as a result of recent criminal court cases.

. Sold 6 Rooney St. to abutting landowner Johnnie Walker for $1,000.

. Removed bows and arrows from the discharge of firearms ordinance and amended the city’s policies to allow the city manager to establish ad hoc committees with consent of the city council.

. Appointed James Gagnon as a regular member of the board of appeals after accepting his resignation as a alternate member; Jennifer Brook to the Brewer Housing Authority; Tracy Willette to the parks and recreation advisory commission; Kenneth Roy and Jerry Snow to the board of appeals; Mary Ellen Camier to the conservation commission; and re-appointed 19 residents to various standing boards.

. Amended the land-use code to extend the convenience business district to include 38 State St. and gave property owner David Gauvin another 30-day extension to sell or fix the dilapidated property that has been vacant and run down since the mid-1990s.

. Authorized borrowing and issuing $856,000 in capital improvement bonds to complete a sewer project on North Main Street, two Eastern Avenue reconstruction projects, matching funds for a Community Development Block Grant, and $531,000 for 2005 projects approved in February.

. Settled a land-use violation case with Robert Stetson through an agreement with the city to clean up his Pierce Road property and provide a visual buffer to abutting property owners.