Brewer officials add restrictions for rifle use

BREWER – City leaders amended the firearms ordinance on Tuesday, adding new restrictions for using a rifle for hunting or target shooting within an outlying area of the city.

An ad hoc committee, created in April, was charged with reviewing the city’s current ordinance and firearms boundaries, taking into consideration residential and commercial developments that have been built since the last major change to the firearms ordinance in October 1987.

The ad hoc committee’s first recommendation, issued in August, was too restrictive and City Councilors asked the item be reviewed again with more public input.

“There were three alternative plans put forward” when the committee met last week, member Tony Valley, a hunter and longtime resident, told the council. “We got a lot of participation at the last go around and hashed it out.”

All seven members of the firearms committee unanimously endorsed the final recommendation, which the council endorsed on Tuesday, Valley said. The amended ordinance outlaws the use of rifles in the specified area, but allows the use of shotguns, pistols, and bows and arrows.

The rifle-restricted area starts at the junction of Wilson Street and Felts Brook, at the Holden town line, and follows the brook on its northwest route until connecting with the Maine Electric Power Co. transmission lines, which the boundary line follows, crossing Eastern Avenue, until connecting with Lambert Road. The boundary line travels along Lambert Road until intersecting with Eaton Brook, which it follows to the Holden town line.

Councilor Michael Celli said the committee did a good job of making the rifle-restricted area’s boundary line easy to identify.

“All the boundaries have identifiable physical markers,” he said, adding later: “There is no excuse for people not knowing the boundary.”

The amendment will not go into effect for 30 days. Now that the council has approved the change, it will go to the state’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for review.

During the meeting, the board also:

. Increased mileage reimbursements for private vehicle use from 30 cents per mile to 37 cents.

. Accepted donations from numerous businesses and individuals, including $4,368 in soccer equipment from Dick’s Sporting Goods for the Parks and Recreation department and $1,000 from Sam’s Club to support the children’s garden along the waterfront.

. Held a public hearing on applying for $400,000 in business assistance funds for The Mill at Penobscot Landing project through the Community Development Block Grant program, which falls under the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.

. Recognized Ricci More for his 30 years as an employee of Public Works and awarded Gerry Dube, former director of the University of Maine System network for education and technology services, a public service award.