Looking back: 2007 in review (Printed Jan. 4, 2008)
January:
• Tom Griffin was named the winner of the 2007 Leader’s annual Great Person Award. Griffin, a teacher at Scarborough Middle School and a coach, was nominated for his commitment to the community. Reasons for his nomination included his involvement with softball at Scarborough High School and with the Driblettes organization, being an “inspiring teacher” and his leadership in the Builders Club at Scarborough Middle School and the annual SMS bike/walk-a-thon for AIDS.
• Scarborough High School students fared better than the state average in all categories during the last round of SAT tests, which are now used as the assessment test for all 11th graders in Maine. In all, 244 students at Scarborough High School took the test in May of 2006. All juniors in high school were required to take the SAT in the spring of 2006. It was the first time in the state’s history that the SAT was going to be used instead of the MEA (Maine Educational Assessment) test as a measuring tool for 11th graders. The average scores of Scarborough students were 503, 492 and 495 in mathematics, critical reading and writing, respectively. The state average scaled scores for those sections were 444, 443 and 435.
• The Scarborough Town Council continued to consider how best to improve traffic conditions at in the Oak Hill area. At a January meeting, council members eliminated two possible projects from a range of alternatives considered. Both projects would have involved building roads that would create a bypass route to the Route One/Black Point Road intersection. One bypass road would have connected Route One with Black Point Road by running along Commerce Drive and through the site of planned subdivision development that has been named “Eastern Village.” The other bypass road would have connected Route One with Black Point Road on the other side, running from Route One’s intersection with Hannaford Drive to where Black Point Road meets Eastern Road. Combined together, the new roads would have provided new alternatives for vehicles that are traveling onto and off of the Black Point Road and onto Route One. Together the projects were estimated to cost $10.4 million.
• There may soon be a 1950s style diner on Route One near Broadturn Road in Dunstan. Jeanne and Mike Glaude, who had previously proposed a car wash at the site, have received a favorable site plan review from the Scarborough Planning Board on their plan to open the restaurant Rock n’ Roll Diner, which would be shipped to the site in modules and built on the site. Mike Glaude said he has seen similar diners in other regions of the state and country and thought one would thrive in Scarborough. There is a similar diner in Waterboro that the Glaude’s are planning to draw inspiration from for their own restaurant.
• At the final public hearing on the largest development project ever proposed in Scarborough, no residents came forward with anything to say. The Gateway at Scarborough project, which was proposed to include a Cabela’s outdoor store, a hotel, two restaurants, retail stores and office buildings, would be located on two sites adjacent to Payne Road and the Haigis Parkway. Although the $74 million dollar proposed development has previously caused residents to raise concerns about the potential impact of increased traffic, it was only members of the planning board who addressed the planners of the development at a public hearing and site plan review.
• Town officials in Scarborough crafted responses to Gov. John Baldacci’s proposal to consolidate school districts in the state from 296 to 26. The officials have many questions about the plan, including whether it is fair to have the district take ownership of school property but have local taxpayers foot the bill.
February:
• An organization whose abstinence education courses were turned away by the Scarborough school department two years ago offered after school abstinence education workshops at Scarborough High School this week. Maine Character Resource (MCR), a federally funded organization that promotes “character-based” education, hosted a three-session course at the request of a group of parents.
• The town of Scarborough has two approaches it can take toward improving the high-crash Oak Hill intersection where Route One meets Gorham Road and Black Point Road, traffic engineer Tom Gorrill told the town council. The town can do nothing or it can restructure the intersection so that Gorham and Black Point Roads are wider and contain islands to control traffic flow. If the town does nothing, Gorrill said, the intersection would continue to cause collisions and the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) may eventually take action themselves to prevent the intersection’s level of service from deteriorating further. If the town does restructure the intersection, Gorrill said, it would be safer and more efficient – but only for about 10 years, after which it would again offer the same level of service it provides now, according to traffic studies.
• A donation made it possible for the Scarborough Fire Department to purchase new equipment that will improve their ability to respond to rescue situations. The $90,000 bequest came from the estate of Elizabeth Rogers with the intent that the money be used for the Scarborough rescue/ambulance fund or as determined by the town manager. In November 2004, the town council designated the money to be used for rescue/ambulance needs.
March:
• Chris Kempton’s decision to resign from his head coaching position at Scarborough High School less than three weeks after being hired has raised questions over whether there was a conflict between the coach and the school board that caused Kempton to be forced out. School board members and school administrators, however, said they believe the misunderstanding stemmed from Kempton being unfamiliar with Scarborough’s hiring process.
• Parents, coaches, school administrators, and representatives from youth sports programs crowded into a Scarborough school board meeting to learn more about Sports Done Right (SDR), a program sponsored by the University of Maine’s Center for Sport and Coaching (MCSC). The initiative was developed to provide standards for sports in the same way that Maine Learning Results provides guidelines for academics. A SDR school community becomes a “compact” school community, in which student-athletes, coaches, parents, athletic administrators, educators, in short anyone involved with youth sports, sign a compact each season to demonstrate their commitment to providing positive sports experiences for youth. To aid schools and communities in providing healthy and positive athletic experiences, the program outlines seven core principles that participants should adhere to. The core principles are Philosophy, Values, and Sportsmanship; Sports and Learning; Parents and Community; Quality of Coaching; Opportunity to Play; Health and Fitness; and Leadership, Policy, and Organization.
• The Scarborough School Board unanimously approved amendments to the $28.9 million budget for the 2008 fiscal year that will reduce operating costs by $50,000 and increase several new positions from part-time to full-time positions. The new estimated operating budget is $28,887,511 and calls for a 6.5 percent total increase. Prior to the board’s meeting, the budget called for a 6.81 percent total increase.
• The Scarborough Planning Board voted unanimously to grant final approval for the Gateway at Scarborough project during their regular meeting on March 12. The project is a mixed-use development that will include 438,000-square-feet of retail, commercial and office space. Its anchor tenant is a 138,000-square-foot Cabela’s store, which sells hunting, fishing and outdoor gear. The $74 million project will be located on two sites adjacent to the Payne Road and Haigis Parkway. New England Expedition is the company developing the project.
April:
• Scarborough residents began receiving two, 64-gallon carts in preparation of the town’s new curbside trash and recycling program that will commence May 1. Scarborough will be the first community in Maine to go to an automated single stream, curbside recycling program. Single stream recycling is a method where residents don’t have to separate their recyclable items into different categories. Trucks will use large, metal arms to empty the carts, reducing the amount of people needed to collect trash.
• The Patriot’s Day Nor’easter crippled cities and towns up and down the East Coast on Monday, causing thousands of homes to lose power and treacherous driving conditions across Maine, including Scarborough. Fire Chief Michael Thurlow said at the peak of the storm as many as 45 roads or portions of roads were closed because of downed trees or wires as well as flooding. He said those roads along the Nonesuch River posed the most danger because of flooding. He called the storm “extraordinary,” and said he hadn’t seen anything comparable since Hurricane Bob in the 1990s. A number of well-traveled roads were still closed as of Tuesday morning, including portions of Beech Ridge Road, Holmes Road and Payne Road.
• Some residents became curious and a bit concerned when for sale signs popped up at Benjamin Farm on Pleasant Hill Road. President of the Scarborough Land Conservation Trust (SLCT) Laurene Swaney said she’s been fielding dozens of phone calls regarding the future of the 128-acre property. The farm’s former owner, Jerred Benjamin died last year and now the farm lies in the hands of his five children. The price tag attached to the former cattle farm is $5.8 million. The SLCT has been trying to work out a conservation purchase of the farm for more than 10 years and have had a few offers on paper. She declined to elaborate on the details of the offers. Swaney said the SLCT didn’t know the family was planning to hang the sale signs that went up recently, but said she and the board are more than willing to sit down with the Benjamin family in an effort to work something out.
• The unexpected degree of public input regarding the proposed amendments to the zoning ordinances for a change of ownership of guest rooms in hotels or motels located in residential zones led the Scarborough Town Council to divert the issue to the ordinance committee rather than move forward with the second reading.
May:
• Athletic Director Frank Spencer and Town Planner Joseph Ziepniewski announced their retirement and transitions are under way. Although Spencer is retiring, he’s not quite sure when his last day might be. Last week, he said his departure will depend on how long the sports teams continue to play and he said he would like to get things in order for the fall season. Spencer, who has been athletic director in Scarborough for more than six years, said the athletic facilities updates that have taken place in the last three years and the growth in the number of teams in the last seven years, are significant accomplishments.
• It is rare that Scarborough Code Enforcement has to take action to remove private structures that pose a safety hazard, however, during a council meeting, there were two requests for the removal of two barn structures: one located at 201 Gorham Road and the other located at 394 Black Point Road. Town Manager Ron Owens said the town is responsible for removal when property owners lack the financial resources to do it themselves. He said the residents have been compliant with the order.
• It was announced that owner Ruth Libby needs to vacate 3R’s current location at the old Bessey School by June 30 and raise nearly $700,000 to move into a new location in Portland. An undisclosed company has agreed to sell Libby a warehouse in the city as long as she can raise the money. Libby has to leave her current location because the town is making room for senior housing.
June:
• Prior to confirming Dan Bacon as the new town planner, the Scarborough Town Council conducted and unanimously approved a second reading on proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance regarding multifamily housing. During the council meeting, Bacon said the ordinance change is “intended to lay the foundation for future amendments as the town’s comprehensive plan is implemented over the next several years.”
• Town Manager Ron Owens said he believed renaming U.S. Route One, the major arterial that bisects the town, would change the road’s identity as a major highway. He said renaming Rte. One would “give some definition to the main road (and) “connect the roadway more to the town.” U.S. Rte. One, he said, makes people think of a major highway, but renaming the road could change its character to be more of a main street in the community. Owens presented the council with a list of names that he narrowed down from suggestions offered by various people. Possible names include Coastal Road, Maine Boulevard, Main Street, Marshview Boulevard, Old Post Road, Post Road, Portland Road and Scarborough Boulevard. Owens has been floating around the concept of renaming Route One since he was hired for the town manager position in 2001.
• When members of The Pine Point Residents Group noticed the arrival of a large excavator earlier this month on the site of a proposed nine lot single family home subdivision at the corner of Pine Point Road and East Grand Avenue, they immediately brought their concerns to town officials. Developer Paul Hollis previously received final approval from the Scarborough Planning Board to build his Beachwalk housing development on the site. At the time, Pine Point Residents Group endorsed his project, while several commitments made by Hollis included a pledge there would be no outside construction between June 1 and Oct. 1, and that foundation and framing work would be done only between October and May and construction overall would not begin prior to Oct. 1, 2006. This spring, however, Hollis ran into financial difficulty, leaving the development in the hands of the nine lot owners. With the arrival of heavy equipment and the infrastructure and road construction underway, The Pine Point Residents Group is concerned the restrictive subdivision agreements or covenants, which they claim should have been documented in the subdivision plans, will be violated.
• Operating as a two-member body after Patrick O’Reilly’s resignation from the Scarborough Town Council, the town council ordinance committee again wrestled with proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance regarding the conversion of hotels and motels to condominiums or individually owned units. Committee Chairman Sylvia Most said the latest revisions, directed at existing hotels and motels located in residential zones, seek to clear up the ambiguity surrounding whether a change of ownership is also a change of use.
July:
• When Ruth Libby and her husband Tom toured Unum’s 27,000-square-foot warehouse located at 39 Blueberry Road in Portland, they left knowing they couldn’t afford the space, but quietly wished for it. For Libby, founder of Ruth’s Reusable Resources (3R’s), it was another setback during months of frantic fundraising and real estate searches for the organization’s new home. Early this month, Libby was back at the warehouse, surrounded by family, the 3R’s executive board, Unum employees and Sen. Philip Bartlett and Rep. Gary Plummer, to announce that through a discounted real estate arrangement with Unum, the warehouse will be the new, permanent location for Libby’s growing supply of school supplies and office furniture.
• Plans for the rehabilitation of sidewalks in Scarborough’s Dunstan area are picking up steam as the town invites business owners and residents to offer their input on the current conceptual design.
• It was announced that when the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House on Hunnewell Road in Scarborough opens on Aug. 1 it will be one of the first inpatient hospice facilities in the state where trained medical staff and volunteers can tend to dying patients and their families in a homelike setting. The goal is to let a patient experience the last months of life without physical and emotional pain so they can have what Hospice of Southern Maine CEO Jody Deegan calls a “good death.”
• State and local officials in southern Maine have teamed up to form a violent crimes task force to combat the recent increase in the rate of violent crimes across the state. The police departments of Biddeford, Scarborough, South Portland and Portland, along with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office are joining forces with the U.S. Marshal’s Service and the U.S. Attorney to improve coordination in the investigation of crimes, officials from the six enforcement offices.
August:
• It was announced that Hobbs Funeral Home would likely receive final approval for a full service funeral home from the Scarborough planning board on Aug. 27. On July 16, the board conducted a site plan review and although there was some concern about pedestrian safety and an increase in Route One traffic volume, Town Planner Dan Bacon said overall the board seemed to be happy with the project. The proposed site for the full service funeral home is 671 Route One. The four-acre parcel abuts Pride Motel and Cottages and the Dunstan Cemetery.
• A recent phone call from the Pan Atlantic SMS Group, a Portland marketing research and consulting firm, had Scarborough resident Carolyn Brodsky so angry that she immediately called Town Councilors Sylvia Most and chairman Jeffrey Messer to inform them she had just participated in a survey designed to “paint a very favorable picture” of racinos and a mixed use development at Scarborough Downs. Having worked in marketing and sales consulting, Brodsky said it should never be obvious who is conducting the survey. When the caller asked her whether she had positive or negative feelings about Town Manager Ron Owens and Scarborough Downs President Sharon Terry, however, she began to suspect that the racetrack had commissioned the survey. Messer said three or four residents had contacted him about the survey.
• Located within Maine Medical Center’s medical research complex on Route One, the $25 million Scarborough Surgery Center opened for outpatient surgeries. Harvey Rosenfeld, president of the Scarborough Economic Development Corporation (SEDCO) said biotechnology is the best kind of economic development the town could ask for. He said SEDCO has been encouraging MMC’s expansion in hopes it will lead to similar developments in other parts of town, such as Haigis Parkway. The 58,000-square-foot Surgery Center will replace Brighton Surgical Center in Portland, leaving that space vacant for more inpatient services.
• As the Scarborough Police Department becomes more and more involved in joint investigations and operations such as the recently formed Southern Maine Violent Crimes Task Force, the town council has granted on duty officers the authority to make arrests outside of their municipality. Scarborough is one of several Maine police departments to receive statewide arrest powers since the amendment of a 2003 state law allowing municipal officials to grant the extension of authority.
• A year after a Spurwink River access point in the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge was built up to accommodate a handicapped accessible pier, local shellfish harvesters are taking their request to use the site as a boat launch to the federal level and encountering confusion about who has the authority to grant that permission.
• On the cusp of a new school year, the Scarborough Planning Board paved the way for a new educational program to come to town. Morrison Developmental and Educational Center, a non-profit organization providing support and educational services for developmentally disabled children and adults, received planning board approval. Last year, the center purchased seven acres on the site of the former Pleasant Hill Golf Course on the corner of Highland Avenue and Chamberlain Road.
September:
• As a green lifestyle becomes a priority for more and more people, officials in Scarborough are reviewing town ordinances to create a compromise between aesthetics and alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power. Much of the talk of renewable energy sources has been focused on solar panels and in particular a free-standing structure consisting of 10 panels in the town’s Grondin Pond neighborhood. Scarborough Code Enforcement Officer Dave Grysk said when he is interpreting the ordinance, he determines whether the structure is something that is typically seen in the town. He said wind turbines are currently not a permitted use.
• With close to 3,400 students, the Scarborough school district announced its intention to remain independent in regard to the governor’s school administrative reorganization law. While the administration will need to develop an alternative plan for cost savings, more recently, faculty and staff were busy preparing for the start of a new school year.
• Slightly less than a year out, the town is busy readying for Scarborough’s 350th anniversary. Soon, residents will be able to start the celebration early by purchasing a copy of Scarborough at 350: Linking the Past to the Present. The book provides an intimate look at the town of Scarborough as it celebrates its anniversary and features the works of a team of volunteer writers, historians and photographers. The book will be a compilation of facts, personal remembrances and more from maps, photographs and artwork to reports on the first settlers to an in-depth account of what Scarborough is like today.
October:
• With a Cabela’s opening date scheduled for May 15, 2008, Gene Beaudoin of development company FELDCO Development Corp. headquartered in New Canaan, Conn. has his hands full not only trying to attract new tenants to The Gateway, but keeping the ones who have already made tentative commitments, pending Scarborough Town Planning Board approval.According to Beaudoin, Famous Dave’s Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que and Cracker Barrel are facing some obstacles prior to the Spring opening of the 400,000-square-foot retail complex. Going before the Scarborough Planning Board, Famous Dave’s was asked if they could alter their plan from their traditional red roof to green, matching the other buildings in the Gateway retail complex, Beaudoin said. The request has been submitted to the home office in Minnesota and they are awaiting approval.
• Toddle Inn Child Care Centers owner and founder Cheryl Carrier was honored by the Maine Chapter of the March of Dimes Foundation for her “tireless efforts” at the seventh annual Greater Portland Signature Chefs Auction event at the Sheraton in South Portland. Carrier and her staff have participated in annual sponsorship and fundraising events, helping to raise more than $17,000 to help the organization’s mission of improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
• The Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) recognized Sen. Olympia Snowe with an award for her visionary leadership and steadfast support of the nation’s National Wildlife Refuge System at an event at the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Scarborough, Maine on Oct. 13.
• The Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced the reconstruction of the Payne Road Bridge near the Maine Mall was completed before the end of October, eight months ahead of schedule. Only finishing touches remain, such as final installation of additional lights. The new, wider bridge features three lanes in each direction, plus the addition of a sidewalk. Payne Road Bridge carries traffic over the Maine Turnpike/Interstate 95 connector at Exit 45. The original completion date was set for spring, 2008.
November:
• “Scarborough at 350: Linking the past to the present,” the colorful coffee table book that is the centerpiece of the town’s 350th anniversary observances, has its official book launch on Nov. 16, at Scarborough Downs.
• It was announced that eight weeks of minor inconveniences which have left residents dealing with noise, odor and traffic tie-ups are scheduled to come to an end during the next two weeks as major work on the $1.3 million Black Point Road Sewer and Manhole Rehabilitation project is completed on time and on budget. The project, which began in early October, involves the rehabilitation of more than a mile of a major sewer interceptor pipe without excavation or the removal of the existing pipe through a process known as “cured in-place pipe,” or CIPP.
December:
• Randee-Sue Allen, a Scarborough Middle School teacher, was surprised by staff and students after learning she had become the first teacher in the Scarborough school system to earn National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
• The USTA New England announced the election and appointment of Ronald R. Friedman as the organization’s president. Friedman, a resident of Scarborough, was the first vice president for USTA New England since December 2004.
• Wreaths Across America visited the Maine Veterans’ Home during a stop on its convoy trip bound for Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Some of the Maine Veterans’ Home’s 150 residents watched from the window-lined corridor as the Worcesters and their escorts – members of the Civil Air Patrol, Patriot Guard Riders and Cape Elizabeth police officers – made their way inside for a visit.
It was one of nearly 26 stops the group planned to make on a 750-mile journey from Maine to Virginia. Since 1992, Worcester Wreath Company, in Harrington, has donated some 75,000 wreaths, which are placed on veterans’ graves each December.
• Tom Griffin was named the winner of the 2007 Leader’s annual Great Person Award. Griffin, a teacher at Scarborough Middle School and a coach, was nominated for his commitment to the community. Reasons for his nomination included his involvement with softball at Scarborough High School and with the Driblettes organization, being an “inspiring teacher” and his leadership in the Builders Club at Scarborough Middle School and the annual SMS bike/walk-a-thon for AIDS.
• Scarborough High School students fared better than the state average in all categories during the last round of SAT tests, which are now used as the assessment test for all 11th graders in Maine. In all, 244 students at Scarborough High School took the test in May of 2006. All juniors in high school were required to take the SAT in the spring of 2006. It was the first time in the state’s history that the SAT was going to be used instead of the MEA (Maine Educational Assessment) test as a measuring tool for 11th graders. The average scores of Scarborough students were 503, 492 and 495 in mathematics, critical reading and writing, respectively. The state average scaled scores for those sections were 444, 443 and 435.
• The Scarborough Town Council continued to consider how best to improve traffic conditions at in the Oak Hill area. At a January meeting, council members eliminated two possible projects from a range of alternatives considered. Both projects would have involved building roads that would create a bypass route to the Route One/Black Point Road intersection. One bypass road would have connected Route One with Black Point Road by running along Commerce Drive and through the site of planned subdivision development that has been named “Eastern Village.” The other bypass road would have connected Route One with Black Point Road on the other side, running from Route One’s intersection with Hannaford Drive to where Black Point Road meets Eastern Road. Combined together, the new roads would have provided new alternatives for vehicles that are traveling onto and off of the Black Point Road and onto Route One. Together the projects were estimated to cost $10.4 million.
• There may soon be a 1950s style diner on Route One near Broadturn Road in Dunstan. Jeanne and Mike Glaude, who had previously proposed a car wash at the site, have received a favorable site plan review from the Scarborough Planning Board on their plan to open the restaurant Rock n’ Roll Diner, which would be shipped to the site in modules and built on the site. Mike Glaude said he has seen similar diners in other regions of the state and country and thought one would thrive in Scarborough. There is a similar diner in Waterboro that the Glaude’s are planning to draw inspiration from for their own restaurant.
• At the final public hearing on the largest development project ever proposed in Scarborough, no residents came forward with anything to say. The Gateway at Scarborough project, which was proposed to include a Cabela’s outdoor store, a hotel, two restaurants, retail stores and office buildings, would be located on two sites adjacent to Payne Road and the Haigis Parkway. Although the $74 million dollar proposed development has previously caused residents to raise concerns about the potential impact of increased traffic, it was only members of the planning board who addressed the planners of the development at a public hearing and site plan review.
• Town officials in Scarborough crafted responses to Gov. John Baldacci’s proposal to consolidate school districts in the state from 296 to 26. The officials have many questions about the plan, including whether it is fair to have the district take ownership of school property but have local taxpayers foot the bill.
February:
• An organization whose abstinence education courses were turned away by the Scarborough school department two years ago offered after school abstinence education workshops at Scarborough High School this week. Maine Character Resource (MCR), a federally funded organization that promotes “character-based” education, hosted a three-session course at the request of a group of parents.
• The town of Scarborough has two approaches it can take toward improving the high-crash Oak Hill intersection where Route One meets Gorham Road and Black Point Road, traffic engineer Tom Gorrill told the town council. The town can do nothing or it can restructure the intersection so that Gorham and Black Point Roads are wider and contain islands to control traffic flow. If the town does nothing, Gorrill said, the intersection would continue to cause collisions and the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) may eventually take action themselves to prevent the intersection’s level of service from deteriorating further. If the town does restructure the intersection, Gorrill said, it would be safer and more efficient – but only for about 10 years, after which it would again offer the same level of service it provides now, according to traffic studies.
• A donation made it possible for the Scarborough Fire Department to purchase new equipment that will improve their ability to respond to rescue situations. The $90,000 bequest came from the estate of Elizabeth Rogers with the intent that the money be used for the Scarborough rescue/ambulance fund or as determined by the town manager. In November 2004, the town council designated the money to be used for rescue/ambulance needs.
March:
• Chris Kempton’s decision to resign from his head coaching position at Scarborough High School less than three weeks after being hired has raised questions over whether there was a conflict between the coach and the school board that caused Kempton to be forced out. School board members and school administrators, however, said they believe the misunderstanding stemmed from Kempton being unfamiliar with Scarborough’s hiring process.
• Parents, coaches, school administrators, and representatives from youth sports programs crowded into a Scarborough school board meeting to learn more about Sports Done Right (SDR), a program sponsored by the University of Maine’s Center for Sport and Coaching (MCSC). The initiative was developed to provide standards for sports in the same way that Maine Learning Results provides guidelines for academics. A SDR school community becomes a “compact” school community, in which student-athletes, coaches, parents, athletic administrators, educators, in short anyone involved with youth sports, sign a compact each season to demonstrate their commitment to providing positive sports experiences for youth. To aid schools and communities in providing healthy and positive athletic experiences, the program outlines seven core principles that participants should adhere to. The core principles are Philosophy, Values, and Sportsmanship; Sports and Learning; Parents and Community; Quality of Coaching; Opportunity to Play; Health and Fitness; and Leadership, Policy, and Organization.
• The Scarborough School Board unanimously approved amendments to the $28.9 million budget for the 2008 fiscal year that will reduce operating costs by $50,000 and increase several new positions from part-time to full-time positions. The new estimated operating budget is $28,887,511 and calls for a 6.5 percent total increase. Prior to the board’s meeting, the budget called for a 6.81 percent total increase.
• The Scarborough Planning Board voted unanimously to grant final approval for the Gateway at Scarborough project during their regular meeting on March 12. The project is a mixed-use development that will include 438,000-square-feet of retail, commercial and office space. Its anchor tenant is a 138,000-square-foot Cabela’s store, which sells hunting, fishing and outdoor gear. The $74 million project will be located on two sites adjacent to the Payne Road and Haigis Parkway. New England Expedition is the company developing the project.
April:
• Scarborough residents began receiving two, 64-gallon carts in preparation of the town’s new curbside trash and recycling program that will commence May 1. Scarborough will be the first community in Maine to go to an automated single stream, curbside recycling program. Single stream recycling is a method where residents don’t have to separate their recyclable items into different categories. Trucks will use large, metal arms to empty the carts, reducing the amount of people needed to collect trash.
• The Patriot’s Day Nor’easter crippled cities and towns up and down the East Coast on Monday, causing thousands of homes to lose power and treacherous driving conditions across Maine, including Scarborough. Fire Chief Michael Thurlow said at the peak of the storm as many as 45 roads or portions of roads were closed because of downed trees or wires as well as flooding. He said those roads along the Nonesuch River posed the most danger because of flooding. He called the storm “extraordinary,” and said he hadn’t seen anything comparable since Hurricane Bob in the 1990s. A number of well-traveled roads were still closed as of Tuesday morning, including portions of Beech Ridge Road, Holmes Road and Payne Road.
• Some residents became curious and a bit concerned when for sale signs popped up at Benjamin Farm on Pleasant Hill Road. President of the Scarborough Land Conservation Trust (SLCT) Laurene Swaney said she’s been fielding dozens of phone calls regarding the future of the 128-acre property. The farm’s former owner, Jerred Benjamin died last year and now the farm lies in the hands of his five children. The price tag attached to the former cattle farm is $5.8 million. The SLCT has been trying to work out a conservation purchase of the farm for more than 10 years and have had a few offers on paper. She declined to elaborate on the details of the offers. Swaney said the SLCT didn’t know the family was planning to hang the sale signs that went up recently, but said she and the board are more than willing to sit down with the Benjamin family in an effort to work something out.
• The unexpected degree of public input regarding the proposed amendments to the zoning ordinances for a change of ownership of guest rooms in hotels or motels located in residential zones led the Scarborough Town Council to divert the issue to the ordinance committee rather than move forward with the second reading.
May:
• Athletic Director Frank Spencer and Town Planner Joseph Ziepniewski announced their retirement and transitions are under way. Although Spencer is retiring, he’s not quite sure when his last day might be. Last week, he said his departure will depend on how long the sports teams continue to play and he said he would like to get things in order for the fall season. Spencer, who has been athletic director in Scarborough for more than six years, said the athletic facilities updates that have taken place in the last three years and the growth in the number of teams in the last seven years, are significant accomplishments.
• It is rare that Scarborough Code Enforcement has to take action to remove private structures that pose a safety hazard, however, during a council meeting, there were two requests for the removal of two barn structures: one located at 201 Gorham Road and the other located at 394 Black Point Road. Town Manager Ron Owens said the town is responsible for removal when property owners lack the financial resources to do it themselves. He said the residents have been compliant with the order.
• It was announced that owner Ruth Libby needs to vacate 3R’s current location at the old Bessey School by June 30 and raise nearly $700,000 to move into a new location in Portland. An undisclosed company has agreed to sell Libby a warehouse in the city as long as she can raise the money. Libby has to leave her current location because the town is making room for senior housing.
June:
• Prior to confirming Dan Bacon as the new town planner, the Scarborough Town Council conducted and unanimously approved a second reading on proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance regarding multifamily housing. During the council meeting, Bacon said the ordinance change is “intended to lay the foundation for future amendments as the town’s comprehensive plan is implemented over the next several years.”
• Town Manager Ron Owens said he believed renaming U.S. Route One, the major arterial that bisects the town, would change the road’s identity as a major highway. He said renaming Rte. One would “give some definition to the main road (and) “connect the roadway more to the town.” U.S. Rte. One, he said, makes people think of a major highway, but renaming the road could change its character to be more of a main street in the community. Owens presented the council with a list of names that he narrowed down from suggestions offered by various people. Possible names include Coastal Road, Maine Boulevard, Main Street, Marshview Boulevard, Old Post Road, Post Road, Portland Road and Scarborough Boulevard. Owens has been floating around the concept of renaming Route One since he was hired for the town manager position in 2001.
• When members of The Pine Point Residents Group noticed the arrival of a large excavator earlier this month on the site of a proposed nine lot single family home subdivision at the corner of Pine Point Road and East Grand Avenue, they immediately brought their concerns to town officials. Developer Paul Hollis previously received final approval from the Scarborough Planning Board to build his Beachwalk housing development on the site. At the time, Pine Point Residents Group endorsed his project, while several commitments made by Hollis included a pledge there would be no outside construction between June 1 and Oct. 1, and that foundation and framing work would be done only between October and May and construction overall would not begin prior to Oct. 1, 2006. This spring, however, Hollis ran into financial difficulty, leaving the development in the hands of the nine lot owners. With the arrival of heavy equipment and the infrastructure and road construction underway, The Pine Point Residents Group is concerned the restrictive subdivision agreements or covenants, which they claim should have been documented in the subdivision plans, will be violated.
• Operating as a two-member body after Patrick O’Reilly’s resignation from the Scarborough Town Council, the town council ordinance committee again wrestled with proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance regarding the conversion of hotels and motels to condominiums or individually owned units. Committee Chairman Sylvia Most said the latest revisions, directed at existing hotels and motels located in residential zones, seek to clear up the ambiguity surrounding whether a change of ownership is also a change of use.
July:
• When Ruth Libby and her husband Tom toured Unum’s 27,000-square-foot warehouse located at 39 Blueberry Road in Portland, they left knowing they couldn’t afford the space, but quietly wished for it. For Libby, founder of Ruth’s Reusable Resources (3R’s), it was another setback during months of frantic fundraising and real estate searches for the organization’s new home. Early this month, Libby was back at the warehouse, surrounded by family, the 3R’s executive board, Unum employees and Sen. Philip Bartlett and Rep. Gary Plummer, to announce that through a discounted real estate arrangement with Unum, the warehouse will be the new, permanent location for Libby’s growing supply of school supplies and office furniture.
• Plans for the rehabilitation of sidewalks in Scarborough’s Dunstan area are picking up steam as the town invites business owners and residents to offer their input on the current conceptual design.
• It was announced that when the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House on Hunnewell Road in Scarborough opens on Aug. 1 it will be one of the first inpatient hospice facilities in the state where trained medical staff and volunteers can tend to dying patients and their families in a homelike setting. The goal is to let a patient experience the last months of life without physical and emotional pain so they can have what Hospice of Southern Maine CEO Jody Deegan calls a “good death.”
• State and local officials in southern Maine have teamed up to form a violent crimes task force to combat the recent increase in the rate of violent crimes across the state. The police departments of Biddeford, Scarborough, South Portland and Portland, along with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office are joining forces with the U.S. Marshal’s Service and the U.S. Attorney to improve coordination in the investigation of crimes, officials from the six enforcement offices.
August:
• It was announced that Hobbs Funeral Home would likely receive final approval for a full service funeral home from the Scarborough planning board on Aug. 27. On July 16, the board conducted a site plan review and although there was some concern about pedestrian safety and an increase in Route One traffic volume, Town Planner Dan Bacon said overall the board seemed to be happy with the project. The proposed site for the full service funeral home is 671 Route One. The four-acre parcel abuts Pride Motel and Cottages and the Dunstan Cemetery.
• A recent phone call from the Pan Atlantic SMS Group, a Portland marketing research and consulting firm, had Scarborough resident Carolyn Brodsky so angry that she immediately called Town Councilors Sylvia Most and chairman Jeffrey Messer to inform them she had just participated in a survey designed to “paint a very favorable picture” of racinos and a mixed use development at Scarborough Downs. Having worked in marketing and sales consulting, Brodsky said it should never be obvious who is conducting the survey. When the caller asked her whether she had positive or negative feelings about Town Manager Ron Owens and Scarborough Downs President Sharon Terry, however, she began to suspect that the racetrack had commissioned the survey. Messer said three or four residents had contacted him about the survey.
• Located within Maine Medical Center’s medical research complex on Route One, the $25 million Scarborough Surgery Center opened for outpatient surgeries. Harvey Rosenfeld, president of the Scarborough Economic Development Corporation (SEDCO) said biotechnology is the best kind of economic development the town could ask for. He said SEDCO has been encouraging MMC’s expansion in hopes it will lead to similar developments in other parts of town, such as Haigis Parkway. The 58,000-square-foot Surgery Center will replace Brighton Surgical Center in Portland, leaving that space vacant for more inpatient services.
• As the Scarborough Police Department becomes more and more involved in joint investigations and operations such as the recently formed Southern Maine Violent Crimes Task Force, the town council has granted on duty officers the authority to make arrests outside of their municipality. Scarborough is one of several Maine police departments to receive statewide arrest powers since the amendment of a 2003 state law allowing municipal officials to grant the extension of authority.
• A year after a Spurwink River access point in the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge was built up to accommodate a handicapped accessible pier, local shellfish harvesters are taking their request to use the site as a boat launch to the federal level and encountering confusion about who has the authority to grant that permission.
• On the cusp of a new school year, the Scarborough Planning Board paved the way for a new educational program to come to town. Morrison Developmental and Educational Center, a non-profit organization providing support and educational services for developmentally disabled children and adults, received planning board approval. Last year, the center purchased seven acres on the site of the former Pleasant Hill Golf Course on the corner of Highland Avenue and Chamberlain Road.
September:
• As a green lifestyle becomes a priority for more and more people, officials in Scarborough are reviewing town ordinances to create a compromise between aesthetics and alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power. Much of the talk of renewable energy sources has been focused on solar panels and in particular a free-standing structure consisting of 10 panels in the town’s Grondin Pond neighborhood. Scarborough Code Enforcement Officer Dave Grysk said when he is interpreting the ordinance, he determines whether the structure is something that is typically seen in the town. He said wind turbines are currently not a permitted use.
• With close to 3,400 students, the Scarborough school district announced its intention to remain independent in regard to the governor’s school administrative reorganization law. While the administration will need to develop an alternative plan for cost savings, more recently, faculty and staff were busy preparing for the start of a new school year.
• Slightly less than a year out, the town is busy readying for Scarborough’s 350th anniversary. Soon, residents will be able to start the celebration early by purchasing a copy of Scarborough at 350: Linking the Past to the Present. The book provides an intimate look at the town of Scarborough as it celebrates its anniversary and features the works of a team of volunteer writers, historians and photographers. The book will be a compilation of facts, personal remembrances and more from maps, photographs and artwork to reports on the first settlers to an in-depth account of what Scarborough is like today.
October:
• With a Cabela’s opening date scheduled for May 15, 2008, Gene Beaudoin of development company FELDCO Development Corp. headquartered in New Canaan, Conn. has his hands full not only trying to attract new tenants to The Gateway, but keeping the ones who have already made tentative commitments, pending Scarborough Town Planning Board approval.According to Beaudoin, Famous Dave’s Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que and Cracker Barrel are facing some obstacles prior to the Spring opening of the 400,000-square-foot retail complex. Going before the Scarborough Planning Board, Famous Dave’s was asked if they could alter their plan from their traditional red roof to green, matching the other buildings in the Gateway retail complex, Beaudoin said. The request has been submitted to the home office in Minnesota and they are awaiting approval.
• Toddle Inn Child Care Centers owner and founder Cheryl Carrier was honored by the Maine Chapter of the March of Dimes Foundation for her “tireless efforts” at the seventh annual Greater Portland Signature Chefs Auction event at the Sheraton in South Portland. Carrier and her staff have participated in annual sponsorship and fundraising events, helping to raise more than $17,000 to help the organization’s mission of improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
• The Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) recognized Sen. Olympia Snowe with an award for her visionary leadership and steadfast support of the nation’s National Wildlife Refuge System at an event at the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Scarborough, Maine on Oct. 13.
• The Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced the reconstruction of the Payne Road Bridge near the Maine Mall was completed before the end of October, eight months ahead of schedule. Only finishing touches remain, such as final installation of additional lights. The new, wider bridge features three lanes in each direction, plus the addition of a sidewalk. Payne Road Bridge carries traffic over the Maine Turnpike/Interstate 95 connector at Exit 45. The original completion date was set for spring, 2008.
November:
• “Scarborough at 350: Linking the past to the present,” the colorful coffee table book that is the centerpiece of the town’s 350th anniversary observances, has its official book launch on Nov. 16, at Scarborough Downs.
• It was announced that eight weeks of minor inconveniences which have left residents dealing with noise, odor and traffic tie-ups are scheduled to come to an end during the next two weeks as major work on the $1.3 million Black Point Road Sewer and Manhole Rehabilitation project is completed on time and on budget. The project, which began in early October, involves the rehabilitation of more than a mile of a major sewer interceptor pipe without excavation or the removal of the existing pipe through a process known as “cured in-place pipe,” or CIPP.
December:
• Randee-Sue Allen, a Scarborough Middle School teacher, was surprised by staff and students after learning she had become the first teacher in the Scarborough school system to earn National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
• The USTA New England announced the election and appointment of Ronald R. Friedman as the organization’s president. Friedman, a resident of Scarborough, was the first vice president for USTA New England since December 2004.
• Wreaths Across America visited the Maine Veterans’ Home during a stop on its convoy trip bound for Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Some of the Maine Veterans’ Home’s 150 residents watched from the window-lined corridor as the Worcesters and their escorts – members of the Civil Air Patrol, Patriot Guard Riders and Cape Elizabeth police officers – made their way inside for a visit.
It was one of nearly 26 stops the group planned to make on a 750-mile journey from Maine to Virginia. Since 1992, Worcester Wreath Company, in Harrington, has donated some 75,000 wreaths, which are placed on veterans’ graves each December.
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