Time seems to fly by, but a lot happens along the way! This month we wish a happy retirement to a longtime public safety employee and welcome a new Marine Resource Officer to protect our waters. We’re also nearing the completion of the School Building Advisory Committee charge—they reveal their four concepts below and will present to the Board of Education on June 27. Read on for other noteworthy dates (Concerts in the Park, short term rental workshop, etc.) and for an overview of current happenings. As always, we hope you stay engaged by following our meetings, reaching out to councilors, and sharing this news with neighbors. Happy summer!

Part Time Plans Reviewer, Patrol Officer, Dispatcher, Public Works Deputy Director...these are some of the positions that the Town of Scarborough is now hiring for, many with June 23rd application deadlines. View our complete Job Board for details.

Election Results

Election Day was Tuesday, June 11, 2024. We had an 18% voter turnout with just over 3,100 voters in total.

The unofficial results of the June 11, 2024 State Primary and Municipal and School Budget Election are available to view on the Town of Scarborough website.

The School Budget passed:

Yes: 1,725

No: 1,276

Blank: 109

See the other results on our website. Save the date for the General Election on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.

Upcoming Holiday Closures: June 19 & July 4

Town offices will be closed on Wednesday, June 19 for the Juneteenth holiday.

Town offices will be closed on Thursday, July 4 for Independence Day.

Trash pickup will remain on schedule for both holiday weeks.

Town Hall is open on Mondays-Thursdays from 7:00am to 5:00pm.

Fireworks Dos & Don'ts

As the 4th of July approaches, please be aware of the Town's Consumer Fireworks Ordinance and acceptable use areas. A Notification of Intent must be submitted to the Scarborough Fire Department prior to use. This online form can be found on the town website under the Residents menu.

Parade season! There are annual Fourth of July parades at Pine Point and Higgins

Daryen Granata began this week as our new Marine Resource Officer/Harbormaster. He comes to our Police department with an extensive background in public safety and marine resources.

Daryen began serving in 1995 on active duty with the US Coast Guard for four years and continued to serve for another four years in a reserve capacity stationed at the South Portland Station. He was primarily assigned as both Search and Rescue and Law Enforcement.

In 1999, Daryen began his law enforcement career in the City of Biddeford as a police officer and marine enforcement officer. In 2002 he went to the State of Maine with the Maine Marine Patrol, achieving the rank of sergeant where he served until 2011. Since 2011, Daryen has served as a patrol officer and detective with the Saco Police Department, a criminal fraud investigator for Maine DHHS, and a Fire Inspector for the Maine Fire Marshal's Office.  

Daryen has served in a part-time capacity with the Buxton Police Department since 2007 and also part-time as a Firefighter/EMT/Captain for the Scarborough Fire Department since 1998. 

Daryen earned an Associate's Degree in Fire Science from SMCC, a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from Husson University, and a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice Administration. He has instructed Fire Science classes on a part-time basis at SMCC since 2019.

Daryen brings to us his tremendous work ethic, vast experience in the field and the proven ability to build relationships within public safety agencies and with stakeholders tied to the commercial fishing industry. Congratulations Daryen and welcome to Scarborough PD! 

The town revaluation is complete and residential property owners received their new values by mail in late May. You can review your property record to ensure information is accurate, and compare your property with similar properties that have sold in the past two years. The Town's online database (called Vision) reflects new revaluation information. Find this and more property search tools on our website.

A revaluation of commercial properties has just been completed as well. These new assessments will be uploaded to the online Vision database within the next week and notices mailed in the next two weeks.

What's Next

Your new assessed value will affect upcoming tax bills due October 2024 and March 2025. Tax bills will be finalized when the annual tax commitment is made in August.

The Assessor’s Office will be reviewing appeals from June-August for those who believe their new value does not represent fair market value. More information about scheduling an informal review hearing is available on our website.

For answers to frequently asked questions about the revaluation process, visit www.scarboroughmaine.org/revalfaq.

It's Beach Season!

Check out the FAQs on our website for some reminders (dog times, plover protection, lot fees, and more). Heading to the beach often? Purchase a beach pass from Town Hall to avoid daily parking fees.

Glow up for beach season!✨ Thanks to our Scarborough Community Services crew, the little beach huts got spruced up with new signage, designed in-house. The Higgins Beach building also got a new deck and paint job. Give the signs a quick read-through on your next beach visit and enjoy our outdoor areas!

Road Work in North Scarborough this Summer

The North Scarborough area of town will undergo road work beginning summer 2024. Projects are being aligned to minimize disruptions on the area and maximize efficiencies. Combined, the projects’ goal is to make the current infrastructure as efficient as possible without having to increase the capacity of the roadways.

Paving

MaineDOT paving project on Rt 22 from Burnham Rd to Rt 114. The project began last week and is expected to be completed by the end of July.

Safety & Efficiency

The Downs Traffic Movement Permit requires that the developer mitigate increased traffic flows anticipated as they build out. Their obligation in North Scarborough is to extend the left turn lanes from Rt 114 onto County Rd (the overlap) and install new adaptive traffic signals at the intersections of Saco/Gorham Rd and County/Gorham Rd. This is in anticipation of increased volume of traffic for this area of Town due to development. The intersection of County at Saco Street is currently not funded for signal improvements and is anticipated to be a future funding request to Council.

The Town Council funded the North Scarborough intersections project in 2018 for design and construction. This will include safety improvements by adding a left turn lane on Saco Street onto Gorham Rd and grading and drainage improvements at the intersection of County and Saco Street.

See the details of each project and road work scheduled for other areas of Scarborough in the next few years on our Town Traffic Improvement Map.

Happy Retirement to Longtime Dispatcher Artie Green

Dispatcher Arthur Green recently retired after a 32-year career in public safety. Arthur began his career in 1993 when he was hired as a part-time dispatcher in the Town of Old Orchard Beach. He moved to full time and remained in this position until September 1997 when he was hired full-time as a dispatcher for Scarborough.

During his 32-year career in public safety, Arthur has also served as a reserve police officer in Old Orchard Beach for three years and a reserve officer in Scarborough for twenty years. He served as a call company firefighter for twelve years in Old Orchard Beach as well.

Arthur served for several years with the City of Saco’s Emergency Management Agency beginning as a resource coordinator and rose to the position of Deputy Director.  He also was a member of the York County EMA team serving as the Communication’s Officer, and has experience as a Lead Dispatcher and Dispatch Coordinator with Scarborough Public Safety.

In 2007, Arthur was selected as our Dispatcher of the Year and in 2015, he received a Unit Citation for professional dispatch services rendered during a series of fires that were triggered along the railroad tracks in multiple communities, including Scarborough, receiving national media attention.

Arthur has also participated as a Drum Major for the Kora Highlanders Pipe and Drum Corps for the last fifteen years.  The Pipe and Drum Corps have played at many public safety and community events. Congrats on your hard earned retirement!

July 2: Fire Department Hosts Blood Drive

Tuesday, July 2

9:00am-7:00pm

Public Safety Building, 275 US Route 1

Sign Up

The Scarborough Fire Department is hosting a blood drive in honor of Madison, the niece of one of our firefighters. In March 2021, Madison was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at only 10 months old. She went through a grueling 2 ½ year treatment plan which included many rounds of chemotherapy. During this time, Madison needed many blood and platelet transfusions to win her battle!

Madison is now in remission and able to enjoy just being a kid. There are more children who need your help to win their fight as well. This is why we started blood drives in Honor of Madison. Please sign up to donate blood at this drive and be somebody’s hero! 

"Seeing the difference in Madison before and after she received blood was amazing. She went from looking pale, bruising easily, and appearing in pain to smiling, laughing, and playing with her toys again. I can’t imagine if she would have had to go without."

This drive is co-sponsored by the Maine Children's Cancer Program. The organization is part of the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital and their home office is right here in Scarborough.

Affordable Housing Developments in Scarborough

Scarborough is home to two new affordable housing projects opening this month. Village Commons is an Avesta Housing redevelopment project at the site of the former Oak Hill public safety complex on Route 1. It will provide much needed affordable homes for older adults with low incomes. Jocelyn Place, a South Portland Housing Authority project near the Little Dolphin plaza, is also an income-limited apartment complex for ages 55+ opening this month.

These affordable housing projects are impactful to the vision for Scarborough to provide much needed housing at a time when the state of Maine is experiencing higher costs of living and limited housing stock. Addressing affordable housing was a goal of the Town Council this year and last, as well as an issue of concern for residents. In the 2023 community survey, 41% of residents indicated affordable housing as one of the the most significant issues they think Scarborough will face over the next five years.

This will also continue to be addressed with the upcoming 3iHoMe project, which will provide affordable housing in Scarborough for people with mobility disabilities. The project recently received $5.4 million in funding from Maine Housing’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit program and expects to start construction in the first quarter of 2025 with an opening slated for the end of 2026.

Village Commons offers 31 studio and 1-bedroom apartments for adults ages 55+

The 3iHoMe project will be located within the Downs and includes 51 fully accessible and affordable apartments.

Short Term Rentals Workshop Now on June 26

June 26, 5:30-7:00pm

Council Chambers, Town Hall

View links (agenda, Zoom, Youtube) on our Town Calendar as date nears

The Town Council has rescheduled its Short Term Rentals workshop to June 26 (postponed from June 5). The workshop is for councilors to discuss the topic as the Town considers the creation of a Short Term Rental Ordinance. Scarborough is one of few neighboring communities who do not have an ordinance already, but does have a Planning & Code Enforcement Policy, "'Airbnb' Use of or Within Dwelling Units". A Short Term Rental (STR) Ordinance would establish regulations and possible tracking of STRs in Scarborough. 

Black Point Road Closed Due to Storm Damage

Local Traffic Only Beyond Black Point Inn—All Others Prohibited

Concerts in the Park Returns!

The 2024 lineup for FREE summer concerts has been announced by Scarborough Community Chamber! All concerts begin at 6:30pm and are held in Scarborough Memorial Park.

June 27, 2024 – Something Stupid

July 3, 2024 – 195th Army Band 

***This is a Wednesday show ***

July 11, 2024 – Don Campbell

July 18, 2024 – Motor Booty Affair

July 25, 2024 – Hello Newman

Aug 1, 2024 – Yellow Brick Road

More details may be found on the Scarborough Community Chamber website. Check out the Scarborough Community Chamber Facebook page for all up-to-date information regarding the concerts such as rain delays or venue changes.

Save the Date: Annual Senior (55+) BBQ on August 14

Wednesday, August 14

Begins at 11:00am, lunch served at 11:30am

Tent at High School Tennis Courts, Wentworth Drive, Scarborough

$8 per person, Ages 55+

Register Online (Select 8/14 date)

Register by August 5

What better way to wrap up the summer season than with a celebratory BBQ! Community Services hosts this annual event, where you can enjoy a good old fashioned barbecue, complete with hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken, salads, chips, watermelon, dessert, and drinks. We'll have live music provided by Andrew Favreau and raffle prize drawings. Event sponsored by Aetna Medicare Solutions.

Discounted Amusement Park Tickets

Scarborough Community Services participates in the discounted tickets program through Maine Recreation and Park Association each summer. The tickets we're selling for the 2024 season are:

• Aquaboggan (General Admission pass) = $21 each (normally $30)

• York's Wild Kingdom (Zoo ONLY pass) = $14 each (normally $18)

• Funtown/Splashtown USA (Combo pass) = $47 each (normally $57)

Stop into the Community Services Hub to purchase the physical tickets, 418 Payne Road.

Conservation Commissions in Maine's History & Today

Brought to you by the Scarborough Conservation Commission

Municipalities were granted additional authority through their ordinances and charters when the Maine legislature passed the “home rule” statute, Title 30, around 1970. This paved the way for municipalities to create more stringent local laws to protect their natural resources.

The Maine Association of Conservation Commissions first approached the Scarborough Town Council on November 3, 1971. Scarborough officially created its Conservation Commission on August 2, 1972. The first meeting was held on October 26, 1972 with Earle Rich as Chair, Rebecca Warren as Secretary, Richard Sterling as Treasurer, and Georgiana Chase and Royce O’Donal in charge of publicity. Rebecca Warren and Georgiana Chase were also founding members of the Owascoag Land Conservation Trust in 1977, now known as the Scarborough Land Trust. Owascoag was the name given to the area now called Scarborough by the Sokokis native peoples who lived in the “land of much grass,” referring to the extensive native grasses of the Scarborough Marsh.

Scarborough continues to have a Conservation Commission with seven members and two alternates (associate members) that works to increase awareness of the value of our natural resources, to identify and reduce potential damage to these natural areas, and to proactively work with Town Staff, other committees and local organizations to encourage sustainable stewardship of our resources. 

Throughout the State of Maine, conservation commissions are working to protect land from development, create trails, address local land use issues, and organize beach and marsh cleanups. Here are some notable achievements:

• Last year, the Scarborough Conservation Commission received unanimous approval from the Town Council for their 30x30 campaign, an effort to conserve 30% of Scarborough land by 2030, as well as funding to complete an Open Space Plan.
• Topsham helped create the Topsham Natural Areas Plan
• Yarmouth created an Invasive Plant Initiative
• Kennebunkport created a Lawn for Lobsters initiative to reduce pesticide and fertilizer use
• Rockport Conservation Commission helped protect Clam Cove, a scenic area off of Route 1
• The Hollis Conservation Commission played a key role in the protection of 54-acre parcel of land on the Saco River, a “conservation gem” that is open to the public with walking trails
• The Georgetown Conservation Commission was instrumental in the creation of the town’s Climate Change Adaptation Report

Stay tuned for more Conservation Spotlights in our newsletter this summer!

School Building Advisory Committee Presents Four School Concepts

In Phase 1, the School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC) developed exploratory concepts for four new school solutions:

Concept 1

Build a 4th primary school: Renovate existing K-2s & add Pre-K

Concept 2

New Grade 2-3 school (consolidated): Existing primary schools become K-1

Concept 3

Preserve the primaries and Middle School: Build new additions at existing schools

Concept 4

New K-3 community school (consolidated): New build; repurpose existing school buildings

Current costs for these plans are ballpark figures based on best estimates. Costs are not yet validated as of June 2024. View the full presentations here. A detailed report is forthcoming.

The SBAC plans to recommend sending all four concepts to Phase 2 of the process, where they will be thoroughly vetted by professional design and engineering teams. During Phase 2, costs will be validated and land options will be explored. It is expected that the plans will continue to evolve. This work will begin in Fall 2024.

The Board of Education will vote on whether to accept the SBAC’s recommendation in its June 27th meeting. The SBAC will present its recommendation, followed by discussion, during the school board workshop, starting at 5:30. The workshop will be open to public comment. The vote will take place during the meeting, which starts at 7 pm. The public is invited to attend the workshop and meeting in person at Town Hall or on Zoom. (The Town Council will vote on the recommendation the day before, at its June 26 meeting; however the full SBAC presentation will be given only during the June 27 workshop).

Do you have ideas or comments on the school solutions already in development? Please let us know via the Contact Us link on our website.

School Hosted its First Senior Citizen Appreciation Dinner

Scarborough Public Schools hosted its inaugural Senior Citizen Appreciation Dinner last Thursday. Approximately 75 seniors attended the event. Numerous students volunteered to serve the evening’s meals and several school clubs participated in showcasing some of the students’ work and achievements in the district.

Children from Pleasant Hill provided cards wishing our seniors a good time with a good meal. The Student Council, basketball team, Civil Rights Club, and Scarborough Education Foundation displayed materials and engaged in conversations with seniors about their work. Food Services prepared salads, entrees, and desserts and provided instruction to students. A student performer with the Gym Dandies served the night’s first dish while on a unicycle. Senior citizens enjoyed performances by The Gym Dandies and the Middle School Theater Club. They also were given the opportunity to test drive robots built by the VEX Robotics team.

The seniors, students, staff, and volunteers made the evening a memorable one! SPS would like to thank Community Services for their assistance in the registration process and would also like to thank our local businesses for their generous donations to the event. Stay tuned for more at next year’s dinner!

Town Council Corner: Working Towards a School Solution – It Takes a Village

By Nick McGee (Chair) & April Sither (Vice Chair), Town Council

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Scarborough Town Council.

After the failed school referendum in November 2023, Town Council and School Board leadership knew that we had a responsibility to lead our community through the contentious time and toward a solution for our school facility needs. The weight of how to navigate the next steps was not lost on any of us. While we weren’t sure what the solution was, we knew that community buy-in was critical to the success of any project moving forward. In early 2024, the Town Council and School Board unanimously approved the formation of a School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC), which was open to any resident (18 years or older) who wished to join. Within a few weeks, more than 70 individuals had signed up. 

We will be honest, those first few meetings were rocky. It is no small feat getting 70 people all rowing in the same direction. With patience and the election of a diverse leadership team to guide the work, we were off and running. For several months the committee members worked diligently with open minds to examine both the needs of our students as well as our aging school facilities. With help from School and Town staff, the committee established a set of key assumptions that would be used to guide the development of possible solutions. Those baselines included enrollment projections, facilities deficiencies, examination of DOE guidelines, as well as mindful cost implications. Although our numbers dwindled slightly, week after week our dedicated volunteers poured themselves into the work. A communications subcommittee was created to ensure that early public engagement was a top priority. The communications subcommittee analyzed the town wide survey data, created content for social media and the website, and hosted a community forum to gather resident feedback. 

With our baseline assumptions established, the committee broke into working groups to develop preliminary proposals. The current proposals range from construction of a fourth primary school with space for pre-K, a new 2-3 elementary school, a K-3 community school, and renovations and additions to the middle school and existing primary schools. Preliminary work and presentations for each proposal are available on the “Building Committee” page on the school’s website. On June 10th the SBAC voted to recommend to the Town Council and School Board that all four proposals be further examined by a Phase II building committee. The SBAC chair, Peter Hayes, will be presenting the executive summary report to the School Board at a workshop scheduled for 5:30pm on Thursday June 27th.  

The entire SBAC worked incredibly hard to address the community's concerns as they developed and refined their work. The committee has made significant strides in ensuring that their proposals not only meet the needs of the town and students, but that they also align with residents’ expectations and financial constraints. It is with tremendous respect and gratitude that we thank them for their time, dedication, and willingness to step up during a critical time. We would also like to extend sincere gratitude to the Town and School staff who have supported this work.

While we aren’t exactly sure what Phase II of the school building committee will look like, we look forward to continuing to partner with our School Board colleagues and community members as we narrow our options down to a solution that we hope will have broad support. The communications subcommittee plans to continue their outreach efforts throughout the summer months, so be on the lookout for opportunities to make your voices heard! 

Scarborough Town Council

Nick McGee, Chair • April Sither, Vice Chair • Jonathan Anderson • Jean-Marie Caterina • Don Cushing • Don Hamill • Karin Shupe

Town Council meets the first and third Wednesday of each month. Visit our Town Calendar for links to attend and view agendas.

Scarborough Public Library News

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Temporarily Suspended

Borrowing between libraries has been temporarily suspended due to extended contract negotiations at the state level for van delivery service. It now appears that ILL delivery will be interrupted through at least mid-August. Over 200 Maine libraries and their patrons are impacted. This is a mutually frustrating disruption. We receive updates daily and will continue to share them with you as we receive them. Please know that while out of our control, the situation will eventually resolve, and some ideas to ease the impact are being explored. 

So, what does this mean for you? 

• Libraries have recalled their items in order to get them back to their home locations. 

• On June 15, all ILL items remaining on the hold shelf will be returned to their home library. 

• All ILL items are due back to Scarborough Public Library NO LATER than June 17. This will give us enough time to make sure all ILL items return to their home libraries before delivery stops. 

• ILL items cannot be renewed at this time. 

• We are unable to do any form of ILL at this time. 

• Existing holds for items at other libraries should stay in the system and will move through the system once ILL service resumes. If Scarborough Public Library has a copy of the item, your hold will be fulfilled from our collection. There may be glitches; please monitor your holds and reach out with any issues. 

What are your options for finding the materials you want and need? 

• We still have books, DVDs, magazines, and more here and ready to be checked out. 

• You can place a hold on any item we own. 

• Residents of Cumberland County are eligible for a FREE Portland Public Library card. 

Our online resources remain unaffected, so if you read on a smartphone, tablet, Kindle, or computer, you can still access and use cloudLibrary, Libby, Flipster, and all our databases. 

Teen Reading Buddies

Mondays, June 17 & 24, 3:30pm-4:30pm

Wednesday, June 26, 3:30pm-4:30pm

Does your little one love having stories read to them? Does your beginner reader want to avoid the dreaded “summer slide” by practicing reading aloud? Teen Reading Buddies are ready to enhance kids’ love of reading and develop fluency and comprehension.

This is a drop-in program every Monday and Wednesday.

Summer Learning Kick-Off

Thursday, June 20

1:00-4:00pm (Drop-in)

Get your Summer Learning Challenge sheet, eat a cold treat, and try the rock climbing wall!

For the full list of Summer Learning programs: Library Events

Love this image for our "Truth or Dare" Summer Learning theme? Buy a t-shirt or sweatshirt to support next year's Summer Learning programs! Available in Mens, Womens, and Kids sizes and lots of colors.