It's a time of transition as we reacquaint with back-to-school routines, off-season beach rules, and gear up for the November election. The Town Council will prepare for the transition of three new councilors after the election. Early voting begins on October 7, so read on below to see what's on the ballot. There are also several upcoming events, including Sustainable Scarborough Day, a police camera informational session, and library programs. Thanks for being an engaged participant of the Town of Scarborough.

Fall Paving: Public Works will be paving Honan Road, Milliken Road and Douglas Road, estimated by the end of September.

Summer Photo Contest: And the Winners Are...

After two months of the summer season and over 150 submissions, we are excited to announce the winners of our "Summer Outdoors" photo contest—chosen by your vote!

Winners will be notified directly and will receive a prize from one of several Scarborough businesses: Highland Farm, Oak Hill Ace Hardware, The Dairy Corner, Bite Into Maine, Nonesuch River Brewing, and Dunstan Tap & Table.

"Morning Sunrise" by Kelly Watters

Scenic/Natural Landscape Category Winner

"Maple in the Marsh" by Lucas Miller

Pets Category Winner

"Discovering the Flag at Memorial Park" by Emily Loder

Parks & Paths Category Winner

"Low Tide" at Pine Point by Jason Lindstrom

Beaches Category Winner

"Piping Plovers at Ferry Beach" by Emily Holland

Wildlife Category Winner

"3 Milkshakes" by Emily Loder

Families & Fun Category Winner

2024-25 Tax Rate Set, Tax Bills Mailed

The 2024-2025 property tax rate was set by the Town Assessor, committed on August 21, 2024. The Town of Scarborough’s new tax rate is now $10.93 per $1,000 of property value for the 2025 fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. The new rate applies to the taxes due on October 15, 2024 and March 17, 2025. Fall tax bills were mailed out on August 30th. 

Pay your property taxes online, by mail, or by coming into our Revenue Office (main floor to the right of the entrance) during business hours.

Tax Commitment Report

Each year, the Town of Scarborough Assessing department produces a Tax Commitment Report which includes:

• Final Approved Budget and Tax Rate Computation

• Assessment Statistics (i.e. Tax-Base Breakdown, Assessed to Sales Price Ratios)

• State and County forms (i.e. Municipal Valuation Return)

• TIF/CEA Totals: Annual and Historical Summary

This year’s FY25 Tax Commitment Report (available on the Assessing page of the Town’s website) also includes a dedicated section pertaining to the final outcomes of the 2024 Revaluation. The Assessor will present these materials at the October 2nd Town Council meeting.

Senior Property Tax Assistance Program Deadline

October 15th, 2024

The Town of Scarborough has multiple forms of tax relief available to residents who are looking for assistance with their property taxes. The Senior Property Tax Assistance Program is one of those programs. If your annual property tax burden exceeds 5% of household Adjusted Gross Income, you may be eligible for a return of up to $1,000 at the end of the year. For residents who rent, including owners of properties within a Manufactured Home Park, rent paid is considered part of your property tax burden. The deadline to apply is October 15, 2024.

Eligibility requirements:

1. Applicant is age 62 or older as of the application deadline

2. Applicant has been a Scarborough resident for at least 10 consecutive years as of October 15, 2024

3. Federal Adjusted Gross Income (household) does not exceed $60,000

Note: This fiscal year, the Scarborough Town Council increased this program’s maximum household AGI from $50,000 to $60,000 and the maximum benefit amount from $750 to $1,000.

Applications are available for the Property Tax Assistance Program online or in the Assessing Office.

When you submit your application, we will need to see identification and proof of income, either your 2023 Tax Return or your 2023 Social Security Benefit Statement, if you don’t file taxes. If you rent, we will also need a statement of rent paid between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.

Please contact the Assessing office at (207) 730-4060 or visit our office on the lower level of Town Hall if you have any questions.

Request Your Absentee Ballot

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5. Request an absentee ballot ahead of time by completing an Application for an Absentee Ballot. Please print and complete the form, then mail it to the Scarborough Town Clerk's Office at P.O. Box 360, Scarborough, ME 04070-0360 or fill out the e‑form request. Absentee ballots will be mailed when they are available in early October.

For further information on Absentee Voting and Voter Registration, please contact the Scarborough Town Clerk's Office at 730-4020.

Early Voting Begins October 7th

Early voting by absentee ballot will begin on Monday, October 7. Early voting will be available in the Public Safety Building (275 U.S. Route One) during regular Town hours, Monday through Thursday from 7:00am-5:00pm. It will run through the week prior to Election Day, with Thursday, October 31 as the last day for early voting without special circumstance.

Open Seats on November Ballot

The following candidates will be on the ballot this November to fill the open seats:

• Town Council - 2 seats for a 3-Year term to expire 2027

Fellows, Corey R.

Maurer, Crescencia

Doherty, Scott W.

• Town Council - 1 seat to fill a vacancy created by Jean-Marie Caterina, with a term to expire in 2026

Donovan, WIlliam J.

• School Board - 1 seat to fill a vacancy created by Carolyn Gammon, with a term to expire in June of 2026

Rockenstire, Mitchell T.

• Sanitary District Trustees - 2 seats for a 3-Year term to expire 2027

Rico, Nicola F.

Stein, Michael A.

What Else is On the Ballot?

In their September 4th meeting, the Town Council approved the following three items to go on the ballot for voter approval this November:

Cruiser & Body Worn Cameras (Police Department) $1M

Scarborough is one of only a few departments in Southern Maine who do not possess either camera. The equipment would provide quality audio and video recordings of police operational activities, bringing the department up to industry standards. Possessing camera footage has become an expectation, especially in the prosecution of criminal cases in court. 

Learn More: Attend an Informational Meeting

Scarborough Police is hosting informational meetings to allow the community to learn more directly from the department:

Thursday, September 26, 6:00-7:30pm

Public Safety Building; Zoom

Thursday, October 24, 6:00-7:30pm

Public Safety Building; Zoom

Replacement Pumper Truck (Fire Department) $1M

Commonly referred to as a fire engine. It would replace a 20-year old truck and is scheduled as part of the department's Apparatus Replacement Plan. As the current vehicle ages, it becomes more expensive to maintain and to purchase a new one.

Land Bond Replenishment $6M

The Parks and Conservation Land Bond is now nearly depleted after supporting the purchases of several conservation projects. This approval would replenish the bond that is used to support land purchases for conservation, public access, recreation, and wildlife protection. Previous purchases supported with land bond funds have included Broadturn Farm, Alger Hall, the Higgins Beach parking lot, Pleasant Hill Preserve, and more.

Broadturn Farm

Town Council Recommendation

The Town Council voted in their September 4 meeting to add their recommendation to the Land Bond ballot question. It will say, "As this authorization furthers the Town’s land conservation initiatives, is in direct alignment with the Comprehensive Plan and serves as an important part of the growth management strategy, the Town Council recommends approval of this question."

Department Recognized National Police Woman Day

Thursday, September 12 was National Police Woman Day, set to recognize the contribution of female police officers. Only about 10% of the police force in the United States is made up of women. Scarborough Police Department extended the recognition to a full week to honor our nine female patrol officers. View the individual features on their Facebook page.

Ask & Answer: Where do I go for passport services?

Scarborough Community Services has assisted the U.S. Department of State with the acceptance of U.S. passport applications for the past eleven years. We accept passports by appointment only on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9:00 am and 11:00am, and Wednesdays between 9:00am and 5:00pm. Our acceptance facility is located at 418 Payne Road in Scarborough in the Community Services Hub. Appointments may be made over the phone by calling 207-730-4150 and are typically booked a week in advance. When you call to make the appointment, we will take down your information and send a detailed email to you with the appointment date and time, where to go, what to bring with you, and a link to the form you will need to complete in advance. If everything is in order, a typical appointment takes no longer than 10-15 minutes. 

Visit our website for more information, or feel free to contact Scarborough Community Services at 207-730-4150 and we would be happy to answer all of your passport questions.

Be Wary of Non-Government Passport Websites

If you are planning to travel outside of the United States, you probably know you will need a valid passport book. If you are in a rush and need it in less than 4-6 weeks, you might be likely to search online for an quicker process. Beware! There are other websites out there that may appear official but end up charging customers more for their additional services, such as acting as a courier on a customer’s behalf or even charging to access passport applications. We have seen a recent uptick in people who have paid these unnecessary fees this summer. Here are some tips for those travelers in a rush:



• The only official website for U.S. Passports is Travel.State.Gov. All necessary paperwork is available through this website at no cost. You can even complete the forms online and print out the paperwork from your home computer with the answers filled in. The Scarborough Community Services Office also carries all necessary paperwork for you to pick up the next time you are at town hall. You should NEVER have to pay to access any form associated with passports.

• Look out for websites that end in .com or .net. In general, when you search online for “passports” or “passports in a rush,” they are going to show up first and before Travel.State.Gov.

• Most of these websites ARE offering a valid service, but depending on your travel needs, the service might be extraneous and have an avoidable cost:

-Routine service will get a passport back to you within 6-8 weeks. You always have the option to bump your application up to expedited service for an additional $60 per application, and this gets the passport back to you within 2-3 weeks. 

-If you have travel plans within 14 days or less, you may schedule an appointment through a passport agency or center (the closest is in Portsmouth, NH) by calling 1-877-487-2778. You will need to travel to the passport center, bring everything required for paperwork PLUS you must bring proof of imminent departure, such as tickets or an itinerary. They are still going to charge the normal fees plus the expedited fee and may charge for overnight shipping back to you, but the passport will be guaranteed back in time for your travel plans.

-In the case where you CANNOT show up in person to a passport agency or center, you might want to utilize the services of one of these companies. They are providing a courier service to process the application on your behalf. You will still have to take the time to visit a passport acceptance facility, such as Scarborough Community Services, to complete a “hand carry” application.

-All passport expeditor companies have their list of requirements and each charge different service fees so be sure to do your research. It is recommended that you use a credit card to pay these extra fees to ensure you have the ability to dispute the charge if issues arise.

Click Here for more information on courier and passport expeditor companies.

Sustainability Matters: Vulnerability Assessment

Our Sustainability Manager Jami Fitch supports all sustainability-related projects underway within the Town's scope of work. Right now she is busy coordinating the Open Space Plan and Vulnerability Assessment, plus gearing up for Sustainable Scarborough Day on October 6. To get a closer look, we're diving into a mini series for the next few newsletters to learn more from Jami herself. Here's what she says about the Vulnerability Assessment:

What's your role been in this project? 

Day to day I work closely with the Town’s hired consultant to ensure they have everything they need to complete their work. I also coordinate community engagement events, field work, and stakeholder meetings, and support the project's working group. The working group is made up of community members and Town staff, including residents of Higgins Beach, Prouts Neck, and Pine Point; members of the Conservation Commission, Long Range Planning Committee, and Transportation Committee, representatives of Scarborough Sanitary District, Scarborough Land Trust, and SEDCO; and staff from Public Safety, Public Works, Community Services, Planning, and Engineering. 

What's something about the project people may not realize? 

Maps of local areas that show sea level rise predictions over the next 75 years are shocking, and current State laws limit how beachfront homes and infrastructure can be adapted to rising seas. We held our first neighborhood meeting with residents of Higgins Beach on September 5th. We weren’t sure how residents would react to anticipated conditions in 2050 and 2100. These conversations tend to be difficult, because they often include discussions of “retreat,” or moving away from the coast. The 60 or so Higgins Beach residents who attended the meeting in person and online provided thoughtful and helpful comments and insights. (A similar meeting will be held for resident of Pine Point on September 24th—details below).

How do you feel this work benefits the town?

As a coastal community, Scarborough is very vulnerable to coastal flooding from sea level rise and storm surge. The Vulnerability Assessment will identify our current and future vulnerable areas and infrastructure. Looking at sea level rise predictions and storm trends, the Assessment will also help us understand when areas will become more prone to flooding. All of this information will be used to develop a prioritized list of actions to take in the near-term (next 5-10 years), mid-term (10-30 years), and long-term (30-80 years) to become more resilient to flooding. This effort will put Scarborough in a good position to seek grant funds and to help plan future capital investments. 

Flood Vulnerability Assessment Neighborhood Meeting: Pine Point

Tuesday, September 24, 6:00-7:00pm

Pine Point Fire Station, 12 King Street

Zoom

Project consultants GEI will share preliminary findings of the assessment for the area. When completed, the assessment will provide the Town with a prioritized list of vulnerable areas and infrastructure, suggest adaptations to improve resiliency to floods, and recommend other actions the Town should consider.

If you have questions about the Vulnerability Assessment, please contact Jami Fitch, Sustainability Manager, at jfitch@scarboroughmaine.org.

A Banner Year for Scarborough's Plovers

It was quite a summer for Scarborough’s endangered piping plovers! After January’s storms washed away plover nesting habitats up and down the coast, Scarborough’s beaches saw an increase in the number of nesting pairs and chicks on our beaches this year. Scarborough’s beaches came through this year’s storms with less damage than many other areas in Maine, and sediment from the Scarborough River dredging was added to Western Beach, making the beach prime for plovers.

Maine Audubon’s tally for Scarborough shows that we had 30 pairs of plovers split between our four beaches, and those pairs fledged 55 new plovers. In fact, Scarborough’s beaches fledged more plovers than any other town in Maine this year! 

We extend thanks to the Town’s volunteer beach monitors who kept a close eye on the plovers throughout the season. We also thank residents and visitors who are mindful of the plovers while at the beach. 

Photo by Baerbel LoSacco

Scarborough Hosts First Coastal Meetup

On August 22nd, 11 Scarborough residents took a walk along the Eastern Trail, accompanied by Town staff Jami Fitch and Emerson Goodrich, as a part of Scarborough’s first Coastal Meetup. Community members observed the Scarborough Marsh during the day’s high tide of over 10 feet and learned about the Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s (GMRI) Coastal Flooding Project. 

GMRI’s Coastal Flooding Project aims to answer the questions “What weather and water level conditions are associated with coastal flooding in our community? What areas of our shoreline are most vulnerable and critical to our community?”, drawing on observations and data collected by coastal communities.

The goal of the project, in addition to compiling community-collected data, is to engage coastal communities on the topic of coastal flooding due to storms and sea level rise. The data collection process was designed by GMRI to help participants “understand the Town’s unique flooding impacts and begin to identify priorities for building resilience.”

Coastal Meetups serve as an introduction to the issue of coastal flooding and sea level rise, the overall project, and the process for collecting and contributing data. While Scarborough’s Coastal Meetup was hosted on a sunny day, and the Eastern Trail was not experiencing any flooding, observing notable sites during events like a particularly high tide can illustrate just how vulnerable locations are to storm impacts and sea level rise. Some participants commented on erosion along the Eastern Trail from previous storms, which is also valuable data for the project. 

GMRI has identified nine reporting sites in Scarborough that were chosen for their vulnerability, but data can be collected and reported from any location if the site is experiencing flooding or erosion from storm events. Data can also be contributed from past events, as many participants noted they had pictures and observations from the January storms that documented storm impacts in their community. The project site, Ecosystem Investigation Network: Coastal Flooding, not only serves as a data collection and reporting tool, but can be used to view previously collected data in Scarborough, as well as at sites all across Maine’s coast. 

We appreciate everyone who participated in the Coastal Meetup event and showed an interest in coastal flooding impacts in their community and ways to contribute observations and pictures moving forward. We encourage anyone who is interested to explore GMRI’s project site, and to contribute past, present, or future data to the project. 

October 6: Sustainable Scarborough Day

The Town of Scarborough is hosting its second annual Sustainable Scarborough Day on Sunday, October 6, bringing together everyone from the environmentally conscious to the eco-curious for a day of learning and fun. The event will be held from 10:00am-2:00pm at Wentworth School, 20 Quentin Drive on the municipal/school campus. This is a family friendly event with activities for all ages!

What to Expect

• Meet with experts, local businesses, nonprofits, and enthusiasts on topics ranging from sustainable living, efficient homes, transportation, landscapes, recreation, waste management, land conservation, and climate action.

• Attend a workshop, learn about saving money with state and federal efficiency rebates and tax credits, and test drive an electric vehicle or e-bike. Sustainable Scarborough Day will be Southern Maine’s largest National Drive Electric Week event!

• Enjoy live music from the Maine Marimba Ensemble and a tasty treat from the local food trucks that will be at the event.

How It Started

The idea for Sustainable Scarborough Day came about in 2022. It was sparked by the Sustainability Committee and Conservation Commission as a way to educate community members about the efficiency incentives available as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. “We hope residents find this day informative and return home with useful low-cost next steps that will reduce household expenses and lead the way to a more sustainable community,” says Rick Meinking, Sustainability Committee chair.

Who Will Be There?

Several vendors are participating on-site for Sustainable Scarborough Day, ranging from farms, to nonprofits, advocacy groups, heat pump companies and more.

• Building Decarbonization Coalition will team up with the Scarborough Sustainability Committee to offer demonstrations of induction cooking. Come hungry - they’re serving up samples! 

• The US Fish and Wildlife Service will offer fun and engaging activities about pollinators, including Pollinator Plinko trivia game and pollinator dress-up. 

• Scarborough’s own MePowered Pastries will offer recipes and activities to reduce food waste.

• Scarborough volunteer nonprofit Project GRACE will be doing demos of simple DIYs to snug up drafty homes.

• Efficiency Maine will provide information about rebates and incentives to reduce home energy costs. Several Efficiency Maine-approved vendors will also be at the event talking about heat pumps, solar energy, home insulation, and more!

Scarborough Community Services Fall Brochure

Now Hiring: Open Positions

• Patrol Officer

• Parks Maintenance Worker

• Dispatcher

• Public Works Maintenance Worker

• Before & After Child Care Counselors

View Full Job Board

Board & Committee Vacancies

• Coastal Waters

• Shellfish Commission

• Long Range Planning

• Community Service Advisory Board

• Planning Board

View Application (Reviewed on rolling basis)

Town Sells Alger Hall to Scarborough Historical Society

The Town Council approved the sale of the historic Alger Hall in their September 4 meeting. The building is being sold to the Scarborough Historical Society for $400,000. The Town of Scarborough was first presented with the opportunity to purchase the building, located at 649 U.S. Route One in Scarborough, in December 2020. It had gone on the market and was purchased to hold onto a piece of our town's history, protect public safety interests (it abuts the Dunstan Fire Station), and potentially use.

While the Town had considered potential long-term municipal uses, they determined that it serves no immediate purpose to support Town operations. The Scarborough Historical Society recently expressed interest in purchasing the property, which continues preservation of the site and protects the Town's public safety needs. The purchase and sale of Alger Hall represents our councilors being good stewards of Town resources. They secured an easement and right of first refusal in the event it goes on the market, and it maintains the mission of preserving historic buildings in town. The sale price covers the cost of the purchase and investments made to the building, and the money will go back into the  Land Acquisition Fund for future use.

Upcoming Workshop on Gorham Connector

The Scarborough Town Council will be holding a workshop next Wednesday, September 18th at 5:30pm on the Gorham Connector. It will be with the Maine Department of Transportation and Maine Turnpike Authority. The Town has provided these entities with questions from Scarborough committees, council, and the public, and the 90-minute workshop should address some major themes. Attend in-person or find the links to join on our Town Calendar.

School Seeks New Members for Phase 2 of Committee

The School Building Advisory Committee met through the spring and concluded their work in June with a final presentation on four exploratory new school solution concepts. All four concepts will move forward to Phase 2 this fall, where they will be thoroughly vetted by professional design and engineering teams. 

The School Board and the Town Council are now seeking resident members to join the committee. The SBAC Phase 2 application period opened on Friday, September 13th and closes September 27th. They are seeking to fill the following positions: 

• Three (3) Residents At-Large 

• Three (3) Alternate Members- Residents 

Town Council Corner: The Sirens Drive Me Nuts!

By Don Cushing, 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.

I’ve been thinking some about growth lately. The term comes up a lot in our public discussion. It's generally perceived as a bad thing. The word itself doesn’t conjure up pleasant images. As a rule, no one wants a growth. Most folks in Scarborough don’t believe the Town does a very good job of managing growth. 

It is a fact that Scarborough is growing quickly. Between 2010 and 2024 we added 2,674 residential units. That’s a 20% increase. Scarborough has the distinction of being the fastest growing community in Cumberland County. It should not surprise you to learn that in this time the number of people in town has increased by 3,216, from 18,919 to 22,135.

If you grew up here in the 60’s you remember a town with 6,000 people. By the time I moved here in 1985 the population had doubled to 12,000. In the spring of that year, I planted a sapling red maple my front lawn on Church Street. Today that tree is 30 feet high. A lot of things have changed since then. 

As I write this I am looking at stack of papers filled with statistics that characterize and quantify growth in our town. These are useful for planners and politicians, but they don’t tell you much about why folks seem to universally dislike growth. It seems to me that to answer that question and address it you need to look to your day-to-day experience of life in your town. This is important because it is unlikely that we can stem the tide of growth, but we can focus on ways to channel and respond to growth that improve the quality of our day-to-day experience. 

I imagine that most of you could make a list of the ways that you experience the negative effects of growth. I certainly can. I live off Black Point Road, about a mile from Oak Hill. The sirens drive me nuts. It feels the town is always burning down. The traffic on Black Point Road is constant. It takes some time to turn out of my street and it is often dangerous. Sometimes it takes three light cycles to make a left onto Route One. The Hannaford checkout lines can be long. Fourteen Items means 14 items, please. It’s hard to get a seat at the bar at Pat’s and sometimes there is a waiting list at Oishi. Ferry Beach is full and so is Pine Point. The noise from the summer construction project across the way is constant and judging by the backup beep they have done the entire project in reverse. And then there is the train whistle. I don’t focus much on these things, choosing instead to enjoy the overwhelmingly positive aspects of living here. But the exercise is instructive because it points to things we can change and mitigate before they get worse. Noise, traffic and capacity, to name three.

The good news is that the Town is already doing things to manage the effects of growth. We passed a growth ordinance to slow it. We are conducting a transportation study to find ways improve the way we get around. We have invested in adaptive traffic lights to improve the flow of traffic and we have implemented a traffic calming policy that gives neighborhoods a means to address their traffic concerns. There is more to be done.

Write or call and tell me how growth affects your day-day-day life. Your stories will help us manage and channel growth to make our day-to-day lives better. It might feel good to get it off your chest!

Thanks,

Don Cushing

dcushing@scarboroughmaine.org or 207-303-4858

Front, left to right: Tody Justice (Town Clerk), Nick McGee (Chair), Tom Hall (Town Manager)

Back, left to right: Karin Shupe, Jon Anderson, Don Cushing, Jean-Marie Caterina, April Sither, Don Hamill

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.

Events & Programs at Scarborough Public Library

The Telling Room's Young Emerging Authors

Friday, September 27, 6:00pm

Register

Join this year's Young Emerging Authors from The Telling Room for readings from their newly published books, followed by a discussion about the writing process and a book signing.

Josie Ellis, author of Brackish, is a poet and a student at Casco Bay High School.

Margaret Horton, author of Unnamed, has been working on this book for four and a half years and is a student at Baxter Academy.

Natalia Mbadu, author of Surely the Darkness Will Cover Me, writes about her experiences as an Angolan Christian and is a student at Deering High School.

Madeleine Turgelsky, author of At the Corner of Christopher Street, is a Scholastic Award-winning author and a student at Cape Elizabeth High School.

Our Story is One

Thursday, September 19, 12:00-1:00pm

Register

#OurStoryIsOne is a global art movement that commemorates Baha’i women who were killed for their religious identity. This is also a personal story for Maine resident, local activist, and artist Parivash Rohani. This exhibition, lecture, and Q&A seeks to highlight how local women’s stories can become global symbols of standing up for justice and equality.

Learning Spanish With Yaya

Monday, September 30, 10:00am

Register

Join educator Yaya Herszkopf Mayer in songs, books, movement, and play. Geared for ages 1-5, your little one will learn some Spanish words and phrases with playtime and fun! 

Yael Herszkopf Mayer MS, CCC-SLP is a pediatric, bilingual (English/Spanish) Speech and Language Pathologist. She holds a Masters of Science in Speech and Language Pathology- Bilingual Extension from Teachers College, Columbia University in NYC, and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Clinical Psychology from Universidad de Iberoamérica in Costa Rica.

Yaya currently runs her Spanish Immersion Program for kids 1-5 years old (and their caregivers) in different towns in Southern Maine.