What's in store for the month ahead? Everything synonymous with summer: Beach days, farmers market Sundays, a golf tournament...construction...and even an event dedicated to the season itself— Summerfest! We hope you'll take advantage of Scarborough amenities (beaches, parks, trails, and more) in these few weeks before school starts up again. And, reluctantly or not, when you are ready to plan for Fall, be sure to check out the many program opportunities our great Community Services department has in store for you. Read on for a snapshot of current happenings.

Summer days slip on by... Check our Town Calendar now and save the dates for select meetings you're interested in. Our Public Meetings YouTube channel is a helpful way to look back at ones you may have missed.

The Gorham Road Improvement Project will begin its next phase on August 1. Gorham Road (Route 114) will be under construction from Dragonfly Drive to Ridgeway Road. Please seek alternate routes.

This is an ongoing project. The sanitary sewer system is being upgraded within this portion of Route 114 and should be completed by late this fall.

Construction activity will stop during the winter months. It will resume in Spring 2023 to complete the roadway, drainage, curbing, and sidewalk improvements.

Thank you for your understanding during this extensive project and please seek alternate routes to avoid delays.

Do you live in this area? Grondin Construction sent notices in the mailing instructing residents to mark all personal utilities. Please note that basic utilities like gas, sewer, water, electricity, etc. do not need to be marked. Personal utilities like dog fences, irrigation systems, etc. do need to be marked.

6:00-8:30pm

Council Chambers, Town Hall

The Town of Scarborough is working with consultant BerryDunn to conduct a comprehensive parks and facilities master plan. The project purpose is to continue to identify fiscally and environmentally sustainable methods to manage growth and development, and will be developed with an eye toward the Town’s existing goals as laid out in the 2021 Comprehensive Plan. Once completed, this plan will serve as a blueprint for planning and maintaining the system of parks, recreation, open space, trails, and beaches in our community.

We invite you to participate in the Preliminary Findings Presentation Public Meeting scheduled for Thursday, August 11th, from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm in the Council Chambers at Scarborough Town Hall, 259 U.S. Route 1. This meeting is open to the public. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear an update on the parks and facilities master plan and to share your thoughts on this very important community issue.

5:00-7:00pm

Memorial Park, 5 Durant Drive

The Scarborough Police Department is holding a National Night Out celebration on Tuesday, August 2. The event will be held at Memorial Park from 5-7pm. Stop by to meet our Scarborough police officers and K9, have a freeze pop, and take part in some demos and activities.

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.

Property Tax Stabilization for Senior Citizens, also known as the Property Tax Stabilization Program, is a new State program that allows certain senior residents to stabilize, or freeze, the property taxes on their homestead.

An applicant must be at least 65 years old, a permanent resident of the State, and must have owned a Maine homestead for at least ten years. As long as the individual files an application each year, the tax is fixed at the amount assessed in the year prior to the initial application. Eligible residents may transfer the fixed tax amount to a new homestead, even between municipalities. The State will fully reimburse municipalities for lost revenue. Effective August 8, 2022. LD 290, PL 2021, c. 751.

The application and supplemental guidance documents for the new Property Tax Stabilization Program (LD290) have been posted to the Maine Revenue Service website. The law goes into effect on August 8, 2022, and applies to property tax years beginning April 1, 2023. Interested taxpayers will need to apply with the municipality where their homestead is located on or before December 1. For additional questions, please contact the Property Tax Division at (207) 624-5600 or prop.tax@maine.gov.

Did you know that many Town issues are discussed and worked through at the committee level before showing up on a Town Council agenda? Committee meetings are a great place to look for a pulse of what's happening in Scarborough. They span many different topics, like transportation, zoning, and sustainability.

We want you to be informed of not only Council topics, but also on the dedicated decision making happening in our citizen-led volunteer committees. That's why we've shared our first Board & Committee Newsletter, a quarterly email that will focus solely on the many projects underway and coming up.

There are upcoming vacancies on the Town Council, Board of Education, and Scarborough Sanitary Board of Trustees. If you are interested in filling one of these roles, please complete and submit nomination papers.

Nomination papers will become available in the Town Clerk's Office on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, for 2 seats on the Town Council, 2 seats on the Board of Education, 1 seat on the Board of Education, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Leanne L. Kazilionis, term to Expire in November 2023 and 2 seats on the Scarborough Sanitary Board of Trustees.

All nomination papers must be returned to the Town Clerk's Office by close of business on Wednesday, September 7, 2022. If you have any questions, please contact the Town Clerk's Office at 207-730-4020.

Willowdale Golf Club

52 Willowdale Road, Scarborough

7:15am registration, 8:00am start

Gather a team and come join the 2022 Scarborough Public Safety Explorer Golf Tournament! There will be raffles, awards and giveaways, as well as competitions such as:

• Closest to the pin

• Longest drive

• Straightest drive (with a unique twist!!)

Lunch will be catered by The Garage BBQ of Scarborough. We still have slots available for both team registrations and sponsorship registrations! Team registrations are $100.00 per team member (maximum of 4 members) and include the following:

• Golf Cart

• Garage BBQ Lunch

• Complimentary golf bag with towel, balls, etc.

• Access to competitions

Become a Hole Sponsor:

• Silver Sponsor ($250.00) Includes an advertisement sign with your company name/logo at a tee box

• Gold Sponsor ($500.00) Includes an advertisement sign with your company name/logo at a tee box and advertising on the Explorer Social Media Accounts

• Platinum Sponsor ($750.00) Includes an advertisement sign with your company name/logo at a tee box, advertising on the Explorer Social Media Accounts, your company logo on a golf towel that is included in a golf bag given to all golfers in the tournament

5:00-10:00pm

High School Sports Complex

Come celebrate the end of a great summer with your friends, family, and neighbors at Scarborough’s 25th Annual Summerfest event on August 19! The Town of Scarborough and Community Services hosts this annual event at the High School Sports Complex at no cost.

Meet with local nonprofit organizations, jump around in the Bounce Zone, enjoy food available for purchase from a variety of local food trucks, sing along with New England cover band Holly Heist, and end the night with a fireworks show!

Food trucks and vendors include Mr. Tuna, Cheese the Day, Char Wrig's Sno & Dough Adventures, Texas Roadhouse, Millside Creations Hotdogs, Betty ReeZ WhoopieZ, and Poppies Kettle Corn.

Free parking available at Scarborough High School, Wentworth School, Scarborough Middle School, and Scarborough Public Library.

This year for Summerfest, our Public Safety team is opening up their building for tours every half hour! See our dispatch center, which handles 24-hour emergency calls for Police, Fire, and Rescue. Meet police officers and see our fire trucks, too. The Public Safety Building Open House will be held from 5:00-7:00pm as part of Summerfest.

Our free and family-friendly concerts are held on Thursdays evenings at 6:30pm. Pack a picnic dinner and bring your chairs or blankets!

August 4: Running Down a Dream

August 11: Don Campbell Band (Postponed from July 14)

Additional parking is available at the High School. In the event of rain, concerts are moved to the high school auditorium. Thank you to Scarborough Chamber of Commerce and Scarborough Community Services for co-sponsoring this annual tradition!

Scarborough Community Services hosts many programs year-round for kids, teens, adults, and seniors. Registration is now open for their Fall programs. Check out all the upcoming programs for seniors 55+, Adult, Teen, and Youth programs. Act fast, as some popular programs fill up quickly! Register online or in person at the Hub, located at 418 Payne Road.

The original exemption request was submitted in October 2021. While the article in the Leader last week expressed “The Scarborough Town Council and The Downs are making progress in working on an agreement…”, I would argue what was presented was a step backward, not forward. The document reviewed was essentially the same information provided in October, with continued loose terms around public benefits and minimal performance guarantees. It included a revised request that would allow for up to 860 units over a 10-year period, of which 300 units could be permitted in a single year during that time period. It included “reserving land” for a School and a Community Center, which is an existing obligation under the current credit enhancement agreement. Both capital projects will still require a vote approved by referendum by residents and will be bonded and paid for by taxpayers, not by the developer.

At the workshop, resident after resident went up to the podium to speak and continued to voice their concerns regarding the pace of residential growth in Scarborough. Emails continue to come to the Council requesting that we not support the exemption. Our Town-wide survey showed that the majority of residents were not in favor of the type of growth, and also expressed concerns regarding the pace of growth. The draft exemption terms did not change that sentiment.

This has become more complicated than it needs to be. Residents want a slower pace of growth. There has been nothing tangible offered that would convince me that a faster pace of growth is in the best interest of the general welfare of the residents. I love the idea of a vibrant “town center”, but given the feedback from the community and the risk to the Town, I’m not convinced the tradeoff is there to justify an exemption. I’m ready to vote no.

That being said, our work is not done. We still have two major policy objectives that need to be addressed: 1) Residents want a slower pace of residential growth and 2) we need to find a way to concentrate our growth in the high growth areas, like the Downs. The GMO is one of our policy tools to regulate growth. After voting to support it, and after a year of learning, it’s time to change it to better achieve both policy objectives. We’ve been building over 300 units per year for the past 5 years. As an example, if we were to adjust our GMO threshold from 143 units to a slightly higher number ~200-250 units, remove other exemptions and direct the majority of those units to designated high growth areas, we would be 1) growing at a slower pace of growth compared to the last 5 years and 2) directing growth to high growth areas, like the Downs, that could help to activate the “town center”.

More work will be needed to develop final numbers. With this approach, the Downs may not be able to produce exactly what they’ve envisioned and marketed to the public, but residents will get greater predictability on growth at a slower pace and perhaps some benefits if the Downs proceed with their plans.

It’s time to vote no on the exemption and for the Council to take action and change the GMO to both manage growth and activate the Downs.

John Cloutier, Chair • Ken Johnson, Vice Chair • Jonathan Anderson • Jean-Marie Caterina • Don Hamill • Nick McGee • April Sither

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

Scarborough Public School District has been developing a K-8 strategic project and discussing a plan for a new primary school. Follow the project updates on their new Facebook page, Scarborough Public Schools New School Building Project.

A Project Website is launching in early August and there is currently committee information on the district website.

Deanna McNamara, Youth Services Manager will read books featuring pollinators at Pleasant Hill Preserve at 10am at this collaborative program with the Scarborough Land Trust; a kid-friendly nature walk follows the Story Time. No registration necessary.

Scarborough Marsh: Defining Our Most Iconic Geographic Feature with Linda Woodard of Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center, 6:30pm at the Library. Call 883-4723 or email askSPL@scarboroughlibrary.org to register.

Drop in anytime this week and build your own creation or try your hand at one of our Lego challenges!

Come celebrate summer reading at our annual ice cream social. Claim your free book! The amazing Friends of Scarborough Library generously sponsor summer reading and this memorable party. Join us!

Connect with your Library at the remaining Concerts in the Park on August 4 and 11 and at the Scarborough Farmers’ Market on Sundays, August 14 & 21!

The Library is a collection spot for Project GRACE’s Back-to-School backpack and school supply donations. Donations will be accepted anytime between now and August 17 at noon! They are very much needed this year. Click Here for inspiration and information.

Monday – 9am to 5pm • Tuesday – 9am to 7pm • Wednesday – 9am to 7pm • Thursday – 9am to 7pm • Friday – 9am to 5pm • Saturday – 9am to 1pm • Sunday – Closed

The Scarborough Farmers' Market is held on Sundays from 9am-1pm in the Town Hall parking lot. It runs from the first Sunday in June through the last Sunday in October. You'll find vegetables, fruits, soaps, dairy, meats, baked goods, jams, pasta sauce, teas, granola, maple syrup, fresh flowers, dog treats, handmade crafts and more. There is also a tent with a rotating local nonprofit organization.

Scarborough Land Trust is a nonprofit working to conserve land in Scarborough. With community support, they have conserved over 1,600 acres to date. They connect people to the land through guided nature walks and education programs on their trails. Look ahead at some fun upcoming August events on their calendar.

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