The Town of Scarborough is abuzz with activity! This week alone has a number of ways for you to join in: There's a School Building committee workshop with Town Council, regular Town Council meeting, Ordinance committee meeting, Summerfest, and Public Safety Building Open House. We're also gearing up for the November 8 election, so you'll see more updates from us in the next couple of months about registering to vote and accepting nominations for elected official vacancies. Read on for the latest updates from Town departments, Scarborough Schools, and some local nonprofits.

Stay Connected to Town happenings... The next Town Council meeting is this Wednesday, August 17. View the agenda here. Watch previously recorded meetings on our Public Meetings YouTube channel.

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.

The Town of Scarborough is issuing a water quality advisory after high levels of E. Coli were detected in the Scarborough River. This was identified during routine testing at the Pine Point Co-Op. Additional samples have been taken and results/updates will be shared on social media and the Town website when available.

The Maine Healthy Beaches website is a useful resource to follow updates on current beach statuses.

Gorham Road (Route 114) is 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 and should be completed by late this fall.

6:00pm, Public Safety Building Classroom

Join us for a discussion on how the Town Council should define the term "public benefit". The Town of Scarborough Zoning Ordinance and recently adopted Growth Management Ordinance (GMO) both include clauses which authorize exemptions so long as, among other qualifications, the exemption would subsequently provide a public benefit. Factors in determining public interest and benefit include but are not limited to having a net positive effect on the Town's tax base, provide employment opportunities, benefit the Town's economy, foster demographic diversity, preserve open space or sensitive environmental features, and more (listed in Appendix A of the Zoning Ordinance, pg 540).

Share your thoughts on how you would define a public benefit for the Town of Scarborough in the context of these two ordinance exemptions. Councilors rely on public input and engagement to make informed decisions that represent the best interest of its residents. This event will be in-person and recorded for later viewing.

Last Thursday evening, August 11, the Town of Scarborough held a Preliminary Findings Presentation Public Meeting regarding the parks and facilities master plan that is currently underway.

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.

Learn more about the project on our website.

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. Applications are now being accepted by the Town of Scarborough Assessing Office through December 1, 2022. 

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.

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 went 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.

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, complete and submit nomination papers.

Nomination papers are available in the Town Clerk's Office. The openings are 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

• 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. If you have any questions, please contact the Town Clerk's Office at 207-730-4020.

Campaigning and public notices often include the use of temporary signs. Please be aware that the Town has an ordinance outlining the standards for the permission of temporary signs. A few areas to note:

• Temporary signs cannot be attached to fences, trees, utility poles, traffic control devices or light poles

• Temporary signs cannot be placed in ecologically sensitive areas

• Temporary signs cannot be placed within 30 feet of certain high volume intersections

• Signs must be removed within 12 weeks

There are additional regulations to keep in mind if you will be putting up temporary signs. Please review them in this guideline document, also available on the Candidacy page of our Town Clerk's webpage.

The Municipal Elections and State of Maine General and Referendum Elections are held annually on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. This year the election will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.

Voters can request an absentee ballot 90 days prior to an election by contacting the Town Clerk's Office. These absentee ballots are now available, and you may request one 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. As soon as the absentee ballots are available they will be mailed out to voters.

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

The Town of Scarborough is now hiring for a range of full time and seasonal positions. Here are some job postings that are currently open:

• Patrol Officer

• Public Works Director

• Emergency Communications Dispatcher

• Full Time EMT/Paramedic Firefighter

• Assistant Operations Supervisor (Public Works)

• Part Time Child Care Counselor

With the recent retirements of a number of longtime employees, this is a unique time where there are several open positions in a variety of departments. Check our Employment Opportunities page periodically and find out what makes Scarborough a great place to work with competitive pay and benefits.

Help Project GRACE and Scarborough Community Services support our community by donating school supplies this month. They're looking for pens, pencils, paper, kids scissors, backpacks and more. Donations are being accepted at the Scarborough Public Library throughout the month of August.

The Ad Hoc Charter Committee recommendations will go to the voters for approval on November 8. The matters for deliberation include term limits, town council pay, increasing the voter approval for capital expenditures from $400,000 to $700,000, and June v. October voting for Town Council and Board of Education members. The next step in this work will take place at the Wednesday August 17 Town Council meeting.

Our Ordinance work in progress ranges from new Ordinance Committee initiatives. Top priority work includes revisiting the Innkeepers Ordinance, which has been challenged by a sudden wave of distinct groups of homeless seeking temporary shelter; adapting Maine Statute L.D. 2003 for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs); revisions to our Coastal Waters and Harbor Committee and Shellfish Committee Ordinances, and many more. The next Ordinance Committee is on Thursday August 18.

Please take time to tune in and take an active part in the business of the town.

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.

8:00am to 6:00pm

Public Safety Building (275 U.S. Route 1)

The Scarborough Fire Department is holding a Blood Drive in honor of a Scarborough firefighter's niece Madison, who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at only 10 months old. 

Madison’s Blood Drives have become the largest in the State of Maine! This would not be possible without the support of everyone who has come out to donate blood at previous drives held in her honor. Thank you to everyone who has donated in the past.

Donating blood saves lives— Register for this upcoming drive. You can also register at www.redcrossblood.org. Type in key words "Madison Charland" or "Scarborough Public Safety Building". You can also search by date.

A project website launched on Friday for the School's strategic project for a new primary school. This project came about because the existing schools have exceeded their capacity and infrastructure does not support our students' basic educational needs. "We need a sustainable solution to house our current and growing population." The planning and construction process will take approximately five years.

You can also follow the project updates on their new Facebook page, Scarborough Public Schools New School Building Project.

The Town Council will be holding a Workshop with the School Building Committee on Wednesday, August 17. View the agenda here.

This week in Youth Services we celebrate COLOR in honor of Elisa Boxer's new book Covered in Color. Drop in anytime to make your own scratchboard art and more! 

Kiddos ages 10-16 are invited to join Emmy-award winning journalist and children's author Elisa Boxer for this workshop, discussion, and Q&A on writing nonfiction. Bring a notebook, pen, curiosity and creativity! Call 883-4723 option 3 or email kids@scarboroughlibrary.org to sign up. 

Children of all ages and their families are welcome to join us at the gazebo for this butterfly-themed outdoor story time with Kelly Pietrzak, guest reader. No registration necessary.

Protect Yourself from Scams: Learn How to be a Fraud Fighter

Don Taylor, Scarborough resident and volunteer for the AARP Fraud Watch Network, will present this program on how scams and identity theft rob millions of Americans of their hard-earned money every year. Learn More.

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

Scarborough Land Trust is hosting a free summer series for families and children in collaboration with Friends of Scarborough Marsh. Each week they will take a close look at water and its important role in the environment. Sessions are from 3-5pm on Wednesdays August 10, 17, and 24:

Session 1 – FRESHWATER Wednesday, August 10 at Broadturn Farm

Session 2 – MARSHLANDS Wednesday, August 17 at Blue Point Preserve

Session 3 – OCEAN Wednesday, August 24 at Ferry Beach

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