Town of Scarborough

Board & Committee Newsletter

The Town of Scarborough has a number of boards and committees working to enhance our community, guided by the expertise of citizen volunteers. This special edition newsletter features some recent board and committee work as we close out 2025. Read on for more, then visit our Boards & Committees page for access to meeting agendas and the Town Calendar for a look at recent meetings and links to recordings.

This is a special edition of our regular newsletter. We'll send these periodically for a deeper dive on topics we don't want you to miss.

Apply Soon: New Post Referendum Building Committee

The Scarborough Board of Education is seeking Scarborough residents to serve on the Post Referendum Building Committee, which will convene beginning in January 2026 and is estimated to continue through the end of 2029. 

The purpose of the Building Committee is to advise and support the Board of Education on matters related to the building project. This includes design and construction, oversight on the project budget and schedule related to the construction of a new Eight Corners School, addition/renovations at Blue Point, Pleasant Hill, and Scarborough Middle School, and a minor addition to Wentworth School. 

For more specific details, please refer to the Governance Document. 

All Scarborough residents interested in serving on this committee should formally state their interest by submitting the form below no later than December 15, 2025. 

Planning Board Reviews New Building Sites

The Planning Board reviews new residential, commercial and industrial development. Among the items on the December agenda is a new practice facility for the Maine Mariners, which is proposed to be located in the Innovation District.

This fall, the Planning Board reviewed a variety of projects. These included a new Maine Health ambulatory surgery center, approved in August, and two 4-lot residential subdivisions—one on Sawyer Road and the other off Joanies Way. The Board also approved a Site Plan for 260 US-1, which will convert the currently vacant building into office space, with an updated parking layout and landscaping. Recent reviews have also included a number of site plan and subdivision amendments.

Planning Board meetings are held on the third Monday of each month at 6:30pm in Council Chambers and streamed on YouTube.

Architecture rendering of the Maine Mariner's Practice Facility & Ice Arena proposed for the Innovation District in the Downs

Long Range Planning Committee

The Long Range Planning Committee is one of the primary committees tasked with implementing the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, a 2021 document outlining a vision for the future of Scarborough. Since July, the Committee has reviewed Scarborough's zoning districts, building on their discussion of the Town Village Center (TVC) districts this summer.

The committee is continuing to review Scarborough's zoning districts, with special attention on how they can best support the goals laid out in the Comprehensive Plan. This month, they will be reviewing the status of the Comprehensive Plan to provide input to the Town Council for its goal setting process for 2026.

Coastal Waters and Harbor Advisory Committee

The Coastal Waters committee, along with the Town Council, has approved a new dock for more tie up space. They are also looking at the possibility of conducting some maintenance dredging in the channel. As part of this, they've been in communication with the US Army Corps of Engineers, who conducts the dredging. They are considering how they can support Saco with their beach replenishment project, scheduled for 2027, supplementing any excess sand from dredging.

This spring, boat ramp floats at Pine Point and Clay Pits are slated to be replaced, thanks to a grant partnership with the State secured by our Harbormaster.

Scarborough River dredging, 2023

The Harbor Master/Marine Resource Officer has a Facebook page! Follow for updates, images and information on the marine resources and harbor management for the Town of Scarborough.

Shellfish Committee

The Shellfish Conservation ordinance states that Commercial License holders are required to participate in shellfish conservation projects, as deemed necessary by the Shellfish Conservation Commission and/or the Marine Resource Officer, to protect and enhance the resource. The Shellfish Committee approves these accepted conservation activities and is getting ready to put out the 2026 conservation year, which will include crab trapping (for invasive green crabs) and shellfish surveys.

The committee also just went through an ordinance revision. The ordinance was forwarded to Maine Department of Marine Resources for a review and will go to the Town Council Ordinance committee to review in early 2026.

Community Services Advisory Board

The Community Services Advisory Board (CSAB) is focusing on how to grow program offerings and create a network of volunteers to assist in administration of programs, events, and town wide volunteer efforts. This volunteer recruitment program is essential in many areas of how Community Services operates. At the November meeting, an overview of needs was discussed and a framework established to move forward at the next meeting. They will continue the conversation on the volunteer recruitment program, including an inventory of needs, collaborative opportunities with other groups, and work to put an action plan together to successfully structure the program and a timeline.

At the January meeting, the CSAB will also review community feedback from Election Day and Summerfest, where they had an interactive survey/feedback table to actively engage the public in what the biggest needs of focus are for Community Services from a programming standpoint. 

Three voting members are transitioning out of their roles. We'd like to recognize and express huge appreciation for outgoing members Roger Chabot, Art Dillon and Alex Marshall—thank you for your service!

Summerfest is our biggest event of the year and was an opportunity to interact with residents and learn feedback about our programming.

Sustainability Committee: Climate Action Plan

The Sustainability Committee continues to pursue opportunities to promote sustainability in Scarborough. They held a successful 3rd annual Sustainable Scarborough Day in October. They are also exploring the concept of adding solar arrays to municipal buildings, and staying current on sustainability-related state legislation. They are supporting LD 1870, An Act to Establish a Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program to Impose Penalties on Climate Polluters, and hope to bring a resolution in support of the state legislation to the Town Council in the new year.

In addition to the resolution, looking ahead, the committee will begin work on Scarborough's Climate Action Plan, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving resiliency. The Plan will identify Scarborough's climate challenges and opportunities, creating a vision for addressing climate change in the community.

Sustainable Scarborough Day was held on October 5th and continues to serve as a community-oriented event to highlight Scarborough's priority for sustainability initiatives.

Conservation Commission: Climate Action Plan Preparations

The Conservation Commission successfully support the development of Scarborough's Tree Care Protection Ordinance, prompted by a 2025 Town Council goal (view the Council's conservation-related goals). The Tree City initiative is a national program administered by the Arbor Day Foundation to recognize towns and cities across American that meet their program standards.

The committee also supported the Spurwink Marsh Restoration and Sawyer Street Removal project, a grant-funded opportunity to remove Sawyer Street/Road and restore tidal flow to the Spurwink Marsh on the Scarborough/Cape Elizabeth town line. (It ultimately did not move forward after the Cape Elizabeth Town Council voted against it).

Now the committee is working on setting their goals and priorities for 2026. They plan to support the formation of Scarborough's Low Impact Development Ordinance, an effort to reduce the environmental impact of new development, especially near sensitive areas like the Marsh. They'll also engage with Scarborough's Climate Action Plan process, which will ramp up in early 2026. The Climate Action Plan will serve as a strategic roadmap for the Town to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and build resiliency to the effects of a changing climate.

Transportation Committee: Supporting Multiple Projects

Now that the Townwide Transportation Assessment has been completed, the Transportation Committee has shifted their attention to a few simultaneous long-term projects. These include the East Grand Avenue Complete Streets Improvement Project, a new partnership with Greater Portland Metro to expand service into Scarborough, and developing a Complete Streets & Traffic Calming Guidance Manual.

The East Grand Ave project has been in plans since 2016 and is being reprioritized. It is an example of a "complete streets" approach to road work design that will be the goal of all road projects moving forward. It means that streets, roads and other transportation facilities are designed for use and mobility by not only cars and trucks, but also walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and transit riders. The Town of Scarborough is also working with consultants on a Complete Streets & Traffic Calming Guidance Manual, which will provide a clear framework for consistent complete streets implementation in town.

In addition to supporting these efforts, the Transportation committee is helping with local projects that have ties to regional partners. "Next Stop: Scarborough" is a Greater Portland Metro initiative to expand service into Scarborough with new bus routes and microtransit. They are also working on the Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) initiatives "Reimagine Route 1" and "Vision Zero", which both address regional traffic safety.

The PCLB continues to review applications for land purchases. Due to the influx of applications for review, they now meet monthly. Since August, the board has reviewed and approved the following:

166 Spurwink Road: This would be the purchase of 25 acres, with a $300,000 request from land bond funding, for a second expansion of Pleasant Hill Preserve (brought forward by Scarborough Land Trust).

91 Mussey Road: This would be the purchase of 30 acres adjacent with Warren Woods Preserve, with a $250,000 request from the land bond, to be named the Nonesuch River Preserve (brought forward by SLT). This is a unique request, as SLT has also been awarded a $250,000 grant from North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), but due to delays in the Federal Government, the funding would not be released in time to make the purchase possible. Once funding is released, SLT will repay the land bond (the amount depending on amount released and costs required by the NAWCA grant).

3 Fenderson Place: Named the O’Donal-Deering Farm, this request was brought forward by the Maine Farmland Trust for a proposed 39-acre easement to help protect the land from subdivision and development and to keep it open and available for agricultural purposes in perpetuity. This parcel abuts existing preserved lands through SLT (Broadturn Farm Preserve) and Maine Farmland Trust (Deering Farm), totaling over 750 contiguous acres if approved. The request was for $192,500 from the land bond.

These recommendations go to the Town Council for ultimate approval. The PCLB is a major avenue of reaching the Town's 30x30 conservation goals (30% of Scarborough conserved by 2030). Facilitating the spending of land bond funds is one way of achieving this.

Aside from reviewing applications, the PCLB is also working on developing a new evaluation tool. They recently met with a consultant to review the draft version of an app-based evaluation tool that will allow staff and board members to view proposed parcels through the lens of the Open Space Plan by marrying the board’s current scoring system with the Open Space Plan’s overlays. Once finalized, the board will use the tool to re-score past applications to ensure the system works as intended. The board is also working towards updating the Land Acquisition Application and clearly outlining the proposal and review process in conjunction with the new app.

Watch a Committee Meeting

Committee meetings are a great starting point for you to participate in particular topics of interest—they are less formal than Town Council meetings and allow ample opportunity for discussion. Find agendas on each individual webpage (all listed here), tune in on the Town's YouTube channel, or participate in person or on Zoom (link in the agenda). Committee meeting dates are listed on each committee page or on the Town Calendar.

Apply to Join a Committee

We also invite you to consider joining a committee. Your time and expertise would have tremendous impact on the Town. Our municipal government relies on the volunteer service of residents on boards and committees. If you are interested in serving on a committee, apply online today.

Current Vacancies: All boards and committees will have openings in early 2026, so apply soon. The Town Council's Appointments and Negotiations committee reviews all applications to fill positions—they will do this in their January meeting. Ideally, applications should be submitted by the end of December or early January.

Applications are reviewed monthly by our Appointments and Negotiations Committee.