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 they establish their goals for 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.

Planning Board

The Planning Board is off to an exciting 2025. At their February meeting, the Board reviewed sketch plans for Market Basket, a junior anchor, mixed-use building and satellite parking at the Downs. We anticipate seeing site plans for some of these new developments this spring and summer.

Looking ahead, this spring the Planning Board will also review ordinance amendments related to EV charging requirements and the Light Industrial district.

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

The proposed 7.7+ acre parcel area for Market Basket is located within The Downs Core Town Center development.

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. This month the committee will review a request to consider district(s) that would be appropriate for an indoor shooting range. They will also review the newly adopted Council Goals and set their agenda for the coming months. They plan to resume discussions around short term rentals and developing a registration process, something that was paused last fall. LRPC will take this up in March and April before moving to Ordinance Committee and Council, allowing for more public feedback and fresh eyes on the project.

Coastal Waters and Harbor Advisory Committee

Last fall, the Coastal Waters committee did a comprehensive review of Chapter 1401, the Coastal Waters and Harbor Ordinance, to ensure the Town of Scarborough was keeping up with the ever-changing waterfront for both commercial and recreational users. They also wanted to have the ability to ensure uniform enforcement of the ordinance, and edit some terminology and definitions for clarity. The recommended changes were brought to the Ordinance Committee in January and approved by the Town Council in February. In the coming months, the Coastal Waters committee is looking at the possibility of conducting some maintenance dredging in the river hopefully in the fall of 2025 if permitting can be completed in time.

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.

Community Services Advisory Board

This month the CSAB held its election of new officers and formally introduced the new Community Services Director, Nick Cliche, who will serve as staff liaison to the board. Nick gives the board Community Services department updates, which recently entailed beach project updates and an overview of the proposed budget for the department (budget season starts up on March 26th).

The CSAB also recently brought forward recommendations for beach fee amendments to the Town Council. Following their thorough review and amendments, the Council adopted changes such as an increase to the non-resident beach pass fee and limiting the number sold. The Board has also been staying connected to other town projects. They received an update on the School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC) work and discussed how a potential future site could potentially house a Community Center.

Looking ahead, the CSAB will review and update their goals, which include:

1. Continuing to support the Community Center project with a priority of reaching out to the school building committee. 

2. Recruitment and creating a volunteer base for special events, programming, and board work. 

3. Review of town recreation programming and expansion of programs including targeting ages 0-6, Active Adult, and Outdoor Recreation opportunities

4. Evaluating the need and ability to access additional Athletic Fields.

Nick Cliche started as the new Community Services Director last month. He will serve as the staff liaison to the CSAB.

School Building Advisory Committee

The School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC) is in its second phase to bring a potential school building solution to voters this November. They developed 8+ concepts and have emphasized seeking public input before advancing too far along. In order to narrow the options, they recently conducted a survey to identify which ones were preferred. There were 1,290 surveys completed and another 600+ incomplete that they were able to glean data from.

The SBAC hopes to identify the top two recommended options by the end of the month. They will be holding a joint workshop with the School Board and Town Council on April 2nd to discuss these choices. They are also hosting a Community Forum about the 2 preferred options on April 8th at 6:00pm.

Sustainability Committee

The Sustainability Committee is using the Town Council's 2025 goals to align their work for the year. The Committee recently requested the Town create a Sustainability Reserve Account to help fund energy efficiency and sustainability projects, such as adding solar arrays on municipal buildings, offsetting the cost of equipment upgrades, delivering community education and outreach, and providing matching funds for grant proposals. The account will be funded through a portion of electrical permit fees and fees in-lieu collected from developments that are unable to meet the Town’s EV charging requirements. The Town Council approved the account at their March 5th meeting. Next up, the Committee will begin work on Scarborough's Climate Action Plan this spring. Work is expected to continue through 2026.

The new Sustainability Reserve Account may be used for projects like installing solar arrays on municipal buildings, like this one on the Community Services maintenance building.

Conservation Commission

The Conservation Commission took a break in early 2025, but discussed goals for this year in their December meeting. A recent accomplishment was their support of the proposed update to the Town's Zoning Ordinance that requires a 25-foot setback from wetlands for new development. The Town Council passed the wetlands setback ordinance by a 5-2 vote at the January 22nd Town Council meeting. This addition was made in an effort to enhance protections to wetlands that are not currently protected through the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance regulations.

Looking ahead, the Conservation Commission will support the Town Council's conservation-related goals for the year, including becoming a Tree City USA community.

Transportation Committee: Transportation Study

After an intensive past year of working with consultants on a Townwide Transportation Assessment, the Transportation Committee is in its end stages of finalizing and implementing the document. They expect more to come on actionable projects that have the potential to be funded once it’s completed. The committee is also currently researching and evaluating micro-transit solutions in Scarborough, essentially a shuttle service that could be used between public transportation stops. 

In the coming months, the committee will be looking at initiatives that promote safety for drivers and pedestrians. They plan to develop a Vision Zero Resolution—eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries among all road users—to go the Town Council. They’ll also review and support a Safe Streets 4 All (SS4A) demonstration and preliminary planning efforts. This is a federal grant program through the USDOT to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. Lastly, they aim to support the development of a Complete Streets and Traffic Calming Guidance document.

The PCLB continues to review applications for land purchases. They most recently reviewed one by the Scarborough Land Trust (SLT) for a conservation easement at Beaver Brook (49 Grant Rd). It is made up of approximately 60 acres of undeveloped forests, wetlands, vernal pools, and riparian habitat. The appraised purchase price of the easement is $260,000, being requested via the land bond, and an additional $87,762 fundraised by SLT. SLT has also applied for North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) funding that, if approved, could reimburse up to the full $260,000 of the land bond. After a full presentation and committee discussion, it was voted on unanimously to bring it forward to Town Council.

Aside from reviewing applications, the PCLB has made it a goal to review their evaluation criteria. They aim to create or revise the evaluation tools they use for all authorized land bond uses. They also stay connected to other conservation-related Town initiatives. They'll have an Open Space Plan workshop on April 3rd.

The PCLB is a major avenue of reaching the Town's conservation goals, specifically efforts to achieve "30x30" (30% of Scarborough conserved by 2030). Facilitating the spending of land bond funds is one way of achieving this.

The Town Council adopted their 2025 goals in a February Council meeting. Many of them over lap with board and committee efforts, which means that these first few meetings of the year are a time for the committees to identify how they can support the Council goals. They cover the following areas of focus:

• Long Range Facilities Planning
• Conservation, Sustainability & Resiliency
• Traffic & Transportation
• Growth, Housing & Land Use
• Communication & Community Engagement

Their main goals are:

• Address school enrollment and facility needs for K-8 students in partnership with the School
• Develop and implement environmental protection and climate change initiatives that protect our environment and enhance our resiliency. 
• Advance the Town-wide Transportation Study and engage with regional partners to prioritize and advance transportation initiatives in Scarborough
• Develop a basis for defining an affordable and workforce housing policy
• Increase communications with residents to advance Council Goals with the public

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:

• ADA Advisory Committee 
• Historic Preservation Implementation Committee
• Seniors Program Advisory Board 

Applications are reviewed monthly by our Appointments and Negotiations Committee.