June is in full swing, and so is activity across Town. We share the results of last week's election and give you some important upcoming dates if you're looking to dive deeper into some major town topics. The School Building Advisory Committee will be making big progress this Monday, and the Town Council is holding a workshop to review the goals they set out to accomplish at the start of the year. Plus, you don't want to miss some fun programs from Community Services! Read on for details on these topics and much more. Happy summer!

Have you caught any beautiful skies, summer sunsets, or wildlife over the marsh yet this season? Save them up to enter into our 3rd annual summer photo contest, launching in July!

Unofficial Election Results

Election Day was Tuesday, June 10, 2025. The municipal election consisted of the School Budget Validation Referendum and an election for the Board of Education (3 seats) and Town Council (1 seat to fill a vacancy).

We had an 15% voter turnout with 2,715 ballots cast.

The School Budget passed:

Yes: 1,787

No: 894

Blank: 34

A second school budget question asked if the referendum process should continue for an additional three years. The majority responded in favor of continuing this process.

Three Board of Education candidates ran uncontested and were elected: Charlotte Jacobs, John Kelleher, and Jillian Trapini-Huff. Larry Cain was elected for the Town Council seat to fill a vacancy, with a term to expire in 2026.

The unofficial results of the June 10, 2025 election are also available to view on the Town of Scarborough website. They will be made official when certified by the Town Council in their next meeting on June 18.

Upcoming Holiday Closure: June 19

Town offices will be closed on Thursday, June 19 for the Juneteenth holiday.

Trash pickup will remain on schedule for the week.

Town Hall is open Monday-Thursdays from 7:00am to 5:00pm.

4th of July 🎆

July 4th falls on a Friday this year, so no changes to our Town Hall hours and a nice long weekend to celebrate. Check out the parades at Pine Point and Higgins Beach to kick off the weekend too!

Fireworks Dos & Don'ts

As the 4th of July approaches, please be aware of the Town's Consumer Fireworks Ordinance and acceptable use areas. A Notification of Intent must be submitted to the Scarborough Fire Department prior to use. This online form can be found on the town website under the Residents menu.

There is no fireworks show put on by the Town for the 4th of July.

It's Beach Season!

Check out the FAQs on our website for some reminders (dog times, plover protection, lot fees, and more). Heading to the beach often? Purchase a beach pass from Town Hall to avoid daily parking fees.

Parking Lot Changes at Hurd Park

Know before you go! The Hurd Park parking lot at Pine Point Beach has some changes in place for the 2025 season.

You'll notice a new traffic flow with a dedicated entrance and exit to help us run more smoothly. Enter from Avenue 5 and then split into two lanes: Season's pass or paying with cash, go right. Paying with debit/credit card, stay to the left. When it's time to leave, exit through the far left corner of the lot out onto King Street. Slowly pull up to the gate and the arm will automatically raise. A new trolley stop is also along the lot on King Street.

Thanks for helping to keep traffic flow running smoothly, and we hope you enjoy your beach visit!

Ordinance Committee Tables Review of Beach Leash Laws

The Community Services Advisory Board (CSAB) has been reviewing the Animal Control Ordinance over the past year. This spring, they finalized their proposed changes, including formatting adjustments, clarifying definitions, and changes to leash times for dogs on beaches. They held a meeting on May 28th for public comment and their recommended changes went to the Ordinance Committee last Wednesday, June 11th. It was determined that more information will need to be collected and reviewed after this summer beach season. The committee chose to table the discussion until December.

Summer Programs for Active Adults

Community Café Lunches

Scarborough Community Services partners with Southern Maine Agency on Aging (SMAA) to serve a catered lunch every Wednesday at the Hub, 418 Payne Road. Lunch is served at 11:30am followed by entertainment or guest speakers from 12:00pm to 1:00pm. The suggested donation is $8. RSVP by Monday 12:00pm prior to each event. Everyone is welcome!

July Schedule

7/2 Italian sandwiches, Community Services update and AED training

7/9 BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and guest speaker from the SCS Park Ranger program

7/16 Pepper steak sandwiches and 2026 Medicare information

7/23 Haddock dinner and live music by singer-songwriter Georgia Humphrey

7/30 Cold cut platter and Short Bingo: 6 games played on one sheet, for fun and prizes

Active Living Every Day

Scarborough Community Services received a grant from National Recreation and Parks Association to offer a free program designed to help adults set health goals, and create physical activity habits to be active every day. Classes will be held at The Enclave of Scarborough (18 Black Point Rd) on Mondays from 9:30-10:30am. Class begins on July 7th and runs for 12 weeks. FMI or to register, contact Community Services at 207-730-4150.

View the Active Adults calendar and full programs brochure for details

High School Track Renovation Project Begins

Area Closed Through August

Work has begun on the High School track renovation project. Renovations include demolition of the existing track for new material, curbing, drainage, and equipment.

The track & turf field area is closed for the renovations this summer. There will be no public access to the turf and track area during construction. Please avoid Wentworth Drive as a route through the Oak Hill campus, as it will be used as a staging area for construction. The complex is anticipated to reopen by late August.

Council Works Toward Affordable Housing Strategy

At the start of the year, the Council identified five goals for their area of focus in 2025. Their Growth, Housing, & Land Use goal is to "develop a basis for defining an affordable and workforce housing policy."

They held a housing workshop on June 4th to formally begin these discussions. The Chair of the Housing Alliance (one of our Town committees) presented with SEDCO Director Karen Martin on some data that gave a snapshot of housing in Scarborough. They also defined some common vocabulary used in housing discussions (and in the presentation), such as Area Median Income (AMI), affordable housing, and workforce housing (see handout). This led to some reaction and thoughts shared by the Town Council as they next consider how to use this information to influence policy.

Council leadership will meet to determine the next steps for the Town Council to continue this work. In the meantime, they are hoping to gather community feedback as they consider what areas to focus on and find consensus. They have scheduled a Council Corner Live on the topic of an affordable housing strategy, scheduled for Tuesday, July 15th at 6:00pm in the Public Safety Building. It will be recorded for remote viewing, but in person participation is encouraged given the format of the session as more of an informal conversation.

See presentation slides. Watch recording.

A Day in the Life of Ryan, IT Field Technician

We interviewed Ryan Marshall, our IT Field Technician at the High School, for the latest Scarborough Living magazine. Not only does he support any IT needs at the school, he also teaches a group of students in a program called Student Help Desk. Here's an excerpt from the feature on a day in his life:

8:00am: It’s first block, and a student is scheduled to station the Help Desk. There are nine students in the Help Desk program and are each scheduled to cover the help desk throughout the week during their study hall. The student in this morning reviews new tickets submitted online. One request is from a teacher who is trying to play a video for the class, but the audio isn’t working, so Ryan and the student go offer their support.

9:15am: There’s a break before the next block, which is often when students come in with laptop issues. Ryan checks for physical damage and goes through the systems for any errors with hardware or software.

With the next block, a new student comes in. The students in the program range from freshman up through seniors. Everyone who has joined the program has continued into the next year, a testament to its value for them. The program supports the school’s IT needs while helping students build customer service skills and giving them hands-on experience. They follow a curriculum for the CompTIA A+ certification exam, which gives students career-relevant skills needed for the field of cyber security. Read more

The Town of Scarborough is a regular contributor to the Scarborough Living magazine, a free publication connecting residents and visitors to the activities, people, events, businesses, and natural beauty that make Scarborough unique. Pick one up at Town Hall or a local business!

The Scarborough Leader also continues to be a go-to source of town information, with a name change to Scarborough Now and additional news from South Portland and Cape Elizabeth. While no longer in print or mailed, the digital format continues to be available at no cost on the Portland Press Herald website. Find it here.

School Building Advisory Committee: Final K-8 School Project Selection Tomorrow

Over the past 18 months, the School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC) has worked in collaboration with the community, the school district, town officials, and architectural/engineering consultants to identify a final supported solution for our K-8 schools.

This Monday, June 16th at 6:00pm the SBAC will make their final recommendation on which option should go out to voters in November. The SBAC meeting is open to the public and we invite the community to attend in person or watch online.

Attend in Person: Town Hall, Council Chambers B

Attend via Zoom

About the Process

Through an iterative process over the past 18 months, the SBAC has:

• Explored 7 Initial Options for a solution for our K-2 schools, Wentworth (grades 3-5) and Middle School (grades 6-8);

• Reduced to 2 Preferred Options for our K-2 schools, Wentworth (grades 3-5) and Middle School (grades 6-8);

• Over the last several weeks, done a deeper exploration of these two preferred options, coupled with various potential building sites, to evaluate potential scope variations, reductions, and deferrals in order to identify the most cost-effective solution that will meet our students’ programmatic needs and be supported by the community.

The following data points will inform the committee’s decision: 

About the Options

The options that remain in consideration for Monday night’s final selected solution are as follows:

Option: Three K-2 Schools (with Addition/Renovation to Wentworth and the Middle School)

• Variation 1: Replace Eight Corners School on “Site 1” (specific site is confidential, as it is privately owned. If site and option are recommended to School Board, the location will be announced soon)
• Variation 2: Replace Eight Corners School on the Existing Eight Corners site
• Variation 3: Addition/Renovation to Eight Corners School on the Existing Eight Corners site

Option: One Consolidated K-2 School (with Addition/Renovation to Wentworth and the Middle School)

• K-2 Consolidated School located on “Site 1” (specific site is confidential, as it is privately owned. If site and option are recommended to School Board, the location will be announced soon)

Included in both options is the following scope at Wentworth and the Middle School: 

• Wentworth: A small addition of 3 classrooms to address increasing enrollment that is coming in the 2031-32 school year.  
• Middle School: A permanent addition to the main building to replace the 6th grade portables, right-size the currently undersized cafeteria, and expand art and music spaces to address current programming needs, in addition to building additional classrooms to accommodate expected enrollment increases beginning in the 2034-35 school year.

Part of the SBAC’s decision on Monday will also include determining what, if any, scope reductions or deferments they may choose to recommend for their selected option. Scope reductions and deferments vary between the options (see the slide deck linked above for detail).

Community Engagement

Please join us Monday evening at 6:00pm as we make this important decision for the future of Scarborough’s schools! There will be a public comment period early in the meeting and we encourage you to make your voice heard.

The SBAC thanks the community for all their input throughout the process via multiple surveys, community forums, public comment, and emailed comments. We encourage you to stay engaged as we will continue to educate the public about the final selected option and prepare for an anticipated referendum date in November, 2025.

Sign up for email alerts about the project (scroll down to “Featured News” and click on the orange BELL icon on the right side of the page)

Public Meetings this Week

June 16 Planning Board

Included on the agenda is a site plan review of the revised version of the Marshview Project, a proposed age 55+ affordable housing building with 50 units. This is a smaller version than the 4-story building and three 3-story townhouse buildings that were initially proposed and would have required a contract zone change.

June 16 SBAC Meeting

The committee will select one option to move forward for the November referendum.

June 18 Council Goals Workshop

It's halfway through the year, and the Council will take the time to review their work and next steps toward the goals they established in January. View Council Goals

June 18 Town Council Meeting

This will be a lighter agenda and includes certifying the election results.

The Town Council usually meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday each month, but they only meet once per month in July and August (July 16 and August 20). Newly elected Councilor Larry Cain will begin in July.

View all agendas and links to participate remotely on our Town Calendar.

Scarborough Community Services: Program Highlights

Save the Date for Summerfest!

Friday, August 15, 5:00-10:00pm

High School Sports Complex

Free!

Come celebrate the end of a great summer with your friends, family, and neighbors at Summerfest! The free annual event includes live music, food trucks, local businesses and organizations, a Kids Bounce Zone and more. It ends with a grand final fireworks display when it gets dark.

New this year: Children's Entrepreneur Market, an award-winning program that teaches young people the power of entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership through experiential learning. We have limited spots, so don't wait! Learn more and register on the Scarborough Children's Entrepreneur Market website.

Discounted Amusement Park Tickets Now Available

Scarborough Community Services sells discounted amusement park tickets through Maine Recreation and Park Association each summer.

Aquaboggan (general admission pass) = $23 each (normally $34) 

York's Wild Kingdom (Zoo ONLY pass) = $14 each (normally $18)

Funtown/Splashtown USA (Combo pass) = $49 each (normally $59)

Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis and available to both residents and non-residents. Must be purchased and picked up in person at the Hub, 418 Payne Road (open 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday).

Parks & Recreation Month Coming in July!

Each July, we celebrate National Parks and Recreation Month in the only way we know how...bringing our community even more fun and free events. This year's theme is "Build Together, Play Together". We hope you can come and join us at one (or all!) of our events. Detailed schedule of events coming soon. Sponsored by Martin's Point Health Care.

Weekly Concerts in the Park Starting June 26

The Scarborough Community Chamber of Commerce and Community Services are thrilled to announce the Concerts in the Park lineup for this summer!

June 26 – Motor Booty Affair

July 3 – 195th Army Band

July 10 – Don Campbell

July 17 – Plush

July 24 – Stolen MoJo

July 31 – Yellow Brick Road

Join us Thursday nights at 6:30pm at Scarborough Memorial Park (5 Durant Drive). New this year, parking will only be available at the High School and shuttle transportation is provided (limited handicap parking at Memorial Park). Also new this year, food trucks!

Check the Scarborough Community Chamber of Commerce Facebook page for all up-to-date information regarding the concerts such as rain delays or venue changes.

Summer Outdoors Photo Contest Starts July 1st📸

Outdoors is the place to be this summer in Scarborough—its parks, nature preserves, and beaches provide the perfect setting for the season. We want to see these spaces through your lens, so we're launching our 3rd annual "Summer Outdoors" Photo Contest in July. Snap photos while you're out enjoying scenery or time with family, and share with us for a chance to win some great local prizes! Stay tuned for more information in our next newsletter.

Council Corner: Housing Workshop Recap & Reflections

By Cory Fellows, Town Council

On June 4th the Town Council and Scarborough Housing Alliance conducted a joint workshop on housing. The discussion was held in furtherance of the Council’s goal of identifying housing needs and formulating an appropriate policy. 

The Housing Alliance is a volunteer group of Scarborough residents that advises on housing issues on behalf of the Town Council. They also review specific housing proposals and administer the Housing Trust Fund – which is funded through payments from developers in connection with certain types of projects (not from taxpayer money). 

The objectives of the session were as follows:

• Establish a common language

• Establish a baseline of communication

• Define affordability

• Review the cost of housing

As with any specialized field, the world of affordable housing is riddled with jargon that can sometimes seem mystifying. Much of this vocabulary comes from the public funding sources on which most affordable and mixed-income housing developments rely. A few key examples explained during the workshop:

• Area Median Income (AMI) – As determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), this is the income in a given area where half of the households make less than the median income and half make more than the median. In Scarborough the “area” that is used for this calculation is the Portland census area. Scarborough’s AMI for a 4-person household is $129,800,

• Income Limits – Housing programs limit occupancy to households who earn less than a certain amount of income per year, usually expressed as a percentage of AMI. The most commonly referenced income limit is 60% of AMI, which is the standard affordability benchmark for the Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC or “lie-tek”).

• Affordable Housing – Usually refers to developments that are income-restricted to people/households earning a designated percentage of the AMI. As noted above, the threshold for LIHTC eligibility is 60% of AMI. Programs like LIHTC, subsidized state loans, local tax incentives and direct financial support, and Section 8 rental assistance are designed to produce and sustain affordable housing.

• Workforce Housing – This term has been invoked in a variety of ways in the popular discourse, but the most commonly accepted definition is housing that is limited to people who make between 80% and 120% of AMI. This is sometimes called the “missing middle” since it is often unattainable for may but is not LIHTC-eligible – making it hard to finance. In Scarborough the workforce housing income range is $103,840 - $155,760 for a 4-person household.

• Rent Burdened – A household is said to be rent burdened if it is paying more than 30% of its gross income toward rent and utilities (or principal interest, taxes and insurance in the case of homeownership).

Housing Alliance members provided a review of Scarborough’s housing demographics and the state of the market, showing that homeownership is increasingly out of reach for many. One example was a hypothetical dual-income household consisting of a firefighter and a middle-school teacher with a combined annual income of approximately $136,000 – meaning they could afford a $490,000 home in a market where most houses sell for well over $500,000 and many in excess of $1 million. In fact, the data show that only 11% of Scarborough’s housing stock is affordable to residents making the median income. One Housing Alliance member, who is a realtor, described an ownership market in which high-net-worth people from out of state commonly snap up houses with all-cash payments. All of this points to a need for not only less expensive homeownership options but a range of rental options for people who cannot afford to buy.

Another key finding was that 69% of Scarborough’s Public Safety employees live outside of Scarborough. Even accounting for the fact that some choose to do so for non-economic reasons, I view that as a red flag. While it is certainly not the Town’s role to guarantee local housing for these critical professionals, I think it’s reasonable to assert that we should do what we can to help support more affordable options.

There was agreement that Scarborough has generally done a good job of supporting affordable housing development; Jocelyn Place, Firehouse Village, and a number of approved developments in Scarborough Downs are just a few recent examples. Given that, it is reasonable ask whether we really need to do more. Haven’t we already done our fair share when compared with surrounding communities, and are we now talking about shouldering an undue burden? I look at this in a couple ways. First, as previously mentioned, many of those who work for Scarborough employers live elsewhere – meaning that other towns are providing housing to Scarborough’s economic benefit. Second, I believe it is in our interest to have a diversified housing stock that provides a range of housing types and price points so we do not become an exclusive enclave of the wealthy or a commuter community; in other words, I view affordable housing as a net positive rather than a box to be checked so we can say we did the bare minimum. 

One of the recurring refrains during the workshop was that affordable housing is hard; high costs, financing challenges, and local opposition are common hurdles. We generally give government the most difficult jobs – the ones that the private sector is either uninterested in or unable to tackle. I believe it is therefore appropriate for the Town to play a supportive role in facilitating the diversification of our housing stock through land use policy and financial assistance, judiciously and within the framework of our growth management controls.

As I stated during the workshop, I also believe it is important to recognize that the historical prevalence of costly single-family homes – which are increasingly expensive due to high land costs, construction-cost escalation and other factors such as wealthy buyers flooding the market – is not due to some immutable law of nature. We got here through intentional governmental interventions, including large-lot single-family zoning and the mortgage interest tax deduction. So there is nothing inherently wrong with utilizing public policy levers to move the needle on affordable housing, as long as it’s done thoughtfully. 

I look forward to continuing this discussion. A Council Corner Live on housing will be held on Tuesday, July 15th at 6:00 at the Public Safety Building.

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.

Scarborough Town Council

April Sither (Chair) • Jonathan Anderson (Vice Chair) • Scott Doherty • Bill Donovan • Cory Fellows • Karin Shupe

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

Scarborough Land Trust Upcoming Program

Firefly Walk

Tuesday, June 24, 8:30-9:30pm

Pleasant Hill Preserve 

Whether you call these glowing insects fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms, you're invited for a night of discovering the dynamic life of a firefly meadow. The walk will be led by Don Salvatore, a long-time science educator at the Museum of Science in Boston and a past curator of the Firefly Watch Citizen Science Project. We hope to see you there!

Programs at Scarborough Public Library

Multicultural Potluck & Summer Learning Kick-Off

Wednesday, June 18, 5:00-7:00pm*

We’re kicking off Summer Learning with a party! Bring a dish to share from your culture or a culture you appreciate! No need to sign up in advance or even have a library card-- for families & adults of all ages. *Location: The Enclave of Scarborough, 18 Black Point Rd

Kids Programs

Alice in Wonderland Read Aloud & Activities

Tuesdays (June 17 & 24, July 1), 2:30-4:00pm

Register

Rising 3rd-5th graders are invited to the library for a three-part read aloud of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland! We will have a tea party and activities at each reading!

Story Walk and Picnic

With Scarborough Land Trust

Saturday, June 28, 11:00am-1:00pm

Fuller Farm, 305 Broadturn Rd

A new Storywalk presentation, a picture book picnic (families are invited to bring their own food and blanket!), and WATERMELON!

Reading Buddies

Monday, June 23, 10:30-11:30am (Drop-in)

Does your little one love having stories read to them? Does your beginner reader want to avoid the dreaded “summer slide” by practicing reading aloud? Teen Reading Buddies are ready to enhance kids’ love of reading and develop fluency and comprehension.

Book Sale at the Library

Saturday, June 21, 9:00am-2:00pm

Pop by the Book Shed for a Book Sale to benefit the library. Thanks to the Friends of the Scarborough Library!