If the foliage wasn't enough of a tell tale sign that fall is here, our Town updates sure will be! Check out the number of upcoming events that mark a sign of the changing seasons. There's a pumpkin carving event for families, the 4th annual Jr. Firefighter Muster that's entertaining and open to the public, and of course the state/municipal election only a few weeks away. We also review some Town Council business and other news you should know. Read more for details, and don't forget to vote!

Reminders for this week: The first half of 2026 tax bills are due today, October 15. Also, trash collection remains on schedule this week despite the Monday holiday.

Thanking Longtime Employees for Their Service

Last week the Scarborough Police Department recognized two longtime employees for their years of service to the community: Sergeant Craig Hebert and Community Resources Officer Eric Greenleaf.

Community Resource Officer Eric Greenleaf (left) was recognized for 35 years of service to the Town of Scarborough. Officer Greenleaf began his full-time career with our department in 1990. He has served in several different capacities throughout his career: SWAT team member, Youth Aid Officer, Acting Sergeant, Explorer Program Advisor, Honor Guard member, Detective and Community Resource Officer/School Resource Officer. Officer Greenleaf has also received recognitions over the years, including Officer of the Year in 2007 and a Community Enrichment Award in 2023. Officer Greenleaf is well known for his unique ability to relate and connect with our younger aged community members throughout the primary schools. Thank you Officer Greenleaf on your 35 years of service!

Sergeant Craig Hebert (right) was recognized for his 20 years of dedicated service to the Town of Scarborough. Sgt. Hebert started his full-time career with the Waterville Police Department in 2002. In 2005 he joined the ranks in Scarborough. Over the years, Sgt. Hebert held the role of SWAT team member, Field Training Officer, and Special Enforcement Officer. He was promoted to Sergeant in 2020. In 2024, while one of our Lieutenants attended the National FBI Academy, Sgt. Hebert was assigned as Acting Lieutenant. Throughout his career, he received several Unit Citations and a Commendation for his dedicated service to our community. He has always shown compassion to his co-workers and community members. Congratulations Sergeant Hebert on your 20 years of service!

Thank you to all who attended our 3rd annual Sustainable Scarborough Day on October 5th! The unseasonably warm weather made it a perfect day to celebrate our community's dedication to sustainability. Photos by Frank Kastenholz

November Election: Early Voting Now Available

Early Voting Now Available

Early voting is available in Town Hall during business hours, Monday through Thursday, 7:00am-5:00pm. It will be available through the month of October. Stop in to vote at your convenience.

Request an Absentee Ballot

Request an absentee ballot to have a ballot mailed to you.

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

Watch a Recording of Candidates Night

Candidates Night was on Tuesday, October 7 and gave a chance to meet the candidates running for Sanitary District, Board of Education, and Town Council. Although each race is uncontested, it is still an opportunity to learn more about Scarborough's elected officials. Watch the recording

Candidates on the Ballot

Town Council 2 seats, 3-Year term to expire 2028

• Michelle T. Hayes

• Karin B. Shupe (Incumbent)

School Board 1 seat to fill a vacancy, term to expire in June 2027

• Crescencia Maurer

Sanitary District Trustees 2 seats, 3-Year term to expire 2028

• Anthony J. D’Amelio

• Write-In

On the Ballot: Request to Approve $130M K-8 School Project

The school project referendum question will ask if voters approve a total cost of up to $129.85 million for major upgrades, including renovations, additions, and new construction to Scarborough’s five K-8 schools. A second referendum question asks for a further addition to the Middle School to accommodate increased enrollment expected in 2034, with a total project cost of up to $10M (contingent on the first question passing).

The plan is designed to be a practical long-term investment in Scarborough’s K-8 schools to address chronic overcrowding and outdated facilities. 

• The 30 portable classrooms in use district-wide will be replaced by permanent additions at the schools. 

• Safety and security infrastructure will be upgraded to meet modern standards. 

• The K-2 primary schools, which date back to the 50s and 60s, will receive renovations and additions to accommodate growing enrollment and meet the needs of present day teaching and learning. Eight Corners Primary School will be fully rebuilt on the same site to accommodate a larger number of students.

• Scarborough Middle School (grades 6-8) will get a cafeteria expansion needed to accommodate the student population, a small administrative addition to improve safety and security, appropriate program space for music and art programming, and a permanent classroom wing addition to replace the 6th-grade portable classrooms that are currently only accessible by leaving the main building.

• Wentworth Intermediate School will receive a small addition to accommodate future enrollment growth expected in 2034-35. 

Construction is anticipated to finish by the beginning of the 2029-30 school year. 

Attend Final Community Forum

The School Building Committee has hosted two community forums this October for residents to learn more about the project, ask questions, and hear directly from those involved in the planning process to make an informed vote. There is one final forum on October 21st, 6:00pm at Town Hall Council Chambers or via Zoom.

Next Friday: Pumpkin Carving Night

Friday, October 24, 6:00-8:00pm

Community Services Hub, 418 Payne Road

$8/pumpkin

Register

Get in the spooky spirit by joining us for Pumpkin Carving Night! This event is perfect for families and friends of all ages to enjoy. Show off your pumpkin carving skills for just $8 per pumpkin and leave the clean up to us! If you aren’t into pumpkin guts…no worries! Help yourself to the games and treats free of charge. This event is generously sponsored by Moe’s Original BBQ.

Be sure to pre-register to guarantee your pumpkin. A limited number will be available for purchase at the door. Carving supplies provided. Costumes encouraged.

See all the fun programs and events offered this season in our Fall brochure.

Mark Your Calendars! Passport Day

Wednesday, November 26, 9:00am - 2:00pm

Community Services Hub

418 Payne Road, Scarborough 

Scarborough Community Services assists the U.S. Department of State with the acceptance of U.S. passport applications. Passports applications are accepted at the Community Services Hub by appointment only, but we offer occasional days when school is closed and it’s a little easier on families.

Our next Passport Day is Wednesday, November 26 (day before Thanksgiving). Staff will be on hand to answer your questions, assist with the process, and accept your applications. This will be drop-in only (no appointments). We expect it to be busy, so plan to arrive early to be sure that your application can be accepted.

Each applicant will need the following materials:

• Evidence of Citizenship

• Photo Identification

• Passport Photo

• 2 Checks or Money Orders

Additional documents may be required depending on individual circumstances.

For more information on what is required to apply for a passport, please call the Scarborough Community Services Office at 207-730-4150, or you may visit the only official website for passports at Travel.State.Gov.

Last chance! Lights above the tennis and basketball courts will be on from 6:00-8:00pm every Tuesday and Thursday through October! Whether you’re looking to practice your serve or shoot some hoops, come enjoy the courts after dark 🎾🏀

Council Approves Increased Tax Benefit to Seniors

In their October 1 meeting, the Council voted to approve an amendment to the Senior Property Tax Assistance Program to increase the rebate. This is a longstanding rebate program for eligible seniors (approximately 500) who receive $1,000 in property tax assistance due to their age, length of residency, and income. The approval increases the rebate to $1,200 in an effort to keep with the pace of inflation and in the event of additional tax burdens, like the school project if it passes, to minimize the impact on the most vulnerable senior property taxpayers. Learn more

Growth Workshop TONIGHT at 5:30pm

The Town Council is holding a workshop on growth in Scarborough at 5:30pm tonight, October 15th (view agenda). The discussion will be on “how we got here” and is the first in a 2-part series. The second workshop on November 17th will cover “where we are going” with consideration for recommendations from recent plans, as well as new state laws going into effect. 

This meeting is timely. The community has expressed concerns in surveys, in council meetings, and online about the pace of growth and its effects. Recent discussions on the proposed Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district in the Dunstan area added to this. We’re also nearly halfway through the 10-year Comprehensive Plan (adopted in 2021), the guiding document for how to strategically manage growth in Scarborough, and preparing for the Council’s goal-setting session for 2026.

Come to the workshop (or tune in online) to learn more about the Comprehensive Plan and its vision statements, how “growth areas” work, and a snapshot of current growth trends in Scarborough.

Spurwink Marsh Restoration & Sawyer Street Removal

Sawyer Street in Scarborough becomes Sawyer Road on the Cape Elizabeth side. It is accessed from Spurwink Road and crosses the Spurwink Marsh. The Spurwink River serves as a border between the two communities.

It is prone to flooding during astronomical high tides and storm events. Because of this, it was listed as a "priority road" in the Town's recent Vulnerability Assessment, where 30 top roads were prioritized for adaptation based on flood exposure and their consequences using a risk-based prioritization process. The Town of Cape Elizabeth had also flagged the road in its 2015 Vulnerability Assessment and a 2019 culvert assessment/study found that it would cost $2.5-5M to replace the culvert, and the road would still flood. Raising a road or adding a bridge would exceed $10M.

Results of the culvert study were presented in 2022, and the Town Council directed staff to explore road removal. In 2024, the Towns of Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth received a $1.59M grant from the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program to remove 1,400 feet of road from the marsh and restore or enhance 62+ acres of marsh as a result. Each Town's contributions would be $185k to construct turnarounds.

On September 24th, the Town held a community meeting to re-inform the public of the research and engagement up to this point (Cape Elizabeth held a similar meeting). With funding in place, the next step is for the Towns to complete an official road discontinuance process, as mandated by State statute. This process includes approving an order to consider discontinuance, holding a public hearing, and voting on the order at least 10 days after the public hearing.

Up Next→ The Town Council will hold a public hearing on November 5th for further public comment. A second reading and vote will be held on November 19th. If both towns decide to discontinue, next steps will be project permitting and designs for marsh enhancement and restoration. Road removal would occur after upstream marsh work is complete, likely in 2027.

Questions? Contact Jami Fitch, Sustainability Manager, at jfitch@scarboroughmaine.org.

Community Surveys Mailed to Select Households

Next week, a town-wide community survey will be mailed to randomly selected households requesting feedback. The statistically valid survey covers questions regarding satisfaction with town services and the direction the community is headed. A minimum of 600 responses will be needed. After the completion of the statistically valid portion of the survey, an online version will be made available this fall for anyone who did not receive the mailed version to share your thoughts. The Town will use the results of the survey to set council goals and inform projects/initiatives.

October 18: Fire Prevention Open House

Saturday, October 18, 10:00am-1:00pm

Public Safety Building, 275 US Route One

October is Fire Prevention Month! Public fire education programs are essential to our work in keeping our community safe. We work with Scarborough elementary schools, nursery schools, and daycare centers to provide age appropriate fire safety, like how to use 911, having a home safety and escape plan, and "stop, drop, and roll".

Fire Prevention Month isn't only for school-aged children. It's a great time for every household to conduct a home fire safety inspection and test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

To celebrate, we're hosting a Fire Prevention Open House and inviting our community to join us. Fire, Police, and Dispatch will have demos including "touch a truck", K9s with their handlers, a drone, the command van, and fun handouts and goodies. External partners will join, too: Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA), Trauma Intervention Program, Central Maine Power, Maine Forest Service, and the Maine Fire Marshal's office. We hope you'll join us!

October 26: 4th Annual Jr. Firefighter Muster

Sunday, October 26

10:00am-3:00pm

Rain Date: Sunday, November 2 (same time)

Scarborough Fire Department, 275 US Route One, Scarborough

The Town of Scarborough Fire Department is excited to announce it will be hosting the 4th Annual Maine Junior Firefighters Muster. The event invites Fire Departments, and Vocational Technical Schools with junior and/or explorer firefighter programs ages (14-18) from across Maine to participate and test their skills. The public is invited to watch the events as spectators! These programs are critical to the sustainability of our departments and this is a great way to show these aspiring firefighters how important they and their programs are to Maine's Fire Service Future. This event will be free for all and the public is encouraged to attend!

This event is made possible thanks to several local sponsors.

Council Corner: Fall Council Committee Updates

By Bill Donovan

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.

School Referendum

Portables! Portables! Portables! Put the kids in crowded conditions outside the regular school buildings, and throw in winter. What could go wrong? But seriously, we all know that a good learning environment is essential to providing a good education. And a good education is a cornerstone of a successful society. It makes each of us better in so many ways.  

Ridding our schools of portables is a core of the School Referendum plan. As the Council liaison, I observed the committee's work that resulted in the plan presented in the Referendum. Regular citizens volunteered their time month after month to get it right, seeking to solve the overcrowding problems in the most cost effective ways possible.

And now we’ve arrived at the moment where supporters can proudly say, by my vote I contributed to Scarborough today. I made my home town better. I helped a child who will forever benefit.

Controlling Growth

It may be readily acknowledged that the greatest concern we Councilors have recently heard from the community is that the rate of growth in our town is too rapid. We hear you.

The Council is currently planning a series of workshops around growth. Our first workshop is at 5:30pm tonight, Wednesday October 15th.  The focus of this workshop is a 50+ year look back on how we got where we are today. We will be reviewing different ordinances and levers that are within our control to manage growth. Following this workshop, will be discussing where to go from here at a workshop on November 17th.  

Ultimately as the new Council enters its goals discussion in January, we will identify policy changes we would like to make to further manage growth, including if a moratorium is necessary. As we make decisions we will need to balance the community's views on growth with keeping Scarborough affordable, respecting personal property rights, and continuing to make way for diverse housing options as we grow. Our future discussions may result in zoning changes, changes to our Comprehensive Plan, and/or changes to other ordinances we have. Any changes will have to go through a public process and it is important everyone participates however they can to share their feedback, such as by coming to Council meetings, emailing the Council, participating at a committee meeting, or even making a phone call to Councilors.  

Additionally, as part of these discussions, the Council will also need to determine how best to prepare and respond to LD1829 - a new law passed by the Maine State Legislature that goes into effect in July 2026 that impacts our ability to manage growth, such as eliminating our ability to manage the pace of growth in our designated growth areas. So, as you can see, growth management is complex, but the Council is ready to accept the challenge.

Short Term Rentals

For some months now, the Ordinance Committee has been investigating how Short Term Rentals (“STRs”) affect neighborhoods and the housing market. We are all aware that STRs are prevalent (and accepted) in our beach neighborhoods, but what about more conventional neighborhoods that are not used to a regular flow of strangers and overcrowding nearby? At its October 8th meeting the Ordinance Committee advanced a plan to adopt a process whereby STRs would formally register with the Town, allowing the Town to evaluate how extensive the condition is and which neighborhoods are most affected. From this data we hope that a more targeted approach can be taken to where and how we regulate STRs.

Scarborough Town Council

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

Town Council meets the first and third Wednesday of each month (third Wednesday only in July and August). Visit our Town Calendar for links to attend and view agendas.

Upcoming Programs at Scarborough Public Library

Board Game Night for All Ages

Friday, October 17, 5:00-7:30pm

Registration not required

Bring the whole family, a couple of friends, or come on your own for this intergenerational party! Either way, plan to play games with anyone. This is a great way to have some fun and maybe make a new friend. Pizza included! (Or bring your own dinner if pizza doesn't work for you).

Book Donation Drive

Saturday, October 18, 9:00am-12:00pm

We're getting ready for future book sales! We appreciate the spirit of giving, but please only bring sellable books. If the book is torn, written in, or smells like mildew or smoke, it will be recycled. Be kind to the library staff and drive your donations straight to the shed only during the drive hours.

Rivera Sun, Author & Peace Activist

Thursday, October 30, 6:30-7:30pm

Register; Online only program

Award-winning author Rivera Sun is a visionary writer whose work aims to awaken and empower readers of all ages. For nearly a decade, her popular Dandelion Trilogy has sold thousands of copies annually. Her acclaimed Ari Ara Series has been enjoyed by readers of all ages, taught in classrooms, and read by peace groups. Her high-quality literature captures the imagination with a blend of utterly compelling stories and social justice themes. This program is online only and brought to you by MECollab as part of the Maine Courses: Kindness series.

Travis Kennedy, Maine Author Talk

Thursday, November 6, 6:00-7:00pm

Register

Let's hear from Travis Kennedy, Scarborough resident and acclaimed author of The Whyte Python World Tour. "Rikki Thunder, twenty-two-year-old drummer for the scorching new ’80s metal band Whyte Python, is about to have it all: absurd wealth, global fame, and a dream girlfriend. But an unwitting role as an international spy? That was definitely not part of the plan." Kennedy's work has been featured in the Best New England Crime Stories and Best American Mystery Stories anthologies, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and McSweeney's Internet Tendency. He is the grand prize winner of Screencraft’s 2021 Cinematic Book Contest for “Sharks in the Valley,” to be published as Welcome to Redemption. He lives in Scarborough with his wife and their two children. The Whyte Python World Tour is his debut novel.

Chief Holmquist, Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Friday, November 7, 10:00-11:30am

Register

Scarborough Police Chief Mark Holmquist will speak about his military service as a Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier located in Arlington National Cemetery. Mark Holmquist has been the Chief of Police in the Town of Scarborough since December 2021. Prior to joining the Scarborough Police Department, Mark was a 24-year veteran of the Maine State Police where he retired in November 2021 at the rank of Lieutenant. Mark also retired as a First Sergeant from the US Army Reserves in December 2021. Mark served for 25 years in the US Army, Maine Army National Guard and US Army Reserves. The highlight of his military career was his service as a Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery from 1992-1993.