Town of Scarborough

Board & Committee Newsletter

The Town of Scarborough has a number of citizen-led boards and committees working to enhance our community. Their efforts are guided by the expertise of citizen volunteers and have a lasting impact in our town. Read on to see what some of the busier boards and committees have been up to in the past few months. Visit our Boards & Committees page for access to meeting agendas or to apply to fill a vacancy, and use 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.

Conservation Commission Gears Up for Open Space Plan

Over the past few months, the Conservation Commission has been focused on assisting the Planning Department during their ordinance consolidation process. They are working to develop environmental standards aimed at protecting the Town's wetlands and streams. The commission hopes to finalize the recommended environmental standards so they can move on to the Ordinance Committee, Planning Board, and the Town Council.

The Conservation Commission also successfully advocated for the creation of a Conservation Open Space Ad-Hoc Committee. The committee will serve as a steering committee to help guide the creation of the Town's upcoming conservation open space plan that was approved last spring as part of the fiscal year 2024 budget review process. The plan will identify locations to create opportunities for small and large open space areas that could be used for passive park space, trail connections or other conservation. This will help guide the Town to achieve "30x30", or conserving 30% of the Town's land by 2030, a resolution passed with unanimous council support back in June. Scarborough currently has 17% of its total acres conserved. Learn more in this fact sheet.

Take a look at the "30x30" fact sheet

Sustainability Committee: Proposed Updates for 2024

The Sustainability Committee is currently working to propose a dedicated funding stream to support sustainability projects in Scarborough. They are also working with the Planning Department to propose a new ordinance called Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE). The ordinance would allow commercial property owners to access special financing for energy efficiency upgrades. It would be similar to the Town's residential PACE ordinance (1104), which has been in place since 2010. The committee hopes the Town Council will adopt the C-PACE ordinance in the coming months. They also hope the Finance Committee will consider their proposed funding formula in the new year.

On October 1, the Sustainability committee assisted with the coordination of Scarborough's first ever Sustainable Scarborough Day. The event featured vendors and workshops sharing sustainability tips. Response from the community indicates the event was a resounding success! Plans are underway for the 2024 Sustainable Scarborough Day, which will once again be held in October.

Scarborough held its first Sustainable Scarborough Day in October with coordination from the Sustainability and Conservation Committees.

Long Range Planning Committee: Ordinance Revisions

The Long Range Planning Committee is supporting the Planning Department as they work on a long-term project that includes simplifying existing ordinances and finding opportunities to incorporate changes when recommended.

Over the past several months, the Long Range Planning Committee has worked with the Planning department to propose updates to the Town's landscape requirements in the Site Plan Review Ordinance. The proposed language for the landscape requirements section of the ordinance includes specifics on required landscaping, buffer requirements, and updates to the permitted species types with a focus on natives.

The committee has also provided input for potential environmental standards being reviewed by the Conservation Commission. They are currently picking back up where it was left off in the spring with consolidating architectural standards for the Town.

The Committee’s work advances the priorities established in the Town's 2021 Comprehensive Plan. The aim for their efforts is to simplify the Town’s ordinances so they are easier to understand for residents and businesses interested in coming to Scarborough.

The Long Range Planning Committee is proposing updates to the Town's landscaping requirements within the Site Plan Review Ordinance.

Planning Board: New Projects & 2024 Meeting Schedule

The Planning Board has been busy with several projects. One is the approval of Allagash Brewing's new tasting room at Scarborough Downs, which will be located off of Haigis Parkway on the newly constructed Market Street.

The Board also approved the Town's fourth utility-scale solar project on August 7, supporting more renewable energy in town. The 1.95 MW system will be located off of West Beech Ridge Road and includes decommissioning and revegetation plans at the end of the array life.

The Planning Board will be moving to a once per month meeting schedule beginning January 2024. Moving to once per month instead of a rolling three-week cycle will provide staff and applicants additional time needed to hold a Development Review Committee (DRC) meeting to go over review comments together before they are forwarded to the Planning Board. The Planning Board meetings will be held on the third Monday of each month at 6:30 pm in Council Chambers, unless otherwise stated. 

The Planning Board has set their meeting schedule for 2024.

Transportation Committee: Upcoming Townwide Study

The Transportation Committee is preparing for the upcoming Townwide Transportation Network Study, which was approved last spring in the fiscal year 2024 budget review process. Their focus has been on collecting resident comments associated with transportation-related concerns throughout town. They held a public Open House on September 26 for residents to contribute their thoughts, concerns, and hopes related to Scarborough's transportation network. They have also been mapping out pedestrian and bicycle routes throughout town to identify gaps in our network.

The last Townwide Transportation Study was completed in 2006. Over the past two decades, infrastructure, development patterns, and priorities have changed. The goal is for this study to provide direction and focus for the Town's future capital spending related to traffic and transportation needs.

The committee will continue discussing the elements of the Townwide Transportation Study. This includes re-envisioning Haigis Parkway, connecting bike and pedestrian facilities throughout town, and reviewing High Crash Locations in town.

Coastal Waters & Harbor Advisory Committee

The Coastal Waters Committee's areas of focus are the Pine Point Co-op and the Scarborough River dredging that is currently underway.

After their recommendation was approved by the Town Council, work began on improvements to the Pine Point Co-op pier in mid-November. Upgrades are being made to the commercial pier, the floats, and the pedestrian pier. This will address all outstanding maintenance issues with the piers.

There was a FY2024 budget request for both cranes at the Pine Point Co-op to be replaced. The cranes and all associated parts arrived in early November and installation of the two new cranes is underway.

This committee also is involved when there is dredging in Scarborough waterways. The US Army Corps of Engineers has begun dredging in the Scarborough River as part of a Federal Navigation Project. The site location is around Ferry Beach and will operate for 24 hours/day. The company aims to have 112,000 cubic yards of product moved just before Christmas and to have the project completed by the first of the year.

Lastly, the Coastal Waters committee has been tasked with looking at parking at the Pine Point Co-op as well as on area streets. The committee plans to have a document to the Town Council by January 2024 to outline the issues, facts, and proposed solutions to parking issues at Pine Point this past year.

"Pine Point" by Lisa Weatherbee

Parks and Conservation Land Board

The Parks and Conservation Land Board is responsible for recommending and advising the Town Council on land acquisitions purchased with the Town's land bond. Scarborough Land Trust is the Town's biggest partner in requesting funds for potential land acquisitions. The current land bond has $1.4 million remaining, and SLT is estimating making requests over the next 6-8 months that could expend the remaining funds available if allocation requests are approved by Town Council.

Community Services Advisory Board

The Community Services Advisory Board has two goals for the near future. They will be assessing beach environments and any changes that need to be made. Specific topics of review include trash cans, dogs, season passes/fees, and porta potties. Part of this will be guided by inquiring with neighboring coastal towns about their beach rules/policies, and how their fee structure impact those. The advisory board will also be assigning their board members different areas of town to serve as representatives.

The new Ad Hoc Community Center committee formed this summer and had their first meeting on September 14. It is comprised of three members from the 2018 Ad Hoc Community Center Committee, two members from the Community Services Advisory Board, four members at-large, two members of Town Council, one Board of Education member, and one member of the Scarborough Public Library. The committee currently meets every two weeks at 7:00pm and are in the process of setting their 2024 meeting schedule. They are currently in an 8-week phase of seeking community input on programming—see details on the upcoming Activities Charrette below.

Community Activities Charrette

Thursday, December 7

Two slots: 2:00-3:30pm and 5:00-7:00pm

Community Services Hub, 418 Payne Road

Scarborough Community Services is hosting an "Activities" charrette with architect design firm Utile to discuss plans for a future community center. The Town has received input on program spaces for a Community Center from multiple surveys, and now we're looking to gather public input on what activities residents would like to see in each space. This is a step in the Community Center planning process and will help our Ad-Hoc Committee and Consult Team decide on the square footage and design/layout to best meet the activity needs. Join us on December 7 to share your thoughts.

Watch a Committee Meeting

Committee meetings are a great starting point for you to participate in your particular topics of interest—they are less formally structured 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.

The following boards/committees currently have vacancies:

• ADA Advisory Committee

• Historic Preservation Implementation Committee

• Senior Advisory Board

• Sustainable Committee

Applications are reviewed monthly by our Appointments and Negotiations Committee.