Part of our plan to reopen municipal buildings depends on our staff being able to serve you safely. If you are sewing reusable face coverings, or are willing to start, and would like to donate them to the Town please contact  Deputy Fire Chief Rich C. Kindelan by phone at (207)730-4203 or by email.  We can arrange for pick up so you don't have to travel. Thank you for your help!

Our staff spent months planning for the transition with the construction team led by Landry/French, our local Scarborough general contractor, as well as the many subcontractors that worked on the various systems. The move took place over a three week period in a phased implementation plan. During the week of April 6 the Fire and Police administration and detective bureau moved into the 2nd floor which was the first section of the building ready for occupancy. On April 17th the Police patrol officers and evidence technicians moved in to the main and ground floors, and started responding and working from their new spaces.

One of the most critical phases of the move was the transition of our Public Safety Communications Center. There are dozens of components that needed to move as many of them were repurposed from the old, to the new center. We followed a carefully orchestrated plan that assured our radios, 911 phone lines, and other critical components transitioned without skipping a beat or missing a single phone or radio call.

And Cathy Chandler signs on from the new.

At 9:00 AM on Wednesday April 22nd two of our 40+ year veteran dispatchers (who started working on the same day), Eric Berry and Cathy Chandler, officially made the transition. Eric signed off from the old center which has operated continuously from that site for over 50 years, and Cathy signed on from the new communication center where we plan to serve the community for another 50+ years.

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As the weather warms, most of us will be spending more time outdoors, going to baseball and soccer games, taking trail walks in the woods, and enjoying our backyards. Warmer weather, however, also brings ticks and the need to be tick aware. Everyone can enjoy the great outdoors, despite the presence of ticks, by taking these recommended safety precautions:

1. Avoid wooded or bushy areas, tall grass and leaf litter
2. Walk in the center of trails
3. Wear protective clothing - light-colored, long-sleeved shirts and pants to see ticks more easily, and closed-toe footwear. Tuck pant legs into your socks and your shirt into your pants to keep ticks off your skin
4. Use natural repellents made from essential oil that include lemon eucalyptus, cedar or citronella, which will repel ticks for 30 minutes to 2 hours. These natural repellents need to be applied more frequently than DEET-based products, but do not carry the same health risks. If you decide to use repellents with DEET, use them sparingly and consider applying to clothing rather than your skin.
5. Treating clothing, boots, backpacks, etc. with products containing permethrin can be an effective way to repel ticks. However, this topical insecticide is a suspected human carcinogen and toxicant, and is very toxic to cats and fish. Spray the items outdoors and do not touch them until dry (2 to 4 hours). Wear a mask to avoid inhalation. Do not treat the inside of tents, sleeping bags, gloves or any other gear or clothing that will come in direct contact with your skin
6. Check your clothing, gear and pets for ticks before you come indoors
7. Place clothes in a dryer on high heat to kill ticks on clothing
8. Do a full-body tick check on yourself and your children when back indoors. Ticks can attach anywhere on the body, but prefer warm, moist areas, so be sure to check under the arms, behind the knees, between the legs, in the belly button, in and around the ears, and on scalps
9. Shower within two hours of coming indoors. Showering helps wash off unattached ticks and is a good opportunity to do a tick check
10. Remove attached ticks as soon as possible using tweezers, a tick spoon or tick key. Grasp the tick as close to the head and the skin surface as possible and pull upward with steady, even pressure. Do not twist or jerk the tick. Once removed, put tick in rubbing alcohol, and wash the bite site and your hands with soap and water. Apply antiseptic to bite site and monitor for any changes.

By following these precautions and committing to thorough, full-body tick checks every day during tick season, you can protect yourself and your family from ticks and the diseases they carry.

COVID-19 has changed the way we live and the way we do business. In a few short weeks, every person and every business in this country has had to adapt on the fly to a constant flow of changing information about the virus, about the way we engage with our work, about the way business engages with customers, about how our children are educated and about how we interact with our friends and family. In the face of these drastic changes, felt in every community across the country (and the world), Scarborough businesses and residents have reacted with grace, innovation and commitment.

Abbott, located right here in Scarborough, designed COVID-19 molecular rapid response testing kits that are in production now. Just this week, Abbott announced that they will also be producing an antibody corona virus test kit to determine whether a person has ever been infected with the disease. Both of these tests are part of the portfolio of steps needed to bring us back to work and school. And, Abbott is creating jobs in Scarborough to help make these test kits.

Hannaford, with their corporate headquarters here in Scarborough, has also led the way in assuring communities throughout the state that the food supply chain is secure and that their employees are busy restocking and serving customers.

Our small businesses have also stepped up to the plate in innovation and resilience. Restaurants, like O'Reilly's Cure, The Bait Shed and El Rayo adapted to curbside pickup. Oak Hill Beverage and Perk's Beer & Beverage have curbside pick-up. Lois's Natural Marketplace, Pinetree Seafood & Produce, and The Cheese Iron are all open for curb side pick-up. Realtors are coming up with new ways to show homes online.

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As the weather gets nicer people are beginning to venture out into the woods as a means of relaxation and escape from the indoors. Below are some great educational and fun apps to help bring the classroom to the great outdoors! 

• iNaturalist / Seek - An iNaturalist app for kids. Take pictures of species and receive badges.
• Agents of Discovery - Augmented reality app for kids. Go on a mission outdoors and receive badges and rewards - There's a Leakin Park mission you can explore and play!
• Merlin Bird ID - Digital bird guide that includes pictures and songs.
• Leaf Snap - Identify plants by taking a picture of their leaves.

The staff members of the Scarborough Public Library are grateful for the many ways that patrons and Scarborough citizens continue to reach out to us during this time. National Library Week should be spent at the Library reveling with our patrons in person. Thank you for helping us to celebrate by visiting the StoryWalk that was installed in Memorial Park and by engaging with us on Facebook and Instagram (which you can also access on our homepage without needing social media accounts).

Not Yet...But Soon, Library Services Will Resume
With guidance from the Maine State Library, we're developing a plan to gradually resume library services while adhering to Governor Mills' orders. The first step will be accepting the return of outstanding materials-nearly 10,000 items! We'll notify our users when it is okay to return materials. Due dates have been extended to June 1, including for items belonging to other libraries.

Virtual Library Programs
Several programs and meetings have taken place online or on Zoom and many more will follow: weekly meetings of Library Trustees; Mrs. C's Online Story Time playlist collection of several videos for young children, and Listen Up! with Connie, a read aloud of a middle grade novel; Books on Tap, Let's Talk America, the Library Knitting Group, and the Library Genealogy Group.

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Distance learning for students and teachers resumed on April 27th after a week of vacation. The district is continuing to work hard to ensure that all students are engaged and maintaining their learning in this new environment. While this challenging work continues, there are many other things in motion, and decisions being made that will be shared in the coming weeks. These include, but are not limited to, determining the last day of the school year, senior activities and graduation, and parent information sessions and step up nights for grades K, 3, 6, and 9. We look forward to sharing details on all of these things as final decisions are made.

The School Board Public Hearing on the budget that was postponed in April has been rescheduled for Thursday, May 21st. The second reading and School Board vote will be held on June 4th. The Town Referendum vote on the school budget has been moved to Tuesday, July 14th. Please make note of these dates and stay engaged in this process. Questions, concerns, and feedback can be shared with the School Board.

Welcome to the official newsletter of the Town of Scarborough, Maine.  Brought to you by a team of Town staff, our mission is to keep you informed about town events and activities.  

Please note that the newsletter articles are intended to be brief and will often point you back to a link on the Town's Website or Facebook page. The website is the heart of the communication network within town and is the central repository for information on Town government.

Thanks for reading!  If you have ideas for stories, please email us.  

Your newsletter team:

Tody Justice, Town Clerk	Lucy Norvell, Public Library
Stephen Kramer, Community Services	Donald Begin, IT
Kailey Dubuque, Human Resources	Brian Longstaff, Codes & Planning
Kelly Johnston, Scarborough Public Schools	Michael Thurlow, Fire Department
Kim Sperlich, Police Department	Ruth Porter, Finance
Leona Oceania, Public Works	Larissa Crockett, Administration
Magdalena Slawiec, SEDCO