By Nate Jones
Staff Writer
Members of the South Portland Dog Owners Group again donned pet leashes and sat before the city council during Tuesday’s workshop. City Manager Jim Gailey announced a task force – including councilors Claude Morgan and James Hughes – is already being formed “to strike a balance between all users of Willard Beach.”
Councilor Maxine Beecher said although she is “pleased to see there’s a taskforce,” she said whe thinks more immediate action should be taken by the council. She said she will support proposals to amend the current ordinance to limit access during the summer months by changing the permitted hours or to possibly deny dog access entirely.
“This may take a lot longer than we think,” she said. “For two decades the dogs have ruled on Willard Beach.”
Councilor Linda Boudreau said she too is in favor of limiting or changing the hours when dogs are allowed on the beach. She said she feels compelled to represent residents who are opposed to dogs on the beach during the summer months and are not “as organized” in voicing their opinions as members of the Dog Owners Group.
“Unfortunately I don’t think they’re comfortable walking into a room full of people who want dogs on the beach,” she said. “There’s incredible tension on the beach and there are some very mean-spirited things being said on both sides.”
The rest of the council does not support Beecher or Boudreau’s positions, and agreed to give the task force time to come up with a solution.
“Haste makes waste, let’s do this thing right,” Morgan said.
Boudreau questioned Morgan’s interests in the dog issue, as he was previously president of the Dog Owners Group, and said councilors seeking reelection – such as Morgan and Hughes – have received threats they would not be voted into office should they “vote the wrong way.”
“Last time I won by more [votes] than there are people registered in Dog Owners,” Hughes said. “I don’t give a damn whether dog owners vote for me or not.”
Morgan said there were still two positions to be filled on the committee, which could begin meeting as soon as next week.
Monument in Mill Creek?
The South Portland Service Monument Committee is seeking council approval to place a monument in Mill Creek Park. Committee member Kevin Battle said the seven-sided monument – which could cost anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 – would honor all servicemen and women, including merchant mariners and Coast Guard veterans.
“Mill Creek is the center of South Portland,” he said. “We wanted to say ‘Thank you’ in a public, forward manner. We wanted it to be visible, but not overbearing.”
Councilors agreed with the concept and construction of the monument, although they were apprehensive to offer their support after receiving conflicting reports from the Friends of Mill Creek organization. At least one member of the group disagreed with a letter that pointed out several negative aspects of placing the monument in Mill Creek Park and called for changes to location and construction of the monument, Gailey said.
“I was under the impression there was a positive opinion [of the monument,] and now this,” Morgan said.
Battle said the committee will communicate with the Friends of Mill Creek Park in the next several weeks and hopes the council will approve of the site.
“We have the momentum, we need to keep it going,” he said.
 Gailey said the project would be subject to at least one public hearing before being voted on by the council.
Going green to see some green
South Portland municipal buildings, including the West End and Cash Corner fire stations, could be getting an energy-efficient facelift next year. Gailey has proposed to use $65,000 out of the city’s surplus account to update insulation, windows, lighting and thermostats in the municipal buildings to cut down on the city’s energy costs. Gailey said during the last two years the city has allocated nearly $300,000 for oil and electricity for the buildings.