SMCC to open new campus in mid coast area

Gov. John E. Baldacci ceremonially signed new emergency legislation this week designed drive the redevelopment of the Brunswick Naval Air Station by creating the Southern Maine Community College Midcoast Campus and a new airport authority at the base. 

Sponsored by Sen. Stan Gerzofsky (D-Brunswick) the new law establishes the Southern Maine Community College Midcoast Campus as a cornerstone of the effort to redevelop Brunswick Naval Air Station and spur new economic growth. Designed to be a new model in higher education, the SMCC Midcoast Campus is focused on partnerships and programs that are closely linked to job creation and economic growth.   

The centerpiece of the midcoast campus is the Maine Advanced Technology and Engineering Center, a joint venture between SMCC and the University of Maine. 

 The center is expected to serve as a higher education and R&D magnet in the economic clusters of composites, engineering, precision manufacturing and advanced energy technology. The center will offer Maine’s most seamless and fully integrated higher education program, offering students access to associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering programs.  Currently, Maine ranks 49th in the country in the per capita production of engineering graduates. 

The new law will provide seed funding to support the operations of the SMCC Midcoast Campus, as well as the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, through the creation of the Brunswick Naval Air Station Job Increment Financing Fund.    

A second funding component for the midcoast campus will go before Maine voters in June.  

Question 4, the Maine Jobs and Economic Development Bond, will dedicate the $4.7 million needed to renovate the campus buildings and make them ADA compliant.   

The SMCC Midcoast Campus property, valued at $70 million, is being conveyed by the Navy at no cost to the state, provided the new campus is up and running within three years. Once fully operational, the SMCC Midcoast Campus will include the Maine Advanced Technology and Engineering Center, health science center, transportation and heavy equipment center, campus center and residence hall.   

Committee moves forward with arboretum 

Plans for an arboretum at Cape Elizabeth’s Fort Williams Park are moving forward. The project, which will be privately funded, has two major goals: beautification of the park and the ecological preservation and promotion of indigenous and compatible flowers, shrubs and trees.   

The Fort Williams Arboretum Steering Committee is applying effort and resources to the project. The brainchild of Kathryn Bacastow, the arboretum has drawn support and inspiration from many sources. Actively involved in the group are several master gardeners, a noted arborist and former town tree warden, landscape architect, landscape designer and other interested residents.

The design of the Arboretum at Fort Williams calls for several “pods” to be located around the perimeter of the 90-acre park. In each pod, gnarled tangles of bittersweet, honeysuckle and sumac will be removed, along with roots and spores. The areas will then be recultivated with indigenous and compatible plants, shrubs and trees, using existing elevations and terrain. Walkways and hardscapes will also be incorporated.

The Arboretum at Fort Williams received endorsement from the Fort Williams Advisory Commission, Cape Elizabeth Planning Board and Cape Elizabeth Town Council in 2008. 

The Fort Williams Arboretum Steering Committee will hold a fundraising campaign to raise enough money to construct the first and largest of the proposed pods – a one acre site located near the northern end of the Cliff Walk. It is estimated this area will cost approximately $350,000 and that completion of the entire project will cost nearly $3 million. All fundraising for the project is under the auspices of the Fort Williams Charitable Foundation.

The Fort Williams Arboretum Steering Committee invites the public to attend two site walks at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. The walks have dual purposes: to educate citizens about the prevalence of destructive invasive species in the park and to acquaint people with the proposed arboretum.

The walks are free and will be held at 6:15 p.m., Wednesday, May 5 and at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 16, rain or shine. Both walks will begin at the picnic shelter located on the bluff overlooking Portland Head Light. The walks will be led by horticulturalist and arborist  Dr. Richard Churchill.