South Portland Cape Elizabeth NextSentry

Schools will bank federal aid

2010-09-03T12:47:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

Local school districts will reap a windfall of federal money in the next few weeks, but officials in Scarborough, South Portland and Cape Elizabeth plan to save the money for rainy day budgets.
South Portland School Superintendent Suzanne Godin said $1.22 million from the Maine Department of Education will offset an expected $1.9 million loss of aid in fiscal year 2012 budget.
The money is part of Maine’s share of a $26 billion Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act enacted last month.
“That was pretty much the intent when the current budget was created,” Godin said. The South Portland School Board will discuss what to do with the money when it meets Sept. 13.
DOE spokesman David Connerty-Marin said the money will be allocated using the state Essential Programs and Services formula based on district population and land valuation.
South Portland and Scarborough schools are the second and third largest recipients of the aid, and will receive $1.22 million and $1.13 million, respectively. In Cape Elizabeth, the school department will receive more than $583,000.
In Scarborough, where almost 28 district positions were eliminated in June, outgoing Board of Education Chairman Brian Dell’Olio said the new aid likely will be used in next year’s budget.
“It certainly gets our attention, but it continues a larger conversation,” Dell’Olio said. “How can we soften the cliff that is coming?”
Dell’Olio will not run for Scarborough Board of Education in November because he is the Democratic candidate for the House District 128 seat. Dell’Olio is opposed by Republican Heather Sirocki.
Connerty-Marin said school districts must apply to the state for the money, which can be used to retain, rehire or hire new staff, excluding administrators. The money is available through September 2012.
The state’s $39 million share of federal funds is tempered by the reduction of $59 million in federal aid that was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the Stimulus Act. That funding expires at the end of the fiscal year.
Scarborough School Superintendent David Doyle said district stands to lose $1.8 million in federal stimulus money next year and possibly other aid that could be used to balance the state budget.
Doyle said districts are required in aid applications to indicate programs and positions the money would benefit. While eliminated school positions this year spanned clerical, teaching and special education instruction, Doyle said Scarborough hasn’t determined where to focus new funds.
In Cape Elizabeth, Business Manager Pauline Aportria said stimulus funds accounted for $925,000 of the current $20.6 million school budget. The school board will discuss how to use the funds at its Sept. 7 meeting.
Godin and Dell’Olio said the money won’t be used to rehire staff or restore positions this year because it will arrive shortly after schools begin the new year and can be used for two years.
Godin said 25 positions were eliminated in the current budget, but because of retirements and staff leaving the district, two employees were laid off. Stimulus funds helped preserve 31 district positions this year, Godin said. The district has eliminated about 75 positions in the five years.

Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.

Councilors to hear proposal for closing portion of Gorham Road

2010-09-03T12:46:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

Close it and they will come.
That may be the defining idea behind a proposal before South Portland city councilors to close more than 800 feet of Gorham Road Extension between MacArthur Circle and Western Avenue in the Redbank area.
Councilors are expected to vote on the proposal after a public hearing Wednesday, Sept. 8, at city hall. Discontinuing the road will in part allow South Portland developer Vincent Maietta to move forward with the construction of a 34,000-square-foot shopping center called Western Avenue Crossing.
The proposed road closure plan includes the sale of about 10 acres of city-owned land at the corner of Gorham Road Extension and Western Avenue for $600,000 to V and E Enterprises, Maietta’s development company.
South Portland Assistant City Manager Erik Carson said a closing date on the sale has not been set, but he expects to complete the deal soon.
Maietta said he hopes to attract eight to 12 stores, including three restaurants, to the shopping center. He expects it to be at least partially completed and occupied by next spring. Buffalo Wild Wings, a Connecticut-based chain of sports bars, and a Subway restaurant have already leased space
When completed, Western Avenue Crossing would span each side of the former road and be adjacent to V and E Enterprises developments along Western Avenue.
Carson said a portion of the eastern end of Gorham Road Extension would remain open to allow access to two retail areas that front Western Avenue.
Site work already has started on land owned by Maietta on both sides of Gorham Road Extension. However, Carson said a small but complicated land swap with the Maine Department of Transportation also is needed to move the land sale forward. He said the swap with DOT involves easements for drainage, a possible additional lane on Western Avenue and release of a state-owned portion of Gorham Road Extension.
The cost and details of closing the road, getting needed construction permits and buying the city land have been extensive, Maietta said.
“This has been the most difficult project financially and mentally,” Maietta said, noting the permitting process has cost about $300,000. “It is not difficult to follow the rules, but it took constant work for four years.”
The triangle-shaped parcel owned by the city was taken by eminent domain proceedings in 1968 and originally was intended as a site for a fire station, according to city bid documents. Efforts to close all or portions of Gorham Road Extension date to at least 2004, when the South Portland Planning Board rejected the first proposal to close 175 feet at the Western Avenue intersection.
Maietta estimated 250 construction jobs will be created and hopes hundreds more full-time jobs will result from full occupancy of Western Avenue Crossing.
He said he would like to lure national retail chains including Radio Shack or FedEx Office/Kinko’s to the shopping center.
“It will keep about 250 people working and be a beautiful project,” Maietta said.

Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.

Turning energy resolution into reality

2010-09-03T12:44:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

South Portland councilors unanimously passed a resolution last month calling for the creation of a sustainable city environment to reduce pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and save energy and money.
Ann Archino Howe, a civil engineer now serving as the energy and sustainability coordinator in South Portland and Scarborough through a grant from the federal Department of Energy, spoke this week about making the resolution a reality.
Howe said tangible steps already have been taken, including using longer-life bulbs in traffic signals and more efficient motors in equipment at the municipal water treatment plan. She praised city officials for their enthusiasm and detailed how the city may achieve goals outlined in the resolution.
The resolution can be found online in the Aug. 16 City Council agenda at www.southportland.org. />
Q: Tell me about your background
A: I’m a civil engineer. I have my own company called Sustainable Design Studio. I’ve been working in sustainable site design for years. Probably the thing that is more important to this position is my involvement with the U.S. Green Building Council. I was an organizer of the Maine chapter, have been on the regional council and am right now on the national board. The U.S. Green Building Council is much broader than civil engineering – it is the whole realm of sustainability and in particular how buildings have affected climate change.

Q: Did you help create the resolution or are you on to help implement it?
A: The city had already dedicated itself by signing the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement in 2007 and doing many of the things that are outlined in the “whereases.” It started the process that led to this resolve. I helped the council and manager’s office to frame the words of the resolve. But all of the actions came out of things that are already going on or that people are dedicated to seeing happen in South Portland. I didn’t invent anything.

Q: How extensively do you view the challenges?
A: I think there are a lot of people in South Portland already on board with many of the things. So the challenge is extending that group. There is already an Energy and Recycling Committee that has been working for years in the city. They are working on this climate action plan and the Planning and Codes Department has already been having extensive meetings for the revision of the comprehensive plan and there has been a very good turn out for the revision meetings. So I think the city is already well-positioned to further implement more things that will reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions in the city.

Q: How simple is some of this?
A: I think everybody needs to be on board to take the simple steps. The city has already done some of those – changing out bulbs, putting in room sensors. On the municipal side, the city committed to doing more by having hired Siemens to do an audit of 14 of the municipal buildings.

Q: Please explain fee for savings.
A: Fee for savings is a process where Siemens does an audit of the building and suggests upgrades and changes that will have the largest savings in greenhouse gas emissions and – one hopes – costs. Then the city decides what to go ahead with, Siemens installs those things and the savings are the way Siemens gets paid. It is an incentive program on all sides. The second thing is the Energy and Recycling Committee is creating a base inventory, based on the 2007 year, to compare energy use in municipal buildings. This will help determine how well each of these things in each of these buildings reduces greenhouse gas emissions.”

Q: So the money not spent on fuel is spent on the improvements?
A: Yes, the savings pay for the work that has been done. But Siemens is looking for things that may have a two- or five-year payback, which probably isn’t replacing windows. So those kinds of larger, longer payback things will be things the city will have to look for other ways to do.

Q: What else may be done?
A: A council workshop where the idea of a South Portland energy supply company was introduced. That’s another thing being contemplated as a way to reduce energy costs and potentially bring in renewable sources of energy for municipal buildings, residents and small businesses. This is just in the conceptual phase.

Q: What is the purchasing policy about?
A: It can be as simple as buying locally. We are working on this now. We will be looking at cleaning supplies, everything the city buys. What is the best way to buy computers so they are using less energy? I think we will be discussing how things are used. Can we reduce the amount of paper we have to buy? There are a lot of things that go into it.

Q: Is this also about seeking the least toxic alternatives?
A: Yes. Sustainability is one of the terms that covers such a huge range of issues. It really comes down to asking “am I doing this in a way that 20 or 50 years from now, I can still think about doing it this way?” That’s the kind of mentality that has started in the city – we need to foster that.

Q: Is there a correlation between the price of gas and ridership on mass transit?
A: That’s the big catch-22, and I’m not a public policy person. I think it is obvious that price is one of those triggers. One of the things that is true about changing people’s minds about anything is they have to feel a personal pinch. Operating a vehicle, all the costs, not just gas, might be another. The commute another way program will take a lot of discussion because the way we live in Maine is not conducive to that.
We have people driving in from Limington. But if it just gets people thinking about how the way they are living affects the world we are handing on to our children and grandchildren, it may be enough for them.

Q: Is there a tipping point where people may just roll their eyes?
A: In the public realm, we have a great bully pulpit with the council and manager behind this and providing leadership. I think the way change happens behind that pinch point is through some of the things like “Warm Homes, Cool Cities,” the PACE program the city is gearing up to add, are great ways to make people more aware.
Say someone gets a PACE loan to get new windows and a neighbor sees it. Somebody doing an energy efficient thing and talking about and a neighbor says “Oh – so you are saving x dollars,” that’s the way change happens. We have to have people out there who have taken the plunge and done things.

Q: Is this something where people need to understand the effect on their bottom line?
A: I think it is one of the things. It is so much harder, unless somebody has asthma they realize is caused by increased pollution or they have a child with asthma. There are a lot of ways people come to this – illness, cost, ordinances passed. It isn’t just putting out pamphlets and standing up and talking about it. It is a whole bunch of things that make people aware.

Q: Are particular goals more challenging than others?
A: I think anything that is brand new, including ways of collecting data about energy usage using cost rather than gallons – the things that are longer-term that aren’t part of this yet and will come out of climate action plan. Changes of behavior are going to be hard for all of us, and some of those things require changes of behavior.

Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.

Kite fliers converge at Bug Light Park

2010-09-03T12:42:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

These club members don’t mind being told to “go fly a kite.”
Last Saturday, with long strings and all manners of design and a steady breeze on a sunny day, about a dozen members of the Nor’Easters Kite Club converged on Bug Light Park in South Portland for what they hope will be an annual vintage kite fly-in.
Member Ralph Reed admits the club is very unofficial. Members pay no dues, elect no officers, have no bylaws and hold no meetings. They just like to fly kites, especially at Bug Light.
“It’s the best place in Maine to fly,” said John Martin, a Waterford resident who comes to the park at least once a month.
The long flat lawn at the park, winds coming off Casco Bay and lack of overhead power lines all make the park an ideal spot, even if the definition of a vintage kite was never clearly defined.
Reed, a Lowell, Mass., resident, said vintage means “early sport kites that are loud and noisy.”
Others brought kites that hearkened to older designs, even while sporting optical illusions such as a saxophone player who turned into a pretty woman’s face.
Reed said the park is one of the three best places in New England to fly kites, as Martin handled a 1945-era “Gibson Girl” kite he said was used by downed World War II fliers to hoist radio antennae.
Although club members are often affiliated with larger clubs including Kites of New England or the American Kite Fliers Association and fly sport, stunt and vintage kites, they may also spend their time sitting in tents after securing the lines and sending the kites aloft.
No one flew the traditional diamond-shaped kite made of newspapers during the fly-in, but designs ranged from elemental to intricate Saturday. One of the kites Reed flew was a simple cloth model made from spare kitchen curtain material. As it soared above the park, Mark Williams of Laconia, N.H., pieced together a Rogallo Corner kite constructed in two stages.
“It’s an inside-out box kite,” said Williams. “It’s just a unique design that is challenging to put together.”
Williams said he has been visiting Bug Light Park for about four years, and equally enjoys the camaraderie and wind conditions.
“The folks here are among the friendliest and most helpful. And if the wind is going to be consistent, this is where it will happen,” he said.
While Williams pieced together his kite, Rumford resident Dana Duke wondered if her tetra-style kite, a series of triangles of plastic sheets, would take flight.
“Its first flight might be its last,” she said of the kite she bought on eBay.
She had not expected to fly it when she discovered the 37-year-old plastic was worn and torn. Duke spent the night before the fly-in repairing the kite with packing tape, she said.
Duke was not the only flier testing an old kite: Glenn Davison said he pulled his kite down from the wall after 10 years to see how it would fly.
Davison said the kite design, made of paper with bamboo supports, dates to the 19th century. After a decade on the wall, the kite took wind easily and soared above a backdrop that included a berthed oil tanker near the park and wedding guests walking back from a ceremony near Bug Light.
While conditions Saturday lacked a full breeze, South Portland resident Tony Heeschen said club members are hardy enough to have an annual fly-in each New Year’s Day at the park.
The fly-in may not last long because of cold weather, but a potluck meal afterward keeps the camaraderie going, he said.
The next fly-in at Bug Light Park is scheduled for Sept. 12, and Heeschen said club members and the public are also invited to celebrate the annual One Sky One World International Kite Fly for Peace at the park on Oct. 10.

Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.

Underage tattoos result in assault charges

2010-09-03T12:38:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

A Sanford man faces assault and other charges after his arrest Sunday for allegedly tattooing two underage girls in South Portland.
Rayvon Freeman, 23, was charged with Class D assault, and Class E charges of tattooing without a license and tattooing a minor. Freeman allegedly went to an apartment in the Redbank area of the city after being contacted online, said South Portland Police Sgt. Steven Webster.
Webster said Freeman gave a teenage and a pre-teen girl tattoos on Aug. 25 at the apartment, violated laws against giving tattoos to anyone under the age of 18 and against giving tattoos without a license and in an unlicensed establishment.
It appears Freeman was using an online social networking site to advertise his services, according to police. His arrest came after the younger of the unrelated minors told her parents about her tattoo, Webster said.
Freeman was released from Cumberland County Jail on $60 bail this week, Webster said, with the bail condition that he not possess equipment for giving tattoos.
Webster and Lisa Brown, the director health inspections for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, said Freeman’s alleged offenses are part of a largely unrecognized problem with possible serious health consequences.
“Kids do not understand the ramifications and safety issues,” said Webster.
Brown said tattoo artists are licensed to ensure they understand the potential of blood-borne infections including strains of hepatitis and the HIV virus, as well as possible allergic reactions a customer may have.
Brown said her department may receive two or three complaints a month about illegal tattoo operations, tattoo parties or tattoos given to minors. It is illegal to tattoo anyone younger than 18 and to do so outside a licensed establishment, she said.
The departments 11 inspectors covering 12 sets of rules governing areas including restaurants, campgrounds and public pools, Brown said inspectors would like to see more public awareness of the hazards of illegal tattoo operations.
Brown said complaints about illegal tattooing can be directed to the health inspection division of DHHS by calling 287-5671.
A clerk at the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland said a court date for Freeman has not been scheduled.

Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.

Man sentenced for role in fatal accident

2010-09-03T12:37:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

A former South Portland resident was sentenced to the next four years in prison for his role in a fatal accident in Portland almost a year ago.
Yannick Mulongo, 22, pleaded guilty in Cumberland County Superior Court last Friday to charges of manslaughter, aggravated assault and causing a fatal accident while operating under the influence.
In accepting the plea agreement, Justice Robert Crowley sentenced Mulongo to 12 years in prison for the manslaughter charge and suspended eight years of the sentence. A five-year term for aggravated assault charge and a six-month sentence for OUI also were suspended.
He had been indicted by a Cumberland County grand jury last December on a charge of manslaughter, four counts of aggravated assault, a count for causing a fatal accident while operating under the influence, theft, reckless conduct, criminal speed and operating without a license.
Mulongo also will be on probation for four years after his release, had his driver’s license suspended for 10 years, is prohibited from operating any motor vehicle or possessing vehicle keys while on probation and must pay a $2,100 fine after his release.
Mulongo is a native of the Republic of the Congo who emigrated to the U.S. in 2004 and had given his address as the Olde English apartment complex in the Redbank area.
He was driving a 2001 Mustang south on Brighton Avenue in Portland at around 2:35 a.m. on Sept. 20, 2009, when he lost control of the car, according to court records.
Police said he was driving about 76 mph in a 35 mph zone when he collided head-on with a northbound 2000 Impala driven by Fartun Adan, 32, of Portland. After the collision, Mulongo hit two utility poles.
Guy Kitoko, 18, who was riding in the front passenger seat, died on the scene and two male teenagers riding in back sustained injuries. Emergency crews responding to the scene smelled alcohol and found a bottle of whiskey in the car Mulongo drove, police said.
When tested at Maine Medical Center, Mulongo had a blood alcohol level of .08, the legal limit in Maine, according to court records. Police said Mulongo had taken the Mustang without the knowledge of its owner.

Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.

Obituaries

2010-09-03T12:35:00Z

Russell E. Blanchard

Russell E. Blanchard, 96, of South Portland, died Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010, surrounded by his family.
He was born July 13, 1914, to Ethel and Harry F. Blanchard.
He worked as a master plasterer and foreman for Blanchard Plastering Co. until his retirement at 72.
He met his lifelong sweetheart and wife of 69 years, Ruth Barnes, in 1939. During their three-year engagement, Russell built his first house on Dawson Street. They moved in after their wedding in 1941, raised four children and remained there for 68 years. In the early 1950s, Mr. Blanchard built a camp on Little Sebago Lake where the family enjoyed many summers swimming, boating, and hosting family gatherings.
A talented builder and carpenter, he was always in the middle of some project. He built a house with his son in Windham, completed numerous additions or remodels for family and friends, and built furniture and toys for his grandchildren.
He was a quiet and reserved man who loved his family above all else and showed that love by always being there to fix a broken pipe, repair a leak or pick up a grandchild.
After his retirement, he and his wife enjoyed traveling to national parks and sites around the country.
He became a familiar figure around the West Broadway and Main Street area as he walked more than five miles each day.
He was predeceased by his parents; two brothers, Frederick and Harry (Ally) Blanchard; and three sisters, Betty Skillins, Mae Staples and Hazel Kinney.
Survivors include his wife, Ruth, of Scarborough; two sons, David Blanchard and his wife, Trisha, of Windham and James Blanchard and his wife, Denise, of Old Orchard Beach; two daughters, Judy O’Brien of Old Orchard Beach and Jean Fox and her husband, Francis, of South Portland; 10 grandchildren and 13 great- grandchildren.
Arrangements were by Hobbs Funeral Home, South Portland.

South Portland High plan gets board’s initial approval

2010-08-27T13:42:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

Barring a change of heart between now and Sept. 8, South Portland councilors are prepared to ask voters to approve or reject a $44.2 million bond to renovate and expand South Portland High School.
Councilors in a 4-2 vote Monday approved the first reading of an ordinance to put the bond question on the Nov. 2 ballot. Councilors Jim Hughes and Rosemarie De Angelis voted against the first measure.
Councilor Maxine Beecher was unable to attend the special meeting, but during a council workshop Aug. 18 said she supported the $44.2 million bond amount.
Auburn-based Harriman Architects and Engineers developed the plan to raze and rebuild a portion of the school known as “the annex,” add a third floor to the original section of the school, construct a new cafeteria and library and renovate Beal Gymnasium. The work is expected to cost $47 million and be completed by 2015.
If the bond is approved, work is expected to begin in 2012. Before approving the first reading, school expansion and renovation plans underwent peer reviews by Wright-Ryan Construction and HKTA Architects, both based in Portland. Those reviews justified the cost, but did not evaluate the need for expansion.
The school was built in 1952 and has expanded several times since then.
Renovation and new construction plans call for enclosing the area behind the school that now houses a power plant and delivery area for the cafeteria. Including the auditorium, the school would be expanded to 307,000 square feet from about 200,000.
In a tour of the school, Principal Jeanne Crocker said the outdoor area is now used by students trying to get to meals or as a shortcut to classes and would become the new student entrance to the school.
The $44.2-million bond will help cover the estimated $39 million construction cost, site work and storm water drainage improvements. State money through Efficiency Maine energy improvement rebates and bond money of about $750,000 will offset some of the remaining costs.
South Portland Finance Director Greg L’Heureux said three bonds would be issued, beginning with $330,000 to start work in 2012 and 2013. Twenty-year bonds valued at $27 million would go on sale in 2012, and $17 million of 20-year bonds would go on sale in 2014.
Paying interest and principal on the bonds would total about $65.1 million and add an estimated $1,724 in property taxes to a home valued at $200,000 over 20 years. L’Heureux said the estimated effect on property taxes is also based on the city retiring other bond debt.
The council vote precedes a second reading at the Sept. 8 meeting. For the bond to be placed on the Nov. 2 ballot, councilors must decide on an amount at that meeting.
De Angelis and Hughes, who opposed the current bond amount, noted that the plan amounts to a 50 percent increase in square footage at the school and are concerned the plan is too large a project and potentially costly down the road.
“I urge the councilors to vote against it, to be the frugal Yankees we are supposed to be,” Hughes said. “We need the best, not the biggest.”

The work would be done in phases and require use of portable classrooms as the annex is torn down and then rebuilt with three floors of classrooms to accommodate a “team” style of educating students.
Crocker said the team style would group about 80 students at a grade level and keep them together through each subject in the curriculum and floor of the school. To accommodate these plans, team rooms are also planned throughout the added floors and reconstructed annex.
De Angelis said it is important to consider the true cost to taxpayers and how many students will ultimately use the school.
“I don’t believe big buildings bring big results,” she said.
South Portland resident Albert DiMillo agreed, and said his research indicates school renovations to meet space demands and health and safety code requirements would need a $25 million bond.
“You can always expand, but you can’t subtract,” DiMillo said.
DiMillo says adding auditorium space in the square footage equations creates about 279 square feet per student, well above the state-required 185 square feet per student, based on an enrollment of 1,100 students.
DiMillo and De Angelis also questioned plans that call for the school to accommodate 1,100 students.
South Portland School Superintendent Suzanne Godin said the planned school capacity is derived from a 2008 study by Planning Designs, a South Portland-based consulting company.
At the Aug. 18 workshop, Godin praised the study as precise so far. Study documents show the highest projections for high school enrollment peak at 1,073 students in 2017-2018. That maximum includes a 5 percent margin of error, which increases the number from 1,022.
Godin said the plan for 1,100 students is based on an increase in elementary school enrollment, although the Planning Design study indicates elementary school enrollment will decrease from 1,541 in 2011-2012 to 1,457 in 2017-2018, without accounting for the 5 percent margin of error. Fewer students may continue on to the high school because of families moving, sending children to private schools and because elementary school enrollment figures are based on six grades as opposed to four for the high school.
Among those speaking in favor of the bond was Ross Little, a resident who participated on the committee that studied how to renovate the school. Little said Monday he came to the committee as skeptical as DiMillo regarding cost and size and now is convinced the project is valid.
“Twenty-five million gets a building and half an electrical system,” Little said.

The physical condition of the school was cited in a 2008 New England Association of Schools and Colleges visit as a potential problem in the school’s accreditation. Specifically noted were a lack of handicapped access throughout the school, outdated wiring and leaks in windows and roofs.
The annex poses particular challenges to students who have trouble walking, Crocker said, because its split-level design feature an elevator on one end and a wheelchair lift on the other.
In his science class in the annex basement, veteran teacher Ralph Newell said he has enough space to teach, but his room is poorly ventilated.
Newell, who has taught at the high school since 1983, said renovation and construction are needed to make the school viable for 21st century learning.
“Every nook and cranny of space has been used,” Newell said. “We are at a point in the cycle where we have to do something.”
Newell said he is a few years from retiring and ready to accept higher taxes to enhance education.

As they spoke Monday, councilors were uncertain voters would accept a $44.2 million bond. Voters in 2007 rejected a $56 million high school renovation and construction bond by a 3-1 margin.
DiMillo encouraged councilors to approve the amount despite his opposition to the cost.
“Put it through, let it fail, and then put together a real committee to get this done,” he said.
Mayor Tom Coward said the bond would fund the most ambitious and expensive project in city history. Coward said he could be convinced to support a lower bond amount before the second reading vote.

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219

Town manager offers Ft. Williams ideas

2010-08-27T13:40:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

Cape Elizabeth Town Manager Mike McGovern has conceded broad-based admission fees may not happen at Fort Williams Park and is circulating ideas how to maintain the park and increase revenues.
McGovern called for a budget increase of $80,000 annually for maintenance and suggested increasing group fees and possibly charging fees for high-capacity vehicles. They were among six ideas he said could add $75,000 annually to park revenues.
McGovern said the revenues could help fund capital improvement projects outlined by the seven-member Fort Williams Advisory Council. More money for maintenance will improve the look of the park in time for the 50th anniversary of its acquisition by the town, he said.
In addition to considering revisions to group fees and rental policies in the park, McGovern suggested “substantial demolition and repurpose of the Goddard Mansion and bleachers.”
McGovern said costs for a park arboretum, restoration of Battery Blair, the mansion, bleachers and construction of a park visitor center are estimated at $6.2 million. His suggestions regarding park maintenance and improvements do not address the arboretum and separate restoration projects.
“The intent is not necessarily feedback,” McGovern said of his report, which was reviewed by the advisory committee at its meeting last Thursday. Maureen McCarthy, chairman of the commission, was unavailable this week for comment on the report.
McGovern said the most important first step is to update the park’s master plan, which was drafted seven years ago.
“I think everyone understands we need more resources for maintenance,” McGovern said. He added he would first look for savings in the town budget to offset an increase in park maintenance funds.
All decisions regarding park funding ultimately will be made by town councilors, he said.
The park currently receives an annual base allocation of about $160,000 from the town general fund. McGovern said park operations and maintenance cost about $236,000, with 81 percent from town taxes.
He declined to elaborate how each of the six suggestions listed in his report would raise $75,000 to be used for capital projects. McGovern’s suggestions also included allowing pushcart food vending.

Some residents using the park this week were uncertain whether new construction or higher taxes were a good idea. A.J. Curran, a Cape Elizabeth resident who was watching his son on the playground, said maintaining the park was a matter of balance.
“It is beautiful, a great piece of property and I don’t see the need for a whole lot of upgrading,” he said. Curran added he thinks the town mil rate of $17.86 already is high enough.
“If they can manage it in the present budget, fine. Otherwise it is death by a thousand cuts,” Curran said.
Annual park revenues are $45,000 and McGovern believes the added $75,000 will help pay for most of $775,000 in capital needs the commission prioritized for the next five years.
Major needs include $75,000 for construction of a wedding area, $100,000 each in site work on the mansion and bleachers and $130,000 for added fencing and gates.
As Cape Elizabeth resident Sean McKenney watched his son play soccer at the park, he said he is wary of major changes for Fort Williams.
“I like it the way it is, I would not change much,” he said.
McKenney said he opposed the broad-based fees because it is important to preserve free open access to the park. He said he could live with a smaller tax increase if it is not too sudden or drastic.
Additional maintenance funds could be used to help pay for repairs to park buildings, constructing stone walls, planting new trees and expanding pedestrian paths, McGovern said.
He said he would like to see an improved perimeter path around the 90-acre park, which the town bought from the federal government in 1964.
Charging admission to the park was most recently rejected by residents during advisory referendum question in June.
“I think there is a consensus, it should be essentially as it is,” McGovern said of the park. “No matter how (the report) is received, it is intended to promote discussion.”

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.

Artist brings Warhol influence to Maine

2010-08-27T13:39:00Z

By Suzanne Hodgson
Staff Writer

CBGB’s, a well-known punk club, may have closed four years ago in New York City, but Kymara Leechi Lonergan has a new place for the art and music of alternative media to thrive: southern Maine.
Leechi Lonergan has scheduled a “happening” – a constantly changing mix of visual art and music – at North Dam Mill in Biddeford and a “museum” at her bed and breakfast, Dock Square Inn and Antiques in Kennebunkport.
On Saturday evening, Leechi Lonergan will host the happening at the mill, which is open to the public. The show will include artwork by Billy Name, Jayne County, Detroit Punk Scene and local artist Alex Kaminsky, along with live performances by Jayne County and the War Hols and others.
Name was one of four official photographers during Warhol’s Factory years.
Kaminsky, a graffiti artist who has art in a number of downtown Biddeford shops including 3 Ds, has been under Leechi Lonergan’s tutelage for nearly two years. During a trip to New York City to set up his portion of the exhibit at the Chelsea Museum, Kaminsky taught local children, who came to the exhibit off the streets, how to draw artful instead of destructive graffiti, Leechi Loregan said.
“Part of pop culture is music and this leg of the museum, the permanent installation will have punk rock music because it is part of the language; it’s part of the visual art,” she said.
Leechi Lonergan first met Name in 1970 when she was 11 years old and hitchhiked her way from her hometown in Connecticut to the East Village in New York City. At the time, Leechi Lonergan said she had a crush on Name after seeing his photographs appear in galleries and magazines.
Name was the creator of Andy Warhol’s famous Silver Factory in a Manhattan studio apartment in 1964. Inside, the Factory became Warhol’s main workspace for the next several years. During that time he filmed the first of his “Jackie” movies and produced the first independent film, “Chelsea Girls,” shown in commercial theaters. Name was the only photographer to live at the Silver Factory with Warhol and photographed many celebrities during that time, including Edie Sedgwick.
Leechi Lonergan’s collection of Name’s photography takes on added importance because many of Name’s photographs have gone missing. Leechi Lonergan has been scavenged art auction houses around the world to try to bring the collection back together in Maine.
Until now the museum has been a traveling display, most recently at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City.
After some consideration, Leechi Lonergan decided to bring the show to her home base in Maine.
“The Port location was outgrown very quickly and we moved into Biddeford,” Leechi Lonergan said. The museum will try to stay in the mill area to keep the industrial feel, similar to Andy Warhol’s famous Factory.”

While some parts of the collection will continue to travel back and forth to New York, Leechi Lonergan said she always emphasizes Maine while outside the state.
“I want people to know about Maine and encourage tourism up here,” she said.
The collection will be known as the Billy Name Museum at Leechi Lonergan’s bed and breakfast, which will hold the museum in the carriage house.
Her collection is so big the bed and breakfast rooms have been covered with photographs, paintings and old costumes.
Leechi Lonergan has a space in North Dam Mill, where she works on her own collection, along with cataloging, hanging and playing with thousands of star sparkles that lay across the floor, reminiscent of a dance club.
Leechi Lonergan, along with Name and a few others, are herding in a new generation of artists, known as ante art. She describes the new art as artists not caring what other people may think of their work, whether it be too risqué or not the usual expectation of art.
Leechi Lonergan’s happening begins 7 p.m. Saturday at the Kymara Gallery at North Dam Mill in Biddeford.
The event is open to the public. Admission is $10 for the museum entrance, music and hors d’oeuvres, with most proceeds going to Animal Welfare Society.

Two arrested on burglary charges

2010-08-27T13:37:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

Fall court dates have been scheduled for two men arrested on burglary and other charges in South Portland last Friday.
Eric White, 21, called a transient by police, and Portland resident Adam Rice, 27, remained in Cumberland County Jail this week after their initial appearances Monday in Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland.
South Portland Police Lt. Frank Clark said White and Rice were discovered trying to break into a locked common area of an apartment complex near 79 Ocean St. at about 4:15 a.m. on Aug. 20.
Police were responding to a call about two men creating a disturbance.
Clark said White and Rice were found in possession of construction and surveying equipment taken from a nearby truck, and checks and other items taken from a separate vehicle.
While detained, Clark said White threatened an alleged victim who was attempting to make a statement to police.
Both men are charged with motor vehicle burglary, receiving stolen property and possession of burglary tools. The counts of receiving stolen property are listed Class C because the items totaled more than $1,000.
White also was charged with Class B witness tampering for alleged use of threats and intimidation, Clark said.
A Superior Court clerk said White faces an Oct. 13 court date and Rice is scheduled to appear Nov. 23.

City to accept plastic

2010-08-27T13:36:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

The plastic age will soon reach South Portland City Hall: Councilors on Aug. 16 approved a plan to accept residents’ credit and debit cards to pay tax their tax bills.
The agreement with Portland-based Government Pay Processing allows residents paying tax bills in person to use cards and be charged flat or percentage-based transaction fees.
City Finance Director Greg L’Heureux said he anticipates it will be mid-September before training and setup are completed and the program is implemented.
A memo from City Finance Department Office Manager Sue Borelli said there is no cost to the city to establish the program. Government Pay Processing provides the equipment and residents will be charged 2.4 percent of the total tax bill when they use VISA, Mastercard, Discover or American Express credit cards.
As an example, Borelli said a resident paying an $800 tax bill would be assessed a $19.20 “convenience fee.”
The same percentages apply to debit cards except for VISA debit cards, which are assessed a $3.95 fee per transaction, Borelli said.
Customers will see the bill and fees listed separately before the transaction is processed.
Signatures approving the balance and fee will be required before a credit or debit card is used, Borelli said.
Customer and card information will not be stored in city computer servers.
Residents who use the online Rapid Renewal program through the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles will not be charged convenience fees.
Borelli said credit and debit card payments will initially be accepted only for tax bills and then possibly expanded to the Parks and Recreation Department.
City Manager James Gailey said state law revision that allows cities and towns to pass transaction fees on to residents prompted South Portland to pursue use of credit and debit cards for over-the-counter transactions.

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219

Cape superintendent to retire Dec. 31

2010-08-27T13:35:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

Saying he was at the right age to retire, Cape Elizabeth School Superintendent Alan Hawkins announced Tuesday night he will step down later this year.
Hawkins, 63, offered to stay on as a part-time consultant until April 15, 2011, and will retire Dec. 31.
When he retires, Hawkins will have been superintendent for almost six years in Cape Elizabeth. School Board members Kathy Ray and Linda Winker praised Hawkins’ work at length as the board unanimously accepted the resignation and consultation offer.
Ray made note of the work Hawkins put into creating job descriptions for each position in the school system.
“I have been very impressed that Alan has the strong leadership skills to be able to accomplish these things,” she said. “He has been instrumental in hiring superior teachers as long-experienced teachers have left the system.
Hawkins, who has been in education for 42 years and was superintendent of schools in Wiscasset before coming to Cape Elizabeth. He said instituting coordinated curriculum throughout the schools and creating budgets attuned to needs of students and taxpayers were accomplishments he treasured.
Winker said his work and enthusiasm were not easily summarized.
“Your dedication and integrity stretches way beyond the scope of my comments,” she said.

A genealogist and avid book collector, Hawkins said he’ll have plenty to fill his time when he retires, but he will remain involved in education.
A resident of South Portland, Hawkins’ wife, Margaret Hawkins, is principal at Brown Elementary School, and Hawkins was once principal at Memorial Middle School in South Portland.
“He has a list a mile long of things to do,” she said.
His experience in three school districts reinforced the need to be aware of the special characteristics of each one, Hawkins said. He said that when he was superintendent in Wiscasset, the district struggled with the closure of Maine Yankee nuclear power plant and a loss of tax revenue for schools.
Because Cape Elizabeth has always been a high-performing district with big expectations of student performance, Hawkins said his role was to maintain and build on tradition.
“Although each job I have held has left me with its own special memories, I especially cherish my experience here in Cape Elizabeth. I have been so very fortunate to work with a terrific group of people who, despite tough economic times, strive to breathe life into our mission and vision statements,” he wrote in his retirement letter.

Board members John C. Christie III and Mary K. Williams-Hewitt praised Hawkins for his help and guidance as they embarked on their first terms as board members.
“What strikes me more than anything is your commitment to students,” Christie said. “It is an inspiration to see in my short service.”
Hawkins advised his successor to learn about how town government works and the ins and outs of the budgeting process in addition to knowing about the district operations.
“Know your district – the needs are different,” he said.
Ray, a Cape Elizabeth native, said Hawkins’ knowledge and skills are evident.
“Cape Elizabeth was an excellent public school when I attended and is a better school system thanks to Alan Hawkins,” she said.

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219

Meet the flat-furter

2010-08-27T13:33:00Z

By Suzanne Hodgson
Staff Writer

Everyone has a favored method for preparing and eating hot dogs: grilled, steamed or boiled; topped with mustard, relish or ketchup; red, all-beef or regular. But one business in Kennebunk is offering another option – flat or round.
Shields Market & Produce, owned by brothers Dean and Greg Shields, has invented a flat hot dog, called a flat-furter. The new product is shaped like a hamburger patty with hopes it will be safer for children.
“I was coming to work in March and I heard on the radio that so many kids were choking on hot dogs,” Dean Shields said. “ I thought we could flatten the hot dogs out so they would be more kid-friendly.”

According to a study by the medical journal Pediatrics, more than 1,700 children younger than 14 choke every year on hot dogs.
Dean Shields began talking to his producers, who were a little skeptical in the beginning.
“The guy that produces with me went blank for a while. I was like ‘Hello? Are you still here?’” he said. “At first I was even wondering if it could be done.”
But after a few days Dean Shields and his producer came up with a 3-ounce hot dog patty – a skinless product with a fine casing along the outside – exactly the same as a regular hot dog, only wider.
The patty may look like a regular thick slice of bologna, but don’t call it a bologna patty.
“It’s not bologna. The spice for bologna and hot dogs is different,” Dean Shields said.
Dean Shields even gave the new hot dogs a Maine makeover. Red hot dogs are a tradition in Maine, so after perfecting the regular flat hot dog his next step was to make a red flat-furter.
Dean and Greg Shields are the fourth generation of their family to run the meat market and Dean Shields hopes his children may be the fifth.
Shields has expanded its product line over its 70 years to include five other kinds of hot dogs, including beef and red hot dogs. Many of Shields’ products already are on shelves of other grocery stores, and Dean Shields hopes the new flat-furters will soon get wider distribution.
The Biddeford Ice Arena concession stand will sell the hot dog patties, under the name “The hockey puck.”
Paul Boissonneault, who leases the concession stand, said he was looking for a sandwich he could call a “hockey puck” and Shields won the spot because children really enjoy the product.
“It’s a great item, the kids love it, my grandkids love hot dogs. The flavoring and spices really come out in the flat patty,” Boissonneault said.

Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233.

Pakistani man may be released on bail

2010-08-27T13:31:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

A South Portland resident detained on immigration violations remained in jail Wednesday morning despite reinstatement of his $10,000 bail.
Mohammed Shafiq Rahman, 34, who was arrested by federal agents May 13 in Portland, was ordered released on bail Tuesday by Judge Brenda O’Malley in U.S. Immigration Court in Boston.
Officials at Suffolk County Jail in Boston said Rahman was still held there after his transfer from Cumberland County Jail in Portland.
Kathryn Mattingly, a spokesman for the Executive Office for Immigration Review, part of the federal Department of Justice, said Rahman has a Sept. 14 hearing.
Rahman, a native of Pakistan who has been in the country for a least a decade, faces what is called a “master calendar” hearing in Immigration Court.
Mattingly said the hearing is similar to an arraignment held in criminal courts and could result in a hearing date on Rahman’s immigration status.
Rahman, a computer programmer who lives with his wife, Sara, and worked at an art supply store in Portland, was arrested as part of the investigation into the attempted May 1 car bombing in Times Square in Manhattan by Faisel Shahzad.
Rahman is not considered a suspect in the Shahzad case. Rahman told Artist and Craftsman Supply store owner Larry Adlerstein he had been acquainted with Shazad when the two lived in Connecticut.
Adlerstein said Rahman is a good worker. “He is a nice guy, very gentle and treated everyone with respect,” Adlerstein said.
When interviewed in May, a neighbor living in the apartment below the Rahmans said the couple was quiet and friendly.
Attempts to reach Cynthia Arn, a Portland-based attorney representing Rahman, were unsuccessful.

Letters to the Editor, Aug. 27, 2010

2010-08-27T13:24:00Z

Thanks to police, public works departments

To the editor:

I want to give public thanks to Dana Anderson, South Portland Public Works and Chief Ed Googins of the South Portland Police Department. I wrote an e-mail tothese department heads asking them to consider improvements to theintersection of Fickett Street and Candlebrook Lane. Exiting Candlebrook onto Fickett was extremely dangerous as vehicles traveling up Fickett would be completely invisible to drivers trying to turn onto Fickett Street.
I asked them to review the visibility from Candlebrook due to the stumps and the earthen mounds that protrude on the side of the road left of Candlebrook.
By removing the mounds, this would allow vehicle operators to see traffic coming up Fickett. I received a quick reply from Dana Anderson in which he conferred with Chief Googins about this issue. Both recognized the problem but were not sure that (DPW) could handle the problem because of the rock ledge found throughout the area.
Three weeks after I wrote the note a South Portland DPW crew was on the scene in the early morning with a large excavator working to remove the obstructions. I have spoken to several of my neighbors and all of them are very pleased with the actions taken by the crew. We would all like to say thanks to the members of both departments for recognizing the hazard and for taking action to make improvements.

Edward R. Marks
South Portland

State of Maine is at a critical crossroads

To the editor:

In the midst of such a beautiful Maine summer, it’s easy to forget that our gubernatorial election is quickly approaching. Elections and politicians come and go. However, this particular election is of special importance, as our beloved state is at a critical crossroads.
For several years we have wrestled with the question of how to develop desperately needed improvements to our business climate without succumbing to right-wing policies on individual social freedoms and environmental issues.
The primaries have left us with poor choices from the two major parties: a tea party Republican with little chance of negotiating effectively with the Legislature and a Democrat who will impose even more restrictions on Maine’s business community.
Neither of those candidates is capable of making the necessary changes to improve our economy. That is why I am supporting Eliot Cutler, Independent candidate for governor.
Cutler brings big-picture vision, plans for specific initiatives, leadership and business experience, and a reputation for practical moderation that our next governor must have to be effective. I am convinced he can do the job better than either of the alternatives, but he can’t do it without our support.
I urge all Mainers, regardless of party affiliation, to learn more about Cutler’s bold yet realistic vision for increasing Maine’s competitiveness in the global marketplace and preserving the best parts of the Maine lifestyle we all enjoy. You can learn more about Cutler at cutler2010.com.

Peter Tousignant
South Portland

Obituaries

2010-08-27T13:21:00Z

Ansel N. Norton

Ansel Norton “Tup” Tupper, 81, of South Portland, died Monday, Aug. 9, 2010.
He was born Aug, 26, 1928, in Concord, N.H., to Dorothy Wing Daggett and Harold Fisk Tupper.
He attended elementary school in Concord, N.H., and graduated from Dover High School in 1946 and the University of New Hampshire in 1950.
He participated in football and track throughout high school and college and was captain and co-captain of the UNH winter and spring track teams.
He won 11 letters – three in football and eight in track. He was an All-State end at Dover in 1945 and was inducted into the UNH Hall of Fame as a member of the Glass Bowl team.
On Dec. 30, 1950, he married Mary Virginia Deschenes.
Mr. Tupper taught and coached for one year at Morristown School for Boys in New Jersey before being called to active service as a reserve officer from June 1951 to January 1953.
He was employed by Maine Central Railroad/Portland Terminal Co. in 1953 as a student supervisor. He worked in numerous managerial positions, including trainmaster, superintendent, labor relations manager and was general manager of operations when he retired in 1984.
Mr. Tupper earned the Order of the Arrow as an Eagle Scout. An active member of the Centerboard Yacht Club for 40 years, he was elected commodore of the club in 1987.
He was an enthusiastic sailor and successful competitor who raced in Casco Bay. Mr. Tupper took great pride in and was a devoted supporter of each of his children and grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Pamelia Tupper; and his infant daughter, Mary.
Survivors include his wife, Virginia; sons Christopher N. and his wife, Helen (Cricket), of Cundy’s Harbor; Stephen H. and his wife, Clara-Marie, of Rolla, Mo., Nicholas J. and his wife, Susan, of Marietta, Ga.; Nathaniel J. and his wife, Judith, of Yarmouth; and Benjamin T. and his wife, Mariana, of Yarmouth; his daughter, M. Ellen and her husband, Thomas M. Carr, of Scituate, Mass.; his sister, Nancy H. Otis and her husband, Don B. Otis, of Manchester, Vt.; 17 grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Arrangements were by Hobbs Fueral Home, South Portland.

Red's will rise again: Landmark business will be back, owner says

2010-08-20T13:53:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

The razing of Red’s Dairy Freeze in South Portland on Monday brought down a local landmark and left loyal customers of the 58-year-old ice cream shop eager for the opening of the new store.
“I want it to open so my new neighbors can see how good it is,” said Patrick Martin, 10, who lives up Meetinghouse Hill from Red’s.
Martin, his father, Randy Martin, and about three dozen onlookers gathered about 8:30 a.m. to watch a Maietta Construction crane knock down the store that had burned in May.
The turnout was gratifying to Red’s owner Chris Bolling.
“It was a very emotional day, there was a great outpouring of support,” Bolling said. He took over the shop about 30 years ago from his father, Leonard “Red” Bolling.
Bolling said he took a last walk through the store Sunday.
“It was just hard to believe everything happened. The fire was a total shock,” he said.
After Red’s was knocked off its foundation by a backhoe, the roof and walls were scooped up and dropped into a trailer. Flecks of sawdust wafted into a drizzling rain. The job was interrupted as workers saved the vibrant red letters that beckoned sweet tooths to the corner of Cottage Road, Richland Street and Highland Avenue.
“I had not even thought of that,” Bolling said. “They will be a treasured souvenir.”
As she watched from across Richland Street, Marlene Tordoff said Red’s provided sweet treats for her and a job for her daughter, Amy Tordoff France, almost 15 years ago.
“Everyone is waiting to put in orders,” Tordoff said, echoing other patrons eager for a new Red’s.
Bolling said plans for a slightly larger Red’s are in the works, but he’s not sure if it will open this year. The total cost of rebuilding is still unknown, and he is waiting for an insurance settlement on equipment from the restaurant.
The new equipment will be custom made, and Bolling said there may not be time to order and install it before the store’s usual closing date in late October or early November.
Last spring, South Portland Fire Department Lt. Robb Couture said a malfunctioning restroom exhaust fan caused the early morning fire that destroyed Red’s interior. The fire occurred May 17 as Bolling was preparing for the busiest time of year.
The loss of the shop was particularly acute because the summer has been so warm and sunny, he said.
“I was hoping to have been back to work by now. But I’ve had a summer off. That has never happened before,” he said.
Bolling said he might have been 5 years old the first time he served soft ice cream at Red’s.
The new shop will be slightly larger to meet updated code requirements and allow for handicapped-accessible restrooms.
As the Martins watched remnants of Red’s get scooped away, Randy Martin said the impact of the fire affected his entire family.
“My daughter, Elisa, was devastated. Her whole summer was ruined,” he said. “If they do open, they will be packed.”
South Portland resident Jessica Williams ventured out to watch the demolition with her children Clara Watson, 5, and August Watson, 3. She is eager to see a new Red’s rise.
“It is always the first place we go in the spring,” she said.

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219

Demand on the upswing at food cupboard

2010-08-20T13:51:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

South Portland resident Gary Morin said he knows how to make his food last.
Disabled with foot problems but ready to start a new part-time job, Morin was one of 51 visitors last Thursday to the South Portland Food Cupboard at St. John the Evangelist Church.
“I stretch it, I don’t come in every month,” he said.
Assigned a number by pantry volunteer Mark Andrews, Morin picked food from tables laden with bread bought from Hannaford Bros. and vegetables donated by Jordan’s Farms in Cape Elizabeth, all while accompanied by 12-year-old volunteer Abby Rioux.
While Morin tries to limit his visits to the pantry, volunteers see more and more people coming through the door. South Portland Food Cupboard Director Sybil Riemensnider said demand increased 100 percent last month from July 2009. The pantry served 261 families and fed 629 people last month. August opened with 86 clients the first week.
In the kitchen and pantry area, food cupboard volunteers filled other bags for Morin with canned goods, cereal and perishables bought from Legion Square Market in South Portland and Auburn-based Good Shepherd Food Bank.
The setting was cheerful and volunteers and recipients were convivial, but charity is well organized at the food cupboard. More than 14 years of experience and about 45 volunteers makes getting food to families, primarily from South Portland, Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth, efficient and friendly.
Recipients from Gray and Limington also are listed on food pantry rolls, which are monitored to ensure the limit of one visit per month is enforced. Families and individuals that earn 150 percent or less of federal poverty guidelines are eligible – a family of four with an income of $33,000 can qualify for help.
In July, Riemensnider said demand increased 100 percent from July 2009. Last week, 51 people arrived for food on Thursday, including six new recipients. The day before, volunteers delivered food to 12 recipients who were unable to come to the pantry.
Like Morin, South Portland resident Kristeen Kontsas works a part-time job with full-time demands on her budget. The mother of two children, Kontsas said she was intimidated by coming to the food pantry for the first time eight months ago.
“I was sort of ashamed – you feel weird about asking for help,” she said.
Kontsas said she works an irregular schedule based on hours available to her at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and contends with child-care costs as well as her food budget.
Her scenario is a common one, said Jason Hall, director of agency relations at Good Shepherd Food Bank.
“The majority of clients are working poor,” Hall said of the 36,000 Mainers he estimates the food bank serves each month. “The easiest one to cut is the food bill, and then that second or third job is lost.”
Hall says the food bank, which supplies the South Portland Food Cupboard and 644 other Maine agencies ranging from soup kitchens to group homes, is like “a wholesale club, a mixture between Hannaford Bros. and Marden’s.”
The food bank relies on corporate donations of food that cannot be sold for reasons such as damaged packaging. It seeks food sources in the same manner a surplus and salvage company such as Marden’s stocks its inventory.
Food is sold to agencies by the pound or through what Hall called a “shared maintenance fee” to pay for trucking food in from outside Maine.
With volunteers ranging from Rioux, at age 12, to Andrews, 83, about 45 people help Riemensnider feed the community.
When recipients receive a week’s worth of food for their families, volunteers cart the bags to a marked area on Aspen Avenue and load them into vehicles.
It is a task volunteers Riaz Hamid and Dick Doughty said they enjoy.
“I’m retired, I do this for personal satisfaction,” Doughty said. “I know how lucky I am.”
Hamid said he felt honored to volunteer at the pantry, and praised the smooth operations and Riemensnider’s dedication to feeding the community.
“I call her captain,” he said.
Riemensnider said the South Portland Food Pantry also distributes United States Department of Agriculture surplus food packages to 45 area senior citizens each month who live on incomes of $1,100 or less. Those packages contain cereal, juice, fruit, vegetables, pasta, peanut butter and canned milk.
The cupboard is supported by contributions, including $2,500 from the South Portland city budget, the Maine Credit Union League and private donors. It received $82,000 in donations in fiscal year 2009 and spent $55,000.
As fiscal year 2011 opened, Riemensnider said the cupboard was “lucky to get about $3,000 in donations” and spent about $5,000 a month for food. St. John the Evangelist provides rent-free use of the basement and pays utility costs to operate freezers and lights the basement.
In the first week of August, volunteer Anita Taylor oversaw the weekly food distribution as Riemensnider took a vacation. Taylor said she understands the need – she relied on a food pantry in Windham several years ago. She said increased need may be related to people losing unemployment benefits as the job market remains sluggish.
After seven years of volunteering, Andrews said he knows the need is real and sees it increasing as he greets recipients weekly.
“If people need it, they need it,” he said.

With a new job coming, Morin said his life may be on the upswing. But his retirement savings are gone and he cannot stay on his feet long. His food will last longer than a week, and he knows where to get 20 eggs for $2.75 at a farm in Lisbon.
“They are so big you can’t even wrap your hand around them,” he said. He said he boils them and prays to God and his angels for help in his life.
Rioux said seeing recipients like Morin is not always easy, but is glad she has volunteered.
“I try to make their day, to make them smile,” she said.
Riemensnider and Hall said donations will spike in fall and early winter and pantry shelves will be abundant. Recent cash donations also have helped, she said.
Cash is always the best gift for a food pantry; money stretches further when spent by food banks or pantries than by a consumer at a store, Riemensnider said.
Most of those who needed food last Thursday had been helped by 10 a.m. Riemensnider allowed herself a smile as she sat at a table and the kitchen quieted.
Demand is so high Riemensnider said there are discussions about limiting food recipients to South Portland, Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth. She does not like the idea.
“I don’t want to refuse anybody,” she said.

Donations to the South Portland Food Cupboard can be mailed to 29 Aspen Ave., South Portland, ME 04106.

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219

Witness in disappearance faces charges

2010-08-20T13:48:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

A man considered a witness in the disappearance of a Scarborough woman remains in Cumberland County Jail in Portland this week on drug trafficking charges.
Akeem Cruz, 20, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was arrested by Maine Drug Enforcement Agency agents Aug. 10 in a South Portland motel room and charged with Class B unlawful trafficking in cocaine base, according to a press release from MDEA Special Agent Supervisor Kevin Cashman.
Cashman said Cruz was arrested with 13 grams of crack cocaine when agents raided the Route 1 motel after a complaint about drug trafficking. Cashman did not name the motel in his press release
Cruz also was charged with violating conditions of release and remains in jail, according to officers at Cumberland County Jail in Portland.
The cocaine was packaged for sale and had a street value of $1,300 and Cruz was carrying more than $500 cash when arrested, Cashman said.
With Cruz in jail, Lorraine Ela, a South Portland resident and mother of 22-year-old Megan Waterman, said she hopes his arrest will prompt him to speak up about her daughter’s disappearance.
“I’m hoping he will talk to them and tell them what he knows,” she said.
Scarborough Police Detective Don Blatchford, who is leading Waterman’s missing person investigation, said Cruz was Waterman’s boyfriend and accompanied her on a trip to Long Island just after Memorial Day.
Waterman was last seen early on June 6 at a Holiday Inn Express in Hauppage, N.Y.
Blatchford said the case is being investigated by both Maine and New York police and said officers from New York visited Maine during the weekend. He declined to comment on the nature of the visit and said there are no new leads in the investigation.
Waterman, the mother of a 2-year-old girl, was known to list services as an escort on Craigslist and made frequent trips to New York with Cruz, police said. Ela said her daughter called home as often as three times a day and family members last spoke with her the evening of June 5.
Since her disappearance, Waterman’s friends and family held a vigil in Portland and have distributed her personal information on posters and balloons in Maine and Long Island with the help of Londonderry, N.H.-based LostNMissing Inc.
Cruz’s arrest marks his third brush with the law since May. He was charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon in June by Portland police.
At the time of his arrest, Portland Police Lt. Gary Rogers said Cruz allegedly flattened two tires on a vehicle on Allen Avenue, threatened the owner with a knife and told her to stop talking about him. Cruz allegedly flattened the remaining tires on the car after she fled.
In May, Cruz was charged with drug trafficking after South Portland police officers and MDEA agents raided the Howard Johnson hotel on Main Street.
South Portland Police Lt. Frank Clark said the arrests of Cruz, Luqman Jones, 27, of Portland and Kabar Williams, 31, and Vashawn Brown, 20, both of Brooklyn, N.Y., came after police responded to a complaint about the smell of marijuana.
Waterman’s disappearance recently was reported on CNN, but Ela said the exposure didn’t led to any breaks in the missing persons case.
“I just wish somebody would come forward,” she said.
Anyone with information about Waterman’s whereabouts is asked to call police at 883-6361. For more information, visit the Facebook page “Help Find Megan Waterman” or www.meganwaterman.com. />

Council approves Loose Caboose license

2010-08-20T13:42:00Z

By David Harry
Staff Writer

Outdoor food sales will become part of the shopping experience at Clark’s Pond with the unanimous council approval of a vendor’s license for the Loose Caboose on Monday.
Business owner Tom Moulton of Portland said he will use a refurbished Jordan’s Meats cart to sell “good quality coffee, lunches and hot dogs.”
Moulton said he expects to set up shop near Home Depot.
His license is in effect for a year and his use of the refurbished cart drew praise form Councilor Rosemary De Angelis.

Agreement reached

Councilors unanimously approved a contract with 29 city Public Works and Parks employees Monday.
City Manager James Gailey said the three-year agreement with AFSCME Local 481 is retroactive to July 1, 2009, and effective until June 30, 2012. Terms of the three-year agreement include no cost of living pay increases for the first two years and an opportunity for the union to reopen the contract at the beginning of the third year.

Tri for a Cure - Aug. 13, 2010

2010-08-13T18:15:00Z

By David Harry

Staff Writer

The most difficult portion of the Tri for a Cure triathlon may be getting a chance to participate.

The third annual triathlon to raise money for the Maine Cancer Foundation begins at 2 p.m. Sunday when the first wave of swimmers will dive into Casco Bay off Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse in South Portland.

Race Director Julie Marchese said it took eight minutes to fill available slots through online registration and she hopes more than $700,000 will be raised for cancer research. The field of athletes has expanded from 700 in 2009. All participants are required to raise at least $250 for cancer research.

Marchese said between 950 and 1,000 women will participate in at least one part of the triathlon, comprised of a 1/3-mile swim, a 15-mile bicycle ride through South Portland and Cape Elizabeth and three-mile run that loops through Spring Point and the Southern Maine Community College campus.

Holly Benoit, a Scarborough resident and one of about 100 cancer survivors to take part in the triathlon, will lead the Holden Hope team. The team, named in part for the insurance agency owned by her husband, John, aims to raise about $4,500, she said.

“It sends a great message about the hope and courage and getting back on your feet again. Look one day at a time and be positive,” said Holly Benoit, who will ride the triathlon’s bicycling leg.

Team Holden Hope will have changes this year: Benoit’s daughter, Margaret Benoit, has struck out on her own to ride and run two legs of Tri for a Cure.

Running has been a longtime passion for Margaret Benoit. Last Saturday she ran the TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K, and she took up bicycling in part because her parents became avid riders as her mother recovered from breast cancer and a broken leg about three years ago.

Holly Benoit, 51, said her daughter was one of her biggest advocates as she recovered from cancer. It was a time Margaret Benoit recalled as frightening and lonely.

“I did not know what to think,” she said. “I didn’t know if I could handle it.”

While the Benoits may not touch the water Sunday, a group of first-time triathletes discovered their worries about swimming in Casco Bay were ill-founded as they enjoyed a training session near Spring Point Ledge last Saturday.

Biddeford resident Joddie Fournier said the first swim in a wetsuit reinforced what she is capable of doing.

“The fear is there, but your body is very strong, and you come back to shore,” Fournier said.

Fournier is part of a group of friends who signed up to support Lyman resident Stacy Forcier, 38, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last fall and underwent a bilateral mastectomy.

Forcier said the swim is the most challenging portion of the triathlon for her, but the event fosters camaraderie as much as it may stoke competitive fires.

“I have never been an athlete, and the power and support is incredible,” Forcier said.

The training session was the last of three held through the summer to help new triathletes acclimate to the water and the triangular swim course marked with buoys. Forcier said volunteers in kayaks are there to help, and newer swimmers are encouraged to stay to the side and rear.

Cape Neddick resident Shelly Bitetti, 48, said she has never been comfortable in water, but was as encouraged as her friend, Fournier, after the training.

“The swim scared me off,” Bitetti said. “But it is very comfortable once you get in.”

Bitetti joins her daughter, Sheena Bitetti, who has participated in all three triathlons.

Sheena Bitetti said she takes a competitive approach to the events – it is in her nature.

“I always wanted to do one,” she said, “and the atmosphere is amazing on race day.”

Forcier’s goals are simpler – she wants to finish and raise $2,000 so she can be guaranteed a spot in next year’s field.

“Cancer does not get the last word,” Forcier said.

Marchese, who is also a cancer survivor, said the 2011 triathlon spots will still be hard to come by and the field will not be expanded.

Maria Evangelou, 48, a Wells resident who signed up to support Forcier, said her goal is also to finish.

“I’m kind of a plodder,” she said.

No matter the pace or urge to compete, Shelly Bitetti said training has taught her she is capable of more than she imagined.

“If you think you can’t, think again,” she said.

For more information on the third annual Tri for a Cure, including course routes, spectator parking information and how to support individual athletes through donations, visit www.mainetriforacure.org.

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219

Public input next for garbage plan - Aug. 13, 2010

2010-08-13T18:15:00Z

By David Harry

Staff Writer

Cape Elizabeth councilors did not agree Monday on specifics of a pay-as-you-throw waste disposal plan and next month will hold a public hearing on the topic.

The potential program would charge residents for garbage bags to use at the transfer station. The plan could increase the town recycling rate and reduce non-recyclable waste hauled from the transfer station to ecomaine, said Town Manager Mike McGovern.

Cape Elizabeth residents already have reduced the annual non-recyclable waste hauled away by about 1,000 tons since 2006. However, the increase in town recycling has flattened in the last two years, McGovern said.

The rate increased by 35 in percent in 2008 with the introduction of single-sort receptacles for recycled material. Last year, the rate increased by 2.7 percent, according to ecomaine data.

Councilors at Monday’s meeting called for a hearing to learn what the public thinks of charging for garbage bags with a goal to increase the recycling rate above the current 31 percent.

Councilor Sara Lennon said she would like the hearing to concentrate on citizen input about the general concept, while Councilor Frank Governali stressed the importance of presenting financial facts how a pay-as-you-throw program can benefit the town.

“Give people a range of what may occur,” Governali said during a council workshop preceding the council meeting.

The discussion and plan for a public hearing come after recommendations of a seven-member town recycling committee that urged a pay-as-you-throw plan be decided by referendum.

Hauling and tipping loads of trash from the transfer station on Spurwink Road to the ecomaine trash-to-energy plant off outer Congress Street in Portland costs nearly $500,000 a year. The service is funded with property tax revenue, so reducing the amount of non-recyclable waste hauled may help avert future tax increases, McGovern said. It has not been determined how much town revenue could be generated from the sale of garbage bags.

Councilor Penelope Jordan said councilors need to identify and present objectives of the program at the public hearing and outline potential savings for taxpayers.

“We need to show the possibilities,” Councilor Jessica Sullivan.

Recycling committee members also recommended increased efforts to educate residents about potential changes of a pay-as-you-throw program. In addition to the public hearing, the committee suggested gathering public feedback through online comments.

Pay-as-you-throw programs have been instituted in nine of 21 towns that share ownership of the quasi-public ecomaine waste facility, according to ecomaine data.

Locally, McGovern said it costs $180 per ton in fees to haul non-recyclable waste from the transfer station as opposed to $40 for recycled goods discarded in “silver bullet” containers.

The most recent Maine city to introduce pay-per-throw is Sanford, which is not a member of ecomaine. A program charging $1.25 for a 15-gallon and $2 for a 33-gallon bag went into effect July 12. Bags are sold at local stores and low-income residents receive general assistance aid to buy the bags, according to the town website.

The introduction of pay-per-throw came after curbside recycling efforts failed to boost the local recycling rate.

The Sanford town website claims more than 150 Maine towns have adopted pay-as-you-throw programs, but introducing them has been contentious in at least two. Voters in Waterboro and Hollis rejected such pay-as-you-throw plans several times.

McGovern and the council cited Cumberland and Falmouth as examples of towns with pay-as-you-throw programs and have similar demographics to Cape Elizabeth.

The Cape Elizabeth recycling rate falls between rates in Cumberland and Falmouth at 31 percent, according to ecomaine data through June 30. The rate in Cumberland through the same date is almost 29 percent and 45 percent in Falmouth.

Despite annual decreases in non-recyclable waste in four years, Cape Elizabeth still has the fourth-highest annual tonnage among ecomaine member towns. It also has the third highest per capita rate of disposing non-recyclable waste, nearly 600 pounds.

McGovern said a savings of $140 per ton by of hauling recyclable instead of non-recyclable waste would save $3,600 for every 1 percent increase in the recycling rate.

The council will present information on potential cost savings during the public hearing at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 13, at town hall.

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219

B2B brings bragging rights, sun and surprises - Aug. 13, 2010

2010-08-13T18:12:00Z

By David Harry

Staff Writer

For more than 90 minutes after Craig Blanchette became the first racer to cross the finish line at the TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10k Road Race last Saturday in his wheelchair, men, women and children to streamed across the finish line in Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth.

Race organizers said more than 5,700 runners, walkers and wheelchair riders competed in the 6.2-mile race that capped a week of events before the race.

On a day of sea breezes and cloud cover, elite and local racers competed for prizes and bragging rights at what often seemed to be an extended family reunion of runners.

Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam ended Kenyan Ed Muge’s two-year reign as men’s champion 27 minutes, 40.4 seconds, and Kenyan Lileth Chepkurui shattered the women’s course record by more than 26 seconds with a time of 30:59.4.

The two led a field of elite runners that organizer Larry Barthlow praised for its depth. Race founder Joan Benoit Samuelson said “a spectacular field of Maine runners had gathered for bragging rights.”

Included in the field was Scarborough resident Kristin Barry, 36, first among Maine women this year and 10th overall among women runners finishing at 34:34.9. Barry approached the finish line with Falmouth resident and 2009 Maine women’s champion Sheri McCarthy-Piers, 39, just behind her.

“I yelled to her ‘c’mon,’” Barry said, and the two crossed the line hand-in-hand with Barry finishing .3 seconds ahead of Piers.

Scarborough resident Jeanne Hackett, 51, was first in the bracket for women older than 50 with a finishing time of 39:47.8.

Yarmouth resident Patrick Tarpy ran the course in 29:27.6 to finish first among Maine men, and led an in-state field of more than 5,200 racers. The field was comprised of racers from 41 states and 17 countries, said Samuelson, a Cape Elizabeth native and winner of a gold medal i in the 1984 Olympics women’s marathon.

One runner who particularly delighted and surprised by her finish was Christine Snow-Reaser, the 44-year-old Dayton resident who was Maine women’s champion in 2001 and 2002.

Reaser learned about 30 minutes after crossing the finish line that her time of 39:18.2 had won the women’s master class of runners between ages 40 and 49.

She said had been running poorly this summer but felt stronger over the last couple weeks.

“I just decided to go strong and hard,” she said of her race strategy.

The scene at the runner’s expo last week at Cape Elizabeth High School was similar to the mass of runners at the finish line as race registrants arrived to get bib numbers and walk through displays of shoes, running gear and apparel and visit booths set up by local nonprofit agencies.

The two-day expo is part of the growth of the race experience, which began with 3,000 racers in 1998. Samuelson credited race organizer Marie Adams for the expo’s success.

Cumberland resident Michelle Cook arrived to get her bib and a free T-shirt with her son, Maddox, tucked into his stroller. Last year he ran with her – Cook said she gave birth to him two weeks after the race.

Cook, who was on her eighth or ninth race, said she ran throughout her pregnancy last year and was not going to miss the 13th Beach to Beacon.

“It is a well-organized race with a beautiful course,” Cook said.

The allure of the race drew Scarborough residents Steve and Karen Rand – for his eighth and her first run. She said she ran her first 5K on Peaks Island last month and enjoyed it.

I finished and I didn’t have to walk,” she said.

Mandy Collins, who recently moved to Cape Elizabeth from Seattle with her family, said a tip from friends got her a slot as one of 7,000 runners.

“They told me to be online by 8 a.m.,” she said. Dave Weatherbie, the race president, said the field was filled in 30 minutes during online registration March 15 because many people have realized they can run the course.

“The walls of intimidation have crumbled,” he said.

As they gathered Friday at Inn by the Sea, running legends greeted one other as old friends and talked about the allure of the race.

“I like the point-to-point nature, and it is like the Tour de France when you run up the path,” said Bill Rogers, a four-time winner of the Boston and New York marathons. “I run on emotion and I love the crowds.”

Andrew Lemoncello, a Scotland native, said running the race is an essential part of his developing professional career because of the quality of competition and course.

“I have heard great things about it. You have to run it,” he said.

Muge, who said he trains in the mountains of Kenya, likes the course, the coast and $10,000 first-place prize.

Muge was initially part of a breakaway pack of elite runners who bolted from the field. After a 4:30 pace in the first mile, leaders logged a 4:38 second mile, which may have helped preserve the course record of 27:27:7 set in 2003 by Kenyan Gilbert Okari.

Blanchette, the resident of Battle Ground, Wash., who rolled over the course for the first time this year, said afterward the course “is one of my favorites, kind of like a roller coaster.”

Even then, said Blanchette, he had little time to enjoy the view as he finished in 24:12.

“When you are racing, the view is smooth pavement, and there was plenty of that,” he said.