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SPL Releases After School Rules
Lucy Norvell, Coordinator of Programming and Communications
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  This school year, as we comply with state guidelines regarding COVID-19, the Scarborough Public Library and library grounds cannot serve as a place for students to wait for parents to pick them up after school. Instead, we welcome children age 10 and older individually and children of all ages who arrive with adult family members for a brief visit.
Visit us in person: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 10 am to 5 pm, Wednesday 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturday 10 am to 2 pm. Curbside pickup, computer access by appointment, and browsing the collection are available during these hours. As always, members of the Library staff are available to make reading recommendations and assist with information needs. Call 883-4723 option 3 or email to reach a member of the Youth Services team. For details and additional information about the Library's digital and online program offerings, visit the Scarborough Public Library's website.
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Annual Candidates' Forum Set For September 28
Kevin Freeman, Forum Moderator and Special Contributor
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The Scarborough Community Chamber of Commerce will host the Annual Candidates' Forum on Monday September 28, 2020 from 6:15 - 9:00 pm.
Due to Covid-19 and the CDC requirements on social distancing, face coverings, and sanitization protocols this year's event will be held utilizing a virtual format via Zoom.
The public may participate through Zoom and submit questions as in years past. The event will also be broadcast live on SCTV Channels 3 and 1302 with rebroadcasts through election season.
Candidates for the Sanitary District Board of Trustees, Board of Education and Town Council will participate via Zoom. 
The event schedule is as follows:
6:15-6:30pm: Sanitary District Board of Trustees
6:30-7:30pm: Board of Education
7:30-9:00pm: Town Council
Kevin Freeman will serve as moderator for the event assisted by Art Dillon and Dennis Meehan of the Scarborough Community Chamber of Commerce as well as Nancy Crowell of the Scarborough Public Library and Karen Martin of the Scarborough Economic Development Corporation.
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Make Sure Your Vote Counts!
Liam Gallagher, Assistant Town Manager
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With election day around the corner, make sure you are ready to cast your ballot.
Once registered, you have two ways to cast your ballot;
- Request an Absentee Ballot. Being absent may have been a bad thing in school, but in the era of COVID-19, it may be a safe alternative to voting in person. To do so, you must complete and return it to the Town Clerk no less than one week before election day.
- Vote in Person at Scarborough High School on November 3, 2020. Maine State Law allows you to register and vote in person on election day.
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Multiple Ways to Pay Property Taxes in 2020
Lisa Saulle, Tax Collector
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The 2020 tax bills were mailed on September 9, 2020. If you have not received it already, it should be arriving soon. This year's due dates are Thursday, October 15, 2020 for the first half and Monday, March 15, 2021 for the second half.
Residents can pay their property taxes online, in-person, by mail or by depositing payments in the drop box at Town Hall.
To pay your property taxes online, start at the Town Website
Please click here for complete article
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Downtown Committee Starts Soon!
Paul Johnson, Town Council Chair
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As most Scarborough residents know, the Town of Scarborough and Crossroads Holdings LLC (Downs developers) entered into a financial partnership about two years ago. One of the key features of the agreement is The Downs will include a walkable and vibrant downtown in the 500 acre development. Additionally, written into the agreement is the opportunity for residents to apply for, and participate in, the Ad Hoc Downs Downtown District Advisory Committee.
The purpose of this committee is to give the Town Council and the developers input on what they would like to see in the walkable downtown area located at the heart of The Downs. This committee offers a unique opportunity for citizens to directly influence the future of Scarborough. While much of the discussion around The Downs has focused around the dollars and cents of the deal, this is where some creativity and long term vision will shine. The Ad Hoc Downs Downtown District Advisory Committee will not be making any financial decisions; rather, it will aim to influence the downtown master plan that is ultimately brought to the Planning Board. If any of the committee's input requires a financial discussion (e.g. it recommends a 5-acre park), the Town Council will be responsible for deciding on any "asks". The committee's work may also result in no "extras" and simply help guide the developers in what design elements would work the best for small businesses and Scarborough residents alike. The charge for the committee is expected to be voted on this Wednesday, September 16th. After the charge passes, there will be a vehicle for residents to apply to be on the Ad Hoc Downs Downtown District Advisory Committee with more details to come at that time.
There are few opportunities that allow developers, residents, and local government to work together toward a common positive goal. This is one of them. Please consider being a part of it.
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Property Tax Relief Programs
Emily Behn, Assessing Coordinator
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The Town of Scarborough has several forms of tax relief available to residents who are looking for assistance with their property taxes. The Town of Scarborough Property Tax Assistance Program for seniors is one of those programs. If your annual property tax burden exceeds 5% of household Adjusted Gross Income, then you may be eligible for a return of up to $750 at the end of the year. For residents who rent, we consider your rent as part of your tax burden. The deadline to apply is October 15, 2020.
The three eligibility requirements are:
- Applicant is age 62 or older as of the application deadline
- Applicant has been a Town resident for at least 10 years as of October 15, 2020
- Applicant's household Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) is not more than $50,000
Applications are available for the Property Tax Assistance Program online or in the Assessing Office. When you submit your application, we will need to see identification and proof of income, either your 2019 Tax Return or your 2019 Social Security Benefit Statement if you don't file taxes. If you rent, we will also need a statement of rent paid between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.
Please click here for complete article
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Scarborough Public Library's September Calendar
Lucy Norvell, Coordinator of Programming and Communications
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September is always a busy month at the Library! In September, we join the American Library Association and libraries across the nation for two important events: Library Card Sign-up Month, which we observe all month. Signing up for a library card is the first step towards academic achievement and lifelong learning. Every student in Scarborough is eligible for a free library card. EVERYONE who lives or works in Scarborough can become a member....from birth and beyond! Stop in to get your card or email Circulation Manager Mike Windsor.
A Scarborough Public Library card entitles users to an array of digital resources! On September 24 at 2:00 pm via Zoom, we are offering a Crash Course in Digital Downloads. Library Card Sign-up provides the perfect time to discover the perks your card provides. This online presentation will highlight the cloudLibrary e-books and e-audiobooks, Kanopy video streaming, and Flipster digital magazine. Usage of the Library's digital resources spiked during our COVID-19 closure and remains high even after our reopening. To register for this course, email Catherine Morrison, Adult Services Manager.
Please click here for complete article
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SPL Community Read - This Is Chance!
Lucy Norvell, Coordinator of Programming and Communications
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A Community Read is like a large-scale book club, spanning an entire community and cultivating a local culture of reading and conversation by bringing people together around a common book. Scarborough Public Library will be collaborating with the South Portland Public Library and Cape Elizabeth's Thomas Memorial Library on a three-town Community Read this fall, running from September through November.
Our featured book is This is Chance! by New York Times Magazine writer Jon Mooallem. This is Chance! recounts the devastating 9.2-magnitude Great Alaska Earthquake that hit Anchorage, Alaska in March of 1964 and icles how the local community came together in the immediate aftermath to respond to the crisis. Mooallem tells a riveting true story about the quake that also serves as an ode to the spirit of community in the face of disaster.
 The first virtual event, an author talk by Jon Mooallem, kicks off the Community Read on Wednesday, September 23 at 7 pm. There will be many opportunities for you to participate and engage with your friends and neighbors over the course of the next two months. The author will be (virtually) joining our library communities to discuss the book again to wrap up the Community Read on November 18. In between, all three libraries will be working together to offer book discussions, read-alouds, concerts, storytelling, creative opportunities and a full slate of related programming around the book's themes of community and resilience. All events will be open to residents of all three towns and there will be opportunities to meet, converse and get to know your neighbors from Cape Elizabeth, South Poortland, and Scarborough. For more information and to sign up, please visit here.
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About the Scarborough Town Newsletter
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 Welcome to the official newsletter of the Town of Scarborough, Maine. Brought to you by a team of Town staff, our mission is to keep you informed about town events and activities.
Please note that the newsletter articles are intended to be brief and will often point you back to a link on the Town's Website or Facebook page. The website is the heart of the communication network within town and is the central repository for information on Town government.
Your newsletter team:
| Tody Justice, Town Clerk | Lucy Norvell, Public Library | | Jill Deering, Community Services | Donald Begin, IT | Magdalena Slawiec, SEDCO
| Brian Longstaff, Codes & Planning | Kelly Johnston, Scarborough Public Schools
| Michael Thurlow, Fire Department | | Kim Sperlich, Police Department | Ruth Porter, Finance | | Leona Oceania, Public Works | Liam Gallagher, Administration |
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Paul Johnson, Chair
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Don Hamill, Vice Chair
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Jean-Marie Caterina
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John Cloutier
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Betsy Gleysteen
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Peter Hayes
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Ken Johnson
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