Thanksgiving is just ahead, and so too is the busy holiday season! We're taking this time before the hustle and bustle to reflect on the Scarborough community. We are thankful to you for making this a vibrant place to live and work. You voted in our local election, get involved in town issues that you care about, and make the most of the resources that Scarborough has to offer. Read on for upcoming reminders and updates on what's happening in our town.

The next Town Council meeting will be held this Wednesday, November 17 at 6:00pm. Join us in person at Town Hall or virtually through Zoom or YouTube. Click Here for the agenda & links.

Here are the results of the Scarborough Municipal Election held on November 2, 2021:

𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥

5,433 Hamill, Donald R.*

5,518 Johnson, Paul M.*

𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 - 𝟏 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫

5,395 Sither, April V.*

𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

4,294 Kelleher, III John J. P *

4,418 Leong, Jenna C.*

3,839 Pobrislo, Joshua H.

4,414 Trapini-Huff, Jillian B.*

𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭

5,636 Rico, Nicola F.*

5,569 Stein, Michael A.*

*Denotes winner

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐦 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏 (𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐤)

4,897 YES*

2,456 NO

Fire Chief Michael Thurlow: "On behalf of the members of the Scarborough Fire Department I would like to thank the voters of Scarborough for their support on the referendum question authorizing the replacement of our oldest fire truck. The community has always supported our requests for safe and effective apparatus in accordance with our apparatus replacement program, and we are most appreciative for that support and your vote of confidence in our department."

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐦 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐 (𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐟/𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤)

4,044 YES*

3,378 NO

Board of Education Communications Committee: "The Scarborough Board of Education wants to thank our community for voting in favor of replacing the aging turf field and track. We recognize this is a substantial replacement cost and are committed to working closely with our administration and vendor to keep the costs as low as possible while ensuring the safety of everyone who uses the facility. Please look for regular updates as the project gets underway!"

Scarborough Schools is excited to welcome three new members of our School Board – John Kelleher, Jenna Leong and Jillian Trapini-Huff. Each brings a unique background and set of skills to this Board and are committed to putting our students first and continuing to work to ensure that Scarborough maintains high quality education. These three new members will join current members Shannon Lindstrom (Board Chair), Alicia Giftos (Board Vice Chair), Leanne Kazilionis, and Kristen Turner, along with our student representatives, Gabby Giftos and Yuliya Buturlia.

A vital staff member to the Town of Scarborough is the role of Town Clerk. The Town Clerk is responsible for preparing and maintaining all Council records and other official municipal documents, issuing licenses and permits, recording various documents and preparing Town Council agendas, administering and supervising elections within the town, and more.

The Town Clerk for Scarborough is Tody Justice. She started working for the town first as part of the Scarborough School Department in 1990 before becoming the Town Clerk in 1994. In her 27 years as Town Clerk, she is still enjoying what she does and feels it is "an honor to serve the community."

Every day is different for Tody and even though she plans her day on the drive into work, the plan usually changes once she arrives. On average, you'll find her working on meeting minutes, handling requests, taking calls, and researching information for the Council, the Town Manager, or for the public.

Outside of work, Tody loves spending time with her family and spoiling her 6 grandchildren. She enjoys quilting, hiking, and baking. She and her husband own a working beef farm in Gorham, which has been in the family for over 50 years and keeps her busy.

The Town Clerk is critical to ensuring the orderly operation of town elections. While they used to start preparing a couple of months prior to the election, they now start planning months in advance. "We are already thinking about the June 2022 Election," Tody says. This means making sure space is available for a polling area, making information readily available for voters, having staff to work, setting up absentee voting, updating voter registration, getting nomination papers ready for candidates, making campaign finance reports, and more. Tody acknowledged the many hands who aided in the recent election:

"I would like to thank the Clerk’s Staff and our Elections Crew for their dedication and hard work throughout the election process. A special kudos to our Absentee/Early Processing Crew who went above and beyond to meet the voters’ needs. We would also like to thank the School Department, Public Works, Fire Department, Community Services and all those who helped make the election process run so smoothly. I would also like to thank the Voters of Scarborough for coming out to vote and participating in the democratic process. We had a 40.5% turnout—our numbers reflect how important the election process is here in Scarborough."

Scarborough Community Thanksgiving is a free community meal sponsored by many businesses, organizations, and friends in Scarborough, now in its 6th year! It will be served by curbside pickup on Wednesday, November 24th to adapt to Covid-19 circumstances. Despite not being able to all join together, this event will connect our community through a warm meal. RSVP by this Wednesday to reserve your traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the fixings—roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, gravy, a dinner roll, and choice of apple or pumpkin pie. Yum!

Registration for a meal from Scarborough Community Thanksgiving is available until Wednesday, November 17.

As we approach the beginning of the holiday season it is important to remain vigilant about fire safety. The three main causes of Thanksgiving Day fires are carelessness or unintentional actions, combustible materials too close to open flames, and electrical malfunctions. One of the best ways to prevent a disaster is to have a plan. Here are some tips:

• Don't leave stove unattended while cooking.

• Keep papers, napkins, books, etc. away from stove burners and open candle flames.

• Know how to handle small grease fires (cover to smother flames, don't add water).

• Know proper use of extension cords and routinely check for breaks or cuts to prevent electrical malfunctions.

Spend a few minutes considering and implementing these simple fire safety recommendations. Be safe and enjoy the upcoming holiday season.

What are you grateful for? Is it family, weekends, sunshine, seafood? Scarborough Community Services wants to know! Comment with your answer on their Facebook post, then 'share' the post by November 30th to be entered into their contest. They're giving away a 4-pack of tickets to the Sunday, December 5 Maine Mariners Hockey game to one lucky winner!

Be sure to comment on the original post for your entry to count!

Did you recently receive a community survey in the mail? 4,200 Scarborough households were selected as part of a geographically random sampling to provide their input on Town services and areas of improvement. Thank you for taking 15-20 minutes to share your thoughts and mail the survey back in the enclosed envelope. We have already received nearly 350 responses!

If you did not receive a survey in the mail, we value your input and will ask for your participation in an upcoming digital version of the survey. The link will be made available in the coming weeks.

Dog license registration is now open for 2022, and licenses are valid through December 31, 2022. Register or renew your dog license in person at the Clerk's office or online (If you register your dog[s] online, you will receive your tag[s] the beginning of the next month). All dog renewals must be completed by January 31, 2022. There is an additional $25 fee starting February 1st. To receive a license for your dog, please come into the Town Clerk's Office at Town Hall during our business hours which are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. except for the first and third Wednesday until 6:00 p.m.

Why license my dog? Dog licensing is a Maine state law and ensures rabies vaccination, which protects the health of your pet. Additionally, by licensing your dog you are directly fighting animal cruelty and abuse. Up to 90% of dog license fees go directly to the Maine Animal Welfare Program. Dog license fees account for 95% of the State Animal Welfare Program’s entire funding and without these fees, the State would be unable to protect the animals of this state.

2022 stickers have arrived! Believe it or not, the snow will be flying soon and it is time to get those snowmobiles registered for the upcoming winter season. The fee for Maine residents is $55.00 plus $1.00 for our agent fee.

Soon to be mailed out. Do you have an unpaid 2019 property tax? If so, your property has gone to lien during the spring of 2020. Taxpayers have 18 months to pay their unpaid 2019 property tax from the date of lien. If the taxes remain unpaid after 18 months, the property will automatically foreclose and the Town will own the property. If there is currently a 2019 tax lien on your property, the deadline to stop the automatic foreclosure process is Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at 9:30am. Please contact the Finance Revenue office at (207) 730-4010 to discuss balance due and payment options.

As a reminder for all new registrations, we ask that folks arrive before 3:00pm (one hour prior to closing), or before 5:00pm on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. New registrations include private sales, dealer sales, purchases from out of state and folks moving to Scarborough from out of town or out of state. We ask this for vehicles, trailers, motorcycles, camper trailers, special equipment, boats, ATVs and snowmobiles.

The Town of Scarborough recently issued bonds totaling $3,725,000 (view the official statement here). Projects financed with this bond include:

• Municipal Building Air Handling Replacement

• Fire Department: Ladder Truck purchase, Pumper Truck purchase final cost, Major Fire Apparatus refurbishing

• Public Works: Plow Truck, Paving Projects

• Property Purchase at 649 US Route One (William Temple Building)

• Planning Phillips Brooks Watershed Management project

• District-Wide HVAC Repairs/Upgrades

• School Bus

• Pleasant Hill School Modular Classroom

• Interior Finishes project

The Finance Accounting staff prepare quarterly financial reports for the Scarborough Finance Committee. Click Here to view the quarterly reports on our website.

Scarborough Community Services is excited to announce their array of winter program offerings for kids and seniors.

Browse through their digital brochure to see what's being offered for recreation opportunities, and be sure to check back often, as they will continue to add programs as space becomes available. Community Services will announce on their Facebook page when new programs or events are added, so give them a 'Like' to stay informed.

Find the senior brochure for upcoming programs on the Senior page of our website. Paper copies are available in the Public Library or at the Hub (418 Payne Road).

Look for the special trip to the Magic of Christmas show at the Merrill Auditorium on December 10! Find out more on page 11.

Holiday Season: Mail Your Letter to Santa

Community Services is accepting letters to Santa! Have your kids tell Santa about all of the good things they have done this year and a few presents on the wish list. Community Services will need letters before November 26 so they can get them to Santa and he can get a letter to you in return!

Print out this fill-in letter template, or pick up a paper copy at the Hub or Town Hall Clerk's Office. Completed letters can be dropped in the North Pole Express mailbox at the front of Town Hall or mailed to the address listed on the template.

Save the dates for more holiday fun! Our Virtual Tree Lighting will be on Friday, December 3 on Facebook Live. Then on Saturday, December 4, we're hosting a Santa Drive-Through from 5-7pm! Details here.

As a town, we have done a good job of supporting the construction of housing for those earning less than 80% of the HUD Portland area average income ($80,790 for a family of four). In fact, a good number of units for senior citizens are geared towards 60% or less of that number. What we are missing is the opportunity to encourage construction of living units for those in the gap— workforce housing. These are families of four earning between $80,720 and $121,080 per year. Multiply those numbers by three; the house value these folks can afford is approximately $240,000 to $363,000. As a REALTOR, I can tell you there is little to nothing available in that range in Scarborough. It is time to change that. 

Scarborough Town Council

Paul Johnson, Chair • Don Hamill, Vice Chair • Jonathan Anderson • Jean-Marie Caterina • John Cloutier • Ken Johnson

Town Council meets the first and third Wednesday of each month. Visit our online calendar for links to attend and view agendas.

It's National Diabetes Month. Over 10% of Maine’s population has diabetes and another 8% of Maine’s adults are aware they are pre-diabetic. Nationally, over 30 million people have diabetes. Healthy Living for ME is providing free programs and resources to help people prevent and manage the disease. “Our workshops and other resources can help Mainers who have diabetes learn strategies for better management of the disease, as well as help those who are pre-diabetic make lifestyle changes and lower their risk for developing diabetes," says Jennifer Fortin, Training & Fidelity Manager of Healthy Living for ME.

Free online, in-person, and telephonic workshops are available to help people prevent or manage diabetes. To register, visit their website, call 1-800-620-6036, or email info@healthylivingforme.org.

About Healthy Living for ME: Healthy Living for ME is a statewide network of local organizations, health systems and volunteers that work together to empower individuals to take control of their health. Through tailored services, we provide free and low-cost options that are personalized to focus on the entire individual rather than a single condition to improve overall quality of life.

Virtual Interview: A Path Forward from Divisiveness

6:30pm-7:30pm – Interview with Mark

7:30pm-8:30pm – In-person and virtual facilitated group discussion

In partnership with its Let’s Talk America civil discourse group and Scarborough Community Connections, the Scarborough Public Library invites you to hear A Path Forward from Divisiveness, virtual interview with Mark Gerzon, author, leadership consultant, and veteran convener of cross-party conversations and to participate in a small facilitated discussion group afterwards. Explore some of the causes of divisiveness in our country and what we individually can do to address it. Gain the courage to have important conversations with others who hold differing viewpoints. Prepare to engage in constructive conversation. Mark Gerzon will share some of his favorite tools in the toolbox.

Concerned about the increasing polarization in American communities, Gerzon has spent the last two decades working on the ideological frontier between Left and Right. He is one of the key architects of the field of global leadership and an experienced facilitator in high-conflict zones, and has advised a variety of organizations including the US Congress and multinational corporations. He is the author of numerous books, including Leading Through Conflict, Global Citizens, and The Reunited States of America: How We Can Bridge the Partisan Divide.

This program is free and open to the public. View the talk virtually via Zoom and engage in a virtual group discussion. There will also be limited seating in-person at the Library to view the virtual talk and participate in group discussion. Click Here to register to participate in person. Click Here to register for the Zoom link to participate virtually.

Monday – 9am to 5pm • Tuesday – 9am to 7pm • Wednesday – 9am to 7pm • Thursday – 9am to 7pm • Friday – 9am to 5pm • Saturday – 9am to 5pm • Sunday – Closed

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