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Senior Meals to Go Program
Cindy DiBiase, Seniors Program Coordinator, Community Services
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Scarborough Community Services and Southern Maine Agency are working together to offer a Meals to Go Program. If you are 60 or older, you can get 3 pre-cooked freezer meals to enjoy when you need them for a suggested donation of only $10! If you are under 60, and would like the meals, the cost for the three meals is $15.
Drive-thru pick up for meals will be at the Scarborough High School Lower Parking Lot from 10:00 am to 11:00 am on Tuesday, August 4th, and Tuesday, August 25th. Registration is required. You can register for one or more days by calling 207-730-4173. Please leave a message, and someone will get back to you. Note: If you are not registered with SMAA, we will need you to fill out a form over the phone.
If you know anyone over 60 who could benefit from this program, please help us spread the word!
Deadline to sign up for August 4th meals is Monday, July 27, by 4:00 pm.
Deadline to sign up for August 25th meals is Monday, August 17, by 4:00 pm
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Annual Valuation Letters Mailing Soon
Emily Behn, Assessing Assistant
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The Assessing Department has started mailing annual valuation notice letters. These letters are sent to owners of properties that have experienced an increase in their assessment due to one of the following reasons:
This letter will include a copy of your property card so that you can review any updates to your property. Please review the property card carefully and bring any errors to our attention as soon as possible, as the proposed assessment will be the basis for your fall 2020 tax bill.
You can contact us at (207) 730-4060 or by email i
f you have any questions about the letter you received. You may also visit our office on the lower level of Town Hall.
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Scarborough Police Traffic Enforcement
Lt. Tim Barker, Police Department
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You may have noticed that the police department has stepped up traffic enforcement. At the end of last year, Scarborough Police applied for and received funding through grant opportunities from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety.
We have received grants for traffic enforcement related to Operating Under the Influence, Speed, and Distracted Driving. One of the keys points on Distracted Driving this past September, was new legislation that was enacted called the
Hands Free Driving Law. This new law prohibits the use of mobile telephones, handheld electronic devices and portable electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle.
Our officers are encouraged to practice protective measures related to COVID during these contacts with motorists. We are often asked why officers do not wear protective masks while on traffic stops. Officers conducting these stops are practicing social distancing while conversing with the operators and are also in the open air. These types of protective measures are within the guidance from the Maine CDC and are also compliant with the latest Executive Orders. Officers are also provided with anti-bacterial hand sanitizer which they use frequently.
Any questions on these grants, please contact Lt. Tim Barker
by email or by phone (207) 730-4304
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Congratulations to the New Parents!
Rich Kindelan, Deputy Fire Chief
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On Thursday, July 2nd, 2020, Dispatcher Artie Green took a 911 call in which a woman was in labor. Prior to EMS arrival, Dispatcher Green followed Emergency Medical Dispatch protocol and talked the caller through the delivery of a healthy baby boy.
On Friday, July 10th our firefighter/paramedic crews assisted with the delivery of a beautiful baby girl. The parents were traveling to the hospital as planned for this event however, their baby had a different plan.
This was the mom's third birth and she knew with a high degree of certainty that her new little girl was not going to wait to be born in the hospital or an ambulance for that matter. Lt. Erin Sandler and FF/Paramedic Bethany Cousino calmly and skillfully assisted the mother with delivering a beautiful baby girl right in their car. Capt. Jeff Rogers, FF Tim Larson and Ofc. Ben Landry from the Police department all played a supporting role. The birth had no complications and this incredible Mom took delivering in a car in stride. Both Mom and baby were transported by Scarborough Fire/EMS to the hospital.
While we are limited to the information we are allowed to share, the Scarborough Fire Department and Scarborough Police Department congratulates these new parents. All our Dispatchers, Fire, EMS and Police responders have had a difficult year thus far. These types of calls really lift up our spirits and make our jobs a little easier.
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Supporting our Community through IT
Don Begin, Director of Information Technology
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The Information Technology (IT) department has worked hard to support the ever-changing digital environment for Scarborough community members, businesses, parents, students, and employees since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. As it became apparent that the Town and Schools would be required to close for an extended period of time, the IT team prepared and distributed over 1,600 additional laptops to employees and students within a single week, in addition to the nearly 2,600 laptops already in service!
Since mid-March, the IT department has successfully resolved over 1,524 service calls in a mostly remote manner. This represents an increase in service calls of over 46%, based on a review of service tickets from the same 3-month period last year. This included adding a new, external K-12 Parent/Student Support Desk link to speed reporting of issues and reduce workload by teachers. To facilitate equipment swaps, repairs, and returns the team established a safe, secure drive-in location at Town Hall to enable employees and students to quickly get back online. It is important to note that the majority of support tickets were resolved within the same day that they were submitted. This is a significant accomplishment in light of the fact that most IT staff were working remotely during this period.
Click here for the complete article
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Thank You for Your Patience
Stephen Buckley, Deputy Director, Public Works
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The Public Works department would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding during these uncertain times. We realize that many are frustrated by the time it is taking for us to get things done that are normally completed by now.
Street sweeping is a topic we receive a great number of calls about. Due to a reduction in staffing hours for budgetary reasons, combined with equipment challenges, we have not yet made our way around town as we normally do. The street sweepers are complex machines that perform a number of functions at once (sweeping, spraying, extracting, never mind simply driving), and with that many moving parts, there is a whole host of things that can (and do!) go wrong. Unfortunately, when one part of the machine goes down, that usually means the entire machine is down until that part is repaired. This, combined with staffing reduction has proved to be challenging in our efforts to get the town swept in a timely manner.
Please know that we are doing our best; not only with sweeping, but also with trimming, mowing, and all of the other tasks around town that we have normally completed and/or are working on by now. Again, we do understand it is frustrating for our residents, and we would like to thank you for your patience and understanding.
The Public Works Department will be returning to full staffing on Monday, July 27, and it is our intention to work hard to get caught up on all that we have fallen behind on.
Stay safe, stay well, and be kind to each other.
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Thank You, Scarborough
Larissa Crockett, Assistant Town Manager
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On Monday, August 10 I will start a new position as the town manager for the Town of Wells. I have truly loved my time spent as your assistant town manager. This job has been exciting, challenging, educational, and often just plain fun. I have had the pleasure of working with a remarkable staff and have also had the chance to meet and work with many of the residents that help make Scarborough an incredible place to live.
I thought I would use my last article as the editor of this newsletter to say a few thank yous and to let our readers in on what makes your local government strong. Let's start with the latter. The people that work in Scarborough are excellent at what they do. Each of our departments is staffed with dedicated, highly competent people that come to work every day ready to tackle an ever increasing workload. We hear from new employees that have worked in other communities how happy they are to be in an organization where innovation and urgency are expected. Our staff get things done and are always finding ways to do more with the same resources. The senior staff are some of the most talented people I have ever met, top-of-their-game professionals who share their gifts with their departments and inspire their staff. I've not yet met the staff in Wells but if they are even half as talented, driven, and committed as the staff in Scarborough I will be delighted.
I want to first thank those who are reading this. I love when newsletter subscribers send emails with ideas for articles, suggestions for improvements, and cheers for a good read. Thank you to the councilors I've worked with to draft policy, ordinances, communications, and budgets. Serving as an elected official is not easy and each of you has stepped forward to volunteer your time and energy despite the long hours and challenging issues. Thank you to the ladies of the Scarborough Library knitting group who welcomed me with the warmth of a wool sweater and who are as engaging and delightful as a fair isle motif. Thank you Tom for being a brave leader who took a chance on me and for teaching me how to keep an aircraft carrier moving forward in rough waters. And, finally, thank you to my colleagues for sharing your thoughts with me, for helping me think in new ways, for making me laugh, and for creating an atmosphere where coming to work has been a privilege and a joy.
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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 Jackson Norvell, Public Library |
| Stephen Kramer, Community Services |
Donald Begin, IT |
| Liam Gallagher, Human Resources |
Brian Longstaff, Codes & Planning |
Kelly Johnston, Scarborough Public Schools
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Michael Thurlow, Fire Department |
| Kim Sperlich, Police Department |
Ruth Porter, Finance |
| Leona Oceania, Public Works |
Larissa Crockett, Administration |
| Magdalena Slawiec, SEDCO |
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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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