It's the first newsletter of 2022! We hope you and your family had a safe and joy-filled holiday season. As we look ahead, sunny and snowy winter days are perfect for enjoying the abundance of outdoor trails and natural spaces that Scarborough has to offer. The community skating ponds will be opening soon, too (as soon as it gets cold enough)! While you make the most of the season, read on for a glimpse at what's happing in our Town offices.

Don't stop here! Our social media pages are a great resource for quick updates and reminders. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and give our Community Services Facebook page a 'Like' too (skate pond status updates will be here).

"The new year is here, and like many of you, I am taking this time for reflection. As a Town, we have made great accomplishments this past year. When I think about these accomplishments and look forward to what’s to come in 2022, the recurring theme of growth emerges.

Much of what has been worked on this past year is tied to present and future growth occurring in Scarborough—in one form or another nearly every conversation I have relates back to this topic. With the inevitable growth that is occurring in our town and several others in Southern Maine, we have the pivotal opportunity to shape the pace, areas, supporting infrastructure, and strategic investments."

Last September, longtime Fire Chief B. Michael Thurlow announced his January 7, 2022 retirement. After much preparation, his official last day is just around the corner. We wish him a fond farewell and a fun and relaxing retirement. Here is his final message to our community, which you may also see in the early January Scarborough Leader:

"Today is an emotional day as I draft my final article as your Fire Chief. After nearly 46 years of total service to the department, including over 40 years as the Town’s Emergency Management Director, and more than 20 years as Fire Chief, the time is right to retire. To be trusted with the immense responsibility of leading this organization has truly been one of the highest honors of my life.

I joined the fire department on my 16th birthday in 1976, as soon as I was legally able to do so. I served on the student rescue while in high school, and rose through each of the ranks in our organization before being appointed Fire Chief on September 15th, 2001. That was just three days after the horrific 9/11 terrorist attacks on our country. My service to the department follows in the footsteps of my grandfather and cousins. My son, Michael, represents the 4th generation of our family to serve the department, something our family is very proud of."

The Scarborough community survey is now closed after a response collection period from November to December. Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback. Our survey consultant has developed a thorough Findings Report with the statistically valid data and will be presenting it to the Town Council in a workshop on Wednesday, January 5 at 5:30pm. During this time, they will provide insight on the satisfaction and importance ratings for key topics and compare them to national averages. This will also give the Town Council an opportunity to ask clarifying questions and reflect on how the data can be influential in goal-setting for the coming year. View the workshop live (or afterwards) on YouTube, or check back on the survey page of our website after that time to review the Findings Report after it has been presented.

Did you know that the Town of Scarborough has outdoor skating ponds maintained by the Community Services department? Located at 20 Municipal Drive (behind the maintenance garage between the turf field and Wentworth School), these two ponds are both open to the public during the winter season at no cost.

Weekdays, 2:00pm to 9:00pm

Weekends, 8:00am to 9:00pm

• The upper pond (furthest from the building) is reserved for hockey. The lower pond is for free skating. If the upper pond is closed on any day, there will be no hockey on those days.

• Benches are available around the ponds and in the bathrooms for changing in and out of skate gear.

• There are no concessions, skate rentals, or skate sharpening.

• Lights at the skate area are set to turn off at 9:00pm every night.

Both ponds can change shape and quality with fluctuations in temperature and weather. Please be aware that there may be closures throughout the season due to poor ice conditions or to give staff time to maintain the ice.

Community Services will be posting daily skating pond status updates on their Facebook page by 12:00pm on weekdays and by 4:00pm on Fridays for the weekends. Be sure to follow Scarborough Community Services on Facebook to stay up to date on the status.

Join Community Services on select Friday evenings this winter for skating to music, free s’mores and hot cocoa, and warming by firepits. Exact dates are to be determined, so keep an eye on Facebook for event details coming soon!

Don’t wait until it is too late! There is still time to register for winter programs like Mini Hoops Basketball Program, Thursday Crafts, Mad Science, Lego Build Programs, Winter Theater, Youth Indoor Soccer, and more. View the Winter/Spring Brochure for details on each program.

The holidays may have taken a toll on your energy levels. This is the perfect time to start anew and get back to health! Scarborough Community Services is now offering a variety of adult fitness classes for all ages and abilities. Classes are held in the Community Services Hub Gym at 418 Payne Road.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30-6:30pm

Prices vary

Click Here for more information

January 19 to February 23 (6 weeks)

Wednesdays, 5:15-6:15pm

$65 per person

Click Here for more information

January 19 to February 23 (6 weeks)

Wednesdays, 6:30-7:30pm

$65 per person

Click Here for more information

Check out all of the new senior programs being offered! The February-April Brochure is now available and includes programs at the Community Services Hub, located at 418 Payne Road, as well as some brand new trips, fitness programming, and more. Plan Ahead: Registration for these programs begins on January 11 for Scarborough residents and January 14 for non-residents. Printed copies of the brochure will be available at the Community Services Hub and the Scarborough Public Library beginning Monday, January 3.

Ready to join sooner? Click Here for January programs.

Want to share this with someone you know? Senior information can be found anytime on our website. From the homepage, go to the Residents menu dropdown, then Seniors.

Scarborough senior citizens in need of sand for their driveways and sidewalks can have a bucket of sand delivered FREE to their residence. Please call Sergeant Scott Vaughan at 207-730-4380 or email your request to svaughan@scarboroughmaine.org. Please be sure to leave your name, telephone number, and address.

State representative Kyle Bailey (Gorham) resigned on October 15 and left a vacant seat for District 27, which covers a portion of Gorham and Scarborough. A special election will fill the seat before the next general election. The Special Election will be held on Tuesday, January 11, 2022 and is for voters who live in House District 27: See the street list to determine your eligibility to vote. Voting will be at the Town Hall, located at 259 US Route One, from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Online real estate and personal property tax payments will be unavailable on Friday, February 11, 2022 starting at 12:00 a.m. through Sunday February 13, 2022 at 12:00 a.m. for a system upgrade. Walk-in customers may still conduct business at the Town Hall on Friday, February 11, 2022 during normal business hours. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Register or renew your dog license in person at the Clerk's office or online. Dog license renewals must be completed by January 31, 2022. There is an additional $25 fee after January 31.

The purpose of the survey was to better understand resident satisfaction with Town services, which services are most important, and to gain insight on topics that may be concerning residents. The statistically valid survey contains results that reflect the general sentiment of the whole community with a +/- 3% of 95% level of confidence. Our survey consultant has compiled this data into a Findings Report for the Town (and residents) to review. It will be made available in early January. Information compiled from this assessment will be used to improve existing services and will guide Town Council and Town management in making important decisions for the future of the community.

The presentation of this Findings Report will be held as a public workshop on Wednesday January 5, 2022 at 5:30pm, prior to the Town Council meeting. ETC Institute, our survey consultant, will be presenting and interpreting the data, benchmarking it against averages for municipalities across the country. Overall, results are positive and satisfaction ratings are high for the majority of topics. In the northeast regional comparison, Scarborough satisfaction ratings were higher in 58 of the 68 comparison areas, and 59 of the 68 comparison areas versus national averages. The 135-page summary, which goes into detail on these comparisons and full survey data, will also be made available on the Town website (accessible from the homepage) at the time of the January 5 workshop.

After reviewing the summary report in preparation for the workshop, there are a few areas I would like to focus on for further discussion with the council: communication, traffic/transportation, and capital improvement projects. Residents were asked which 3 big issues the town will face over the next 5 years, as well as how supportive they would be for certain capital improvement projects. This will be important to discuss in an upcoming Town Council goal-setting workshop.

Watch the Survey Workshop with the ETC consultant live on YouTube on January 5 at 5:30pm. See the agenda and viewing link in the Town calendar on our website. Topics of opportunity for improvement will be discussed at the Town Council goal setting meeting on January 19, 2022.

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

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

Masks are required throughout the Library. Library groups (all three book groups, the Library Knitting Group and Let’s Talk America) will meet virtually until further notice.

The Library is partnering with the Camden Conference to bring a series of original programs to our community in anticipation of the annual February conference. The theme is Europe: Challenged at Home and Abroad. These three virtual community events are free to attend. Register to receive the Zoom link(s):

Tuesday, January 11 at 6:30pm – Brexit at 5: How is it Going? with Andrea Stanley Hester, Vice President, World Affairs Council of Maine 

 

Tuesday, January 25 at 6:30pm – Memory Wars of Central and Eastern Europe with James C. Richter, professor of Political Science at Bates College

 

Thursday, February 10 at 6:30pm – Paris at 6: Environmental Divides and Climate Unions in Europe with Susana Hancock, International champion for social and environmental change

Commit to being more sustainable in 2022! The next virtual program in the Library’s new #SustainableScarborough Series is Minimalism for Well-Being: Simplifying All Facets of Your Life. It is free to attend and open to the public; Register to receive the Zoom link.

Missed a Program? Watch the Recording!

Recordings of two popular December programs are now available: A Path Forward from Divisiveness with Mark Gerzon (View Here) and Holiday Recycling “Do’s & Don’ts” with Jami Fitch, the Town of Scarborough’s Sustainability Coordinator and Vanessa Berry of ecomaine (View Here). Visit the Library’s YouTube channel to see many additional program recordings.

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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