With each passing week, we are one step closer to summer! While the grass greens up and trees blossom, we're seeing signs of progress elsewhere, too. Community Services is busy planning a safe return to their summer events, recycling interns are seeing a drop in contaminated bins, and Town Council has adopted a new Growth Management Ordinance. It's also important to "stop and smell the roses" by acknowledging the hardworking staff we have working for the Town. Read on for progress updates, news to know, and employee spotlights.

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Plover season is here, which means nests are being built and eggs are being laid. Please observe restricted areas on all of our beaches:

Dog beach access rules have changed for the summer season, effective as of today, May 15. Please respect the seasonal changes:

Beach passes are now available for purchase at Town Hall. Season passes are valid at all three town-operated beaches (Ferry, Pine Point, Higgins). Beach passes must be obtained in person, including the free senior resident passes, in the Town Clerk’s Office.

During the April 21 Town Council meeting, Councilors unanimously approved an amendment to the Town of Scarborough Consumer Fireworks Ordinance (Chapter 608A). It maintains the condition that fireworks can only be set off on July 3rd & 4th and December 31st & January 1st, but now prohibits the use of fireworks in the Higgins Beach area. As shown in the map, this covers ocean side Spurwink Road beginning at the intersection of Black Point Road and Spurwink Road to the Cape Elizabeth line.

Public safety is a priority, and the Town continues to require a Notification of Intent be submitted to the Scarborough Fire Department prior to use. This online form can be found on the town website under the Residents menu.

Click Here to read the full revised ordinance on our website.

After many of our favorite traditions were cancelled last year due to the pandemic, our Community Services department is planning to return summer community events once again in a safe and thoughtful way. Details for each event will be announced as we get closer to the event dates and safety guidelines are further refined. Visit the Community Services Special Events page on our website for updated information a few weeks prior to each event.

The Town is partnering with ecomaine this spring on an outreach and tagging program aimed at improving recycling habits. Through the program, interns head out on our Wednesday trash route. They lift lids on curbside recycling carts to make sure they contain only recyclables and label with a tag: green tags for carts that only contain items that can be recycled, yellow tags for carts that have one or two items that are not recyclable, and red tags for carts with too many items that cannot be recycled – including trash.

Data collected by the interns show that recycling habits are improving. During the first week of tagging in early April, 62% of carts received green tags, and 7% received red tags. At the end of April, 88% of carts received green tags, and only 1% received red tags. The tagging effort will continue through the month of May, and we hope to see our green tags continue to go up!

This program was developed in 2019 to help reduce the amount of trash mixed with recyclables. Loads of recycling that contain too much trash cannot be sorted and recycled at ecomaine. Instead, these loads are disposed of as trash and cost the Town an additional $73 per ton. It’s in everyone’s best interest, both financially and environmentally, to recycle correctly.

Learn about proper disposal of thousands of items with ecomaine’s Recyclopedia. Questions about this program? Contact Jami Fitch, Sustainability Coordinator, at jfitch@scarboroughmaine.org or 207-730-4035.

Thanks to the Pest Management Policy passed in 2011, all those who use Scarborough parks, playgrounds and sports fields have greatly reduced exposure to pesticides (see 2019 PMAC Report for details). Families, pets, wildlife and waterways will all benefit as more and more homeowners learn about organic lawn care, and like the Town, choose not to use weed and bug killers.

If you are interested in a lawn that is healthy and safe for people, pets, and pollinators, here are a few easy things you can do this Spring to get started:

Click Here to learn more about the Scarborough Pest Management Advisory Committee.

Spring has sprung and house cleaning has begun! If you are planning on having a Garage/Yard Sale, the Town of Scarborough requires that you have a permit. We allow up to six (6) garage/yard sale permits for such sale, whether conducted indoors or outdoors, to any person or for a sale on any given residence within a consecutive twelve-month period. The cost for a permit is $5.00 and is valid for up to three days.

All dogs 6 months and older are required by State law to be licensed in the municipality in which they reside. This year the State has extended the dog licensing period for 2021 until June 2, before the $25 late penalty will be charged. To receive a license for your dog, please come into the Town Clerk's Office at Town Hall during our business hours. The online dog portal will also be available to register your dog until June 2. If you register your dog online, you will receive your tag in the mail.

Your voice is relied upon in an upcoming election to vote on the school budget. While the municipal budget will be reviewed and approved by Town Council, the school budget requires a referendum election. Voting will take place on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at the Scarborough High School or beforehand with absentee voting by mail-in, in-person, or drop-off at the ballot box. If you're voting absentee, start by requesting your ballot online.

We are nearing the conclusion of budget season. In less than two weeks, during a May 26 meeting, Town Council will do a second reading of the budget and vote. The Finance Committee has been actively involved in the process, hearing budget presentations and asking questions about adjustments (Click Here for an archive of meetings). To learn more about the process and review the proposed budget, take a look at our Budget Portal.

Each department proposes their own budget, and in theirs, Assessing outlined the need for an additional staff member. The Scarborough Assessing Department has requested a fourth full-time staff member to contribute to their growing workload. The tax base has robust development and steady annual growth, making for a busy and complex workload for the Scarborough Assessing department. There is currently not enough staff to support this and future goals (including a transition to in-house revaluations every few years).

Click Here to watch a video about the staffing needs of the Assessing department.

Click Here to read more on the Assessing department's proposed position on page 124.

A significant component of the budget is an investment in capital improvements, including equipment, vehicles, infrastructure projects. The FY2021 capital budget was severely reduced in order to minimize the impact on taxpayers. This year, the capital budget was developed as a means of rescheduling priority infrastructure projects that have already been delayed. The capital funding requested in the FY2022 proposed budget would initiate the first year of a five-year overall Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), with the majority using long-term borrowing. There are many projects and needs included in the proposed capital budget, but three in particular showcase the value of enhancing our Town infrastructure for the benefit of community members by way of traffic management, protection of our natural resources, and recreation enhancements. 

May 16-22 is National Public Works week! What better way to honor it than by spotlighting some of the hardworking, positive office staff who keep the department running smoothly.

May 16-22 is also National EMS Week! We are kicking off EMS Week celebrations by recognizing the work our EMTs and Paramedics have done over the past year. Follow along on the Scarborough Fire Department Facebook page all week long to meet more.

Lieutenant Tim Cram has been working in the EMS field since 1985 where he started in the US Navy as a Hospital Corpsman. After completing his tour in the US Navy, Lt. Cram worked for several local Fire/EMS agencies before being hired by Scarborough in 2005. In 2016, Tim was promoted to Lieutenant and currently leads crews at the public safety building on Shift 1.

When off duty, Lt. Cram enjoys spending time with his family and taking ATV adventures. He is a devoted husband and the father of 4 adult children.

Cindy Gorham has been involved in emergency medical Services for 35 years, 17 of which have been with the Town of Scarborough. Cindy is currently assigned to Shift 1 and is regularly referred to as the shift mom. Cindy's caring nature and compassion not only shines when she is on calls, she also makes sure the health and well being of her fellow coworkers is top of mind.

Cindy was recently recognized as a "Hero with Heart" by the Trauma Intervention Program of Cumberland County. This award is given to those that go out of their way to comfort and provide assistance to our community in times of trauma or crisis.

When not at work, Cindy enjoys spending time with her family. She is a dedicated wife, mother, and grammy that always puts her family first. We are very lucky to have Cindy serving our community.

Second, the downtown area will grow at a more measured, predictable pace. The Growth Management Ordinance specifically encourages growth of all housing types, in the Oak Hill, Dunstan, and mostly the Crossroads Planned Development District (Scarborough Downs). The Ordinance will take effect on June 1, 2021 and exempts a maximum of 104 dwelling units within the Crossroads Planned Development District for the rest of the calendar year, as shown here. This is a deliberate move to direct growth to the higher density areas of town in order to necessitate the natural pressure of growth and make a downtown area more viable. Also, housing units in these areas cost less money for Scarborough to serve, as there are fewer miles of road to maintain and fewer children in the school.

With all that said, there is no doubt Scarborough is experiencing growing pains, particularly when it comes to traffic and access to our natural resources. Please be on the lookout for a project in this year's budget that will help with the traffic at Oak Hill. Additionally, there is an approximately $13 million town-wide traffic upgrade on the way. It will be funded by The Downs' developers, the Maine DOT, and minimally from a traffic-designated town account (this means there won't be a cost passed on to the taxpayer). If you would like to dive into the technical details of the Growth Management Ordinance, please click here.

Scarborough Town Council

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

Town Council meets the first and third Wednesday of each month at 7 PM. Visit our online calendar for links to attend and view agendas.

Michael Rafkin, founding Artistic Director of Mad Horse Theatre and affiliate artist of The Portland Stage Company will delight young children and their families with his theatrical reading of picture books. Free and open to the public. Registration required to receive the Zoom link. Email kids@scarboroughlibrary.org with any questions.

How to Celebrate Our Youth Who Identify as 2SLGBTQA+ [2 Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, plus...]

This virtual panel discussion for adults only (parents, guardians, foster parents, grandparents, and caregivers) will provide a supportive space in which to learn more about creating a safe and inclusive home environment for children who are questioning and/or exploring their sexual identity. Our panelists are: Sedum Jackson, Youth Caucus and Youth Programs – MaineTrans.Net; Michelle Shupp, Civil Rights Club Advisor and Reducing Sexism and Violence Program Advisor – Scarborough High School; Eliana Goodman, President, Reducing Sexism and Violence Program and member of the Gender Sexuality Alliance – Scarborough High School. Free and open to the public. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.

Monday 10am-5pm • Tuesday 10am-5pm • Wednesday 10am-6pm • Thursday 10am-5pm • Friday 10am-5pm • Saturday 10am-2pm • Sunday Closed

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