First Winter Festival Receives Positive Reviews

AJ:

Whether bundled in heavy jackets, wetsuits or running gear, everyone was wearing a smile at last weekend’s first Westbrook Winter West Fest. The festival, which officials estimate drew a few thousand people, included events such as dog sled races, hockey tournaments, kayaking on the Presumpscot River, a 5K run, snow sculpturing and even a few impromptu snowball fights.

- John C.L. Morgan

City Looks to Expand Recreational Access to Presumpscot

PPH:

On Monday, the City Council will vote on whether to spend as much as $25,000 for the ramps and docks, which Baker is proposing to install near the end of Ash Street, near Cottage Place and in the northwest corner of Riverbank Park, where he also wants the city to rent kayaks and stand-up paddleboards.

- John C.L. Morgan

Casella Opens Trash Transfer Station Today

PPH:

Now, much of the waste from the region will be dumped in Westbrook, then consolidated in larger trucks and hauled away for disposal.

[snip]

The facility in Westbrook is expected to take in about 123,000 tons of trash annually from 14 communities in southern Maine, including Sanford, Old Orchard Beach, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, and any waste from companies that need its hauling services, said Casella officials.

- John C.L. Morgan

Local Entrepreneur Looks to Develop Water Park on Presumpscot

PPH:

Rob Mitchell's commute has taken him over the
Presumpscot River in Westbrook for the past 15 years. But when he took up
kayaking about 10 years ago, the river started to look different to him.In it,
Mitchell saw the potential for a recreational water park -- a project he thought
he'd take on once his kids graduate from high school.

- John C.L. Morgan

Idexx Posts Strong First Quarter, Wins State Award

PPH:

The revenue growth was driven by higher sales of
laboratory diagnostic and consulting services in the companion animal-- or pet--
group, which contributes most of Idexx's sales. Idexx said it added customers
with a geographical expansion.

PPH:

Six Maine businesses, including two in Greater
Portland, have won Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence.The seven-year
old program is administered by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
The awards were presented on Thursday by Gov. LePage and Maine DEP Commissioner
Patricia Aho in a ceremony at Jotul North America’s headquarters in
Gorham.

- John C.L. Morgan

PPH: Dancing Elephant 'Like Heaven on Earth'

Overcoming her prejudice against Westbrook,* Press Herald food reviewer Shonna Milliken Humphrey has good things to say about Dancing Elephant:

And that's when the magic happened. Ganesh-like,
all obstacles were removed to reveal a cup of spicy-sweet chai tea, steeped and
lovely, and somehow in the space of wondering where to look and what to focus
on, I was served some of the finest Indian food in my history of eating Indian
food

- John C.L. Morgan

* Exhibit A: "When an Indian restaurant opens in Westbrook, it is equal parts hopeful and wistful."

* Exhibit B: "[T]he 'I love Indian food!' enthusiasm tangles with 'But it's Westbrook' suspicion, and the result is confusion."

Public Comment Kerfuffle Leads to Critical Ad, Review of Policy

AJ:

The debate started at an April 2 City Council meeting, when James
Tranchemontagne, who owns The Frog and Turtle and is a member of the group
Westbrook Taxpayers United, attempted to give a speech during the first of two
public comment periods on the council’s agenda on his frustration with the
city’s tax burden on home and business owners. Tranchemontagne initially spoke
for six minutes, twice the allotted time allowed for residents to speak during
the open comment period, before City Council President Brendan Rielly
interrupted him to remind him about the time limit (which is announced before
each public comment period at council meetings) and asked him to wrap up his
comments.

Video footage from the April 2 City Council meeting can be seen here. Tranchemontagne begins his comments at the 10:35 mark, and the testy exchange between he and Rielly described in the article begins at the 15:35 mark.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Gets Food Coma'd

A reporter from the University of Southern Maine's Free Press tagged along and chronicled the crew's visit to the Paper City.

- John C.L. Morgan

Casella Closure in Biddeford Could Impact Westbrook

AJ:

A newly revealed plan to finally close the
controversial Maine Energy Recovery Co. trash incinerator in Biddeford could
have big repercussions in Westbrook--construction of a long-delayed transfer
facility on land owned by Casella Waste Systems.

- John C.L. Morgan

Idexx Breaks Ground on New Headquarters

PPH:

The 108,000-square-foot administrative building,
which will hold offices for 300 employees, is the first half of a planned $60
million expansion, announced in July.The timing of the second phase, a
100,000-square-foot building for 400 employees, will depend on the continued
growth of the company, said facilities manager Dick Daigle."If we continue to
grow at the rate we're growing now, it's going to be fairly quickly," he
said.

- John C.L. Morgan

Food Coma TV Comes to Westbrook

AJ:

Food Coma TV is a collection of short films
released as a series online at www.foodcoma.tv, and hosted by Joe Ricchio, food
editor at Maine magazine. The show is based on Ricchio’s blog, Portland Food
Coma, and starts its second season on April 16 "We're excited to show off a city
that too often gets overlooked because of its proximity to Portland," Ricchio
said in a release.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Maine Food Coma (January 7, 2012)

Idexx to Break Ground on New Headquarters

AJ:

After waiting for nearly three years, Idexx
Laboratories is breaking ground in two weeks on a $35 million expansion of its
corporate headquarters on Eisenhower Drive in Westbrook.Code Enforcement Officer
Rick Gouzie said Idexx this week submitted an application for foundation work at
the site.

- John C.L. Morgan

City Officials: Expect a Tax Increase

AJ:

Despite a proposed 2013 Westbrook municipal budget
of $23.25 million--a decrease of nearly $46,000 compared to this year--a drop in
the city’s property valuation of nearly $20 million may force a tax hike.And
that doesn’t include the school department’s proposed $31.6 million budget,
which could push the tax rate even higher.

- John C.L. Morgan

Headline Update: March 3- March 8, 2012

AJ: Westbrook Historical Society opens new home in Community Center. (March 7)

AJ: Charter Commission presents its proposed changes to the City Council. (March 7)

AJ: Municipal spending is expected to remain level, and positions are expected to be eliminated. (March 7)

PPH: City Councilor Brendan Rielly opts not to run for Congress after Rep. Chellie Pingree decides not to run for the U.S. Senate. (March 7)

AJ: Sappi engineer becomes the University of Southern Maine's first engineer-in-residence. (March 7)

PPH: Comprehensive Plan Task Force prepares to unveil 10-year plan. (March 3)

- John C.L. Morgan

Local Retailer Bullish on Downtown Westbrook

AJ:

We absolutely encourage retailers to move here. The
more dynamic the retailers are in downtown Westbrook, the better it will be for
all of us. Westbrook’s Rudy Vallee Square is a gem that has been hidden for a
long time and it’s time to let it shine again.

- John C.L. Morgan

City Officials Unveil Plan for Maine Rubber Site, Seek Partners

PPH:

Westbrook Housing plans to hire architects to
design a multi-story building for the western end of Westbrook's Main Street, in
hopes that this will attract a commercial partner to share in developing and
owning the site, which used to house Maine Rubber Co. It is the most detailed
public proposal yet for the property at the intersection of Main and Saco
streets and William Clarke Drive, which the city has long seen as an impediment
to developing the downtown area.

- John C.L. Morgan

Competitor of Westbrook Business Closes

PPH:

Market Fresh's owner, Stephen Goodrich, said the
company's 20 employees were notified last week that Saturday will be their last
day of work. Goodrich said his sales staff has been referring customers to a
competitor, Native Maine Produce and Specialty Foods in Westbrook.

- John C.L. Morgan

Chipotle to Completely Replace Blockbuster

AJ:

A national chain of Mexican restaurants now has its permits to open in its
newest location next week in a shopping plaza in Westbrook, but the former
tenant of that property, a video rental store, will not be returning to an
adjacent space as originally planned.

- John C.L. Morgan

Legacy Publishing Expands, Nearly Doubles Workforce

AJ:

The event celebrated a major expansion for Legacy
Publishing, which already has one 10,000-square-foot office on Speirs Street.
Now the company, a call center that produces multimedia personal development
products for families, has leased another 10,000-square-foot building on
Larrabee Road.

- John C.L. Morgan

Maine DOT Begins Bridge Repairs Early

PPH:

Construction is under way to replace the bridge in
Westbrook that got its 15 minutes of infamy last fall when President Obama cited
its deterioration as an example of the nation's desperate infrastructure needs.
Workers from Reed & Reed, the contractor for the $5 million project, are
erecting a temporary bridge next to the Cumberland Mills Bridge, which is to be
replaced and ready for use by the spring of 2014. Traffic is expected to shift
to the temporary bridge in May, said Ben Condon, project manager for the Maine
Department of Transportation.

- John C.L. Morgan