Miscue Leads to Big Donation of Cat Food to Refuge League

Sun Journal:

The Animal Rescue League in Westbrook, Maine, won't have to worry about how to
feed the cats in its shelter for a couple weeks. On Friday [August 27], an
18-wheeler pulled up and dropped off 87 cases containing 1,044 cans of cat food.
The gift worth $1,000 was due to a miscommunication. The truck driver delivered
a load to Hannaford Bros. Co. in Scarborough but the supermarket chain had not
ordered the cat food. The driver contacted Portland's animal control officer who
put him in contact with league. The driver said his boss wanted the truck back
empty.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Loses TechMaine

PPH:

The TechMaine industry association is moving out of Westbrook this weekend and
eyeing space in Portland, including the soon-to-be-vacated L.L. Bean factory
store on Congress Street. TechMaine opened its Westbrook offices five years ago.
The high-tech industry group has been around since 1992, originally called the
Maine Software Developers Association. The name was changed to TechMaine in
2007. The Westbrook location was the first physical space the group had and gave
area tech companies a place to meet, host user groups and share access to
technology.But the lease is up, and member companies have told the group they
felt it would be more valuable to have TechMaine's offices in downtown Portland,
amid the cluster of technology firms, said Joe Kumiszcza, executive director.
Several recent surveys reinforced that sentiment, Kumiszcza said.

- John C.L. Morgan

An Appearance on the WPD's Facebook Page Could Mean No Old Port for You

PPH:

Both clubs [Oasis and Wharf 51] are using ID scanners that let security
know if a person trying to get into a bar has caused problems before. The
devices store information about IDs that have been scanned and flag anyone with
past problems. Security workers are also checking out Westbrook Police
Department's Facebook page. The department is diligent about putting up mug
shots of wanted people, and security wants to keep them out of the bar, Currier
said.

The WPD's Facebook Page can be seen here.

- John C.L. Morgan

Pike-Idexx Agreement Still Faces City Council Vote

AJ:

[W]hile Pike regional manager Jonathan Olson and Idexx president Jonathan Ayers
shook hands at an Aug. 20 press conference at City Hall and said they were happy
with the deal, a number of the city’s other businesses and residents decidedly
are not. The consent agreement is not final--it still needs the approval of the
City Council. And some businesses and residents are hoping to persuade
councilors to reject it outright--or at least send it back for further
negotiations to change it. The council will hold a public hearing and vote on
the proposal on Monday, Aug. 30. At the public hearing, the council is likely to
hear vocal opposition from those upset that the agreement would allow Pike to
resume blasting and other quarrying operations at the site.

The PPH has editorialized in favor of the agreement, but ARTEL's Senior Scientific Manager George Rodrigues has rebuked the agreement in writing, while Artel's CEO Kirby Pilcher spoke out against the agreement on Fox's Good Day Maine.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Politics: August 30- September 3, 2010

Monday, August 30
City Council meeting
Westbrook High School, Room 114
5:30p
FMI

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Almanac: August 22- August 28, 2010

Week-to-Date:
High: 83F (August 28)
Low: 52F (August 28)
Precipitation: 2.74 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches
Previous Sunrise: 5:59a
Previous Sunset: 7:25p

Month-to-Date:
High: 91F (August 4)
Low: 47F (August 7)
Precipitation: 2.95 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches

Year-to-Date:
High: 95F (July 6)
Low: -1F (January 10)
Precipitation: 33.98 inches
Snowfall: 24.8 inches

Source: National Weather Service

- John C.L. Morgan

Once More to the Lake

Taking a cue from E.B. White, so I won't be back until next week--God willing and the Presumpscot don't rise.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Politics: August 22- August 26, 2010

There are no events scheduled this week.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Almanac: August 15- August 21, 2010

Week-to-Date:
High: 84F (August 17)
Low: 52F (August 21)
Precipitation: 0.15 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches
Previous Sunrise: 5:52a
Previous Sunset: 7:36p

Month-to-Date:
High: 91F (August 4)
Low: 47F (August 7)
Precipitation: 0.21 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches

Year-to-Date:
High: 95F (July 6)
Low: -1F (January 10)
Precipitation: 31.24 inches
Snowfall: 24.8 inches

Source: National Weather Service

- John C.L. Morgan

Pike and Idexx Release Specifics of Agreement

Courtesy of an article in the PPH, which also featured critiques of the agreement:

* Pike Industries will drop its original plan for an asphalt or concrete plant.

*Pike will not operate the quarry on the Spring Street property closest to Idexx Laboratories.

* Pike will operate the quarry with limits on sound and vibration, with no more than eight explosions annually.

* Pike will limit the magnitude of the blasts to substantially lower levels than what has occurred in the past, and to one-quarter of the legal limit.

* Pike will eliminate any dust.

*Pike will greatly reduce the visual impact of the quarry on the Five Star Industrial Park with berms, fences and buffers.

*Truck traffic will be limited to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with no increase in volume.

- John C.L. Morgan

Gangs of Westbrook

PPH:

Westbrook Police Chief Bill Baker said that gang [Asian Boyz] is definitely in
his city and has connections to several Massachusetts communities: Lowell,
Lawrence and Brockton. Gang members have used safe houses in Westbrook but their
criminal activities have been centered primarily in Portland and Massachusetts,
Baker said. "I would even go so far to say there isn’t any visible or
active gang activity in Westbrook," he said. "What there is is people with
connections to the gangs, some of whom act badly in Westbrook and get prosecuted
for crimes."

- John C.L. Morgan

French Press to Remain Open After All

AJ:

The French Press Eatery, a popular restaurant on Main Street in Westbrook that
just closed a week ago, is re-opening on Tuesday, Aug. 31, according to one of
the owners, James Tranchemontagne. The restaurant at 855 Main St. was shut down
last Saturday, Aug. 14, and put up for sale for financial reasons. However,
Tranchemontagne said on Friday, Aug. 20 that financial advisors said it would be
easier to sell if the eatery were open. Also, he said, although the restaurant
was not bringing in enough revenue to pay off bills associated with its recent
renovation, bringing in some revenue would be better than none.

The PPH has more on the decision to re-open the cafe.

- John C.L. Morgan

Maine: Where You Come to Die

Move over, Vacationland, we might just have a new slogan brewing.

There is, of course, the oft-stated fact that Maine is the oldest state in the U.S. Then there's the fact that our bureacratic efficiency at processing death certificates has actually inspired some to move to Maine in order to, well, die. Now, though, the perception of Maine as America's retirement home has apparently filtered down to the MTV set. Here's Taylor Swift in the PPH:

"When I am old and I have silver hair. Or white. I don't know which one it will
be, some shade like that. I want to live in Maine. I want to have a house and
make necklaces or something and have a lot of cats," she said. "It's a whole
fantasy for me. So at least I know where I'm going to end up."

To paraphrase Lady Antebellum, we Mainers kind of need you now.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: The New Brunswick Model (August 19, 2010)

City Reaches Compromise with Idexx and Pike

PPH:

Westbrook officials, Idexx Laboratories and Pike Industries have reached an
out-of-court settlement that will allow Pike to continue its quarrying operation
in Westbrook, Mayor Colleen Hilton confirmed Thursday night. The parties reached
a consent agreement limiting Pike to eight blasts a year in its quarry in the
Five Star Industrial Park, Hilton said. Details of the agreement will be
announced during a news conference at 1:30 p.m. today at City Hall. Hilton said
the City Council will be asked to approve the agreement at its meeting Aug. 30.

- John C.L. Morgan

This Westbrook Life

My daughter and I were walking down Seavey Street yesterday, and passed a guy holding a can of Pepsi:

Me: Hey, how are ya?
Him: (This)

Stay classy, Paper City.

- John C.L. Morgan

Community Center Undergoes Rejuvenation

AJ:

Laura DiBiase was delighted with the day camp program that her children attended
this summer at the new Westbrook Community Center. In the past, she said, she
had to coax her 10-year-old son to attend, but a restructuring of the city-run
program this summer to include many more activities beyond sports made her son,
and now her 6-year-old daughter, eager to go to day camp. "He and his sister
loved going," DiBiase said. "This year it’s almost like a totally new program."
The re-vamped summer recreation program is just one of the changes at the city’s
new Community Center--located in the former Wescott Junior High School building
on Bridge Street. And as the fall approaches, plans for more new opportunities
are under way, according to Maria Dorn, the city’s first director of community
services.

- John C.L. Morgan

The New Brunswick Model

PPH:

This Maritime province shares many traits with its western neighbor, Maine. Both
places are defined by their forests and rugged coastlines. Both value
independence and self-reliance. And in both places, the vast majority of
residents are white and aging. As the baby boom generation begins to retire,
officials and business leaders in both New Brunswick and Maine have fretted over
where the next wave of workers, homeowners and taxpayers will come from. Unlike
Maine, New Brunswick is taking strong action. New Brunswick has developed a
multipart strategy to grow its population, and it appears to be working.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: 2010 v. 1895 (May 5, 2010)

More on the Closure of French Press

PPH:

The French Press Eatery, a popular cafe in downtown Westbrook, has closed just
one month after expanding to a 55-seat restaurant with a bar. One of its owners
said a weak economy and a lack of events downtown contributed to the cafe's
demise. City officials said they will work with the owners to help the business
reopen. The French Press, known for its homemade doughnuts and specialty coffee,
closed on Saturday, three days after the owners held a grand reopening to
celebrate their expansion. James Tranchemontagne, a co-owner, said he ran out of
money to keep the business going. The expansion cost an estimated $130,000.

The AJ has also written an obituary for the cafe.

- John C.L. Morgan

French Press Eatery Closes Its Doors

Via a post on their Facebook page Saturday afternoon:

Thank you for giving the French Press Eatery a wonderful nine months. It has
been a journey like no other. Sadly, at this time, we are closing the doors
indefinitely due to circumstances beyond our control. All of us have enjoyed our
time here and we hope to see you our new friends at the Frog and Turtle.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Politics: August 16- August 20, 2010

There are no events scheduled for this week.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Almanac: August 8- August 14, 2010

Week-to-Date:
High: 89F (August 10)
Low: 50F (August 14)
Precipitation: 0.00 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches
Previous Sunrise: 5:44a
Previous Sunset: 7:47p

Month-to-Date:
High: 91F (August 4)
Low: 47F (August 7)
Precipitation: 0.06 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches

Year-to-Date:
High: 95F (July 6)
Low: -1F (January 10)
Precipitation: 31.09 inches
Snowfall: 24.8 inches

Source: National Weather Service

- John C.L. Morgan

From Canada, with Love

Rev. W.H. Gane of Amerherstburg, Canada had the following to say about the Paper City in the official program devoted to Westbrook's 1895 celebrations of July 4:

Westbrook is a manufacturing town and is devoid of
what we call aristocracy, although the noblest aristocrats I ever met I met in
this city. There is a wonderful sense of equality and a definitely expressed
commonality of thought and feeling. Splendid and comfortable homes are owned by
the workingmen, and great taste is displayed in interior and exterior adornment.
Every home in which I visited gave unmistakable evidences of culture. The books
and magazines of the day give mental stimulus to the [residents]. I saw no
drunkenness, no poverty, no want, no half-starved, ragged children in this
beautiful city; but thrift, health, and happiness.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Did You Know? (March 19, 2008)

Department of Unfortunate Timing

Joseph Brannigan, a longtime Democratic state senator who represents part of Westbrook, took to the PPH editorial pages Monday morning to defend State Rep. Sean Flaherty (D-Scarborough) against PPH columnist Tony Payne's August 1 swipe at Flaherty ("[W]hat does a part-time swim coach fresh out of college know about solving a billion-dollar hole in the state budget?").

Unfortunately for State Sen. Brannigan, his full-throated defense of the freshman legislator (entitled "Columnist shouldn't attack lawmaker for his youth") was probably skipping through the printing press at about the same time this happened.

- John C.L. Morgan

The Phoenix Discovers the 'Brook

About Town:

It was a good landmark to indicate the location of my new favorite (probably
illegal) swimming hole; right there in the Presumpscot just before Bridge
Street. Basically you just walk through the parking lot and along the short
boardwalk that overlooks the river and the back of the Dana Warp Mill, clamber
down this rocky slope, jump off a rock, and then make sure to quickly swim back
toward the shore becaue the current is strong and we claim no liability for you
getting swept down to the waterfall.

Related: Bill Baker, YouTube Star (February 8, 2008)

Davan Pool, Walker Library to Get Some Work

AJ:

The Davan Swimming Pool at the former Wescott Junior High School will likely be
shut down for repairs later this month. In Monday's first of two required
readings, the Westbrook City Council in a 6-0 vote (Dotty Aube absent) favored
spending $49,740 for pool repairs to be performed by Knowles Industrial Services
Corp. in Gorham.

[snip]

In other action, councilors voted 5-1 (Victor Chau opposed) to spend up to
$4,000 if a possible historic preservation review would be required for a
heating system replacement at Walker Memorial Library. The city has obtained an
$85,000 energy efficiency grant to replace the boiler and steam radiator heating
system at the library. The library has been cited as needing extensive
repairs--$1 million or more--and the city has yet to decide on the library's
future.

- John C.L. Morgan

World Cup-Inspired Culinary Wish List

I've been suffering withdrawal for about a month now that the 2010 World Cup has closed, but tonight's U.S. vs. Brazil friendly will take the edge off a bit.

It also gives me an excuse to make this post, which I've meant to make for a while now: A culinary wish list for Westbrook, inspired by the two countries (Uruguay and Germany) who battled for third place in South Africa this past July.

I wouldn't be surprised if Uruguay's Estancia del Puerto benefited from mouth-watering camera work and sizzling sound effects, but I can't resist drooling all over my keyboard when I watch this clip from Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. It seems just watching, hearing, and smelling meat being cooked this way would almost be as satisfying as it eating it.



The second item on this brief wish list is a more personal fare. Whenever I've gone to Berlin to visit a former German exchange student my family hosted while I was in high school, the döner kebab is basically the only thing I eat. Breakfast, lunch, mid-morning snack, dinner, midnight snack, it doesn't matter; I can't get enough. Apparently, I'm not the only one, as the döner is reportedly the most popular form of fast food in Germany, thanks in part to the country's sizable Turkish population.



- John C.L. Morgan

Related: No Reservations (April 23, 2010)

Westbrook Politics: August 9- August 13, 2010

There are no events scheduled this week.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Almanac: August 1- August 7, 2010

Week-to-Date:
High: 91F (August 4)
Low: 47F (August 7)
Precipitation: 0.06 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches
Previous Sunrise: 5:36a
Previous Sunset: 7:57p

Month-to-Date:
High: 91F (August 4)
Low: 47F (August 7)
Precipitation: 0.06 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches

Year-to-Date:
High: 95F (July 6)
Low: -1F (January 10)
Precipitation: 31.09 inches
Snowfall: 24.8 inches

Source: National Weather Service

- John C.L. Morgan

School Department Providing Free Lunch for Students Throughout Summer

FOX23:

The Westbrook School Department is offering kids 18 and younger free lunches
this summer, trying to make sure students who would otherwise go without food
are fed even when they're not in school. This is the second year of the free
summer lunch program, and already officials say they're on track to serve nearly
fifty percent more kids this year than last. The lunches are offered at Canal
School, and this year, for the first time, at the Brown Street Center, a
neighborhood spot that organizers say has brought the kids together, not only
for lunch, but also to participate in activities to keep them moving and
learning in the summer months.

- John C.L. Morgan

City Council Approves Members of Comprehensive Plan Task Force

PPH:

The city is moving forward with creating a blueprint for its future. The City
Council voted this week to appoint a 17-member task force to create a
comprehensive plan for Westbrook. The task force includes city officials,
business leaders and residents from each voting ward. Its goal is to create a
plan to guide city officials' decisions on issues such as land use, housing,
transportation, public facilities, and agriculture and forestry resources. The
task force, which is expected to start meeting later this month or in September,
will begin its work by developing a vision statement for the next 10 years.

- John C.L. Morgan

Full disclosure: I'm a member of the task force.

Westbrook Couple Helps Disoriented Beach to Beacon Runner

PPH:

With limited ability to speak English, [Wude] Ayalew somehow encountered a
couple from Saco visiting [Fort Williams]. They called a friend in Westbrook,
Kiros Alemtsehay, who is originally from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
"She was scared," Alemtsehay said. "I told them, just keep her there. I'll come
and get her." Before long, Ayalew was in Westbrook meeting Alemtsehay's wife
Jessica and their two children. After a few phone calls, [Tracy] Sesselberg
drove out to Westbrook and picked up her wayward runner.

- John C.L. Morgan

Smiling Hill Looks to Enter the Tomato Market

AJ:

Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook is known for its dairy products. But now the farm
on County Road also hopes to make a name for itself as a producer of fresh
tomatoes grown year-round in a 20-acre greenhouse. The hydroponic vine-cluster
tomatoes Smiling Hill would grow would be red and ripe when they left the
greenhouse to go to customers in Maine and places like Boston and New York. But
they would be "green" in the sense that they would be grown in an
environmentally friendly way, according to Warren Knight, president of Smiling
Hill.

(Update: The PPH has more on this story.)

- John C.L. Morgan

Daily Paintings

Westbrook artist Caren-Marie Michel is attempting to complete fifty-two paintings throughout the month of August. You can follow Michel's progress here.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Westbrook's Portrait Laureate (January 18, 2008)

Cinemagic to Give Free Tickets to Blood Donors

PPH:

Give blood, see a movie for free. Cinemagic Stadium Theaters in Westbrook will
offer that deal this weekend during the Fifth Annual Cinemagic Blood Drive. The
marathon drive, run by the American Red Cross, will be held from noon Friday
until 3 p.m. Saturday. Anyone who gives blood will get a free pass to see a
movie, at any time, at any of Cinemagic's six locations. Besides Westbrook, the
company has theaters in Saco, South Portland, Salisbury, Mass., and Hooksett and
Merrimack, N.H.

- John C.L. Morgan

America, We Have a Problem

George Packer of The New Yorker has written a very good essay about the sad institutional state of the U.S. Senate. Included was this nugget:

In 2007, [Senator Lamar] Alexander and [Senator Joe] Lieberman started a series
of bipartisan Tuesday breakfasts. "They kind of dwindled off during the
health-care debate," Alexander said. [Senator Tom] Udall has tried to revive
the Wednesday inner-sanctum lunch. For the first few months, only Democrats
attended. Then, one Wednesday in May, Susan Collins, the Maine
Republican, showed up, joking nervously about being a turncoat; to protect her reputation, her presence was kept secret.

[Emphasis mine]

When a U.S. senator thinks it's necessary to clandestinely scurry about in order redeem a Senate tradition of bipartisanship by breaking bread with the other team, I'm not sure the title of this post is an exercise in digital hyperventilation.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Police: Profenno's Didn't Overserve Fatally Injured Driver

PPH:

There is no conclusive evidence that Profenno's
Pizzeria and Pub should have stopped serving alcohol to Jana Pooler on the night
in May when she rolled her car on the Westbrook Arterial and was fatally
injured, according to the findings of a police investigation. Now, the state's
Liquor Licensing and Compliance Unit is reviewing the case, and Pooler's family
is considering suing Profenno's.

- John C.L. Morgan

Another Sparkling Review for 'Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay'

PPH:

"The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay" is a novel of national scope and importance
but is also a Maine treasure. Any thoughts to expanding or creating a new
"Mirror of Maine: One Hundred Books that Reveal the History of the State of
Maine and the Life of its People" (Orono: UMO-Baxter Society 2000) ought to take
this volume into serious consideration.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: More Praise for Beverly Jensen's Book (July 12, 2010)

Photograph of the Day

About 'Photograph of the Day'

Most of us have swell with enthusiasm when describing how great this summer has been, especially relative to last year. The pessimists among us, however, can always point to the fact that each day of sunshine and thick air represents but one more step in the inevitable trudge toward wintry scenes like the one captured above.

The caption that accompanied this undated photo indicated that it captured the first output of electric lights in Westbrook history, evidently in the 1880s. The photograph is part of the collection of the Westbrook Historical Society.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Politics: August 2- August 6, 2010

Monday, August 2, 2010
Special City Council meeting
Westbrook High School, Room 114
6p

City Council meeting
Westbrook High School, Room 114
7p
FMI

Finance Committee meeting
Westbrook High School, Room 114
8p
FMI

Tuesday, August 3
Planning Board meeting
Westbrook High School, Room 114
7p
FMI

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Almanac: July 25- July 31, 2010

Week-to-Date:
High: 87F (July 28)
Low: 51F (July 31)
Precipitation: 0.34 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches
Previous Sunrise: 5:31a
Previous Sunset: 8:02p

Month-to-Date:
High: 95F (July 6)
Low: 49F (July 1)
Precipitation: 4.06 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches

Year-to-Date:
High: 95F (July 6)
Low: -1F (January 10)
Precipitation: 31.03 inches
Snowfall: 24.8 inches

Source: National Weather Service

- John C.L. Morgan

On Malaga Island

Down East:

Between July 1911 and November 1912, the state of Maine purchased the island,
incarcerated a fifth of its [black, white, and mixed race] inhabitants on
questionable grounds at the Maine School for the Feebleminded in New Gloucester,
and forcibly evicted everyone else on the orders of Governor Frederick Plaisted.
The islanders had dismantled and taken their homes with them, but state
officials made certain no trace of the community remained. They took down and
relocated the schoolhouse (to Louds Island in Muscongus Bay), then dug up the
seventeen bodies in the cemetery, stuffed them into five group caskets, and
unceremoniously buried them at the School for the Feebleminded (now Pineland
Farms).

A Web site devoted to Malaga Island: A Story Best Left Untold, a radio documentary produced by Rob Rosenthal, can be seen here.

- John C.L. Morgan

Check 'Em Out

Katie Camplin, the coordinator of the Westbrook Children's Project, has launched a blog called the Westbrook Parenting Network.

Also, the Westbrook Community Center's Web site is up.

- John C.L. Morgan

Private Negotiations Between City and Pike Raise Concerns

AJ:

Westbrook residents and businesses are unhappy they’re in the dark about
negotiations among the city, Pike Industries and Idexx Laboratories on an
agreement that could allow Pike to operate its controversial Spring Street
quarry with some restrictions. However, the city says the negotiations are
private because they involve the potential settlement of a lawsuit that Pike
filed against the city. City Administrator Jerre Bryant said the agreement will
become public as soon as it is ready to go to the City Council for a vote –
which he hopes will happen sometime in August.

- John C.L. Morgan

Changes at Smiling Hill Farm Spark Dissension

AJ:

Some-–if not all-–of the cows at Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook were transported
to new homes this week. The departure of the cows has apparently created
dissension among members of the Knight family that owns the farm, and unsettled
some customers and others with connections to Smiling Hill. Warren Knight,
president of the farm’s board of directors, said last week that cows at the farm
would be leaving while the farm temporarily stopped milking on site. The farm
plans to milk cows there again after it transitions to a less labor-intensive
type of milking system, Knight said.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Smiling Hill to Alter Milk Production (July 26, 2010)

On Maine's Blueberries

The Atlantic:

They're sold pretty much everyplace along Route 1:
gas stations, convenience stores, nurseries, and one-lawn-chair roadside stands
that annoy summer travelers forced to crawl anyway as people like me pull over
for a quick quart. In fact on the way up I went through a quart in only the hour
or so between Brunswick and Rockland, and then roughly a quart a day while I was
there, with an a bonus afternoon pint thrown in on top of the morning's quart on
the long trip back. The grainy, dry texture makes them somewhere between the
cultivated blueberries we all know (and that I can consume by the pint but not
the quart), which may be sweeter, softer, and juicier but not necessarily
better.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Quote, Unquote: Trevor Corson (March 18, 2009)

Thanksgiving's Shuts Its Doors

AJ:

It’s no longer Turkey Day every day on the rotary in Westbrook. Thanksgiving’s
Bakery and Eatery shut its doors last week after about four years of serving up
rotisserie turkey and a variety of baked goods. The eatery and bakery was owned
and run by the Piattoni family--Jack, Chris and Kyle, according to its website.
Jack Piattoni this week declined to provide many specifics about the closing
other than to say that "it just didn’t work."

- John C.L. Morgan

Two Firefighters Lose Jobs, Former Chief Sues City

PPH:

Two Westbrook firefighters who were arrested last month and placed on leave have
lost their jobs. James Gammon, a full-time firefighter for the Westbrook Fire
and Rescue Department, is "not currently on the city's payroll," City
Administrator Jerre Bryant said Monday. He was on the city's payroll Friday,
Bryant said. Richard Dorr, a captain with the call company, was terminated
during his meeting with city officials Monday. The moves come about two weeks
after the resignation of a third firefighter who had been named in a
protection-from-abuse order.

PPH:

Former Fire Chief Daniel Brock has sued the city of Westbrook and Mayor Colleen
Hilton, claiming the city violated its charter and his constitutional rights
when Hilton dismissed him in January.The lawsuit, filed in Cumberland County
Superior Court on July 20, contends Brock "has suffered pecuniary loss, damage
to his reputation and emotional distress" from his public dismissal during the
mayor's inauguration speech on Jan. 4. "He was wrongfully discharged, and
nothing was done to explain or rectify the situation," said Barbara Goodwin, an
attorney for Murray, Plumb & Murray in Portland, who represents Brock.

- John C.L. Morgan

Creator of Middle School's Public Art Among Maine's 'Most Exciting Artists'

Down East:

[Aaron] Stephan lives in Portland’s gritty Bayside neighborhood with Lauren
Fensterstock, and he shares a large studio space with a blacksmith on the light
industrial outskirts of the city. Currently, he is at work on a $34,000 Percent
for Art commission for the new Westbrook Middle School. Return, as the
site-specific middle school installation is called, takes the form of a
twenty-two-foot carpentered tree erupting from the floor of the school’s atrium.
When Stephan discovered that the school was built on the site of the old
Cumberland-Oxford Canal that once carried logs to the Westbrook paper mill, he
set about finding logs that had been submerged in Maine lakes, milling them into
lumber, and building a new tree out of the old trees. "I see my art practice as
being a dialogue with the world through stuff," says Stephan. "The stuff can say
so much. I am exploring the ways that things can teach."

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: On Westbrook Middle School's Public Art (March 8, 2010)

Smiling Hill to Alter Milk Production

AJ:

Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook plans to temporarily
stop milking cows on site as the farm transitions to a less labor-intensive type
of milking system, according to Warren Knight, president of the family farm's
board of directors. The transition could start as soon as this weekend as the
farm begins to sell or move some of its cows. However, the farm will continue to
have the local milk products and ice cream for which it is known, Knight
said.

- John C.L. Morgan

Mad Gabs Reports Big Boost in Sales

PPH:

Owner and founder Gabrielle Melchionda credits the products' low price point at
under $15 as the "magic number" that has allowed the 19-year-old company to
continue to grow despite a recession that has hurt the tourism and travel
businesses. Financial details were not released, but she said the privately
owned company has had a 40 percent increase in sales in the last year.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Realtor: Federal Tax Credits Strengthened Housing Market

MPBN:

"What I've experience in the recent past is that more of the move-up buyers are
out there and I think that has direct correlation to the increase in the median
sale price," said [Prudential Northeast associate broker Marie] Flaherty.
Flaherty says she saw some fierce competition for properties as the April 30th
homebuyer tax credit deadline approached. The credit was $8,000 for first-time
buyers and $6,500 for existing owners who move.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Energy Center Earns Recognition for Workplace Safety

BusinessWire:

Calpine Corporation's (NYSE:CPN) Westbrook Energy Center has earned Star
Worksite designation under the stringent federal Voluntary Protection Program
(VPP). This distinction is the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety
and Health Administration's (OSHA's) highest level of recognition for exemplary
workplace health and safety efforts. "At Calpine, we put safety first in
everything we do--for our employees, visitors, communities and the environment,"
said Calpine's Chief Executive Officer Jack Fusco.

- John C.L. Morgan

Two Corrections

See here and here to see how I've corrected a couple posts.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Politics: July 26- July 30, 2010

Tuesday, July 27
Maine Department of Transportation Public Meeting
Westbrook Public Safety Building, 570 Main Street
6-8p
FMI

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Almanac: July 18- July 24, 2010

Week-to-Date:
High: 88F (July 18)
Low: 59F (July 23)
Precipitation: 0.96 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches
Previous Sunrise: 5:15a
Previous Sunset: 8:19p

Month-to-Date:
High: 95F (July 6)
Low: 49F (July 1)
Precipitation: 3.72 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches

Year-to-Date:
High: 95F (July 6)
Low: -1F (January 10)
Precipitation: 30.79 inches
Snowfall: 24.8 inches

Source: National Weather Service

- John C.L. Morgan

Gone Fishin'

Will resume posting next week.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Politics: July 19- July 23, 2010

Wednesday, July 21
Zoning Board of Appeals meeting
Westbrook High School, Room 114
7p
FMI

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Almanac: July 11- July 17, 2010

Week-to-Date:
High: 83F (July 15)
Low: 63F (July 12)
Precipitation: 2.28 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches
Previous Sunrise: 5:15a
Previous Sunset: 8:19p

Month-to-Date:
High: 95F (July 6)
Low: 49F (July 1)
Precipitation: 2.76 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches

Year-to-Date:
High: 95F (July 6)
Low: -1F (January 10)
Precipitation: 29.83 inches
Snowfall: 24.8 inches

Source: National Weather Service

- John C.L. Morgan

Harmon: Anne Farley Epitomized Courage and Sacrifice

Anne Farley, the Westbrook woman who drowned at Old Orchard Beach Wednesday after saving her granddaughter, was the subject of M.D. Harmon's Press Herald column today:

I don't recall sitting at my desk with tears running down my face before, but
now the next time it happens won't be the first. Not because, as I said, I knew
Anne all that well, but because I was completely overwhelmed by her courage.
What she did represented the absolute best that we are capable of as human
beings, an act of utter heroism on the part of someone you would never think
would have the opportunity to show such luminous bravery.

- John C.L. Morgan

Part-Time Firefighter Resigns Amid Legal Issues

PPH:

A part-time Westbrook firefighter who was put on
unpaid leave after a woman got a protection-from-harassment order against him
has left his job.James Harbaugh resigned Monday from the Westbrook Fire and
Rescue Department.Since July 7, he has also been on paid leave from the
Scarborough Fire Department, where he has been a part-time firefighter and
rescue worker since 2000.Westbrook officials put Harbaugh on leave in June,
after he was accused of harassing and threatening a social worker who shares an
office with Harbaugh's wife.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: City Places Three Firefighters on Leave for 'Legal Tangles' (July 1, 2010)

Westbrook Company Wins Contract for Federally-Funded Wind Turbines

PPH:

A downturn in the construction market is often one of the red flags signaling a
recession, but the tough times can be combated with a commitment to excellence,
says a Westbrook construction company. Last month, CCB Inc. landed a $253,000
contract to install a wind turbine off Cape Cod for the area's transit
authority, beating out competing firms from four states. The wind power project
is the first to be financed solely by the federal government.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: CCB Inc. President a 'Woman to Watch' (October 13, 2009)

More Praise for Beverly Jensen's Book

The Kingdom Journal:

I sat down with the manuscript and began to read. What struck me first is that I
felt that I knew these characters. I knew them the way I knew my neighbors of
decades, and even my own family. Beverly Jensen’s hard-bitten country folk
seemed real to me in a way that I had only very rarely experienced before.
Reading her manuscript was reminiscent of the day I discovered Flannery
O’Connor’s A Good Man Is Hard to Find and read it in a sitting. I
finished Beverly’s book about ten o’clock that evening. The Red Sox were playing
the Yankees on television, and I am a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation.
But I had entirely forgotten about the baseball game. Instead, I had read a
literary masterwork.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Westbrook Native's Book Has Been Published (June 30, 2010)

Westbrook Couple Celebrates 70 Years of Marriage

AJ:

[Irving and Ethel Knowles] stand out in today’s world for a lot of reasons. At a
time when the divorce rate in the United States is nearly 50 percent of all
marriages, their union is still going strong after 70 years. Also, in an era
when many people move frequently, in search of a bigger and better house, the
couple remains happily ensconced in the cozy little house on Rochester Street
that has been their home for seven decades.

For the record, Mr. and Mrs. Knowles were not the neighbors responsible for my Westbrook Wake-Up a couple years ago.

- John C.L. Morgan

D'Alfonso Swings for the Fences in Arizona

PPH:

[Anthony] D'Alfonso flew to Yuma, Ariz., for a
tryout with an independent league team located near the Mexican border. He
waited in a hotel room for two days and was close to returning home to Westbrook
when the Yuma Scorpions of the Golden Baseball League called to offer him a
tryout. They'd make time during batting practice before that night's game. It
was all he needed. D'Alfonso hit several pitches out of the park and was to
signed a contract within an hour. He went 4 for 4 Tuesday night in his third
appearance at first base.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: On Location: Westbrook High School (June 9, 2009)

Westbrook Politics: July 12- July 16, 2010

Monday, July 12
Facilities and Streets Committee meeting
Westbrook High School, Room 114
6:30p
FMI

City Council meeting
Westbrook High School, Room 114
7p
FMI

Tuesday, July 13
Planning Board meeting
Westbrook High School, Room 114
7p
FMI

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Almanac: July 4- July 10, 2010

Week-to-Date:
High: 95F (July 6)
Low: 65F (July 4)
Precipitation: 0.40 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches
Previous Sunrise: 5:10a
Previous Sunset: 8:24p

Month-to-Date:
High: 95F (July 6)
Low: 49F (July 1)
Precipitation: 0.48 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches

Year-to-Date:
High: 95F (July 6)
Low: -1F (January 10)
Precipitation: 27.15 inches
Snowfall: 24.8 inches

Source: National Weather Service

- John C.L. Morgan

Portland Pirates Seek Feedback on Arena Location

PPH:

The Portland Pirates are asking their fans where they would like to go to watch
the team play in the future."Where would you like to see the Pirates play?"
asked the one-question survey posted Thursday afternoon on the team's website
and sent to fans' e-mail accounts. Respondents are asked to check one of four
answers: in Downtown Portland, off the Maine Turnpike in Portland or Westbrook,
off the Maine Turnpike in Saco, or no preference. "We just wanted to get a sense
of where people's heads were at without making it any more complicated," said
Brian Petrovek, the Pirates' managing owner.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Snyder Proposes Arena, Convention Center to Complement Mall Plans (June 23, 2010)

Changes Coming at The French Press Eatery

AJ:

The French Press Eatery was sort of the little brother of the Frog & Turtle
restaurant when it opened on Main Street last fall. The French Press’ role has
been to serve coffee, breakfast and lunch to the daytime crowd. The Frog &
Turtle, a gastro pub around the corner on Bridge Street, serves dinner in the
evenings. But now The French Press, run by Andre Tranchemontagne, the younger
brother of the Frog & Turtle’s chef, James Tranchemontagne, has developed
its own full-grown identity. The French Press will continue to serve breakfast
and lunch, but next week, starting Tuesday, July 13, it also will be open in the
evenings serving dinner. And coffee will no longer be the strongest tipple at
The French Press--the eatery recently won approval from the city for a liquor
license and has installed a full bar.

- John C.L. Morgan

Construction on Downtown Elderly Housing to Begin Next Week

PPH:

Work will begin next week on a new 34-unit affordable housing complex for the
elderly on the Presumpscot River. Spring Crossing, to be located at 19 Ash St.,
will be the first project built by the Westbrook Housing Authority since 2003.
The $3.3 million project addresses a strong demand for elderly housing. Spring
Crossing will feature 31 one-bedroom and three two-bedroom apartments for people
aged 55 and older. Three of the apartments will be handicapped-accessible, and
the remainder will be designed to be easily adaptable for handicapped residents.

- John C.L. Morgan

Pike Files An Appeal Against the Re-Zoning of Business Park

PPH:

Pike Industries has gone to court to appeal the City Council's decision to
rezone the Five Star Industrial Park in a way that would restrict Pike's
operation of its quarry there. Lawyers for the company filed the appeal in
Cumberland County Superior Court on Wednesday to challenge the city's enactment
of the new zoning, which they say would put Pike out of business. Tony Buxton, a
lawyer representing Pike, said the zoning is illegal and conflicts with the
city's comprehensive plan. He said it would prevent Pike from using its property
in a way that it believes it has a constitutional right to continue.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: City Council Rezones Five Star Industrial Park (June 9, 2010)

Booknotes: Grievances

(Editor's Note: I recently bought a copy of Ronald Banks's Maine Becomes a State: The Movement to Separate Maine from Massachusetts, 1785-1820, so I figured I'd kick off a new feature of the blog that will include thoughts on Maine-themed books I'm currently reading.)

Just as Thomas Jefferson used the Declaration of Independence in July 1776 to air out the American colonists' grievances against their British governors, attendees of a January 1786 convention devoted to Maine's independence from Massachusetts listed seven reasons for why the District of Maine should separate from Massachusetts.

Unlike the Declaration of Independence, though, Maine's own declaration of independence did not enjoy widespread support and proved to be inconsequential, due in large part to the fear of mobocracy and radicalism that took root in both Massachusetts and Maine as a result of Shays's Rebellion, which began in August 1786. Nevertheless, the critiques expressed by the first movement for independence (described by Banks as taking place between 1785 and 1789) laid the intellectual groundwork for the subsequent movements for Maine's indepedence.

Below is a paraphrased version of Banks's paraphrased version of the original document:

1. What's good for Massachusetts wasn't necessarily good for Maine. In fact, what's good for Massachusetts actually "retarded the growth of Maine."
2. Massachusetts's Supreme Judicial Court was responsible for dispensing justice for such a large geographical area that it was impossible for "proper and expeditious justice" to always be achieved. Moreover, because the official clerk's office was located only in Boston, any inquiry into public records "necessitated costly and time-consuming trips" to the city.
3. Trade regulations reduced the price of lumber, which benefited Boston at the expense of the many Mainers involved in the lumber trade.
4. Because only towns with 150 elgible voters were allowed to participate in statewide elections, "scores of settlements" and citizens in Maine went without actual representation.
5. Taxation on Mainers' estates were inequitable to the taxation of those who lived in Massachusetts proper. One example: A sheep raised in Maine required more feed and care due to the longer winters in the Pine Tree State, yet Maine farmers were expected to pay the same tax rate on their sheep as Massachusetts farmers did for their livestock.
6. Excise taxes and import taxes were unfair for Mainers, when compared to the excise and import taxes Massachusetts residents needed to pay. One example: Due to the scarcity of apple orchards (and thus hard cider) in Maine, Mainers were forced to "import vast quantities of rum to meet the legitimate expectations of working people." And because the tax on rum was higher than the taxes related to hard cider, this was cited as yet another case of Massachusetts proper ignoring the pecularities of Maine.
7. A fixed fee on deed transfers dealt Mainers a greater financial blow than it did to those from Massachusetts, because land in the District of Maine was bought and sold at a higher rate than it was in Massachusetts.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Booknotes: Longfellow's Provincial Bloodlines (June 15, 2010)

Mainers Responsible for Popularity of Competetive Eating

NYT:

At noon Eastern on Sunday, tens of thousands of onlookers and millions of
television viewers will wonder how someone like last year’s champion, Joey
Chestnut, can swallow a record 68 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. A few may
wonder who is responsible. One is a 45-year-old named George Shea, who dons a
straw hat and spews full-throated commentary and tall tales of gorging glory as
the M.C. The other is his brother Rich, 41, who provides tongue-in-cheek
observations for television. Thank them. Blame them. Curse them. Relish them.

Until reading this article I'd forgotten I'd witnessed history when I stood in the parking lot of Costa Vida (now Loco Baja Grill) in South Portland and watched the fourth-ranked competitive eater in the world devour 10 3/4, 18-ounce burritos in 12 minutes en route to winning the 2007 edition of the Costa Vida World Burrito Eating Championship. Ah, the memories.

- John C.L. Morgan

P.S. Video of the 2008 version of the event can be seen here.

City Council Supports Sebago to the Sea Trail

PPH:

The Westbrook City Council voted unanimously last week to support development of
a 28-mile trail system linking existing hiking trails, bike paths and sidewalks
with some new trails to create a continuous walkway between Sebago Lake and
Portland's East End Beach. The 4-mile leg of the trail in Westbrook begins on
Bridge Street and goes northeast to East Bridge Street. The trail goes to
Puritan Road, then 1,300 feet through city-owned property to the Presumpscot
River. The trail follows along the river to Bridgton Road, where it enters the
city of Portland.

- John C.L. Morgan

Did You Know?

Did you know Westbrook native Rudy Vallee was among the five guests to appear in the first installment of Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show?

Taking place on October 1, 1962, that first show also featured Groucho Marx, Joan Crawford, Tony Bennett, and Mel Brooks. A reflection on the inaugural show can be seen here.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Rudy Vallee: Modest Inspirer of Goose Flesh or National Menace?

On Paul's Shoe Repair

Misadventures in Portland:

Mandy has a million pairs of shoes. She needed a pair to be fixed, so we headed
out to Paul’s Shoe Repair in Westbrook. There are a few different cobblers in
the area, and it’s one of those things that it seems like everyone has an
opinion about. Mary likes the one on Stevens Avenue; Rebecca likes the guy in
South Portland, etc. It’s like finding a locksmith or a taylor (sic)--something
you never think about until you desperately need one.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Politics: July 5- July 9, 2010

Wednesday, July 7
Zoning Board of Appeals meeting
Westbrook High School, Room 114
7p
FMI

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Almanac: July 1- July 3, 2010

Week-to-Date:
High: 81F (July 3)
Low: 49F (July 1)
Precipitation: 0.08 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches
Previous Sunrise: 5:05a
Previous Sunset: 8:26p

Month-to-Date:
High: 81F (July 3)
Low: 49F (July 1)
Precipitation: 0.08 inches
Snowfall: 0.00 inches

Year-to-Date:
High: 91F (May 26)
Low: -1F (January 10)
Precipitation: 27.15 inches
Snowfall: 24.8 inches

Source: National Weather Service

- John C.L. Morgan

Samuel James and Billie Jean

Sugarsmallhouse

- John C.L. Morgan

Farmers' Market Would Benefit--Not Hurt--Riverbank Park

I've experienced Riverbank Park from different perspectives over the years. There is, of course, the plentiful people-watching opportunities the park offers, most notably during the first weekend in June. And during my days as a wild-eyed rebel, I actually sat on the park's benches after sunset to take in the park's clear, white lights atop ground's sparkling, white snow. Most recently, though, I've experienced the park under the guise of the doting dad, making the almost-daily pilgrimmage to my daughter's mecca of swing sets, slides, and jungle gyms. As such, I've graduated into that class of Westbrook "families with young children" who apparently seek municipal protection that most menacing parental nightmare...wait for it...the farmers' market.

At least that's according to Tess Nacelewicz's American Journal article on the possibility of relocating the city's farmers' market from the CVS parking lot to other locations, most notably Riverbank Park.

All snark aside, I do appreciate the City's concern for the safety of kids at the playground and its fear of stalled traffic. As I pointed out in an earlier post, I think vehicular traffic should be barred from the sliver of pavement that bisects the park, as I'm afraid the unfortunate meeting between youthful flesh and motorized metal in that narrow thoroughfare is merely a yet-to-unfold tragedy. Moreover, I claim ignorance of any efforts the City has made to reach an agreement with the abutting Stephen W. Manchester American Legion Post No. 62 to use their parking lot, an agreement that would increase safety and reduce traffic in the park's interior.

Nevertheless, it would be a shame if the City decides against relocating the farmers' market to Riverbank Park on these grounds, mostly because a relocation of the market to Riverbank Park is the best option.

In her 1961 book The Life and Death of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs stresses the importance of diversity in public spaces. In order for a public space to be vital and lively, Jacobs argues, it needs to have diverse functions that attract diverse populations.

As the most visible function of Riverbank Park, the park's playground certainly attracts a diverse population. I've heard sons chastised in a half-dozen languages for chucking wood chips and granddaughters chided by grandparents with a wicked impersonation of Tim Sample. I've seen the Bobo sipping her latte and checking her iPhone between nudges on the swing set over there and the Westbrook Tuxedo-clad dad escorting his daughter down the slide over here. However, as culturally eclectic as the park can get sometimes, the pattern to playground use is pretty uniform.

So, instead of disrupting the rhythm of the playground, a farmers' market in Riverbank Park could actually complement activity in Riverbank Park.

To take but a few examples: Surviving the morning routine prevents even the most efficient of us parents from getting down to the park until 9:30-10a at the earliest. Since the farmers' market is expected to be open from 6a-6p on Thursdays and Fridays, that means the use of the space will not be even remotely competitive for at least 2-3 hours in the early morning. Thus, besides enticing some of the regulars who like to use the Presumpscot as a scenic backdrop while they read the morning paper in the car, a farmers' market in Riverbank Park could actually recruit a new crowd to the space at a time when it is otherwise lightly occupied.

The convoy of minivans pulling in around 10a would definitely make the park a bit more snug (which come to think of it, is a good thing), but the farmers' market would again fill the gap created by the vacancies caused by domestic duties (read: lunch, nap, mental health break, etc.) at 12p or so, just in time for those noontime strollers walking along the Riverwalk.

I could go on and on, but you get the point. Instead of detracting from the civic life that Riverbank Park uniquely cultivates in Westbrook, a farmers' market could actually enrich that culture. Let's just hope the City is creative and wise enough to allow that to happen.

- John C.L. Morgan

City Places Three Firefighters on Leave for 'Legal Tangles'

AJ:

Three Westbrook firefighters have been placed on administrative leave for
getting into legal trouble outside of work, Mayor Colleen Hilton said Wednesday
evening. "They are on administrative leave, but it's not work related," Hilton
said. She said three have been put on leave because they got themselves into
"some legal tangles." Hilton said that because the matter is a personnel issue,
she could not provide more details or identify the firefighters, who she said
Fire Chief Michael Pardue placed on leave last week.

The Press Herald's account of the suspensions is here.

- John C.L. Morgan

Bustlin' Bill on Westbrook Tuxedos

His appearance on Good Day Maine is here.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Cops and Robbers--And Pharmacists, Too (June 25, 2010)