Westbrook Schools Save Money with Alliance

AJ:

That [tough] financial climate makes the
Sebago Education Alliance an even more welcome opportunity to cut costs and pool
resources for five member districts: Westbrook, Gorham, Scarborough, School
Administrative District 6 and Windham/Raymond. The alliance has saved its
districts thousands of dollars a year, particularly in special education costs,
which are typically a large piece of any school’s budget.

- John C.L. Morgan

Full disclosure: I teach at Westbrook High School and have worked at the SEA's day treatment program.

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

Cuts in State Spending Could Close Westbrook Drug Rehab Center

PPH:

At Mercy, the cuts would lower revenues by an estimated $6 million a year, said
Eileen Skinner, president and chief executive officer. As a result, the hospital
would likely close the Mercy Recovery Center, the largest substance-abuse
treatment center in Maine. Closing the Westbrook facility, which serves people
from all over the state, would eliminate 100 jobs. Mercy supports the governor's
goal of being fiscally responsible, Skinner said. "But we obviously endorse an
approach that is more gradual and targeted so things can adjust and people can
understand the unintended consequences of whatever action they take," she said.

- John C.L. Morgan

Swimmer Looks to Raise Funds to Fight Heart Disease

AJ:

An informal effort to raise money for heart health
research and education, started last year by a Westbrook woman, has blossomed
into a worldwide event scheduled for Valentine’s Day. Participation in Swim for
Your Heart Feb. 14 has grown exponentially since last year, said the event’s
founder, Pat Gallant-Charette, who drew international acclaim after swimming the
English Channel last summer.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Westbrook Woman Swims English Channel (August 22, 2011)

City Officials Weighing Options for New Public Services Facilities

PPH:

Building a new facility for the Westbrook Public
Services Department could cost as much as $17 million. The proposal is the most
expensive of four options that a 10-member building committee is considering to
replace the department's facility on Saco Street, which has been in need of
upgrades since 2006. The committee plans to make a recommendation to the City
Council in coming weeks. The $17 million plan calls for a six-building complex
that would include offices, a warehouse, covered areas for equipment and school
buses, and a storage shed for salt and sand. Other options call for fewer
buildings and would cost from $10.6 million to $14.4 million, according to
estimates from Westbrook-based Sebago Technics, the project's engineering firm.
Plans call for completing construction in 2014.

- John C.L. Morgan

Pike Faces Fines for Exceeding Blasting Limit

PPH:

Pike Industries will pay $4,500 in fines for blasts
in its Spring Street quarry that violated vibration limits set in a consent
agreement reached by the city, Pike and neighboring Idexx Laboratories. The
city's code enforcement officer issued the fine on Jan. 11. Tom Spellman, Pike's
crushing manager for Maine and New Hampshire, said today that the company plans
to pay the fine. The consent agreement reached in the fall of 2010 set the
maximum ground vibration of a blast at 0.5 inches per second. A blast on Dec. 9
registered at 0.73 inches per second, and a blast on Dec. 14 registered at 0.59
inches per second. A third blast on Dec. 16 did not violate the standards set in
the agreement.

- John C.L. Morgan

New Development Being Planned for Warren Avenue

AJ:

The building that was once home to a short-lived
Westbrook strip club is part of a new proposal designed to develop a large
parcel of industrial property off Warren Avenue. A copy of the proposal,
submitted to the city last month, indicates the property’s owner, Selden Von
Herten, wants to turn his 20.5-acre parcel into a commercial and industrial
condominium site.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Soccer League to Host Poker Tournament

The Westbrook Soccer League is hosting a state-sanctioned poker tournament this Saturday at the Stockhouse Restaurant and Sports Pub.

The tournament begins at 4p, but you can register as early as 2p. There will be a 100-player cap, and the buy-in to participate is $60. Seventy-five percent of the net proceeds go to the eventual winner.

- John C.L. Morgan

Full disclosure: I serve on the Westbrook Soccer League Board of Directors.

State Chops Down Elm Trees to Aid Bridge Work

AJ:

[T]he Department of Transportation first had to
make room for relocated power lines and poles. That meant taking down a number
of large trees growing by the side of the road, including some growing on the
property next to The Elms, a bed-and-breakfast inn across the street from the
mill. The inn was first built byS.D. Warren as a retreat for visiting company
executives, and is now privately owned.

- John C.L. Morgan

City Begins Negotiations with Labor Unions

AJ:

When running for re-election, Westbrook Mayor
Colleen Hilton said she wanted to keep finding ways to make the city run more
efficiently, and she anticipated carrying that philosophy into the next round of
collective bargaining negotiations. Last week, Westbrook officials, including
Hilton, met for the first time this year with representatives of all five of the
city’s bargaining units, in what she called a "frank" discussion.

- John C.L. Morgan

On Paul LePage's Horatio Alger Years

Author and reporter Colin Woodard has written an article on Paul LePage's upbringing.

And though Woodard is receiving some criticism that he should've included a possible conflict-of-interest disclosure in the piece, he deserves high praise for penning an informative essay in which he synthesizes previously published material with original reporting. The result is a rich portrayal of the Maine executive's formative years.

The second part of the essay, which will be about LePage's climb in the business and political arenas, will be published by the Portland Phoenix on January 20.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Residents Among Mainers Paying for FEMA's Errors

PPH:

Last year, 370 Maine property owners appealed to the Federal Emergency
Management Agency to remove their homes or businesses from flood plain status,
according to the Maine State Planning Office. Most of them had to hire surveyors
at an average cost of $750 to prove they didn't need to pay for costly flood
insurance policies required to obtain a mortgage.

- John C.L. Morgan

In the Blood

For the context of this video, read Bob Keyes's feature on Maine musician/filmmaker Sumner McKane's "In the Blood."

- John C.L. Morgan

The Improvised Puppet Project to Play Show at WHS

The Improvised Puppet Project will be playing a show in the Westbrook High School auditorium tomorrow night (1/14) at 7p. The show will benefit the Sock 'N Buskin, the drama club at Westbrook High.

More information can be found here.

- John C.L. Morgan

Parents Give Feedback at School Budget Forum

AJ:

Most of the discussions in the forum, which lasted
more than two hours, centered not on whether to close the school, but what the
reconfiguration of the city’s educational districts would mean for
fifth-graders, who would be thrust into the middle school with much older kids.
"We know they're very different children, with very different needs," School
Superintendent Marc Gousse said.

- John C.L. Morgan

Historical Society Prepares for Move to Community Center

AJ:

Diane Dyer, the society’s director, said the move
in part is to make the society more accessible. Right now, the society gets
about 25 people visiting per month, but she is sure there could be more. "A lot
of people don’t even know we’re here," she said. The community center, on the
other hand, is a far more visible location, she said, and first-floor access
there will make visiting the collection even easier. Right now, visitors
must travel up a steep flight of stairs. "The idea was to make it more available
to people," [president Mike] Sanphy said. The other goals, he added, are to make
the collection safer. Its new home, he said, will have fire alarms and
sprinklers, something the society doesn’t have at the legion building. The city
also won’t have to pay $600 per month in rent to house the collection, either,
Sanphy said.

-John C.L. Morgan

Related: On Location: Westbrook Historical Society (June 24, 2008)

Maine Food Coma

Joe Ricchio and friends toured four other Maine locales (Bangor, the Fryeburg Fair, Lewiston/Auburn, and Sanford) and did not die of any heart attacks before posting abbreviated shows online. If you enjoy Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations," you'll probably enjoy this show--including the episode when Ricchio sits down with Bourdain backstage at Merrill Auditorium.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: No Reservations (April 23, 2010)

Dept. of Labor Calculates Living Wages for Mainers

Wicki Biz:

What do you have to make to be able to afford to
live in Maine? If you look at the basic expenses, the whole kit and caboodle,
including food, rent, utilities, phone, health care, transportation, child care,
clothing, personal care, household goods, taxes, etc., what’s the end cost? A
new report out from the Maine Department of Labor tells us that.

- John C.L. Morgan

Superintendent Advocates for the Closure of Prides Corner School

PPH:

There will be no mention of Prides Corner
Elementary School in the school budget that Superintendent Marc Gousse
recommends to the Westbrook School Committee for next year.Gousse told about 80
0people at a community forum Thursday evening that he couldn't "with good
conscience" advise the committee to keep the school open.The closure of Prides
Corner is part of larger proposal to reconfigure the city's elementary grades
and address a $2.2 million shortfall in the budget.

- John C.L. Morgan

Full disclosure: I teach at Westbrook High School.

LeClerc's Closes

AJ:

On Tuesday, a sign up in the window of LeClerc’s
Service Center in Westbrook advertised that the recently closed gas station is
available for purchase or lease. But even as the locks on the doors at 952 Main
St. were being changed, Jeff Farstad was still turning away drivers looking for
gas and callers asking to bring vehicles in for repairs."It’s tough talking to
my customers," Farstad, 43, said Tuesday as he finished closing the station for
the last time.

- John C.L. Morgan

WHS Principal Resigns

AJ:

First-year Westbrook High School Principal Thomas O’Malley is resigning his
position at the end of the 2011-2012 school year, according to School
Superintendent Marc Gousse. Gousse said O’Malley made his resignation official
in a letter dated Dec. 19. O’Malley’s resignation is effective June 30, 2012,
Gousse said.

- John C.L. Morgan

Full disclosure: I teach at Westbrook High School.

Director of Economic Development Also Submits Resignation

PPH:

The city's economic and community development
director, who vacated his post Saturday, is one of two department heads to
resign in recent weeks. Keith Luke, who was hired in 2008, submitted his
resignation letter on Dec. 14, the same day as Chief Financial Officer Dawn
Ouellette. In his letter, Luke wrote that he is resigning "at this point to
allow Mayor (Colleen) Hilton time to match skills with the priorities of her
management team during her second term in office."

- John C.L. Morgan

Profile of a Native Architect

Maine Home + Design:

As a 29-year-old architect still early in his
career, Evan Carroll is not your typical nursing home resident. Yet for nine
days in September, he lived at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Scarborough. Carroll
was studying firsthand the needs of nursing home residents to inform his future
design work in the housing market.

Carroll, a 2001 graduate of Westbrook High School, had his aforementioned stay at the veterans' home documented in a September 2011 PPH article.

- John C.L. Morgan

Judge Rules in Favor of Westbrook, Against Dreamers

PPH:

A federal judge has ruled that the city of Westbrook did not violate a strip
club owner's Constitutional rights by revoking the occupancy permit for Dreamers
Cabaret and subsequently enacting a nude entertainment ordinance. The ruling was
handed down Thursday in U.S. District Court by Magistrate Judge John H. Rich
III. The Ferrante Group Inc., the owner of Dreamers, which sued the city in
September 2010, can object to the ruling within 14 days of when it was
filed.

- John C.L. Morgan

Who are the Most Influential Political Players in Maine?

Matt Gagnon over at Pine Tree Politics has his list of the Top 25.

- John C.L. Morgan

News Fit to Post--Holiday Edition

Westbrook school officials will be hosting a second public forum devoted to solving the upcoming budget deficit. (December 28)

Westbrook school officials are looking at ways to combat substance abuse among students. (December 28)

Some neighbors of Pike filed complaints about the company's blasting efforts throughout December. (December 28)

Westbrook elementary school students and teachers tout the success of a growing anti-obsesity campaign. (December 27)

Members of the Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church served a free Christmas meal to about 300 people. (December 26)

Developers are looking at turning vacant St. Hyacinth buildings into housing. (December 21)

Westbrook's Finance Director will step down from her post. (December 21)

Westbrook Housing officials are looking at new strategies for selling three downtown condo units. (December 21)

The Westbrook Fire Department continued a ten-year tradition of delivering gifts to children. (December 21)

- John C.L. Morgan

City Hopeful of Solution for Maine Rubber Facility

AJ:

The Westbrook City Council has accepted a $125,000
grant to help clean up the former Maine Rubber buildings and property at 942
Main St., and renewed talks between the city and the property’s owners are
finally showing promise of new development there. "We’re making very good
progress," Keith Luke, the city’s director of community and economic
development, told the council at a meeting Monday night.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: City: Messrs. Elowitch, Tear Down These Walls (April 29, 2011)

Westbrook High Hires New Baseball, Softball Coaches

PPH:

Westbrook High has hired new varsity baseball and
softball coaches. Greg Souza, a former assistant, is the new Blue Blazes'
baseball coach, and Dee (Regan) Allen will coach softball. Allen has coached
Portland for the last three seasons. Their nominations were approved Wednesday
night by the Westbrook School Committee.

- John C.L. Morgan

School Department Explores Closure of Prides Corner, School Re-Configuration

AJ:

The Prides Corner School would be closed and the elementary school model would
be reconfigured if one scenario for the 2012-2013 budget is approved. School
Superintendent Marc Gousse officially informed the Prides Corner staff Monday
that their school might close. He followed that with a district-wide staff email
discussing the possibility and a meeting for district employees on Tuesday
afternoon.

- John C.L. Morgan

Full disclosure: I teach at Westbrook High School.

Related: School Officials to Host Open Forum on Upcoming Budget (Monday, November 28, 2011)

Indian Restaurant, Ice Cream Shop to Open Downtown

AJ:

If you love homemade ice cream, chocolate or curry, you might want to pay
attention to the 800 block of Main Street through the next month or so. Two new
Westbrook businesses will soon open in the heart of downtown, and both represent
the goals of two people who have already made names for themselves on the
Portland culinary scene.

- John C.L. Morgan

On Political Apathy

The Frog and Turtle to Host Santa Again

The Frog and Turtle is hosting Santa at its restaurant for the third year in a row on Saturday, December 10, from 10a-1p.

A ten-dollar donation to benefit the Mission Possible Teen Center will get you a photo with your child (or you, if you prefer) and Santa. There will also be complimentary coffees, cookies, and doughnuts.

- John C.L. Morgan

How Maine Gets Its Drink On

Considering it's nearly closing time on the 78th anniversary of the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment repealing prohibition, what better time to check out the Boston Globe's take on Maine's "new drinking culture":

John Myers, a traditional saloonist and cocktail
historian, tends bar at The Grill Room, a steakhouse with a wood-burning grill
in the center of the Old Port here. Myers, looking like a Wild West gunslinger
with his wool vest and bushy beard, stands in the lamplight - a sommelier of
cocktails ready to shake or stir. I’m sitting on the other side of the bar,
deciding what to order. I know that the bar man specializes in the tried and
true. I ask him what defines a classic cocktail.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Did You Know? (February 20, 2008)

On eHope

MPBN:

The man attaching the tube is a wiry,
energetic 53-year old Army veteran, and he's more than just a personal care
attendant. He's the reason why the Kennedys have a network of volunteer
caregivers to call upon."My name is Jeffrey Wood. I am the founder and president
of an organization called eHope." EHope was begun five years ago. According to its website, the non-profit's mission is "To form caregiving communities which provide
non-medical, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual support, for a loved one
who faces a life-threatening illness."

An extended interview with Wood can also be heard at the link above.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Jeffrey Wood One of Region's 'Unsung Heroes' (December 31, 2010)

Dreamers Moves Out

AJ:

Dreamers Cabaret, a controversial strip club that
opened for one day last fall and has been locked in a legal battle with the city
ever since, is moving out of its Warren Avenue location. Selden Von Herten, the
owner of the property, confirmed this week that he has filed suit in Cumberland
County Superior Court to prematurely terminate the club’s lease, which was
supposed to remain active for another four years.

- John C.L. Morgan

Owner of Dana Warp: Westbrook Provides Affordability, Political Stability

Mainebiz:

I think I naturally gravitated to Westbrook
for several reasons: One, I think from a pricing standpoint, there’s greater
upside, greater value to be had in Westbrook. Two, I think there’s greater
political risk in Portland. I was involved in the redevelopment of the Maine
State Pier and I saw Portland government at its worst, and I vowed that I would
never invest a dime in Portland, never, never.

- John C.L. Morgan

School Officials to Host Open Forum on Upcoming Budget

AJ:

As part of that, [Superintendent of Schools Marc]
Gousse said, the district is presenting a public forum on Thursday, Dec. 1, at
6:30 p.m. in the library at the Westbrook Middle School, inviting parents and
residents to hear what school officials are doing in the wake of the frantic
2011-2012 budget process, and to solicit opinions on how to proceed now.The new
budget won’t be a walk in the park. Gousse said early numbers indicate a
possible budget gap of $2.1 million to $2.3 million, which the district will
have make up in order to prevent that amount from being handed off to the public
to fund through higher taxes.

- John C.L. Morgan

Full disclosure: I teach at Westbrook High School.

Snyder's Company Files for Bankruptcy

AJ:

A holding company once created to manage more
than 60 acres of land off Stroudwater Street initially destined for a
multimillion-dollar commercial development plan has filed for bankruptcy.Jason
Snyder, the owner of the land and the holding company, 500 Westbrook LLC, filed
paperwork in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Nov. 4 under Chapter 11. The paperwork
lists the company as the debtor, and Snyder as the company’s manager.

- John C.L. Morgan

WHS Replaces Unsafe Bleachers at Olmsted Field

AJ:

The bleachers on the Stroudwater Street side of the
field are being dismantled this week, after a recent inspection brought safety
concerns and code violations to light. "We probably dodged a bullet there," said
School Superintendent Marc Gousse, who said this week that the bleachers were
labeled off-limits following the inspection, and removed to prevent anyone from
getting hurt.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Leads Greater Portland in Wage Growth

Mainebiz:

Westbrook led the region with a 15.76% rise in
average weekly wages [over five years], ranking first in Greater Portland and
sixth in the state. Portland saw a 12.68% rise in average weekly wages, while
South Portland and Scarborough experienced 10.44% and 7.8% growth,
respectively.

- John C.L. Morgan

Idexx Taking Advantage of iPad's Capabilities

Mainebiz:

Idexx has found a solution in yet another form of
technology. Its new mobile app allows vets to display radiographs on a tablet
computer. “The move to the iPad liberates that information,” says Jonathan
Ayers, the Westbrook company’s president and CEO. Pet owners typically pay out
of pocket for their animal’s veterinary services, and don’t always understand
the level of care involved, he says. When a vet can take an X-ray, share it in a
matter of seconds and explain the results effectively, clients are much more
likely to recognize the benefits--and pay for them.

- John C.L. Morgan

Local Dancers to Participate in Macy's Parade

WCSH:



- John C.L. Morgan

City Council Looks to Adopt Fireworks Regulations

AJ:

The ordinance allows sale of fireworks by dealers who obtain a permit from the
city. Among other requirements, the ordinance mandates that dealers have proper
state and federal permits, and have to show proof of insurance, as is required
by state law. City Administrator Jerre Bryant said dealers must also comply with
other fireworks-specific state laws, such as the law requiring dealers only
operate out of stand-alone buildings, with no other tenants.

- John C.L. Morgan

Gallant-Charette Listed Among Notable USM Grads

From a PPH column written by university president Selma Botman:

How many of us follow the career of Pat
Gallant-Charette, a 1993 School of Nursing graduate and native of Westbrook, who
in August became the oldest American woman to successfully swim the English
Channel? A grandmother of two, and marathon swimmer, Gallant-Charette also holds
the record for the fastest swim of the Strait of Gibraltar for a woman over
50--3 hours and 28 minutes.

- John C.L. Morgan

WHS Baseball Coach Resigns for Family Reasons

PPH:

Mike Rutherford remembers how his parents used to watch all of his games when he
played for Portland High. Wanting to do the same for his daughter and stepson,
and knowing that would be difficult with his job as the Westbrook baseball
coach, Rutherford resigned last week after four seasons with the Blue Blazes.
"It came down to family," Rutherford said.

- John C.L. Morgan

Hilton, Dems Sweep Contested Races

PPH:

Incumbent Colleen Hilton defeated Bruce Chuluda by more than 300 votes in the
mayor's race, in a repeat of their match-up two years ago. The vote total
Tuesday night was 2,659 to 2,350.

[snip]

City Clerk Lynda Adams held onto the post she's had for the past four years. She
defeated former finance director Susan Rossignol, 3,114 to 1,801. In the City
Council Ward 2 seat, incumbent Democrat Victor Chau, who's finishing his first
term, defeated Republican Matt Maloney, 602 to 281. In Ward 4, Dorothy Aube, a
councilor for six years, received 327 votes. Gary Rairdon, who is unenrolled,
got 289 and Republican Ernest Porell finished third with 153. Democrat Michael
Sanphy, who had been appointed to fill the Ward 5 seat, won his first election,
defeating Republican Michael Lawson, 889-558.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Voters Approve Same-Day Registration, Split Ticket on Casinos

According to the PPH, Westbrook voters mirrored statewide voters' preference for reinstating same-day voter registration, with both local and statewide voters approving Question 1 with a 60-40% margin.

Westbrook voters also dovetailed with statewide voters with its votes on a proposed casino in Lewiston (57% of Westbrook voters rejected Question 3, and 63% of statewide voters did so), and local voters reflected countywide results on the bond question involving the renovation of the Cumberland County Civic Center (55% of Westbrook voters approved the $33 million bond for the renovation, compared to 59% of county voters).

Westbrook voters did differ with the rest of the state, however, in its preference for casinos based in Biddeford and Washington County: 51% of Westbrook voters approved Question 2, while only 45% of statewide voters approved the referendum question.

- John C.L. Morgan

City Renews Fajita Grill's Liquor License

PPH:

City officials renewed the liquor license for the popular Fajita Grill on
Monday, after determining that their decision could not take into account
pending federal charges against the owner of the Mexican restaurant. Guillermo
Fuentes, 36, was arrested Sept. 21 on charges of conspiracy to harbor illegal
immigrants and employment of illegal immigrants. City Solicitor Bill Dale told
city councilors and the mayor that pending charges are not listed in the city’s
ordinance or state statute as a reason for denying a liquor license.

- John C.L. Morgan

Vocational Center Hosts Trades Demonstration for High School Girls

PPH:

[Westbrook High student Paige] Fogg was among the girls getting a taste of
firefighting Friday from Westbrook firefighter Rachael Welsh at the Totally
Trades Conference. The event, organized by the training group Women, Work and
Community, aimed to expose girls to jobs typically held by men. About 75 girls
from several high schools participated in the event at Westbrook Regional
Vocational Center.

- John C.L. Morgan

UMaine Celebrates Rudy Vallee Day

BDN:

The late entertainer and one-time University of Maine student Rudy Vallee was
remembered Wednesday afternoon on the steps of Fogler Library. Members of
UMaine’s four honor societies--All Maine Women, the Senior Skull Society, the
Sophomore Eagles Society and the Sophomore Owls Society--gathered there to sing
the “Maine Stein Song,” which Vallee popularized.

- John C.L. Morgan

Catching Up

- President Obama referred to the damage on Westbrook's Cumberland Street bridge as a reason for why Congress should pass the American Jobs Act. (October 6)

- The Seventh-day Adventist Church bought the former Warren Memorial Library building and plan to make it the regional headquarters of the organization. (October 5)

- Chipotle is planning to open a new shop in the Westbrook Crossing shopping plaza. (September 29)

- Fajita Grill re-opened about a week after being raided by federal agents for allegedly employing illegal aliens. (September 28)

- City Council wrestled over the regulation of fireworks within city limits. (September 28)

- Long-distance swimmer Pat Gallant-Charette was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd." (September 26)

- School Committee adopted a new policy on laptops issued by Westbrook schools. (September 21)

- Hassan Faraj, an Iraqi immigrant, plans to open a new convenience store in the location of the former Salvation Army building downtown. (September 14)

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook GOP Picks Chuluda, Rossignol as Nominees for Office

PPH:

The city's former mayor and its former finance director, who is banned from City
Hall, will run for office in November. At a caucus on Sunday, Republicans chose
Bruce Chuluda as their candidate for mayor and Susan Rossignol to run for city
clerk. Chuluda was mayor for six years before being unseated two years ago by
current Mayor Colleen Hilton.

Press Herald columnist Bill Nemitz has a take on the nomination of Rossignol.

- John C.L. Morgan

Chuluda Considering Another Mayoral Run

AJ:

With the Republican and Democratic caucuses about to fire the starting gun for
the 2011 elections, Bruce Chuluda, who lost to Colleen Hilton in the 2009
mayor’s race by 100 votes, said he is “strongly” considering challenging Hilton
again. “I’m certainly leaning toward throwing my hat in the ring,” Chuluda said
Tuesday. Chuluda said he will wait to gauge the response from his party at the
Republican caucus, which begins Sunday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. at the Westbrook
Community Center.

- John C.L. Morgan

Planning Board Approves Idexx's Plans for Building

PPH:

Idexx Laboratories has the city's approval to start building the first phase of
its proposed $60 million corporate headquarters. The city's Planning Board
unanimously approved a site plan Tuesday for a 107,000-square-foot building to
house offices for 300 administrative employees, as well as a fitness center and
a food service area. Construction of the building, next to Idexx's existing
facility off Eisenhower Drive, is scheduled to start in April 2012 and be
completed in August 2013.

- John C.L. Morgan

Performing Arts Center Looks to Expand Marketing

AJ:

Part of the problem is that [Jamie] Grant is the center’s only official staff
member. It’s his job to market the center, but it’s also his job to make sure
events run smoothly. For many of the 97 events he mentioned, Grant said, he had
to open the center and essentially run the building during the event. Grant
acknowledged that he needs to spend more time selling the center than running
events in it. “Every minute that I’m in the theater doing a show is another
minute that I’m not out of the theater getting someone else to do a show,” he
said. Gary Bongiovanni, editor of Pollstar, a concert tour industry magazine
based in Fresno, Calif., agreed that a venue like the center needs someone to
announce its presence to potential performers.

- John C.L. Morgan

Milford & Irene

Westbrook Woman Swims English Channel

MPBN:

The third time's the charm for a Westbook woman, who has finally realized her
dream of swimming across the English Channel. Pat Gallant-Charette, 60,
succeeded today on her third attempt to swim the 20-mile distance. According an
entry posted at 3:14 p.m. today on her blog, www.patgalant.blogspot.com/,
Gallant-Charette completed the swim after battling strong currents at the end.
"SHE DID IT!, OMG, she did it!" the entry reads.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Westbrook Woman Prepared to Swim English Channel (August 15, 2011)

City to Outsource IT

AJ:

[City Administrator Jerre] Bryant said Unified Technologies has been helping the
city with IT needs on an “on-call” basis since the vacancies occurred, and the
proposed contract would bring the company on in a more extensive fashion. The
contract, if approved, will involve a one-time fee of $7,650, and a monthly fee
of $15,000, starting in September and ending on June 30, 2012. Bryant said it
will cost a total of $161,950. By contrast, Bryant said the city’s budget for
that same time period for in-house IT services is $188,000.

- John C.L. Morgan

PPH Calculates Cost of Lawsuits

PPH:

[F]or all three settlements, taxpayers will pay $338,000 of the $1.2 million
that the employees receive.

[snip]

Each claim covered by insurance also requires that the city pay a deductible,
the cost of which differs depending on the type of claim. Each of the three Fire
Department employees' lawsuits triggered the payment of a $10,000 deductible.
That adds another $30,000 to the cost of the lawsuits. Big settlements also
affect the annual premium the city pays for insurance coverage. Between 2009 and
2010, the premium jumped from $188,000 to $208,000, or a $20,000 increase. In
the three years prior, the premium increased an average of about $10,000 per
year.

- John C.L. Morgan

Foxy 'Brook

FOX 23's "Good Day Maine" has had a couple guests with Westbrook ties on their show recently.

Mandolin player Taylor Smith and his progressive bluegrass band Cribstone Bridge Band played on the show, and James Tranchemontagne of the Frog and Turtle cooked and talked shop.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Swimmer Prepared to Swim English Channel

NPR:

Pat Gallant-Charette wants to swim across the English Channel in August. On top
of her job as a nurse, the 60-year-old grandmother from Westbrook, Maine,
follows a rigorous training schedule that includes one- to 10-hour swims along
the crashing waves of the cold ocean shore. Gallant-Charette almost crossed the
Channel once before, but currents kept her at bay just a mile and a half from
the finish. This time, she's convinced she'll make it.

The PPH also had a profile on Gallant-Charette last week.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Westbrook Woman Sets Record in Swim Across the Strait of Gibraltar (June 29, 2010)

Westbrook High Football Prepares for Class 'B' Schedule

PPH:

Westbrook and Marshwood moved from Western Class A to Western Class B, and
Brewer and Mt. Blue made similar drops in Eastern Maine. The moves are intended
to make them more competitive because they will play against schools of similar
size. "We're really excited about it," said Westbrook Coach Jeff Guerette. "It
gives us a chance to be competitive. The more attractive we can make the
program, the better the chances to get more kids out for the sport."

- John C.L. Morgan

Construction on William Clarke Drive Expected to Wrap Up in October

PDS:

Using 80 percent federal highway funds and 20 percent state funds, MaineDOT
hired R.J. Grondin and Sons of Gorham as the contractor. The job started in
spring 2010 and it's scheduled to be completed by the end of this October, Latti
said. "Basically we're widening that road, it's nearly a mile long, from the
Westbrook Connector to Saco Street in Westbrook," Latti said. Over 16,500
vehicles a day use this stretch of Route 25, which connects the Westbrook
Arterial to Saco Street. More than 19,000 vehicles a day travel some sections,
Latti said. In the past, pedestrians faced a steady flow of traffic with few
easy crossings.

- John C.L. Morgan

Mayor Hilton Named One of Five 'Women to Watch'

Maine Biz:

People seem to think Colleen Hilton should be more stressed out than she is. As
CEO of a health care organization facing major funding cuts and mayor of a city
that’s seen its share of controversy in the last year, she certainly has reason
to be. But for Hilton, making tough decisions comes with the territory.
"If you don’t have the mindset that you’re confident about what you’re doing,
you shouldn’t be doing it," Hilton says, sitting in her office at VNA Home
Health & Hospice, a nonprofit that serves more than 3,000 clients each year.

- John C.L. Morgan

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

White Family Donates Land for Playing Fields

PPH:

White Bros., which was sold last year to Connecticut-based Lane Construction,
has offered the city 14 acres near its quarry to use for athletic fields. The
company is also donating its workers and equipment to build the two fields--an
estimated $400,000 gift. "It's an unbelievable blessing for the city," City
Councilor Victor Chau said last Monday, before voting in favor of an agreement
to lease the land for 25 years for $25. The council also voted to spend $26,400
on the engineering and design of the fields. City Administrator Jerre Bryant
said that cost would be covered by donations. He wouldn't say who was donating
the money because those deals hadn't been finalized.

- John C.L. Morgan

A Look Back at Urban Renewal Legacy

AJ:

The program offered free government funds and a promise: to transform America’s
aging traditional downtowns into modern, thriving hubs of commerce, community
and character. Three decades later, Westbrook is still waiting for delivery on
that promise. While the downtown area remains active, many of the smaller, local
retail shops that are the hallmark of the American downtown are gone. A changing
economic landscape surely had a role. But experts and city officials all agree
that a well-intentioned but poorly executed federal program must share some of
the blame.

- John C.L. Morgan

City, Ex-Fire Chief Reach Deal

PPH:

The city has reached a proposed settlement with former Fire Chief Daniel Brock,
who sued the city in 2010 after recently elected Mayor Colleen Hilton announced
she wasn't reappointing him to lead the troubled department. The City Council
will take an initial vote on the agreement Monday. Until then, representatives
of both the city and Brock declined to give any details of the settlement.
Brock, 63, who received about $6,000 in severance pay, claimed in his lawsuit
that the city violated its charter and wrongfully discharged him. He has said he
would drop the suit if the city paid the equivalent of four years' salary plus
the health and retirement benefits he would have received through his planned
retirement age of 66. That payment would be more than $330,000.

- John C.L. Morgan

Former Church Could Be Converted to Cultural Center

AJ:

A Portland church has made good on its promise to donate a former Unitarian
Universalist church building in Westbrook to the community, with an eye toward
cultural development. The Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church in Portland
has sold the former church building at 719 Main St. to Westbrook Housing for $1,
according to John Gallagher, executive director of the housing authority.

- John C.L. Morgan

On Angelone's

Included in this PPH article about the closing of the Angelone's pizza joint in South Portland is some background on the Westbrook location, which is celebrating 40 years of business this year:

The Angelone family is credited with bringing the modern pizzeria to Maine. Jack
Angelone opened his first restaurant on Veranda Street in Portland in 1947,
where he entertained crowds by playing the piano. Angelone was joined in the
venture by his brother Joe and his wife Patricia. Pizza was not then a staple in
the American diet. A 1953 news clipping that hung on a wall at the South
Portland shop included a pronunciation of the word, "peet-za." The food grew in
popularity in the years after World War II, and in the late 1950s the Angelones
moved their restaurant to Portland's Monument Square. Angelone family members
have since opened several restaurants in Maine under various names.

- John C.L. Morgan

Superintendent Nominates New High School Principal

AJ:

The Westbrook School District has chosen a new principal for the high school,
Superintendent Marc Gousse said Thursday. Gousse named Thomas O'Malley, of
Eliot, as the district's choice. The hiring must be confirmed by the school
committee to become official, but Gousse said today that he is strongly
recommending O'Malley. The school committee will likely vote on the hiring at
its next meeting.

- John C.L. Morgan

Charter Commission Receives Extension

AJ:

The city’s Charter Commission at the moment is trying to figure out how to
create terms for elected officials that make more sense, eliminate needless and
confusing bureaucratic layers of government, and eliminate conflicts that
contributed, in at least one case, to a high-profile lawsuit against the city.
So naturally, commission members feel they need more time. This week, they got
it.

-John C.L. Morgan

WPD Undergo Hostage Exercises

PPH:

All police knew was that shots had been fired at the middle school. What they
didn’t know was that the shooter had a hostage on the second floor of the
building. The scenario was one of several played out Tuesday at Westbrook Middle
School, where the Westbrook Police Department is holding training sessions all
week. Officers from Westbrook and Gorham were invited to sign up for one of the
half-day sessions.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Hires Alum for H.S. Girls Basketball

SJ:

"It's my alma mater," said [Chris] Aube. "That was pretty much the selling
factor. It was a tough decision. I think I established a pretty good program at
Gray-New Gloucester. I told the girls that this was the only position that I'd
consider. It's exciting to be going home, but it was also a tough decision to
leave." Aube coached the Patriots for four season, making the playoffs every
year. He went 44-30 in the regular season and posted double-digit wins each
year.

- John C.L. Morgan

IDEXX to Break Ground on Headquarters in Fall

PPH:

Idexx Laboratories this fall will begin construction of a $60 million corporate
headquarters for 700 employees in Westbrook. Idexx has talked about building its
corporate headquarters in Westbrook since 2006, but plans were sidelined in 2008
when Pike Industries announced its plan to expand nearby quarrying operations.

- John C.L. Morgan

PSAs

Clay Stewart, an experienced financial planner at Prudential Insurance, will host a financial planning seminar at Walker Memorial Library Thursday night (July 14) from 6p- 7:30p. According to librarian Marian Peterson, the event is not a sales pitch, but it is an opportunity for Westbrook residents ages 25-64 to learn more about the various aspects associated with financial planning.

Also, free lunches via the Westbrook Summer Lunch program will continue to be distributed to Westbrook youth (18 and younger) from 11:45a-12:30p every weekday through Friday, August 19. The lunch sites are Canal School (102 Glenwood Avenue) and the Brown Street Neighborhood Center (13 Reserve Street). For more information, see this virtual flier.

- John C.L. Morgan

Owners, City Differ on Vision for Property

PPH:

An owner of the former Maine Rubber building says he won't tear down the
massive, blighted structure at the western end of Westbrook's Main Street until
the city changes the zoning at the site or a tenant commits to the property. The
city secured a $125,000 Community Development Block Grant in April that would
cover most of the cost of demolishing the 27,000-square-foot building. The grant
was meant to give owners Dave and Jim Elowitch an incentive to tear down the
structure.

- John C.L. Morgan

City Opts to Not Apply for Grant to Restore 'Blue Note Park'

AJ:

On June 24, the Westbrook Environmental Improvement Corp. (WEIC) voted not to
pursue the application for a $140,000 state grant to revamp a walking mall
connecting Main Street and William Clarke Drive, known as Westbrook Commons,
according to [Director of Community and Economic Development Keith] Luke.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: City Explores Renovation of 'Blue Note Park' (June 23, 2011)

Paper City Pub Crawl (Summer '11 Edition): A Reflection

(Editor's Note: About twenty of us Brookies and a handful of adopted Brookies participated in the summer 2011 edition of the Paper City Pub Crawl on Saturday, June 25. Sponsored by the Paper City Junto, a fledgling social civic club I'm organizing, the pub crawl began at Thatcher's at 6p, and continued to Stockhouse (7p), Skybox (8p), The Frog and Turtle (9p), and Profenno's (10p). Below are three thoughts.)

Yes, a Burnt Trailer tastes as awful as it sounds.

The night's gimmick was a poker crawl of sorts, complete with designated drinks and playing cards for a poker hand at the end of the night. At Thatcher's, for example, the drink was Shipyard's Summer Ale, ditto Gritty's Vacationland Summer Ale at Stockhouse. Skybox was home to the Remember the Maine, and The Frog and Turtle whipped up more Rudy Vallee (page 3) cocktails in one hour than they had in a year. The headliner of the night, though, was the Burnt Trailer nightcap served by Profenno's.

Now, I'm a big fan of Moxie, and I think it's every Mainers' duty to have at least one of the numerous best-selling bottles of Allen's Coffee-Flavored Brandy stashed in a cupboard for special occasions. After experiencing the awful splendor of a Burnt Trailer (equal parts Moxie and Allen's) at Profenno's, though, I recommend keeping those two beverages at least 25 feet from each other, per the One Percent Doctrine. Think liquified coffee grounds, and you'll have a good idea of what the cocktail tastes like.

Hey, at least we survived to tell the grandkids.

We were a mobile economic stimulus package.

When I wrote the high-minded mission statement for the Paper City Junto, I noted the loosely-organized group's effort "to enrich the cultural, economic, intellectual, political, and social landscapes" of Westbrook. I'm still figuring out how to live up to that sentence, but I am comfortable the crawl improved the economy of Westbrook--for at least one night.

When about 15 of us kicked off the crawl at Thatcher's at 6p, no one else was in the restaurant. When we left an hour later for Stockhouse, the place was still empty. The economic impact of our group wasn't as drastic at the other four stops, but we did our part in injecting money into the Westbrook economy that would've otherwise been absent.

"I'm doing snow angels in front of the church."

Ask some of the old-timers, and they'll spin stories about that character or this incident that mostly came about because that section of town was a place people hung around in long enough to marinate in its surroundings and its people. It seems today, though, Westbrook's downtown is a destination spot for small, private happenings, whether it's a solo walk on the Riverwalk or a meal with family at a restaurant.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it (I do after all need to tease something out of a bunch of us walking--and imbibing--from bar to bar), but the pub crawl was a uniquely collective happening, an event downtown that has a common narrative among 20 or so loosely-joined people.

And the fact that one of those narratives may involve a lost crawler, snow angels in the middle of the summer, and St. Anthony's church makes it that much richer.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook a Testing Ground for Public Safety Consolidation

PPH:

[Public Safety Director Michael] Pardue said the consolidation of [and fire and
police[ chiefs' jobs isn't right for every community. It made sense for
Westbrook because the police and fire departments were already in the same
building and both had strong leaders as second-in-command, he said. "The stars
have to be aligned correctly." Still, considering the cost savings on
administrators' salaries, and increased coordination and efficiency among the
departments, the structure should be considered more frequently, he said. "It's
a concept that I think has the potential to be evaluated by other communities as
we look to streamline our resources and answer the economic challenges we're
faced with at this time," said Pardue.

- John C.L. Morgan