August 1980

The Greater Portland building fund proposes to buy 91 acres at the southeast corner of Spring Street and the County Road for development as 19 lots for light industry or for commercial uses. The land is owned by the W. H. Nichols Co. A house, barn and workshed are the only buildings; the rest is used for grazing. The building fund wants the city to put in streets, sewers and lights. Mayor William O’Gara said the city could seek federal money for that.

Mayor O’Gara mailed 1,000 return-postage-paid cards to Westbrook people asking, Yes or No, should non-union employees’ salaries be cut to reduce the budget? He hopes to influence the City Council to vote a full 8 percent pay increase. The council favors limiting top-salary employees to an $800 increase.

A proposal before the Westbrook City Council is to add meat, fish and poultry to the list of things that can be sold in the Westbrook Farmers’ Market.

In a letter, Grace Curtis calls for Westbrook to establish a swim beach and public landing on the Presumpscot River. “Let’s do our own thing” instead of just relying on other towns’ beaches and lakes, she writes.

The City Council refused 6-1 (Roma) to sell 12 acres of city land on grounds it may be needed to extend Westbrook’s Eisenhower Drive to Gorham. The city has no access to the land and didn’t realize it owned it. It’s part of the old city farm. The land is across the Stroudwater River from the city garage.

The S. D. Warren Company’s biomass boiler, now under construction, will have a smokestack much slimmer but 10 feet higher than the present smokestack at the paper mill.

Alderman Donald E. Esty Jr. proposes repeal of the ordinance that permits the Westbrook police chief to issue a permit to fire guns.

Sales at the Maine Mall in 1979 were $147 per square foot; up from $134 in 1978.

John Melrose, of the Maine Municipal Association, told a meeting of municipal officers about a new charter for Cumberland County that will go to voters in a November referendum.

Title 20 programs in the Portland area have nearly a million dollars of new funds, mostly federal, including these: Diocesan homemaker services, $368,700; Diocesan service for the blind, $57,000; Family Crisis Center, combating violence, $29,545; Friends of Retarded, skills training, $52,516; Independent Association for Retarded, training, $52,516, Southern Coastal Family Planning, $165,642; Goodwill, work training, $187,796; Ingraham Volunteers, information for deaf, $30,400.

Ruth Rich resigned from Windham’s finance office to work for the town of Scarborough.

Scarborough’s Town Council voted, 4-3, to sell in a bid auction the furnishings of the Pillsbury House, an old summer hotel at Pine Point that the town bought two years ago to provide more public parking.

John “Paddy” Davan retired as Westbrook High School basketball coach in 1961, and was succeeded by Bill Folsom. After 19 highly successful years as coach, Folsom is moving up to be athletic director.

Dinner was served to 159 people at the Elks Club, Portland, for the 50th wedding anniversary of Armand and Martha (Arsenault) Beaudet, 12 Oakland Ave., Westbrook.

George J. Mitchell, Maine’s new U.S. Senator, is critical of banks’ penalties for early withdrawal of savings certificates, calling it “bank robbery in reverse.”

The temperature went above 90 degrees last week, and Ronald Rawding, 18, of 32 Hawkes St., Westbrook, is pictured getting cool in the fountain of Westbrook Common.

August 1990

Mayor Fred Wescott has proposed a six-year plan for investing $10,793,000 in Westbrook city improvements. Of this, $4,205,000 would be in streets. His list does not include schools.

Heroin is becoming popular among more affluent people in Cumberland County, moving into the suburbs and finding users among professional people. Lowell, Mass., is a suspected source. People are using it to cut their use of cocaine, a detective said.

Peter Blanchette, 38, returned to work last week as a Westbrook police patrolman, by order of the Maine Supreme Court, 15 months after the city let him go.

Westbrook will put a street light at each end of the “Black Bridge,” the footbridge under the railroad trestle across the Presumpscot river, scene of various shenanigans, mostly youthful.

Residents of Hamlet Coach Park hope Westbrook will adopt an ordinance establishing city control of rents in mobile home parks.

“Westbrook Before Urban Renewal,” a collection of photographs, is on display in Walker Memorial Library. Stanley S. Marzul, long-time news photographer, helped prepare it.

Mort Hamlin is new business manager of Scarborough schools.

The state plans a new Scarborough exit for the Maine Turnpike, replacing Exit 6 and abolishing its seasonal direct access to Scarborough Downs racetrack. Downs owner Joseph Ricci calls the plan a waste of money.

Kevin Cox has resigned after four years as director of community services in Gorham. His duties include adult education and year-round recreation programs, among others. He said Bob Libby, acting town manager, told him the Town Council is not happy with his work.

An open house Aug. 28 will mark completion of Windham’s new primary school.

The Portland Water District is three months into an 18-month study of erosion and sediment control at its Sebago Lake intake.

A craft and food fair will kick off the 170th year celebration of the North Congregational Church at Groveville, Buxton.

Pushed by Vision 2000, Cumberland County’s Board of Commissioners has authorized a Commission to Study County and Regional Government. It will hold its first meeting Sept. 6.

Copy the Story Link