Editor’s note: The following excerpts come from reporter Linda Hersey’s blog, The South Portlander, a feature of www.keepmecurrent.com. In addition to the entries that follow, Hersey also posted photos and video from the storm Sunday.

Maine Pet Supplies Store to Open in Mill Creek

(Posted Monday, Dec. 17)

A Maine-based pet supplies store will open next spring in the Mill Creek shopping center.

Kennel Shop Pet Super Store expects to open March 1, 2008, in the space that the Movie Gallery had occupied.

“We’ve looked at South Portland for a while and could not find just the right location,” said President Pete Risano. “When Movie Gallery closed, we thought this would be the perfect spot.”

Kennel Shop already operates a half-dozen other retail pet shops. But the company identified a need for a large pet supplies store on the east side of South Portland.

Risano said pet owners who live a distance from the Maine Mall find it difficult to drive several miles through the congested retail hub for specialty pet supplies and premium pet foods.

“It’s been a hassle for a lot of people to get to the mall,” he said. “People are looking for convenience.”

The Kennel Shop has been around for 20 years, opening its first retail store in Augusta. The company also has shops in Portland, North Windham, Lewiston, Saco and Sanford.

The store follows “PC” practices in pet care. It refuses to sell dogs and cats, instead referring people to animal shelters. The company does sell a small number of birds, reptiles and fish.

“We believe in supporting shelters and then referring customers to local breeders,” Risano said.

Risano credits Kennel Shop’s focus on customer service and competitive pricing for its success. He said staff is educated to answer pet owner questions and to listen to customer requests for specific products.

Auld Lang Syne for SoPo’s Beale Street BBQ

(Posted Saturday, Dec. 15)

New Year’s Eve will be the final day that Beale Street BBQ operates at its current location off Waterman Drive, near the Casco Bay Bridge.

The restaurant expects to keep its usual hours, closing at 10 p.m But there likely will be more than one customer dropping by to raise a pint of Pemaquid or Shipyard to SoPo’s favorite chicken and ribs joint.

It’s no secret by now that Beale Street is closing at its current site to make way for a four-story office-condominium project.

The restaurant expects to re-open Jan. 4 or soon thereafter at a new location – the Thomas Banquet Room, off Broadway.

The site is across the street from where Newick’s restaurant used to operate.

The new Beale Street will have some new menu items, with a special focus on locally grown food products, including organic meats. But regulars also can expect the same selection of Memphis dry-rub ribs, brisket, sausages and chicken.

The new Beale Street will have an outdoor barbecue cooker and an open kitchen inside.

Mall’s Appeal Voted Down for Lack of Testimony

(Posted Wednesday, Dec. 12)

The Maine Mall has lost its appeal for an abatement on a $3.5 million property tax bill.

The South Portland Board of Assessment Review unanimously denied the request by Chicago-based General Growth Properties, the mall owner.

The board met Wednesday night in City Council Chambers with reps from General Growth Properties and with Tax Assessor Elizabeth Sawyer and Bill Dale, her attorney.

But the board vote did not follow testimony or cross-examination. There was none.

The brief hearing, which had more twists than a “Murder She Wrote” episode, lasted less than an hour. And it ended with several board members expressing frustration and disappointment with General Growth Properties’ handling of the case.

At issue was the failure of General Growth Properties’ expert appraiser to show up at the hearing to dispute the city’s valuation of the mall at $266 million.

The absence of the mall’s expert witness was not because of bad weather, traffic or flight delays.

Portland attorney Jonathan Goldberg, representing the mall, said General Growth Properties made a deliberate decision not to bring the appraiser along to answer questions about his counter-assessment, which valued the mall at $190 million.

Goldberg’s explanation for the no-show of a key witness seemed to take the board by surprise and defy Yankee common sense.

He explained that the appraiser was set to testify. But the mall developer’s Boston-based attorney could not be there to represent him, because he is not licensed to practice law in Maine.

After the Boston attorney was threatened with sanctions by the state if he tried to argue the case without a license, General Growth Properties nixed the idea of bringing its appraiser.

Goldberg urged the board to accept the outside appraisal and render a decision based on it alone.

“You have made this hearing impervious to questioning,” said board member Stephen Johnson, with a tone of outrage. “With all due respect to the Massachusetts counsel, it is a mystery to me why you cannot find Maine counsel that is competent to do the job.”

After the board’s unanimous vote, David Swinkle of General Growth Properties denied that the mall owner lacked faith in the abilities of a Maine attorney to represent the appraiser.

Swinkle, the company’s director of taxation, said the mall owner worked for several months with the Boston attorney and he was critical to the case. Swinkle did not explain why General Growth Properties failed to ask for a continuance before the South Portland board, so it could hire a Maine attorney.

But representatives from General Growth Properties did pledge to appeal the property tax case to a higher level in Maine, which will likely be the Maine Board of Property Tax Review.

“The property owner has the responsibility to prove the assessor was wrong,” board Chairman Paul Cloutier concluded at the end of the hearing.

“We can’t make a decision solely on this document.”