Editor’s note: The following excerpts are from reporter Linda Hersey’s blog, The South Portlander. This week Hersey reported the resignation of South Portland City Attorney Mary Kahl and the death of longtime City Councilor Robert Fickett first on her blog. Full stories appear in this week’s paper.

Maine’s soft economy has not affected prices in one segment of the real estate market: oceanfront property.

A SoPo home with magnificent views of Casco Bay set a city record for the most money ever paid for a single-family house, according to the Tax Assessor’s Office.

The house at 2 Bay Road fetched $2 million, when it sold to a South Portland couple in October 2007.

Sam and Norma Fratoni bought the three-bedroom, 2 1/2 bath home from Anne Heldenbrand, who had owned it since the early 1970s.

Located in the exclusive Loveitts Field neighborhood, the two-story stone house is not an architectural treasure. The city assessed buildings on the land at $332,400. A dark brown mansard roof drapes over the house, which was built in 1945 and has 3,000 square feet of living space.

The house has one fireplace, gas heat but no air-conditioning, according to tax records. But who needs central air when sea breezes will do?

The oceanfront property itself has the most value, according to city records.

The city assessed the land at $1.3 million. It is located at the end of Bay Road, jutting out over the water, almost like a peninsula. The property includes a small private beach, valued at $58,400.

In difficult economies, even houses with water views may not capture top dollar, said Elizabeth Sawyer, the city’s long-time tax assessor. But the price of waterfront homes keeps rising.

“You can’t create more oceanfront,” Sawyer notes wryly.

SoPo’s tepid real estate market

If you are one of those glass-is-half-full types, South Portland’s real estate market is not doing so bad compared to the rest of the nation.

According to the city’s tax assessor, SoPo’s real estate market is flat – with property sale prices overall not rising or declining appreciably from fiscal 2006 to 2007.

Tax Assessor Elizabeth Sawyer is polishing a report for the Maine Revenue Department on how property valuations compare to actual real estate sales.

Sawyer, in a phone interview, shared some of her findings.

From July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007, there were 450 property sales citywide. This figure covers both commercial and residential sales.

The city’s assessment of properties in fiscal 2007 averaged 96 percent of market value. The ratio was the same for fiscal 2006. This trend shows that the local real estate market overall is unchanged, she said.

“Later sales – after July 1, 2007 – may indicate something different in the market,” she said.

In this soft economy, Sawyer also offers a caveat: “The real estate market is very local. Sales of property types – such as condominiums or newer homes – may respond differently.

“I’m looking at the different property types right now to see if there was a decline in sales prices. If so, I will make an adjustment for the upcoming tax year.”

Magnolia’s blooms in larger quarters

(Posted Jan. 15)

The closing of Culinary Collections in October has opened up an opportunity for the fledgling Magnolia’s Cafe to expand.

Chef-owner Catie Fairbanks-Cliffe said she did not plan to grow her dining business so quickly, but could not pass up the chance to take over the Ocean Street space she had shared with the wine and kitchenware shop.

The result is a cheerful dining spot that re-creates the South with its menu choices and sunny decor. Fairbanks-Cliffe has added cafe tables throughout the space, complete with large umbrellas overhead, as if to block out the sun.

Fairbanks-Cliffe, who hails from Florida and Georgia, offers a combination of healthy sandwich wraps for lunch, such as avocado and cheese, and Southern-influenced dishes, like pecan-encrusted backed chicken.

Her business approach is just as creative. She offers a variety of reasons to visit Magnolia’s throughout the day.

In addition to the lively lunch menu, Magnolia’s has a selection of coffees, teas and fresh-baked pastries, which patrons can enjoy while sitting on plush sofas at the front of the store.

Fairbanks-Cliffe says she wants customers to see her shop at 103 Ocean St. as a great place to meet friends and simply hang out.

She also offers catering as well as a dinner to-go menu for folks seeking hand-crafted prepared foods.

Fairbanks-Cliffe, a Cape resident, says business is going well. But she also looks forward to the completion of two developments likely to bring more people to the business district: an office building at 100 Waterman and the Mill Cove Landing town homes under construction.

‘High School Musical’ opens at SPHS

Chuck Igo – author, deejay and SPHS parent-volunteer – e-mailed the following press release about an upcoming student version of “High School Musical.” Parents of kids under 12 will understand immediately the significance of this local production of the wildly popular Disney creation. Here is the info you need to know:

The South Portland High School Music Department presents

Disney’s “High School Musical,” live on stage, Feb. 1 through 10. This production, adapted from the smash Disney Channel original film, features dozens of South Portland High School students in a rousing, school-spirit raising festival of music and dance! Produced & directed by Steve and Jane Filieo, now in their 19th year of musical productions, the show features a cast and crew of almost 100 students!

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, and are available at the box office of The South Portland Auditorium at South Portland High School, Highland Avenue, South Portland. In person sales: Monday through Friday, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Or call 767-7710,

extension 292.

Performances are Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. The Feb. 3 matinee will be interpreted in American Sign Language.

These shows will sell out quickly, so be sure to get your tickets soon!

This house at 2 Bay Road sold for $2 million in October, setting a record for the most paid for a single-family home in South Portland.