The following are excerpts from The South Portlander, a daily blog by South Portland reporter Linda Hersey. Find it at www.southportlander.com.

Update on the Willard Beach Task Force

(Posted Monday, July 28)

Assistant City Manager Erik Carson has provided the following update on the work of the Willard Beach Task Force, which is reviewing pet access rules at the city’s popular beach. Here are his responses to some questions submitted by e-mail:

1.) What general work has the task force completed so far?

The committee has thus far reviewed the issues initially surrounding the creation of the task force, namely understanding the intensity of the use; past and current enforcement activities and concerns; the roles of City staff, in terms of monitoring, enforcement, and resource management; health effects of having dogs on the beach; on leash/off leash issues; and regulations from other communities. The committee has been working based on the consensus model, and have not chosen a chair. They have asked that I be their spokesperson.

2.) Was the study (on dog feces and E. coli) submitted by Dr. Robert Bogosian reviewed? I was told the task force had some concerns about it. What are they?

The study submitted to Staff by Robert Bogosian was reviewed by both Jim Jones of the Water Resources Protection and Dr. Douglas Howell, M.D., a gastroenterologist and member of the TF. Both had significant concerns with the methodology and the results. In addition, a number of generalizations were made that the data could not substantiate.

3.) What is the task force’s immediate focus? Where do I find minutes from the meetings?

The focus is to continue to review data not already presented (incident/summons numbers from other towns, continue reviewing health data (information from the Centers for Disease Control, the potential utility of so-called “dog parks”, and currency of signage, alternative periods/locations, increased enforcement, leash vs. off-leash, and additional education aspects).

Minutes from the meeting should be posted on the city’s Web site. The next meeting is slated for Aug. 7th.

Mall Tax Appeal to Be Heard in 2009

(Posted Saturday, July 26)

The owners of the Maine Mall have not abandoned an appeal of their 2006 property tax bill.

The Maine Board of Property Tax Review likely will hear the appeal by General Growth Properties on its $3.5 million tax bill in the first quarter of 2009.

The mall owner hoped to get its case heard this fall, but a full docket at the state board has pushed it into 2009, according to memos obtained from the city Tax Assessor’s Office.

The Chicago-based company is disputing South Portland’s 2006 assessment that valued the mall property at $266 million.

The South Portland Tax Assessor already rejected the mall owner’s plea to lower its assessment. General Growth then appealed that decision before the South Portland Board of Assessment Review, and was turned down for an abatement.

GGP claims the mall actually is worth $190 million – $76 million less than the city’s valuation.

General Growth bought the mall in 2003 for $270 million, but says the higher price reflected the mall’s name brand, not the value of the property and buildings.

In 2009, the company will make its argument before the state board, composed of attorneys, retired assessors, engineers and others with a background in assessments in Maine.

Members are appointed by the governor.

If GGP loses again, it can file an appeal in Superior Court. The case could make it all the way to the Maine Supreme Court.

SoPo Coast Guard Helps Rescue 68-Year-Old Sailor

(Posted Friday, July 25)

The U.S. Coast Guard in South Portland assisted Thursday in the rescue of a 68-year-old lost sailor whose boat was disabled during a thunderstorm and high seas.

Rescuers were able to locate the sailor using the signal from his cell phone. This was the third and most serious call the Coast Guard had received to assist the man, who was trying to sail from Portland to his home port in Groton, Conn.

Coast Guard News, an online site, offers this narrative:

Coast Guard crews from Maine and Cape Cod coordinated the rescue of a lost sailor off the coast of Maine around 4:45 p.m., today, as he tried to sail from Portland to Groton, Conn.

Coast Guard Sector Northern New England received a radio distress call at 2:36 p.m., from 68 year-old Michael Mavor aboard the sailing vessel Yare reporting that he was alone on his sailboat, and that his vessel had torn sails and disabled engines.

The Coast Guard launched a 47-foot rescue boat from Station Portsmouth Harbor and Station South Portland and a Falcon jet crew from Air Station Cape Cod. Mavor relayed the coordinates of his location from his global positioning satellite device to aid rescuers in finding him, but when the Coast Guard arrived in the area, there was no sign of the 30-foot vessel.

After further communication by cell phone, the Coast Guard watch stander tried to determine the location of the vessel by having Mavor describe the shoreline, landmarks and vessel traffic.

The Coast Guard then asked Mavor to dial 911 so they could try to pinpoint his location based on his cell phone signal.

Working with the wireless service provider, the watch stander was able to map out the location from the 911 call and diverted rescue crews to the correct location, about seven and a half miles northeast from where the crews were searching.

The boat crew from Station Portsmouth Harbor arrived on scene at 5:13 p.m., and took the Yare in tow.

Mavor and his boat arrived at Perkins Cove around 6:30 p.m., where paramedics were standing by to take him to a Maine hospital for medical attention. At the scene, seas were about six feet with winds more than 20 miles per hour and heavy thunderstorms throughout the area.

This was the third time in 36 hours Mavor needed assistance at sea.

The first incident required his vessel be towed back to port by the fishing vessel Black Beauty. Later, his family reported they had lost communication with him and were concerned he may be in trouble. When they did reach him he said he was still sailing to Groton, Conn.

“The Coast Guard urges all mariners to file a float plan with someone on shore before going out to sea,” said Ken Stuart, the search and rescue specialist at Sector Northern New England who coordinated the search. “Luckily the gentleman had a cell phone and we were able to use it as a tool to find him when he was lost at sea.”