Committee Forming to Shape Steep Falls

This week, I would like to share with you some very important information regarding the future of Steep Falls. If you are passionate about your community and being a part of an advisory committee that will develop a plan for the future growth of Steep Falls town center then put Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. in your calendar to attend the next Town Council meeting.

Standish is a unique town in that it is made up of three distinct town centers: Standish Corner District, Sebago Lake Station and Steep Falls Village. As recommended by the Comprehensive Plan in 2006, Steep Falls is the third, and last, of our three villages to develop a Village Design Master Plan; Standish Corner’s plan was developed in 2008 and the Sebago Lake plan in 2012. If you are interested in reading any of these plans, they are available on the town’s website, www.standish.org.

Steep Falls Village is in the path of Cumberland County’s rapid population, housing, and business growth. The village is experiencing the effects of having to deal with the resulting increase in traffic and development demands while retaining its historic and rural character.

On Tuesday night, Oct. 8, the Town Council will be appointing a total of fifteen people to the advisory committee. This advisory committee will work with an outside consultant hired by the town. No experience is necessary, however the qualifiers to be appointed to the committee are a bit specific. The council will be looking for five resident property owners from Steep Falls Village; three resident property owners from outside Steep Falls Village; two business owners from within the Steep Falls Village; one business owner from outside Steep Falls Village; one former Comprehensive Plan Update Committee member; one member representing Steep Falls Elementary School; one member of the Recreation Committee and one member representing the Portland Water District. One councilor will be appointed to chair this committee, and all positions will be appointed by the chairman of the council.

At the end of this project, the consultant hired by the town will put together a final report based on the advisory committee’s decisions in the form of a plan to be submitted back to the council.

Looking back over the last 10 years since moving from Standish to Steep Falls, I have grown to love this village; the people, the history, the charming village layout complete with a convenience store, a library, a post office, a weekly farmer’s and artisan’s market, a park with a gazebo, a beautiful new playground for all ages, a lighted ice skating rink, ITS 89, a doctor’s office, an elementary school, a private Christian School, two churches and now a fabulous all natural ice cream parlor!

If you are interested in and have time to spare over the next several months, you should plan to attend the next Town Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept 8. If you are unable to attend, please contact Mary Chapman, Town Clerk, at 642-3461 or [email protected]. Consider yourself informed and invited.

Health & Safety Day

The Public Safety Committee and the Fire/EMS Department will hold their annual Health & Safety Fair at the Standish Municipal Center on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The opening ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. with a presentation of the colors by the Sheriff’s Explorer Post and Standish Fire/EMS Honor Guard. Throughout the day there will be lots of fun activities and demonstrations including a vehicle extrication demonstration, a coloring contest and lunch. Sparky the fire dog will be there as well as a kid’s iris scan, a hayride to the pumpkin patch, a bounce house for the kids, games, a blood drive and a raffle to win a ride to school in a fire truck.

Since its inception in 2000, the Public Safety Committee has made great strides in addressing our town’s safety concerns, and have teamed up with the Fire/EMS Department to promote, heighten awareness, and educate the people of the town so they can make informed decisions when it comes to their safety and that of their families.

Playground Build Day

After three-plus years of dedication to raising money for a new playground, the Johnson Field Playground Committee is ready to start building it, but they need your help.

On Saturday, Oct. 19, at 8 a.m. the committee is looking for 15 to 20 volunteers to join them at Johnson Field to help build the playground. Refreshments will be provided throughout the day, along with drawings for door prizes, a lot of laughs, and the general good feeling that you get whenever you contribute to your community.

If you are able to help out for any portion of the day on Oct. 19, contact Linda Brooks by phone at 642-2875 or by email at [email protected].

Sebago Branchduckers

If you are you interested in joining the Sebago Branchduckers Snowmobile Club, contact Glenn Snow at 712-0675 or [email protected].

Crop for Project Graduation

Whether you love to scrapbook or have always wanted to learn, add Saturday, Nov. 16, from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. to your calendar now for the Scrapbooking Crop Fundraiser. The cost is $45 per person, and includes lunch and supper. This is the single largest fundraiser for Project Graduation and typically brings in more than $5,000.

In addition to scrapbookers, volunteers are needed for setup Friday night (5-7 p.m.); Saturday morning (7-10 a.m.) and break down from 8-9 p.m. that evening.

Since 2010, Jamie Cook, Jodie David and Dawn Roma have been organizing this all-day crop event, which takes place in the high school gymnasium. The scrapbooking committee is made up of mothers from the class of 2010 who no longer have children attending school but want to continue to give back to the community. If you or your business would like to get involved, or if you would like to sign up for this spectacular day of scrapbooking, contact Jamie Cook at 650-2444.

For more information about Project Graduation and what you or your local business can do to help, please visit www.bonnyeagleprojectgraduation.com.

Correction

I reported incorrect information in the New Steep Falls Clearing article that ran in Sept. 13. Ruby Nelson, the recent college graduate from Cornish, did not receive a gift of 100 acres of land from her parents, she will be leasing 14 of the 100 acres that her folks own.

There were about 40 motorcycles and more than 60 passengers participating in this year’s fundraising ride for the Bonny Eagle High School’s Project Graduation. Between registration fees and raffles, they were able to raise approximately $1,400 for the class of 2014 post-graduation party. Special thanks to Reynolds Motorsports for hosting, the Donut Hole for supplying coffee and donuts before the departure, and The Telephone Guys for hosting a great lunch at BEHS when they finished the 100-mile ride, and many thanks to the local businesses that donated raffle items for the cause.