Aug. 18, 1993

The Westbrook City Council voted 4-2 Monday to rezone 32.8 acres on Route 302 in the Duck Pond region. It would shift from Business Limited Highway to Business Highway status. The change needs a second vote before it’s final and could be vetoed by Mayor Fred Wescott. It affects about 20 acres owned by William Gowen and smaller lots belonging to the Hawkes family and to Paul Cormier, on the west side of 302. Many neighbors spoke against the change, which the Planning Board did not recommend.

Westbrook resident Kathy Enking was still waiting Monday for someone to secure the house next door and to remove trash in the driveway there. She lives at 96 Brackett St., and from her backyard has a good view of the state-owned, unoccupied house at 92 Brackett St. Enking said tenants moved out May 1 and left behind trash inside and outside the building. Ann Crocker of the Maine State Housing Authority said the house was purchased through the authority’s low-income lending program. But the couple with the loan was unable to make payments and a foreclosure resulted. City attorney Richard Sullivan said he and Code Enforcement Officer Harry LeCLair walked the property Aug. 2. “I can certainly understand the neighbors’ point of view,” said Sullivan.

Gorham police acted out a Hollywood-style car chase last week while television cameras rolled for the popular syndicated series, “Real Stories from the Highway Patrol.” The show will air locally on Channel 51 late next month. The scenes recreated a high-speed pursuit that took place seven years ago through town, said Lt. Ron Shepard. Along with Sgt. Wayne Coffin and Sgt. Bob Mailman, he was part of the real chase. Shepard said the re-enactment was filmed between 1 and 5 a.m. and most scenes required just one take. “I guess we were all good actors,” he said.

Two Gorham residents are being sought to join a committee and help choose up to $40,000 worth of artwork to adorn the $7,940,000 high school expansion. The state Percent for Art program mandates that 1 percent of the total cost be spent on art, with a maximum of $40,000. Project manager Glori  Leveillee points to the Ron Cross sculptures at Village School as an example that the art does not have to be “safe” or bland. The committee will work from September to December, then forward its selection to the school board.

On July 25, the Kent’s Stables, Fort Hill Road, Gorham, dedicated a horse-jumping event in memory of their young friend, Sara Brown, who died in a tragic crash in June. Sara had hopes to eventually enter her new foal, High Hopes, in a future Olympic competition. She was everyone’s friend and the Kents feel she will not be forgotten. They plan to hold this horse -umping event annually in her memory. Best competitor this year who took the trophy was Sara Hardy from Belgrade.

An ad appearing in the Press Herald yesterday advertised the position of Westbrook city assessor. Mayor Fred Wescott said yesterday that Jim Jessen, assessor since Phil Spiller’s administration, has resigned effective this Friday. Jessen’s wife, Jean, assistant assessor, remains under city employ.

Aug. 20, 2003

Although it doesn’t replace the downtown grocery story Westbrook lost more than 30 years ago, the new Hannaford on William Clarke Drive that opened Aug. 10 is the most convenient access to groceries many city residents have had in years. “It’s a wonderful thing,” said Westbrook resident Margaret Lowell, who also was quick to point out that the new store doesn’t match the convenience of the A&P that closed on Main Street in the early 1970s. Residents in the nearby Hawkes Street neighborhood had to endure some inconvenience during the construction of the new building and the demolition of the old box factory that used to be on the land. The new store will employ 210 people.

“I’ll never complain about anything again,” said Scott McKinley, 22, after returning home from Iraq last week. McKinley, now a former U.S. Marine Corps corporal who spent several months in the Middle East, found a big egg omelet at Olivia’s in Westbrook pretty tasty after chowing in the desert on the military’s ready-to-eat meals that come sealed in brown plastic bags. McKinley said that it was awesome to be home with his mother, Susan, in Gorham for the first time in a year. “We take it for granted,” he said. McKinley is a grandson of a World War II prisoner of war, Raymond Reitze of Buxton.

Mayor Don Esty has named Suzanne Joyce to fill the Ward 5 City Council seat, which has been empty since Jennifer Connolly moved to Massachusetts last month. Joyce said she plans to seek the Democratic nomination for the seat at the caucus in September. She and her husband, Joseph, have two children, an 8-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn, and a 7-year-old son, Collin.

The Redeemer Lutheran Church of Cape Elizabeth is pulling up roots and moving to Gorham, a more central location that members hope will appeal to a wider range of people. Earlier this month the church hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at the new 22-acre parcel at Route 114 and McLellan Road. Plans for the new building have not been finalized, but it will be a traditional church with a steeple and cross in front. The church started 40 years ago on Spurwink Avenue in Cape Elizabeth and is the largest Lutheran church in Maine.

York Cumberland Housing, an affordable housing agency founded in Gorham in 1972, is moving its School Street headquarters into Portland’s Bayside neighborhood. Dana Totman, president of the nonprofit, said the organization has outgrown is 3,000 square feet, and that the Portland neighborhood is probably more in need of affordable housing than any other area in the state. York Cumberland Housing manages more than 900 units of affordable housing in southern Maine.

This photo shows Yudy’s Tire Company occupying the building on the left, Saco Street intersecting with Main Street, and the Westbrook Farmer’s Union Farm Supply Store at 968 Main St. Yudy’s went out of business and the building was divided to house several businesses. The Farmer’s Union Store closed and the building was demolished. To see more historical photos and artifacts, visit the Westbrook Historical Society at the Fred C. Wescott Building, 426 Bridge St. It is open Tuesdays and Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon, and the first Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m., September-June. Inquiries can be emailed to [email protected]. The website is www.westbrookhistoricalsociety.org.