Attention, Cape history buffs

To the editor,

Cape Elizabeth history buffs, you are in luck.

There is a new, unique, and fun booklet now available about the old trolley line that ran from the area of the old Cape Casino to Portland.

Done by the Cape Historical Preservation Society and researched and created by Ellen Van Fleet and Diane Brakeley as a fundraiser, the booklet is a marvelous tour – by foot, by bike, or by car – of the old Trolley line as it used to exist along Shore Road.

The booklet is filled with interesting, little-known facts about the line and features amazing old photos to help readers find still-existing remnants of the line and envision how it used to look and operate.

For example, did you know it cost 9 cents to travel from Portland to the stop that is now the Rosemont Market? The high sidewalk at the market was used to make it easier to get on and off the trolley there.

Cost of the booklet is only $10 and is great fun for anyone interested in Cape and its history. It’s available at Jordan’s Farm Market, Pond Cove IGA, Portland Head Light Museum, Drillen’s Hardware and Fiddlehead Florist.

Dan Davidson

Cape Elizabeth

Council should consider moratorium

To the editor,

The South Portland Conservation Commission respectfully requests that the city council strongly consider approving a six-month moratorium on development projects of more than two units in the city starting May 1, 2020 and extending through Oct. 31, 2020. We also support the South Portland Land Trust efforts to encourage a moratorium. Our reasons for making this request are as follows:

The Open Space Acquisition Committee needs to be established, members selected and, meetings scheduled. The committee then needs time to develop a list of possible private properties potentially available for purchase as open space. The open space committee will be approved on Aug. 18, but several months will be required to get the committee fully operational.

In the meantime there are at least two properties (Surfsite and Evans/Hill) slated for development in neighborhoods where community members have very high levels of concern about the wisdom of developing those parcels. It was neighborhood activism that persuaded the city council to support a possible purchase of the Piggery.

The same level of citizen anxiety is evident in the Surfsite and Evans Street neighborhoods; these properties deserve additional consideration. This city is struggling with air quality issues. We believe that it is not in our best interests to destroy acres of forested land.

Development of these heavily forested parcels will significantly reduce viable habitat and connectivity between riparian habitats, wildlife habitats and large habitat blocks.

The Land Bank Revision Committee should be able to complete its work by the end of October, thus providing the city with increased means of acquiring open space property.

The move toward a Land Acquisition Bond will further enhance the city’s purchasing power but this bond effort needs time to fully develop.

Thank you for considering our request.

Barbara Dee, Marla LeBlanc, Michael Vincent, Heather Thompson, Katherine Perkins, Cory McKenna, Cathy Chapman