The Scarborough Town Council on Wednesday decided to once again delay its vote on the license renewal of a hotel that has been the source of over 150 emergency service calls in the last three months, compared to 101 in all of 2021.
The Comfort Inn & Suites on Route 1 is providing temporary housing to clients of The Opportunity Alliance, a Cumberland County social services agency. The high number of emergency calls, including 91 in March, has drawn complaints from nearby businesses and residents. The council on May 18, noting that the hotel’s new owner was taking steps to stem the calls, delayed a vote on the license renewal.
“Since the matter was tabled, there have been discussions and I’m pleased to report there has been progress made,” Town Manager Tom Hall said. “There is more to be done, and that’s part of what I hope you consider this evening … perhaps giving it a little more time for the matter to mature.”
The council voted 5-1 to delay a vote on the renewal.
Owner AJ Dhillon has worked to improve safety measures since taking over in March by hiring a private security team and installing cameras. Emergency calls were reduced to 33 per month in both April and May.
Conditions of the proposed license renewal include 24/7 on-site security and on-site social services 40 hours per week. Dhillon has met the first requirement and The Opportunity Alliance is advertising for the full-time social services professional.
However, some councilors are skeptical.
“We’re essentially taking a business, that’s core business is to operate as a hotel, and essentially asking it to start operating as a homeless shelter,” said Councilor Jon Anderson, the only councilor to vote against postponing the renewal. “It’s a hotel seeking a license to operate as a specific business and, through the data we’ve seen, they haven’t been operating as a good business in Scarborough.”
Councilor Ken Johnson wants to see another significant drop in calls by the time the license is up for a vote again in July.
“What are we doing about the folks who live outside there that are being affected by this,” Johnson said, noting that on-site security and services may not make an impact beyond the hotel’s property. “There’s been an uptick in minor crime; theft, things like that. What are we doing to mitigate that?”
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