Oak Hill Grange 104 celebrated 25 years of recharting, providing service to the Scarborough community and held an open house on June 2.

The attendees included not only local members, but several who had been at the initial installation, which was held at the nearby First Congregational Church of Scarborough because the major overhaul of the Grange wasn’t complete. The property had recently been saved from demolition and was being restored.

More information and pictures about the history of Grange 104 is available online. Yvonne Johnson, current master of Cumberland County Pomona Grange, returned after 25 years to present Past Master Deborah Densmore, and current lecturer and Grange Past Master Pin and Kerri Densmore, current master, and past lecturer her Past Lecturers Pin. National Grange sent an award certificate for new members.

Also attending was Vicki Huff, state Grange treasurer, who remembered the first installation 25 years ago having to be held at a church. “Kudos for all your hard work in keeping the Grange going and growing for 25 years,” she said.

Mike Griffin, the master from North Scarborough Grange and state Grange overseer, took the floor to thank everybody for their contributions in keeping the Grange alive and relevant. He remarked that his mother had once tap danced on the stage as a little girl.

The Oak Hill Grange community service department is currently allowing the Girl Scouts use of the building in the lower level for their once a month meetings also the Grange is hosting a four-week art painting class on Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m. for all levels. The cost is $125 and includes all supplies. To get more information about this activity, call Master and President Kerri at 207-329-9962.

The Grange’s motto is “American Values, Hometown Roots.” The public is invited to the next Grange meeting on Sept. 1, the first Thursday of the month, starting at 6 p.m. Participants are asked to bring their own sandwich. Grange supplies the coffee and dessert. The Grange is located at 2 Highland Ave., upstairs from Tenants Our School.

Kiwanis announces lunch meeting

Scarborough Kiwanis Club announced that the speaker for its lunch meeting on Friday, June 24, will be Joseph Jackson, director of leadership development at Maine Inside Out. The speaker was rescheduled from May 20. The meeting will take place at Cowbell Burger, 185 Route 1, Scarborough. The meeting is Friday, June 24, from noon to 1 p.m.

Maine Inside Out collaborates with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people to create original theater, which is performed both inside and outside of correctional facilities.

For more information about the event or Scarborough Kiwanis, email the club at scarboroughkiwanis2@gmail.com or call Club Secretary Sherry Forest at 207-883-2775.

Library announces author visit

To kick off adult summer reading on Tuesday, June 21, at 7 p.m., Bill Roorbach, nationally-known author and Scarborough resident, will read from and discuss his latest novel, newly released by Algonquin Books, “Lucky Turtle.”

The author talk is free and open to the public. The program will take place after hours in the center of the library, where chairs can be distanced and there is more room than in the library’s single, large meeting room. Masks are encouraged for audience members.

Registration is required. Visit www.scarboroughlibrary.org/events to register. Copies of “Lucky Turtle” will be available for purchase and Roorbach will be available after the talk for signing. Roorbach has returned from a book tour introducing his latest novel, including a keynote address for the librarians and library staff attending the recent Maine Library Association Conference.

Roorbach is the author of five previous books of fiction, including “The Girl of the Lake,” Kirkus Prize finalist “The Remedy for Love,” bestselling “Life Among Giants” and the Flannery O’Connor Award–winning collection, “Big Bend.” His memoir in nature, “Temple Stream,” won the Maine Literary Award in nonfiction.

Roorbach has received fellowships from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. He held the William H. P. Jenks Chair in Contemporary American Letters at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. His craft book, “Writing Life Stories,” has been in print for 25 years.

Fiddlehead Center receives ecomaine grant

Maine single-sort recycling company ecomaine announced more than $9,500 in grant funding to seven recipients of its 2022 School Recycling Grants, which are designed to raise recycling and composting awareness in schools and communities, and to help schools implement more efficient recycling programs or add composting to their waste collection.

Caleb Hemphill, chair of ecomaine’s Outreach and Recycling Committee, in a June 7 news release, said “ecomaine seeks to provide this funding to help jumpstart some of the programming around recycling, compost, and waste reduction. Providing resources to students to directly engage in thoughtful waste reduction and management is an important goal to us. I am very pleased to see such thoughtful and creative proposals from our students and educators.”

The recipients are located in many parts of the state, and proposed a variety of programs designed to divert waste from landfills:

Appletree School, Cape Elizabeth: Raised beds and soil for compost utilization.
Fiddlehead Center for the Arts, Scarborough: Composting materials.
Fiddlehead Center for the Arts and Sciences, Gray: Composting materials.
King Middle School, Portland: countertop dishwasher, sporks, flatware organizer, and bus tubs to help replace the plastic-wrapped plastic utensils in their cafeteria.
Lyseth Elementary School, Portland: Composting materials.
The Ecology Learning Center, Unity: Classroom waste sorting and collection systems infrastructure.
Westbrook Middle School: Classroom recycling infrastructure and a water bottle refill station.

Recipients were chosen by ecomaine’s Outreach and Recycling Committee based on the following criteria:

(1.) Project outline and school commitment.

(2.) Ease of project replication.

(3.) Likelihood of success and program sustainability.

(4.) How compelling and worthy the funding is, overall.

Along with its grants program, ecomaine also promotes increased public awareness of sustainable waste management through its eco-Excellence Awards, Upcycle Challenge, Recycling is a Work of Art painting contest, and a public education and outreach program. So far this fiscal year, ecomaine has reached more than 71,000 school children and members of the public through grants, tours, presentations and events.

Saco & Biddeford Savings donates office furniture

Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution has donated more than 100 pieces of office furniture to six local organizations. The like-new furniture came from branch renovations in Saco, Biddeford, Old Orchard Beach, Scarborough and South Portland.

Lou McAuliffe, facilities & security manager for Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution,  got the idea to donate the furniture and invited local nonprofits to each location before renovations started. Nonprofits were able to select office furniture that fit their needs, and the Saco & Biddeford Savings facilities team was on hand to help load vehicles for transportation and delivery.

“When we looked at the condition of the furniture, we knew it needed to be rehomed because it has so much life left in it,” said McAuliffe in an email. “Giving back to the communities we serve is part of who we are, and it just made sense for this stuff to continue to be useful to others. We thought this was the perfect way to honor our commitment to our communities.”

Donated items included desks, guest seating, filing cabinets and bookshelves.

Ray joins Fontaine Family Team

Fontaine Family -The Real Estate Leader announced the addition of Molly Ray to the team at its Auburn location.

According to a June 6 news release, “Ray grew up in Gardiner, where she attended Gardiner Area High School. She has 13 years experience in customer service and sales, primarily working in network marketing while being a stay at home mom. She’s done a little of everything, however, her favorite jobs have been when she can meet the specific needs of others.”

The Fontaine Family Team serves eight counties – Androscoggin, Cumberland, York, Sagadahoc, Oxford, Kennebec, Franklin and Somerset – in two locations, 336 Center St. in Auburn and 432 Route 1 in Scarborough. For more information, visit BrendaFontaine.com or call 207-784-3800 or 207-289-3830.

Local students named to Assumption University dean’s list

Assumption University announced those who have been named to the university’s dean’s list for the spring 2022 semester. Local students include:

Lucy Malia, Scarborough, class of 2022; Morgan Maddock, Scarborough, class of 2023; and Mollie Verreault, Scarborough, class of 2025.

Local students earn degrees at University of Vermont

This year’s commencement at the University of Vermont marked a return to a traditional celebration outdoors on the University Green after two years of re-imagined ceremonies due to pandemic restrictions.

The following students graduated during commencement ceremonies in May:

Madeleine Prosack, Scarborough, graduated with a bachelor of science in biological science.

Scarborough Land Trust announces summer programs

Scarborough Land Trust recently released a list of summer programs it has lined up to date:

Table at the Scarborough Farmer’s Market twice this summer, with the first being June 12.
Wildflower, Walk June 22, 10 a.m.
Bat Program, June 25 (more info coming soon).
Youth Wildflower Walk, June 28 (more info coming soon).
Story Time at the Survivor Elm, June 29, 10 a.m.
Firefly Program, July 6, 8 p.m.
Mushroom Foraging, July 9, (more info coming soon).

For more information, email awilson@scarboroughlandtrust.org.

Attorneys receive leading lawyer distinction

South Portland resident Sharon G. Newman, and Scarborough resident, Elizabeth A. Campbell, of the law firm Preti Flaherty, were recently recognized by the legal directory Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

Newman was recognized in the field of Environment. Campbell was recognized in the field of Litigation: Medical Malpractice & Insurance Defense.

A total of sixteen attorneys from Preti Flaherty were recognized in the directory of notable lawyers and law firms.

Brenner named co-chair of committee that will oversee new fund to address PFAS contamination

Sen. Stacy Brenner, D-Scarborough, has been appointed by Senate President Troy Jackson to serve as co-chair of the advisory committee that will oversee the Fund to Address PFAS Contamination. The primary mission of the advisory committee will be to make recommendations on the use of the fund.

“Over the last two years, my colleagues and I in Augusta have made strong progress in addressing PFAS contamination and preventing further proliferation throughout our state,” said Sen. Brenner in a June 8 news release. “One of the most important actions we took was to set aside $60 million for a new PFAS trust fund – money that will be absolutely critical as we support affected Mainers, expand our testing capacity and work to remediate contamination. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to help decide how this money is used and ensure we’re doing all we can in order to protect public health for future generations.”

The committee will consist of 15 members, and its primary mission will be to make recommendations on use of the Fund to Address PFAS Contamination. To that end, they will research and consult with stakeholders, including holding at least two public hearings annually and taking public comment. Additionally, they will develop methods for determining parameters of the fund’s components, including:

Determining financial assistance offerings, evaluating agricultural land valuation.
Establishing research priorities and assessing research proposals and establishing the need for and scope of long-term health monitoring and land monitoring, and offer recommendations to alter the fund components.
Developing processes and criteria to be used to determine funding awards.
Creating a time frame for the implementation of the fund and for the consideration of applications for fund programs and issuance of payments, including, but not limited to, land appraisals and income tax statements.
Recommending changes to the administration of the fund and corresponding programs to the Legislature.
Ensuring that applicants for fund programs are able to participate in the process.
Assessing where and how the fund would be best housed and operated within the State Government in the future. Take into consideration recommendations, including suggested legislation, of the advisory committee.

The advisory committee will be required to submit an annual report back to the Legislature’s committees that oversee agricultural matters and environmental matters, beginning March 1, 2023. The legislative committees are authorized to report out legislation based on the findings of the report.

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