The South Portlander

Here’s a press release from Savvy Women Wedding Source:
“2009 WEDDING EXPO BENEFITING THE FAMILY CRISIS CENTER”

The Savvy Women Wedding Source will offer brides a one-stop shopping experience to help plan their weddings with ease and convenience.
On Sunday, January 11, The Savvy Women Wedding Source will hold their 2009 Wedding Expo at Make Thyme for Dinner in South Portland. The members include a wedding caterer, baker, florist, photographer, wedding planner, hair salon and spa, make-up consultant, custom jeweler, nutrition and dieting consultant, invitations designer, limousine service, ready-made meals, personal trainer, winery, notary, Premier Bride representative and even a chocolate fountain distributor.
Please visit our website at http://www.savvywomenweddingsource.blogspot.com to learn more about our members.
Benefit Raffle:  All proceeds will be donated directly to the Family Crisis Center of Portland. Each bride will receive a free raffle ticket for registering at the door.
1pm-5pm
Free to the public
Make Thyme for Dinner 443B Western Ave South Portland 04106
(Located in the Jetport Plaza left of Staples and Burlington Coat Factory)

A kerosene spill may have sparked a Christmas Eve fire at 347 Ocean St., according to fire officials.
Lt. Robb Couture, SPFD, reports that: “The cause of the fire house appears to be fuel that was spilled during the refilling of a kerosene heater in the upstairs level.  The alarm went to an ‘all hands’ fire, which is automatic call back of off duty personnel.  No mutual aid towns responded, however the American Red Cross and the Trauma Intervention Program people responded.”
Couture said that crews “encountered heavy fire on the second floor” of the 2 1/2 story apartment building, located near the intersection of Highland Avenue.
He said that the fire was contained to the top two floors of the building and one person injured his hand trying to rescue a pet.
“A firefighter was injured when attempting to exit a stairwell due to a sudden change in fire conditions.  He was transported to MMC for a thumb injury and later released.”

UPDATE: Read more about plans for the citizens’ referendum in an article I wrote for the Current.
ORIGINAL POST: The coastal conflict over pet access to Willard Beach is headed to a new front: the ballot box.
Gary Crosby, a chief critic of dog walkers on the beach year round, has submitted a ballot question to the City Clerk’s office for review by legal counsel.
After it is okayed, Crosby vows to collect the signatures needed to take a law change to referendum. Here is the question and new rules he wants submitted to voters:
“Do you favor changing the existing Willard Beach ordinance to read as follows, in order to limit dogs on Willard Beach?
Sec. 18-66. Dogs prohibited from Willard Beach at certain times. No person owning or in custody or control of any dog shall permit such dog to enter upon Willard Beach between the months of April 15 through October 15. Dogs will be allowed on Willard Beach between October 16th and April 14th on leash under owners control during park hours.”
Crosby will need to collect about 975 signatures from registered voters to get the item on the city ballot in November 2009. Crosby said he and members of Save Willard Beach plan to fan out across the city to get the work done.
Crosby says the proposed law mirrors Maine law at state-owned beaches. He claims that efforts by the Council to revise pet access rules fail to protect the health and safety of residents. Current rules grant dog walkers year-round access, with pets allowed to run off-leash. People can walk their dogs all day during the off-season and from 6-9 a.m. in the late spring and summer.
Click here for an article on the pros and cons of pet access.

South Portland plans to hire an outside consultant to look at commercial properties to help determine if a revaluation of business real estate is needed.
The city plans to use Steve Troubh, who is based in the Boston area. “Steve Troubh has done the city’s commercial properties for a number of years and he is one of the best in New England,” City Manager Jim Gailey said.
I detail the city’s plans in this week’s issue of the Current newspaper.
South Portland is highly dependent on its commercial base, which includes the Maine Mall and dozens of retail and office establishments around it.
The bad economy has resulted in the shutdown of some retail establishments, including Vinny T’s restaurant, TGI Fridays and Tweeter. Office Depot and Linens n Things will close after the holidays. Downeast Mortgage shuttered its office building on Gorham Road. At the same time, Sebago Brewing Co. is leaving a site in the mall parking lot for a new building in Scarborough. Its site may be a challenge to fill.
Maine Mall owner General Growth Properties is strapped for cash, and facing $900 million in mortgage payments due in 2009. The mall owner is trying to sell off some of its prime holdings, including malls in Boston, New York, Baltimore and Providence. The Maine Mall is not for sale, but its general manager quit last summer and has yet to be replaced.
Gailey said it is standard practice for the city to hire a consultant to help in determining and adjusting the commercial tax base. “The commercial assessments are more complicated than the residential, hence the need to hire a consultant,” Gailey said.
Troubh will work with the city’s veteran tax assessor, Elizabeth Sawyer.
Commercial developer Andrew Ingalls recently built a large office building on Waterman Drive that stands empty. Yet Ingalls is not eager for a revaluation. Saying he would “like a tax break like the next guy,” he warns the market is in too much turmoil for the city to adjust values based on present conditions. “I don’t think it’s in the city’s best interest to do so,” he said.
Below is a map of mall-area businesses in South Portland that have closed or may close in 2009. Click on VIEW LARGER MAP for an easier-to-read, screen-size view and the complete listing:


View Larger Map

A heater left running ignited a fire Wednesday afternoon at a two-unit apartment building on Ocean Street, near Highland Avenue. The fire burned in an unoccupied top-floor unit that was being renovated.
One of the renters in another unit and a firefighter suffered minor injuries. The fire caused about $75,000 in damages.

Maine Mall-owner General Growth Properties has put another mall on the block. In addition to malls in Boston, New York and Baltimore, the debt-ridden mall owner is trying to sell Providence Place in Rhode Island.
The mall is in downtown Providence, across from the Rhode Island Convention Center. The mall manager in Providence also manages the Maine Mall.

Ruby Tuesday plans to close about 70 restaurants nationwide in 2009 because of declining sales. There is no word yet on which stores will shut down.
The Tennessee-based company has a restaurant at the Maine Mall.
Ruby Tuesday plans to close 40 restaurants in the third quarter of 2009 and another 30 locations over the next several years.
Several Maine Mall-area stores have announced closings or have shut down because of declining sales. They include TGIFridays, Linens ‘n Things, Office Depot, Tweeter and Vinny T’s. Circuit City is in bankruptcy but so far does not plan to close in South Portland.

Here is a message of giving from two local businesses:
Thanks to Noyes Hall & Allen Insurance and the Concord Group, eleven local families may be a little warmer during this cold snap. Concord Group is sponsoring A Warm Hand, a one-time heating assistance lottery for its homeowners insurance policyholders. They will hold a drawing on the 15th of every month from December to March. The 11 Noyes Hall & Allen clients each won $100 in the December 15 drawing.
Bob O’Brien, Vice President of Noyes Hall & Allen, explains that the agency worked extra hard to notify its customers about the lottery and help them to register. “We mailed 600 post cards to our Concord homeowners policyholders, mentioned it in our blog posts, and made a link on our agency web site directly to Concord’s sign-up page. We believe that effort helped so many of our clients to be among the first month’s winners.” O’Brien knows that the assistance is needed now more than ever. “By providing fuel assistance, Concord Group and we hope that the primary heating appliance will be maintained and temporary heating appliances will not be necessary. We’ve witnessed too many tragedies where space heaters and other temporary heat contributed to loss of property, and loss of life.”
The lottery winners receive a check for $100.00 payable to their heating vendor, which can be an oil dealer, gas company - even a firewood dealer, if that’s the home’s primary fuel source.
O’Brien encourages Concord Group homeowners policyholders who haven’t signed up for the lottery to do so. “You don’t have to be insured by Noyes Hall & Allen - as long as you’re insured by Concord Group. Of course, we’re proud that the commitment we made to spreading the word to our clients literally paid off for them.”
Noyes Hall & Allen Insurance is located at 170 Ocean Street, in the Waterfront Market area of South Portland. They have served local clients since 1933. Concord Group is a leading provider of personal and business insurance and has been serving the needs of New Englanders since 1928.