The South Portlander: Multimedia

VIDEO: City Presents Gift to West End Trails Group

City Manager Jim Gailey (right) and Councilor Jim Hughes present the West End Trails Committee with a gift: a sign to mark the beginning of the new Clark’s Pond Trail. Gailey and Hughes presented the gift during the group’s meeting at the Western Avenue Fire Station. Councilor-elect Tom Coward and planning board member Mark Gandolfo also attended the meeting, which was run by city councilor and trail committee member Tom Blake and South Portland Land Trust head Richard Rottkov. During the meeting, the West End group presented a slide show summarizing its accomplishments over the past three years and discussed its plans for future development of hiking and walking trails and bike trails in the city’s West End, near the Maine Mall. Gailey said the city will give six more signs to the group to help mark the trail.

VIDEO: Long Creek Trail Developed

The South Portland Land Trust, city of South Portland and Maine Conservation Corps have partnered to develop a unique trail system along Long Creek that offers a stunning walk through a woodland of old growth trees that has been undisturbed for a century. Members of the conservation corps are completing the trail this week, but there are long-range plans to provide parking off Westbrook Street, a boat ramp for kayaks and canoes and a connection to Portland’s trail network.
Hikers have views of Long Creek, tall oaks and pines, and the cityscape of Portland. Although you feel as though you are walking back in time—to an era when SoPo was less settled—the woods are located in the middle of the most developed part of the city.
Once completed, the trail head will be near Wild Willy’s Burgers and wind behind the former Youth Center. The best way to access the trail now is to park behind Youth Alternatives, located in the former Youth Center cattle barn, in the Brick Hill development.
Here is a video of City Councilor Tom Blake, a founder of the Land Trust, talking about this most unusual trail:

SLIDESHOW: A Day at the Polls

South Portland—like most of Maine and the rest of the nation—braced for a high turnout today at the polls. Here’s a collection of photos from a day of voting. Check back after 10 for election results.

Video: Armory Hearing Attracts Full House

The South Portland City Council got an earful of warnings and complaints Monday night, when the city held its first-ever public hearing on the vacant armory, which was purchased in 2006.
From Dick Olson’s testimony (shown above) that the purchase was a “dumb” decision to architect Leah Muliero’s warning that the building will be a “money pit,” most residents urged the city not to try to re-develop the World War II-era warehouse as a future City Hall.
The economic issues outweigh the aesthetic appeal, said Muliero, who estimated the building would take about $5 million to renovate. The Mill Creek-Knightville Neighborhood, which she represents, is suggesting the city keep storing vehicles there and also move the emergency dispatch center to the building. The center is currently located in a basement office, which Muliero noted is not an idea location during flood emergencies or a hurricane.

VIDEO: Council Won’t Rush Law Change on Pets at Beach

About 25 people showed up for a City Council workshop Wednesday night that revealed the dueling proposals for pet access to Willard Beach.
The official Willard Beach task force report was heard, as well as City Councilor Maxine Beecher’s counter-proposal to ban dogs from Willard Beach during summer months. (See Beecher’s speech, above.)
But based on statements made Wednesday night, Beecher may have a hard time building Council support for her proposed ordinance change. The task force report, by comparison, was well-received by most Council members.
It calls for increased enforcement of existing laws that allow dogs on the beach during certain hours. The report also suggests a fee system—in the form of an annual pass—that charges both South Portlanders and out-of-towners who use the beach for dog walking. The money would pay for a full-time animal control officer, as opposed to the current part-timer officer who also works in Cape Elizabeth.
But the task force stopped short of recommending new limits to pet access.
After hearing Assistant City Manager Erik Carson give the report, Councilor Claude Morgan suggested that the summer hours be changed from 6 to 9 a.m. to 7 to 10 a.m., to keep early morning noise levels down in the neighborhood.
Councilor Jim Hughes, who co-chaired the task force with Morgan, agreed with Morgan’s proposal.
Councilor Linda Boudreau suggested the Council hold workshops and public hearings prior to making any decisions about adopting the recommendations. Boudreau emphasized that she does not want to rush into any rule making without ample time for public input. Boudreau’s position seems to run counter to Beecher’s strategy for introducing a law change at this Monday’s Council meeting.
Boudreau also said that if the Council cannot reach a consensus, pet access to the beach should be brought to referendum.
Councilor Tom Blake also stressed the need for public notice and input.
Beecher was one of the last members to speak. She said that the Council has been dealing with complaints about dogs on the beach for nearly 20 years, and it is time to act.
Mayor Jim Soule closed the workshop discussion by noting that he expects the Council to vote to accept the task force’s recommendations. Soule also asked Beecher whether she planned to withdraw her motion. She said, “No.”