South Portland News Briefs

Dead River rollout

Dead River Company, a longtime provider of home heating oil and propane based in South Portland, announced Oct. 4 that it is entering the electricity market, partnering with Biddeford-based Thermal Energy Storage of Maine to sell off-peak power via Central Maine Power and Bangor-Hydro lines to high-density ceramic storage bricks for use at any time. Dead River is offering rebates of up to $4,500 off installation of the Electric Thermal Storage units and expects to supply electricity at below-standard offer rates equivalent to $2.90/gal. for home heating oil. For more information, go to www.deadriver.com/electricity.

Celebrate schools

South Portland Middle School students are slated to join their peers from Portland Public Schools, Levy Day School, STRIVE  and the Boy Singers of Maine for a “Celebrate Schools!” event to be held Oct. 13-14 at the Maine Mall. The first day will feature dance, readings, singing, a fashion show, science exhibits, bowl painting and screen-printing. The second day will feature a LEGO building competition to raise money to replace equipment lost in a Sept. 17 electrical fire at Portland’s Hall Elementary School, which destroyed three classrooms. For information, go to www.mainemall.com.

Fire fear

According to Lt. Robb Couture of the South Portland Fire Department Office of Public Information, local fire officials are backing the International Association of Fire Chiefs, which is criticizing “misinformation” in an Oct. 3 spot on NBC-TV’s Today Show about ionization smoke detectors. The fear, Couture said, is that viewers of the show may discard their ionization detectors. While the IAFC acknowledges that ionization detectors are slower than their photoelectric counterparts to detect a smoldering fire, they react faster to actual flames. The best protection, said Couture, is for homeowners and landlords to equip their properties with both kinds of smoke detectors.

School director sought

The South Portland City Council is soliciting applications for a one-year term on the school board to fill a seat vacated by Jeffrey Selser, who resigned Sept. 7 to take a coaching job at Mahoney Middle School. Selser was in the middle of a a three-year term, having won election to an at-large seat in November 2011. Applications of the position are available at www.southportland.org, and are due by Oct. 18. The council will deliberate at an Oct. 22 workshop on all applications received and make an appointment at its Nov. 5 regular meeting.  The appointee will serve until November 2013, when a special election will be held to fill the final year of Selser’s term.

Sable Oaks certification

A special planning ceremony will be held 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesday, Oct. 16, at Sable Oaks Golf Course in South Portland to celebrate the facility’s recent certification in environmental planning from Audubon International for its efforts to restore Long Creek, which passed though the site. Slated to be on hand are representatives from the Long Creek Management District, the Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District, the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.