South Portland News Briefs

SOUTH PORTLAND NOTEBOOK

Hot tub help

A decade after it broke down, the public hot tub at the South Portland Community Center may finally get fixed.

Mayor Tom Blake said a “very small committee” of residents and city staffers held its first meeting Monday with an eye toward raising the repair money city councilors have repeatedly resisted adding to the annual budget.

“It [the hot tub] has major issues and it’s a big expenditure,” said Blake. “It’s just not a priority for us at this time.”

Blake said the plan is to raise money from private sources over the next year, possibly augmented by a modest city match, to buy a new hot tub, although some research will be done to verify whether the old tub is beyond repair.

“I’m appealing to the general public,” said Blake, at Monday’s Council meeting. “We’re looking for one or two people, and maybe a couple of businesses, who would like to join us on this committee.”

Blake said anyone interested in joining or aiding the hot tub committee should contact him or Parks Director Rick Towle through the city website.

“I think we all know Maine is the oldest state in the nation,” said Blake, referring to a recent study that fixed the median age at 42. “So, here in South Portland, we certainly need a working hot tub.”

Senior tax change

The South Portland City Council has amended rules related to a property tax relief program created last year for senior citizens age 70 and older. To qualify, seniors must have lived in South Portland for 10 of the last 12 years, including the most recent two, and must be qualified for the Maine Resident Homestead Property Tax Exemption, the so-called “circuit-breaker” program. However, to better align with the timing of rebates from the state program, applications for the city circuit-breaker, previously due Dec. 1, will now be split in two phases, with payments in the second phase depending on the number of applicant in the first. Phase 1 applications are due between Sept. 1 and Dec. 1 and payable by Feb. 1, with refunds applied to third-quarter tax bills. Phase 2 applications may be submitted between Dec. 2 and April 15, and are payable by May 1, with refunds applied to fourth-quarter bills.

Pool party

The South Portland City Council on Monday adopted state “Rules relating to public pools and spas,” including the requirement that the city health officer conduct annual inspections. South Portland is one of four Maine cities that have delegated authority to conduct health inspections for the state. However, Code Enforcement Officer Pat Doucette said she only recently found out this duty includes nine pools in the city. Doucette said her office is able to take on that work using existing staff, although the health inspector is required to take the appropriate training course. Although Mayor Tom Blake said the new requirement is an example of the state shifting its burdens to the municipal level. However, City Attorney Sally Daggett said the city can charge for the work, including $40 for an “annual routine inspection.” The fee is actually $100, she said, but pool owners only pay $60 when registering with the state, which has not charged for the inspection portion. “It shouldn’t be too much as a surprise [to pool owners], after getting a reduced fee all these years,” said Daggett.

Property purchase

The South Portland City Council voted unanimously Monday to buy a 2-acre parcel with 120-feet of frontage on Highland Avenue for $76,800. The city currently has a 40-foot-wide right-of-way across the lot for entry into the transfer station facility. The purchase will allow the city to widen the drive to better accommodate heavy vehicles, while also created a “buffer zone” to adjoining lots. The city hopes to eventually move its public works garage to the property from O’Neil Street, where residential development has encroached on the site over the years, leading to numerous noise complaints. Although Mayor Tom Blake voted for the purchase, he said the city overpaid for the parcel, which he said is only worth “about $20,000.” The council voted 1-5 against forcing Councilor Linda Cohen to sit out the decision, after she disclosed her daughter to be the broker for the property owner. The purchase money came out of proceeds from the same Sept. 19 auction of a tax-acquired three-unit building at 857 Broadway, taken in June for $15,640 in back taxes dating to 2009. After fees to brokers and attorneys, the city netted $134,216 on the $169,400 sale. The council waived rules normally requiring 30 percent of sale proceeds be put in the city Land Bank, instead directing the portion not already used for the Highland Avenue buy into a reserve account created for construction of the new highway garage.

City churches distribute gifts

At Holy Cross Church on Broadway in South Portland and at St. John’s Church on Route 1 in South Portland, there were approximately 275 gifts collected and delivered to the following agencies: South Portland Food Cupboard, Long Creek Developmental Center, Preble Street Teen Center and Catholic Charities/ St. Elizabeth's Day Program. The hats and mittens on the hat & mitten tree will go to the South Portland Food Cupboard and the Preble Street Teen Center.

SMCC Foundation announces awards

Southern Maine Community College’s Foundation has awarded more than 195 scholarships to students, the largest number of awards in the foundation’s history.

Through the scholarships, more than $210,000 will go directly to Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) students in the 2012-2013 academic year to support them in their academic endeavors. The scholarship recipients and donors were recognized at a Dec. 5 event at the college.

Founded in 2000, the SMCC Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization comprising business and community leaders dedicated to advancing the mission of SMCC. The foundation annually raises vital funds that enable SMCC to enhance key academic programs, revitalize classrooms and equipment, and provide scholarship support for its most deserving students.