The Power of Possible

The Power of Possible

By Cory Fellows, Town Council Chair

The Scarborough Town Council had a very busy spring, culminating in a 5+ hour meeting on May 20th during which budgets were approved, a new short-term rental ordinance was passed, and an emergency six-month moratorium on data centers advanced past first reading. Behind each of these were countless hours of committee-level discussions, staff work, and public engagement – including dozens of “Conversations with Councilors” events held at several locations around town and online dating back to last fall, along with hundreds of resident emails. There were candid and sometimes passionate discussions and deliberations, and while there wasn’t always unanimity I believe we can be proud of what we accomplished.  

Much of the discourse around these and other issues inevitably focuses on negatives, including concerns about costs, congestion, and impacts on our quality of life. How can we cut spending and limit taxes? How can we control growth? How can we reduce traffic congestion? These questions are of course perfectly valid and relevant, and it’s important that we listen to concerns and do our best to address them. But while immersed in the moment and grappling with perceived constraints, we sometimes lose sight of what we can do. 

We Scarborough residents are blessed with a lot of intrinsic geographical advantages, including our coastline, Maine’s largest salt marsh, and close proximity to the Maine Turnpike and greater Portland. But many of the things that we now take for granted required real imagination, willpower, investment, and some level of risk-taking. We have great schools because we’ve consistently invested in them. We have more public beach access than most other communities in New England because the Town secured ownership of oceanfront land and maintains parking and other amenities. We have over 7,000 acres of protected open space – nearly a quarter of Scarborough’s total land mass, and working toward a goal of 30% – because landowners, local leaders and taxpayers have valued and prioritized it. 

None of these was inevitable. Each required both political will and financial commitments. It’s safe to say that many of the decisions were hotly debated. But leaders worked through the challenges and delivered infrastructure and amenities that all of us benefit from today and would not want to give up. Most importantly, in my mind, they had the imagination and courage to envision and pursue things as they could be and not as they always had been.

Scarborough’s Comprehensive Plan is rightly cited by many when discussing our town’s values and vision. Certain guiding principles come quickly to mind, such as environmental stewardship and fiscal sustainability. These are no doubt central to our identity and priorities. But another, oft-overlooked principle behind the Plan is being bold – “Lead with purpose and take proactive steps to plan the future of the community.” To me that means focusing not just on holding the line and preventing negative outcomes, but on leaving room for promoting positive change. It means imagining how our needs and lifestyles may change – then planning and acting accordingly.

So, what seems difficult or even impossible now but is worth envisioning and figuring out? One example that comes immediately to mind for me is making our roadways, including Route 1, more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly. During recent conversations about the Maine Department of Transportation’s proposed approach to re-engineering Route 1 across the marsh, I heard several people comment that “no one in their right mind would want to bike or walk along there.” That may be true now, but that’s because the road in its current form is completely car-centric and is actively hostile toward human-scale movement. But we know it’s possible to provide protected lanes for walkers and cyclists without sacrificing vehicle lanes; it’s ultimately about design and cost. While reasonable people can disagree about whether the Town and/or the State should make the extra investments necessary to bring it to fruition, I don’t think it should be dismissed out of hand just because it’s hard to imagine now based on current conditions. 

This is the same logic I applied to the recently approved Metro bus pilot project. As with biking or walking along Route 1 through the marsh, the idea of transit in car-centric Scarborough conflicts with our current reality and challenges our imaginations. But as leaders we have a responsibility to think about what type of future we want for our community. And in both cases we did hear from many who want us to take these small leaps. 

I view things like a community center and library expansion similarly. They may seem like long-shots now given fiscal challenges and competing priorities, and we obviously cannot go on buying sprees with taxpayer money just because some things would be nice to have. But there is undoubtedly a strong case to be made for such enhancements given their civic value and broad constituency – especially in an age where in-person social connections, which are closely tied to physical and mental health – are harder to come by. 

So yes, let’s continue to be fiscally responsible and take a deliberate approach to new initiatives. But let’s also use our imagination and push the envelope of what’s possible.

As always, please feel free to contact me at cfellows@scarboroughmaine.org with your thoughts or questions.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Scarborough Town Council.