Why I Love Calling Scarborough Home

Why I Love Calling Scarborough Home

By Michelle Hayes, Town Council

The only thing better than "Summer in Maine" is summer in Scarborough, Maine! We can take the beauty of our Town for granted, as it's part of our daily landscape. A recent experience caused me to pause and reflect on the uniqueness of our Town. I was walking the Eastern Trail when a family of four biked by. They stopped on the bridge to take in the views of the marsh, kayakers, swimmers, folks fishing, and people basking in the sunshine. The mom asked me to take their picture and asked if I lived nearby. When I smiled and responded yes, she lamented how lucky we were, how beautiful Scarborough is and how nice everyone had been during their first visit to Maine. My chance interaction with summer visitors reinforced my gratitude for selecting Scarborough as my home in 1993.

Speaking of the Eastern Trail, I'm sure many of you have observed the installation of a safety crossing on Pleasant Hill Road. Construction is nearing completion on the 1.6-mile "Close the Gap" segment of the Eastern Trail connecting Scarborough and South Portland. The ET is a 65-mile off-road path between Kittery and South Portland and a tremendous natural resource for Southern Maine. Gratitude to Eastern Trail founder, John Andrews, and a local group of outdoor conservation enthusiasts for their 1997 vision in creating this treasure for future generations.

Maine's primary election was held on June 9 and the entrance to Scarborough High School continued its tradition of being a popular spot for local and statewide candidates to greet Scarborough voters. The Town Council hosted a table for the day and we fielded a myriad of questions on topics including data centers, traffic, taxes, growth, communication, and how to run for Town Council. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, opinions, and recommendations for moving Scarborough forward. It was nice to meet new people and catch up with old friends. A big thank you to our Town Clerk, Kristen Barth, and her team for the smooth administration of our election day. 

Data Centers continue to be a major topic of discussion with resident feedback being resoundingly negative. The Council passed a six-month emergency moratorium on data centers in June. Governor Mills has convened a 17-member Advisory Council to evaluate a statewide approach to data centers, and the meetings are open to the public. You can follow the Maine Data Center Advisory Council's progress by visiting the official Maine Department of Energy Resources webpage. Stay tuned and informed!

The Town Council continues to focus on our goal of increased public outreach, engagement, and transparency. Many of you have participated in one of our 20 "Conversations with Councilors" sessions. The positive feedback we received led the Council Communications Committee to launch the concept of a group of Community Communication Ambassadors. This diverse group of Scarborough residents representing different perspectives, experiences, and neighborhoods, met and shared their thoughts on how we can communicate and engage more effectively as a Town. The two-hour meeting in June generated numerous ideas that will assist the Town in enhancing our communications efforts. Everyone agreed that the loss of the Leader has created a challenge in getting timely information to residents. If you are interested in being part of our ongoing efforts to improve communications in Scarborough, please reach out to us at towncouncil@scarboroughmaine.org or join a future Council Communications Committee meeting.

The Town Council has three seats open for the November 3rd election. In my 8 months on the Council, I've been impressed with the level of citizen engagement and the passion and knowledge from the folks who show up and speak or send us emails. If you're considering a run for office, please reach out to anyone on the Council with your questions. You can pull nomination papers at Town Hall beginning on August 5th with a return deadline of September 2nd. Personally, I've found my first year to be a terrific experience and I'm happy to discuss that with you. You can reach me directly at mhayes@scarboroughmaine.org.

Summer is fleeting and I want to highlight a few community opportunities we can all enjoy. Concerts in the Park is a wonderful Thursday evening summer tradition set in the bucolic Memorial Park. Join in on good music, dancing, food trucks, and a terrific evening with your neighbors aged 2-92. For you shutterbugs in town, there's no better place to put your photography skills to work than the breathtaking Scarborough outdoors. The Town's photo contest is the perfect showcase for your talents. Submissions are ongoing, and contest winners will be announced in September. 

Lastly, if you haven't visited the Sunday morning Farmers' Market (9:00am-1:00pm) at Town Hall, I highly recommend you attend. Grab a cup of fresh roasted Higgins Beach Giuseppe's coffee from their mobile trailer and fill your bags with fresh produce, meats and cheeses, honey, fresh bakery goods, jams, and artisan crafts. I'll see you there!

Carpe Diem!

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.