Welcome to the second edition of the Insider, a guide to the communities of Westbrook, Gorham and Buxton.

We hope this guide will be a helpful resource to those new to the community and a handy reference tool for those who have been here for years. It contains contact information for elected officials and government employees who can help residents access or understand how to use the services their local government provides.

These are three great, growing communities to live or work in. For the last two decades, Westbrook has been rebuilding as its paper mill, which provided for this community in so many ways for so many years, was slowly becoming a smaller and smaller part of life and the overall economy in this city. The odor once associated with the pulp mill and this city for so long are gone, and the city is beginning to attract new residents and jobs.

Idexx, a company that develops veterinary equipment, announced an enormous expansion last year. Kohl’s has taken over the once vacant Bradlee’s Plaza. Once an empty and decaying industrial building, the Dana Warp Mill is now home to numerous small businesses. Across the street, One Riverfront Plaza is home to Disability RMS, a company that administers disability insurance for other companies, and hundreds of jobs. In recent years, new restaurants have begun to spring up in the downtown. Westbrook Housing has been turning the city’s old school buildings into affordable homes. The city has come a long way since the mill started downsizing in the early 1990s.

Once farming communities, Gorham and Buxton have had to face the challenges of dealing with growing residential populations in recent years, as sprawl continues its steady march out from Portland. Young families who want to raise their children in small communities with good schools have understandably flocked to these towns. This growth has brought change. Gorham built a new middle school in recent years. Buxton recently stopped electing a road commissioner and created a department of public works.

It appears as though these two communities will continue to grow, and that will undoubtedly bring more changes, as the services the town and schools provide will be stretched to meet the needs of a growing public.

This guide is designed to help the public navigate the services available to them and the community around them. Keep it handy for the next time you’re wondering: Where can I get a hunting license? How can I contact my local town councilor? Or, Is the library open today? You’ll find the answers to those questions and more inside.