Re-elect Stacy Brenner as senator for District 30

To the editor,

I am proud to count Stacy Brenner as a friend, and even prouder of her service as a State Senator for District 30 covering Scarborough and Gorham.

She would rather be known for running a successful business at Broadturn Farms and being active as a board member of farm organizations than as a politician. Yet, in Augusta, she is known as a leading protector of Maine’s environment and a fighter against the perils of climate change.

She is proud of her work career as a nurse midwife protecting the health of countless newborn babies, and in Augusta she has become a champion of women’s reproductive health rights and expansion of quality and affordable health care for all Mainers. During the covid pandemic, she stepped up to volunteer at a local covid vaccine clinic to save lives.

I wish we had more “politicians” like Stacy Brenner.

Dr. Carol M. Davis
Scarborough

To the editor,

I first met Sen. Brenner when she made a presentation to the Scarborough Kiwanis Club, reporting on important legislation enacted during the 2021 legislative session. Having worked for and with state legislators for nearly 25 years, I was impressed with her understanding of the legislative process and issues, despite serving her first term.

Shortly after meeting her, I contacted Sen. Brenner regarding a residential energy cost issue and when the 2022 legislative session began, she prepared an amendment to address the matter. Ultimately, Sen. Brenner was successful in working with her colleagues to address the issue I raised and the legislation, including her amendment, was enacted.

In my dealings with Sen. Brenner, I have found her to be intelligent, responsive to me as her constituent, and effective as my State Senator. That is why I strongly support her for reelection in order that my family and other constituents in her district can continue to benefit from her service.

John Grew
Scarborough

To the editor,

It is important to get out the vote to re-elect Senator Stacy Brenner. A new legislator this past session, she hit the ground running showing her care and passion for making a difference for us in the state of Maine. As a small business owner and nurse, she has a stake in the future of Maine. For all issues, she makes herself accessible, listens carefully, and reaches out for clarifying information.

She has been an advocate for education, healthcare and the environment. She worked to strengthen drug price transparency, worked to fund 55% of K-12 public education costs, promoted access to affordable housing and health, and took on PFAS contamination to name just a few issues. She obviously is committed to improving the lives of all Mainers. Please send her back to the State House with your vote.

Ruby Parker
Scarborough

Vote yes on library expansion

To the editor,

Scarborough is one of the fastest growing areas in Maine, and needs to expand public services to accommodate both old and newer members of our community. Schools, public works, and public safety facilities have all been recently expanded to meet these growing demands, and now it’s time to Vote YES for the Library expansion! Our town has enjoyed library services for well over 100 years, and the current building is cramped and crowded. The proposed expansion will finally provide enough room for both collections and programs in a way that is accessible for all. The expansion will provide additional computer and workshop space, meeting spaces, and flexible performance and exhibit spaces. An expanded library will take the building from being inadequate to being much more useable. There will be increased space for collections, better space for the Library’s hard-working staff, and larger venues for community programs and services for all ages, in a green and sustainable structure. We cannot afford to wait any longer.

Ellen Detlefsen
member of Scarborough Public Library Board of Trustees and retired librarian
Scarborough

To the editor,

Active planning for the expansion of the Scarborough Public Library has been ongoing for five years. The present library is more than 30 years old and the population in Scarborough has doubled in that time. In 2018 the Library Trustees hired a library consultant to plan a library for the future. Using his data and working with a local architect, we developed a 2-story expansion plan to provide flexible library space for Scarborough. The proposed 35k square foot library will be in the middle of the pack of area libraries based on current population. The flexibility in our current planned expansion will allow us to quickly respond to future changes. A healthy, thriving Scarborough needs a healthy, thriving library to better serve the community right now and into the future. Isn’t it time to support the improvement of one of our cherished community assets?

Vote YES for the Library expansion.

Susan M. Powell
member of Scarborough Public Library Board of Trustees
Scarborough

To the editor,

I have been paying taxes to Scarborough for over 20 years. During those years I have used the library and its services many times. Everyone talks about how much Scarborough has grown in the past 20 years. But the library has not grown at all. Staff have done their best with the space they have. Now there is no more extra space to work with. The proposed expansion will finally provide enough room to present the collections in a way that will be accessible to all. Now books are stacked so high, so low, and so tightly, that they are hard to remove from the stacks. The expansion will also provide additional computer and workshop rooms, meeting spaces, and flexible performance and exhibit spaces. The size of the expanded library will take the building from woefully inadequate to merely modest on a square foot/per capita basis. Please vote YES for the library.

Kathy Paul
Scarborough

Vote NO on library expansion

To the editor,

I have nothing against the library or the approximately 27% who use it. I also don’t disagree that the library could perhaps use more space. But this proposed library expansion, at nearly 3 times the size it is now, is excessive.

Over the past few weeks I’ve had many discussions with friends/residents regarding this expansion request and this is what I’m hearing…”It’s way too big, not many people use it, we’re going to need a school, who goes to the library” and more.

Part of these discussions were also about the faltering economy, rising interest rates, ongoing pandemic and huge increases in oil, food costs, medical care, gas, electricity, and more. Also, new K-2 school is NEEDED soon and we all know how costly that will be. We will be voting on that next year. I’m not opposed to an addition to the library, I’m opposed to the size of it! I’ll be voting NO!

Paula Corbeau-O’Brien
Scarborough

To the editor

The proposed library expansion is far too big and expensive. Our town simply cannot justify a library of 35,000 sq ft.

With the library’s selective use of only towns with libraries having larger square feet per capita in its analysis, they ignored the many towns with libraries smaller than ours.

They also ignored the fact that our town has one of the lowest percentages of population with a library card.

Meanwhile, our world has gone digital. Nationally, there has been a steady, long running decline in the use of public library buildings over the last few decades. We need a properly sized library for the current and future use by our population. The real issues here are square footage, the number of borrowers (usage) and costs.

This $13MM library proposal is for a 170-seat theater/teen center/afterschool daycare/conference room hub. Let’s expand our library to suit our current and future needs.

Vote No.

Susan Hamill
Scarborough

To the editor

The library began planning its expansion well before 2020, when interest rates for projects like this were at record lows, like mortgage rates for homebuyers. The library needs to take a hard look and cut the cost of its expansion. Voters must tell this to the library with a NO vote on the ballot.

The Fed has raised interest rates significantly this year and more increases are likely coming. Mortgage rates for home buyers have already doubled since the beginning of the year, from 3% to 6% and they will go higher.

The town will be bonding $13 million to pay for the expansion. The total cost of the project over 30 years, including interest and principal, will be $22 million at 4%; at 6%, it will be $28 million.

The plan needs to be revised and reduced as expanding the current library by 2.7 times is excessive. Taxpayers, vote no!

John Frazier
Scarborough