June 8, 1988

The old parish house of the First Parish Church in Gorham will ring with the shouts of toddlers in September when the University of Southern Maine opens a childe care program in that space, and also in part of the new parish house across the street. Trustees at the University of Maine approved the plan at a May 23 meeting. First Parish Church officials and the congregation also approved the plan, which calls for the university to lease the historic building on School Street. The Planning Board granted site plan approval Monday, but not without hearing neighbors complain that they had not been adequately informed about the church’s plans and that the magnitude of the project – up to 157 children – would impact traffic. The new program will serve community children as well of those of USM faculty and staff.

Gorham voters will decide Tuesday, June 11, whether they should spend $1,200,620 to bond an expansion to the Municipal Center to provide more room for the police department and other town offices. The expansion would create a new wing off the side of the building facing Narragansett School, and would also increase space in the second floor by using dormers. The first floor of the new wing would create an expanded area for the police department. Town Manager Don Gerrish said he was delighted the town had received bids that were lower than the $1.5 million that town officials had originally projected.

The Westbrook Planning Board will meet June 13 for a final look at a new comprehensive plan for the city before turning it over to the council for public discussion and a vote on approval. The plan calls for new zone names, two new zones, impact fees, commercial design restrictions, “affordable” housing and an east-west turnpike extension through the city. The board received the plan last week from consultant Mark Eyerman, formerly city planner. The zoning map changes would permit the Pearl Co.’s Mill Brook Heights, one of the biggest housing projects proposed in the city. It calls for 261 single-family homes in a stretch of Prides Corner land a quarter of a mile long. The 236 acres would be in a new zone, “Multi Family Residential.” Westbrook’s present comprehensive plan was prepared by the Planning Board in 1977.

Thirty-five Saco Street residents petitioned the Westbrook City Council Monday to oppose all three east-west turnpike proposals that cross Saco Street. “Westbrook residents should not accept having neighborhoods cut in half for the convenience of outlying communities,” they wrote.

A new playground went up last weekend at the White Rock School in Gorham, thanks to the efforts of more than 100 volunteers organized by the Gorham Playground Committee. It is the second wooden playground complex to be constructed in Gorham this year.

A fishing derby along the Presumpscot River, Bridge Street to S.D. Warren, June 17 and 18, will be part of Westbrook Together Days again this year. Last year 50 fishermen caught brook and brown trout, eels, etc. Arrangements are being made by Alderman Lyle Cramer.

June 10, 1998

York-Cumberland Housing Development Corp., which built the Village Square independent living facility for senior citizens on School Street in Gorham, is building at 36-bed, two-story assisted-living facility right behind it, the Inn at Village Square. It will have 24-hour support staff to serve meals, administer medication, provide laundry services and transportation with its own van.

Heartened by a Town Council decision to let its snack shack stay year round on the Chick land behind Narragansett School, Gorham Football Inc. will ask the Gorham School Committee at its June 10 meeting to let it give Gorham High School a junior varsity football team this fall. Gorham Football was rebuffed a year ago when it asked for a freshman team. The School Committee told it to come back when it was more organized. Gorham Football, which is the booster organization that pays for and organizes the Gorham Grizzlies and Gorham Junior Grizzlies, thinks that time is here.

Land Design Group, Ellsworth, the consulting firm hired by the city of Westbrook for $27,500 to find ways of improving downtown, has compiled the results from questions put to folks on the street. Among the results: In answer to the question about what business should be added to downtown, 18 said restaurants, 8 said movie theater, 8 said grocery store and 5 said outlet store. Also, 75 percent of those asked said they shopped regularly for everyday items downtown, and 65 percent banked downtown.

The Westbrook School Committee Goals 2000 Design Team will hold a dessert reception to welcome new curriculum coordinator Nina Schlikin on June 15 in the Castle at Westbrook High School.

Westbrook High School’s Top 12 graduating seniors are Audrey J. Gray, valedictorian, who will attend Bowdoin College; Shanna M. Guevin, salutatorian, who will attend Villanova; Patrick C. Conley, honor essayist, who will attend the University of Maine; Geoffrey T. Martin, who will attend Bates College; Elizabeth J. Veroneau, who will attend Simmons College; Jonathan M. Hicks, who will attend Syracuse University; Jared M. Adams, who will attend the University of Maine; Jonathan P. Hoy, who will attend the University of Maine; Laura M. Welch, who will attend New York University; Abigail I. Nein, who will attend Penn State University; Nicholas D. Chanese, who will attend the University of Delaware; and Christine S. Lemieux, who will attend Northeastern University.

Laura Morton, daughter of Dennis and Joanne Morton, Gorham, has received a master of science degree from the University of New Hampshire. Richard Mason, son of Richard and Edie Mason, Gorham, graduated from the University of Maine with a bachelor’s degree from the College of Mechanical Engineering and with a 4.0 grade point average.

Mission Possible, the new teen center in the old Dana Warp mill on Bridge Street, is on its way to being a safer place. The Westbrook City Council last week gave first reading approval for a raised crosswalk, handicapped parking spaces and a new guardrail.