As a coastal city, South Portland is focused on promoting landcare practices that protect the health of residents, pets, and Casco Bay. The city’s Landcare Management Ordinance restricts the use of pesticides and places limitations on fertilizer use across the city. Our aim is to build back soil health, restore native ecosystems, and protect water […]

If you could travel back in time to the 1800s, you’d barely recognize the area that is called Meeting House Hill. John Mussey’s farm extended from Cottage Road down the hill to Ferry Village and the waterfront. The First Congregational Church (called the Old North Church back then) was on the north side of Cottage […]

Environmental issues affect communities differently and historically, environmental policies and practices have not been equitable to all. Today, some of our communities continue to face greater environmental burdens than others. As a municipality, we can try to address this inequity in the following ways. Reducing energy burden: Energy burden is defined as the percentage of […]

We take a look this week at a lesser-known location in South Portland, Germania Park, and the interesting couple who opened it in 1900. Harry Callan was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States circa 1884. His name was not originally Harry Callan, however. On a naturalization record from 1890, his name was […]