Is there anybody out there? To the editor, So after having our homes revalued, during a period when out-of-staters were paying far above asking prices, last year and raising our real estate taxes an average of 30 percent (some lower, some much higher) the city wants to raise our taxes another 6 percent this year. […]

Tax issue is unrelated to reassessment To the editor, This letter is in response to Rosemarie De Angelis’ letter in the Sentry (April 1, 2022). The increased tax basis at issue is unrelated to the recent city reassessment. If Ms. De Angelis had looked at properties with heat pumps in the online assessors’ database, she […]

South Portland’s ‘inconvenient truth’ To the editor, Al Gore is remembered for the “inconvenient truth” of climate change, about which he warned and which we ignored until it became a crisis. There are other inconvenient truths specific to the part of the planet we call home here in South Portland: Dogs are causing the environmental […]

I am an instructor at Southern Maine Community College, teaching preparatory English to native and non-native English speakers. One lesson is learning to write a letter to the editor, teaching how to write to persuade and also how to use your voice in your community. I hope you will read and enjoy these letters. – […]

Heat pumps can increase home value To the editor, I read with great interest the article about heat pumps in the March 11, 2022, issue of the Sentry. I have had a heat pump for nearly 10 years and find it to be very efficient for both heating and cooling. The column fails to mention […]

Leash rules protect wildlife To the editor, Migratory birds are much more common at Willard Beach when off-leash dogs are not there. Mergansers, buffleheads, and goldeneyes come in among the rocks at the north end of the beach, and brants visit the shallows at the south end during their migration to Canada. The difference is […]

Please be a responsible dog owner To the editor, I have been, and will continue to be, a proponent of allowing dogs to be off-leash. It is healthy for the dog to have that time, and it is also what many people enjoy about our communities – ample space to romp and roam for animals […]

Create safe spaces for dogs To the editor, South Portland is extremely lucky to have many public parks and open spaces, but only one public beach. And no designated dog park, i.e., a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners. Willard Beach and Hinckley […]

After snowfall, fun was had by all To the editor, We had the most lovely visit to Willard Beach on Saturday, Jan. 8. My husband and I had our 2-year-old grandson with us and after the Friday storm there was enough snow for sliding down a small hill. It was so nice to see so […]

Searching for a fair and equitable solution To the editor, The South Portland Dog Owners Group would like to respond to Andrea Thompson McCall’s recent letter to the editor about comments made on the Friends of Willard Beach Facebook page concerning dogs on Willard Beach. The first point to be made is that if Thompson […]