In lieu of our regular Club meeting, we will have a Club Service Day at Fort Williams, 1000 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth.
We look forward to welcoming you to Ft. Williams Park, RAIN OR SHINE. We will still do the work, even if RotaryFest on Saturday is moved inside. Right now it looks like we might have a light shower or two. You might want to bring a rain jacket, just to be prepared.
Please arrive at NOON for lunch, or 12:45 PM, for instructions and assignments. Meet at the PICNIC SHELTER on your right, across the road from the main flagpole on the hill.
Dress in long sleeve shirts, long pants and work shoes. Terrain will be hilly in some places. Bring a hat, sunscreen and bug spray of your choice. There is a some poison ivy that will be marked off and identified.
Please bring your own LABELED: Work gloves, hand snips, clippers, pruning shears, lawn or leaf rake, pole saw, string trimmer or weed wacker (gas only), pruning saw, and other items suitable for trimming, cutting and hauling debris into piles.
For those of you QUALIFIED, we could use a few more chain saws for tree work. We require that you bring all appropriate safety equipment for this work. SAFETY FIRST!
Please contact TONY WAGNER (below) directly, if you have any questions.
On behalf of the DG John Lobosco and the RotaryFest Committee, I thank you for participating.
Tony Wagner Rotary Club of South Portland/Cape Elizabeth
Bowen Depke introduced Rocco Risbara of Risbara Brothers and Dan Bacon, Project Mgr of Gorrill Palmer Planning. They presented an overview about "The Downs,” the mixed-use redevelopment project currently under construction at the Scarborough Downs harness racing property. Scarborough Downs was constructed in 1949 as a racetrack for thoroughbred horse races and was completed in 1950. A show of hands demonstrated that many of the Rotarians were already familiar with the race track. Risbara and Bacon are confident about the future for redevelopment in the historic Scarborough property, because of the three essential rules being: (1) location (2) best use and (3) an experienced development team.
All of the developers in The Downs project are lifelong Scarborough residents. Before they became interested in redeveloping The Downs, Risbara had experience in municipal planning and Bacon was leading the constructing of apartments in Portland. When the Scarborough Downs zoning changed to mixed use, the team engaged in a market study that determined how the location was ideal for almost any usage, because of the property's easy access to all major arteries and being located in the geographic center of Scarborough on 500 acres of land with access to adjacent roads.
Their plan includes constructing tree-lined streets to connect the planned community, which will seamlessly balance recreation, retail, residential, and commercial development and intended to bring vitality to the center of Scarborough. Currently, a community center is planned, and a sports facility is expected to be permitted in the fall, that will potentially include a swimming pool. Another residential phase is also planned with a focus on work and a light industrial use park designed with smaller lots and sidewalks. Plans include the development of a commercial gateway district, a retail location, an innovation district and conservation trails. While the property re-development is advancing, the racetrack remains at the center of the property. The track is operating and will continue for at least the next couple of years.
Residential development plans will eventually include a balance of single-family homes, duplexes, garden condominiums, apartments and a senior living center. Questions were asked about the cost of the single-family homes and condominiums. The first phase homes sold at an opening price of $325,000 to $375,000 and phase II will likely start with a slightly higher entry point. Condominiums start at $365,000. Apartments are one and two bedroom and rent from $1,375 to $1,550 per month.
Plans for the use of energy efficiency technology are being considered in the planning. The intention is for the total project at The Downs to advance and be completed within 10-12 years. For more information, visit The Downs website: https://thedowns.com/
(Photo L-R: PP Bowen Depke, Dan Bacon, PP Roxane Cole, Rocco Risbara and President John Curran.)
President John called the meeting to order by welcoming our members and guests. Charlie Frair gave the invocation and quoted from a song by Phil Ochs:
All my days won't be dances of delight when I'm gone And the sands will be shifting from my sight when I'm gone Can't add my name into the fight while I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here
And I won't be laughing at the lies when I'm gone And I can't question how or when or why when I'm gone Can't live proud enough to die when I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here
There's no place in this world where I'll belong when I'm gone And I won't know the right from the wrong when I'm gone And you won't find me singin' on this song when I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it, I guess I'll have to do it, guess I'll have to do it while I'm here
After the Pledge of Allegiance, Gracie Johnston led us in the singing of “God Bless America” and PresidentJohn introduced visiting guests and Rotarians.
(Photo L-R: Corey Hascall, Washima Fairoz and President John Curran.)
Corey Hascall, Vice President, Alumni & Public Engagement from the University of Maine thanked us for the new Youth Service Award scholarship given out to a USM student in need. Corey explained the new access-to-education scholarship founded at USM that is given to students not otherwise qualifying for any other financial aid. She explained this is often asylum seekers, refugees and other new Mainers. Corey then introduced Washima Fairoz -- a student at USM from Bangladesh who held us spellbound with her description of the obstacles she has overcome in her life in getting an education. Washima made clear her passion about education and that despite being the valedictorian of her high school, she had no ability to afford to go to college. With the help of the access-to-education scholarship and working 40 hours per week at 2 jobs, Washima has been able to attend USM. She believes that women can achieve anything and undoubtedly convinced many people listening to her impassioned presentation that she certainly will accomplish many great things in her life.
Gracie Johnston spoke to us about the recent influx of asylum seekers in Portland and the effort of our Club to provide assistance. Preble Street Resources has committed to feeding over 200 new asylum seekers in the city and we have donated $1500 to Preble Street to assist them in the cost of additional food. Others mentioned in the community providing assistance were USM, Williston-Immanuel United Church and the Salvation Army.
President John spoke about the Rotary International Convention he just attended in Hamburg, Germany, where 27,000 Rotarians gathered in fellowship and service. John spoke about how close we are to ridding the world of polio, with Nigeria expected to be polio free by August and only Afghanistan and Pakistan remaining. John also said that Rotaract was highlighted at the convention, as well as a strong effort to place more women in leadership positions in Rotary. He thoroughly enjoyed the convention and urged others to attend next year where it will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Mike Fortunato spoke briefly about this year’s Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) and said that although no numbers are in yet, it was a big success and he thanked all those involved.
Marissa Fortier conducted the raffle of $582 and Justin Lamontagne was kind enough to leave the Queen of Hearts in the deck, allowing the jackpot to grow larger for next week’s “investors.”
PP Laura Young reminded us that there is no regular meeting next week (6/21) as we’ll be taking part in the District 7780 RotaryFest 2019, with a day of service on Friday at Ft. Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth and the festival the following day. She urged volunteers to wear their Rotary garb and be ready to work in a variety of tasks for this Rotary time of celebration of District Governor John LoBosco’s year. So volunteer on Friday and then join in on Saturday for a family-oriented fun day in the park.
The 2019 Maine Outdoor Challenge is now in the history books, but here are some highlighted photos taken at the event.
PP Jim Willey getting pointers on the shooting range......
.....and waiting in the wings to be trained on how to shoot a gun at clay targets (L-R): Dave Putnam, Gracie Johnston, Jim Willey and Ben Jackson........
....and second team lining up in the wings, we had the Wombats featuring Team Amy.
At the lobster bake, we had top leadership representation with (L-R) President-elect Amy Chipman, President John Curran, WCSH6 Meteorologist Jessica Conley, and Bob Clark, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maine..........
.......and PP Kris Rosado with WCSH6 Meteorologist Jessica Conley holding the main trophy for the best team effort (not yet decided at photo time)........
To register, go to https://rotary7780.org/event/district-conference-1/. As you hopefully know by now, this is Governor John LoBosco's one-day, FREE, District Conference to be held on June 22nd at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. Even though it will cost you nothing, we need to know if you will attend so we know how much free food to plan for and how many children will be there for the many activities we have planned for them. We do have an alternate location lined up in the unlikely case of bad weather.
So please, register early and we look forward to seeing you at what will be a distinctive and very fun District Conference.
The following items are needed on an on-going basis. Please feel free to bring them to a meeting where we will collect and distribute them to the appropriate projects.
Crutches4Africa - Crutches, canes, folding walkers and wheelchairs to be shipped to Africa. Contact: Roger Fagan, drrogerfagan@gmail.com
Toiletries for the Shelters - Collect those tiny bottles of toiletries you are paying for during your next hotel visit and bring them home for members of our society who find themselves staying at a shelter and in need of personal hygiene products.