BNA members were sorry to see Dory Waxman leave her position as Community Organizer this past June. Her energetic and supportive nature, her strong and far-reaching ties throughout the Portland community, and her ability to bring people together made her a wonderful asset to the BNA.
Some of the projects where she was very instrumental were the Adopt-a-Block program, Social Services Work Group, Black Frame Art Sale, the kids’ art and lunch programs, and BNA events like the Keep Me Warm dinners and the Harvest Feast.
Dory is a friend, and a mother, to so many. She raised her own children and took in many children who were not her own. This year, her youngest son graduated from Portland High School, where Dory knows so many of the students and feels a strong emotional bond. Dory involved Portland High School students in BNA activities and helped people see the great potential in developing collaboration between students, social service agencies, and others in the neighborhood.
Dory is also an important community leader. Her departure from BNA is allowing her to devote time, once again, to organizing around issues and causes that are often political in nature. She helped lead the project Opportunity Maine, for example, to successful approval by the Maine Legislature. This program, which has received wide support, provides a state income tax credit to student loan payers from Maine who remain in the state following graduation. Dory has also been working on projects in the private sector.
Members of BNA would like to express their appreciation for all Dory’s hard work and wish her luck in her newest endeavors.
-Colette Bouchard
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Bill Cunningham: The Guy Who Keeps on Giving
Bill's Community
Sept. 5 - Oct. 17
Art Display Space, 17 Arbor Street, Portland Parks & Recreation 8:00am - 4:00pm, M-F
207-874-8793
www.portlandmaine.gov/rec/artdisplay.htm
Bill Cunningham captured his thoughtful and unique view of life in Portland through colorful paintings vibrant with life, humor, and caricature. Bill's Community is the first solo exhibition of Bill's work since his death in December 2006. Bill left behind a collection of paintings that represent his passions--comic book heroes, music, movies, and the Bayside community in which he lived. Throughout his life, Bill donated his time and art to the community through art exhibits, sidewalk art shows, children's programs, and fundraisers. His family envisions continuing to give back to the community by creating a network of community, arts, diabetes and heart-health organizations that will facilitate Bill's paintings being sold as part of fundraiser events.
Through this exhibit organizations will be able to view several of Bill's paintings, as well as a catalog of his work, and select a piece to utilize in their fundraising efforts. Individuals may also purchase paintings, the proceeds to benefit the Bayside Neighborhood Association, Very Special Arts of Portland, and the Preble Street Resource Center. Organizations interested in utilizing Bill's work for a fundraising event may visit the show or submit a request to billscommunity@yahoo.com
Sept. 5 - Oct. 17
Art Display Space, 17 Arbor Street, Portland Parks & Recreation 8:00am - 4:00pm, M-F
207-874-8793
www.portlandmaine.gov/rec/artdisplay.htm
Bill Cunningham captured his thoughtful and unique view of life in Portland through colorful paintings vibrant with life, humor, and caricature. Bill's Community is the first solo exhibition of Bill's work since his death in December 2006. Bill left behind a collection of paintings that represent his passions--comic book heroes, music, movies, and the Bayside community in which he lived. Throughout his life, Bill donated his time and art to the community through art exhibits, sidewalk art shows, children's programs, and fundraisers. His family envisions continuing to give back to the community by creating a network of community, arts, diabetes and heart-health organizations that will facilitate Bill's paintings being sold as part of fundraiser events.
Through this exhibit organizations will be able to view several of Bill's paintings, as well as a catalog of his work, and select a piece to utilize in their fundraising efforts. Individuals may also purchase paintings, the proceeds to benefit the Bayside Neighborhood Association, Very Special Arts of Portland, and the Preble Street Resource Center. Organizations interested in utilizing Bill's work for a fundraising event may visit the show or submit a request to billscommunity@yahoo.com
Rep. Herb Adams's Bill to Protect Security Deposits Becomes Law
Measure will help both landlords and tenants
AUGUSTA - Renters and landlords will both enjoy new protections for
security deposits on rental properties under a new law sponsored by Rep.
Herb Adams, D-Portland, that takes effect later this month.
The measure, LD 330, "An Act to Protect the Integrity of Security
Deposits," will officially become Public Law 332 on Sept. 20. Under the
new law, when a building with rental units is sold or transferred, the old owner will have to present the new owner with written proof that the
building's security deposits have been legally transferred to the new
owner during the sale's final closing proceedings.
Adams introduced the bill in response to complaints from both landlords
and tenants who discovered after the sale of buildings that the old
owner had never turned over security deposit funds. New owners and
tenants had no recourse but to pursue old owners--many long gone--in
costly lawsuits, often in out-of-state courts.
"This is not pocket change," said Adams. "Security deposits can be in
the thousands of dollars for just one apartment, and in the tens of
thouands for one single building. Good landlords and good tenants both
need protection in today's turbulent real estate market."
Supporters of the bill included the Maine Apartment Managers and Owners
Association (MAOMA), the People's Regional Opportunity Program (PROP),
and the Office of the Maine Attorney General.
"We strongly support LD 330," Assistant Attorney General James McKenna
told the Legislature's Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee, which
considered the bill. "It closes a loophole that is unfair and harmful to
Maine's many hardworking families who struggle to come up with the sum
for a security deposit."
Adams represents Portland's Parkside, Bayside, and East Bayside
neighborhoods and the foot of Munjoy Hill, home to Maine's largest
percentage of rental housing stock and some of the oldest, with large
ethnic diversity and high turnover rates.
Adams's bill received the unanimous support of the Legal and Veterans
Committee and both bodies of the Legislature.
Measures passed by the first session of the Legislature officially
become law 90 days after the Legislature formally adjourns. For 2007
that date falls on Sept. 20.
-Contact Rep. Herb Adams at 772-2565.
AUGUSTA - Renters and landlords will both enjoy new protections for
security deposits on rental properties under a new law sponsored by Rep.
Herb Adams, D-Portland, that takes effect later this month.
The measure, LD 330, "An Act to Protect the Integrity of Security
Deposits," will officially become Public Law 332 on Sept. 20. Under the
new law, when a building with rental units is sold or transferred, the old owner will have to present the new owner with written proof that the
building's security deposits have been legally transferred to the new
owner during the sale's final closing proceedings.
Adams introduced the bill in response to complaints from both landlords
and tenants who discovered after the sale of buildings that the old
owner had never turned over security deposit funds. New owners and
tenants had no recourse but to pursue old owners--many long gone--in
costly lawsuits, often in out-of-state courts.
"This is not pocket change," said Adams. "Security deposits can be in
the thousands of dollars for just one apartment, and in the tens of
thouands for one single building. Good landlords and good tenants both
need protection in today's turbulent real estate market."
Supporters of the bill included the Maine Apartment Managers and Owners
Association (MAOMA), the People's Regional Opportunity Program (PROP),
and the Office of the Maine Attorney General.
"We strongly support LD 330," Assistant Attorney General James McKenna
told the Legislature's Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee, which
considered the bill. "It closes a loophole that is unfair and harmful to
Maine's many hardworking families who struggle to come up with the sum
for a security deposit."
Adams represents Portland's Parkside, Bayside, and East Bayside
neighborhoods and the foot of Munjoy Hill, home to Maine's largest
percentage of rental housing stock and some of the oldest, with large
ethnic diversity and high turnover rates.
Adams's bill received the unanimous support of the Legal and Veterans
Committee and both bodies of the Legislature.
Measures passed by the first session of the Legislature officially
become law 90 days after the Legislature formally adjourns. For 2007
that date falls on Sept. 20.
-Contact Rep. Herb Adams at 772-2565.
National Park(ing) Day
The Trust for Public Land was proud to sponsor National Park(ing) Day, a global event, on Friday September 21, 2007, with more than 150 public parking spots transformed into public parks! The Park(ing) Day concept was created by San Francisco art collective Rebar in 2005. Join the National Park(ing) Day group on Flickr.
National Park(ing) Day is an opportunity to transform public parking spaces into parks and open spaces--places for people to enjoy.
The quality of our daily experience is only enhanced by often-neglected necessities like parks, playgrounds, and gardens--places that get us in touch with nature, with each other, and with ourselves.
Colette Bouchard reports on Bayside’s participation in the event: The Bayside Neighborhood Association celebrated National Park(ing) Day by creating a small temporary park at the intersection of Oxford and Elm Streets in Bayside.A number of people who live and work in the neighborhood came by to ask about it. Channel 8 talked with Ron Spinella and me and interviewed me on camera (to be aired at noon that day, they said). There was advance notice of the park in a free local newspaper, the West End News.
Councilors Kevin Donoghue and Jim Cloutier came by, and Emily (Koehn), Susan (McCloskey), and I had a nice conversation with Dan Stewart, the person from Maine Dept. of Transportation who advocates for accessibility for bicyclists and pedestrians. Dan urged us to push for park space wherever we could. He
pointed out that Post Office Park was a parking lot for many years and that at one time turning it into a park seemed like a long shot to many people.
So thank you to Steve (Hirshon), Emily, and Susan for helping to staff the park, and thank you to Ron for helping to quickly get the site ready for Channel 8 coverage (and to Victoria for communicating with the press and notifying me about when Channel 8 would come by). Thank you to Alex (Landry) for suggesting the wording for our signs, "Oxford/Elm St. Park," and for spending his lunch break at the park and participating in our photo op.
The “park” was a success, and we'll do something even bigger next year!
-Colette Bouchard
National Park(ing) Day is an opportunity to transform public parking spaces into parks and open spaces--places for people to enjoy.
The quality of our daily experience is only enhanced by often-neglected necessities like parks, playgrounds, and gardens--places that get us in touch with nature, with each other, and with ourselves.
Colette Bouchard reports on Bayside’s participation in the event: The Bayside Neighborhood Association celebrated National Park(ing) Day by creating a small temporary park at the intersection of Oxford and Elm Streets in Bayside.A number of people who live and work in the neighborhood came by to ask about it. Channel 8 talked with Ron Spinella and me and interviewed me on camera (to be aired at noon that day, they said). There was advance notice of the park in a free local newspaper, the West End News.
Councilors Kevin Donoghue and Jim Cloutier came by, and Emily (Koehn), Susan (McCloskey), and I had a nice conversation with Dan Stewart, the person from Maine Dept. of Transportation who advocates for accessibility for bicyclists and pedestrians. Dan urged us to push for park space wherever we could. He
pointed out that Post Office Park was a parking lot for many years and that at one time turning it into a park seemed like a long shot to many people.
So thank you to Steve (Hirshon), Emily, and Susan for helping to staff the park, and thank you to Ron for helping to quickly get the site ready for Channel 8 coverage (and to Victoria for communicating with the press and notifying me about when Channel 8 would come by). Thank you to Alex (Landry) for suggesting the wording for our signs, "Oxford/Elm St. Park," and for spending his lunch break at the park and participating in our photo op.
The “park” was a success, and we'll do something even bigger next year!
-Colette Bouchard
My other Portland Is a Portland
I always find it difficult to leave Portland, Maine. Perhaps it was living near city streets named for Lewis & Clark that satisfied my Wanderlust for the several years I lived on the West End. My current North Street address on the East End offers no such excuses but rather a tantalizing view to the West. Call it allegiance to latitude, or lack of imagination, but my first vacation in five years took me flying to no other city than Portland, Oregon. My flight stopover at Minneapolis-St. Paul failed to yield the expected sting targeting foot-tapping politicians in the airport restroom, yet upon arriving in Oregon, several of the expectations held by this urban planning pilgrim began to be met by the City of Roses.
While in Portland, I paid several visits to City Hall, where bicycle parking was as available as the elected officials. I scheduled a midday walk with City Councilor and Transportation Commissioner Sam Adams, who showed me around “The Next Big Thing,” the massive street rebuilding project to accommodate the expansion of a light rail system from Portland State University through Union Station, a contemporary of the one we had destroyed in 1961. This expansion and the new aerial tramway up to Oregon Health & Science University tie in to new districts to realize Transit-Oriented Districts (TODs). TODs are core to the neighborhood-based development principles of the Congress for New Urbanism, an influential school of thought on city planning whose adherents praise progress in Portland, Oregon.
I also met with Dan Saltzman, another City Councilor and the city’s Sustainable Development Commissioner, who described for me the city's commitment to green building in its mixed-use redevelopment districts right next to the downtown area known as the Pearl District, which is characterized by its excellence in design and a residential density capable of supporting shops and offices and small parks full of young families. The Pearl District looks and feels how neighborhood planning documents merely read in our Portland, not least the unimplemented ambitions of our Eastern Waterfront Master Plan and the Bayside Vision. Somehow we have not had the same success with implementation of our plans here in Portland, Maine.
What's their secret? I might have figured it out once I met neighborhood advocate Bonny McKnight, who convenes salons, collectively known as the Citywide Land Use Forum, with planners and neighborhood leaders. I went to one monthly meeting where topics included filtration of storm water and preservation of trees, yet I was struck not so much by the topics themselves as by the community that fostered such discussion. McKnight explained that for over thirty years the city has been working under a neighborhood system, whereby neighborhood associations are legitimized by the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI). ONI provides support, technical assistance, and funds management for the neighborhood associations and helped to win assignment of a planner to each neighborhood through the District Liaison Program. The neighborhood system has been credited with improving the quality of planning and development. It makes one wonder how we can enjoy better neighborhood involvement with the help of City Hall.
I returned hopeful that we can leverage the wisdom of our neighborhoods, beginning with District One. Email me with your advice on funding priorities for physical improvements to our streets and parks and on the general direction for community planning and economic development goals here in the East End. What are our greatest needs for pedestrian mobility, recreational opportunity, and vibrant community?
Only we the people know what makes us proud and what would make us think twice before ever leaving the Forest City.
Please let me know how we can show pride in our neighborhoods at kjdonoghue@portlandmaine.gov
-Kevin Donaghue
While in Portland, I paid several visits to City Hall, where bicycle parking was as available as the elected officials. I scheduled a midday walk with City Councilor and Transportation Commissioner Sam Adams, who showed me around “The Next Big Thing,” the massive street rebuilding project to accommodate the expansion of a light rail system from Portland State University through Union Station, a contemporary of the one we had destroyed in 1961. This expansion and the new aerial tramway up to Oregon Health & Science University tie in to new districts to realize Transit-Oriented Districts (TODs). TODs are core to the neighborhood-based development principles of the Congress for New Urbanism, an influential school of thought on city planning whose adherents praise progress in Portland, Oregon.
I also met with Dan Saltzman, another City Councilor and the city’s Sustainable Development Commissioner, who described for me the city's commitment to green building in its mixed-use redevelopment districts right next to the downtown area known as the Pearl District, which is characterized by its excellence in design and a residential density capable of supporting shops and offices and small parks full of young families. The Pearl District looks and feels how neighborhood planning documents merely read in our Portland, not least the unimplemented ambitions of our Eastern Waterfront Master Plan and the Bayside Vision. Somehow we have not had the same success with implementation of our plans here in Portland, Maine.
What's their secret? I might have figured it out once I met neighborhood advocate Bonny McKnight, who convenes salons, collectively known as the Citywide Land Use Forum, with planners and neighborhood leaders. I went to one monthly meeting where topics included filtration of storm water and preservation of trees, yet I was struck not so much by the topics themselves as by the community that fostered such discussion. McKnight explained that for over thirty years the city has been working under a neighborhood system, whereby neighborhood associations are legitimized by the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI). ONI provides support, technical assistance, and funds management for the neighborhood associations and helped to win assignment of a planner to each neighborhood through the District Liaison Program. The neighborhood system has been credited with improving the quality of planning and development. It makes one wonder how we can enjoy better neighborhood involvement with the help of City Hall.
I returned hopeful that we can leverage the wisdom of our neighborhoods, beginning with District One. Email me with your advice on funding priorities for physical improvements to our streets and parks and on the general direction for community planning and economic development goals here in the East End. What are our greatest needs for pedestrian mobility, recreational opportunity, and vibrant community?
Only we the people know what makes us proud and what would make us think twice before ever leaving the Forest City.
Please let me know how we can show pride in our neighborhoods at kjdonoghue@portlandmaine.gov
-Kevin Donaghue
New Chiropractor in Bayside
“I wanted to be here in Bayside. I can see that this is going to be an even more desirable location five to ten years down the road. I wanted a place where people could walk to from downtown, where you wouldn’t have to get in your car to come here. It seems that this area is interested in healthier living, with Whole Foods opening up here as well as Eastern Mountain Sports.” Jeffery Clark, D. C., has long-range plans for his newly opened office at 47 Portland Street. “I’d like to see this building develop into a comprehensive health center, offering massage, acupuncture, family and nutritional counseling, and other services. People who come to my office remark that it is in a great location, and they love the relaxed atmosphere.” People can of course drive to his office, and there is a parking lot across the street for his clients. He has already contacted Councilor Kevin Donaghue about the need for a crosswalk on the corner of Hanover and Portland Sts.so that folks can cross Portland St. safely.
Dr. Jeff had a practice in Lisbon Falls for eight years before coming to Portland. He was inspired to become a chiropractor after being treated by a chiropractor for his chronic hip and back pain. “I was amazed at how the doctor helped me using just his hands and no drugs.” His chiropractor knew that Jeffery disliked his present job and urged Jeffery to go to chiropractic school. It did not take him long to head back to school, and he soon learned that chiropractic medicine was about more than just neck and back pain. “It deals with the nervous system, and we treat infants to the elderly for all kinds of conditions, from headaches and migraines to ear infections, bedwetting, asthma and colic in children to restless leg syndrome, foot and knee pain--the list goes on and on.”
More recently, Dr. Jeff has studied a new chiropractic technique called “Advanced Biostructural Correction,” which is based on body biomechanics. In this procedure, old injuries are unwound or retraced in all the places the body has compensated for the original injury. In traditional chiropractic, manipulation is done from the back side while the patient is lying face down; with this new technique, adjustments are done while the patient sits or stands, effecting an “unwinding” as the body corrects itself. Check out Dr. Jeff's web site – www.SpinalWellnessPortland.com – for a more complete explanation of this dynamic process. “This is the most exciting thing I have found in my ten years of chiropractic. I have been treated by fifty or more chiropractors, and this treatment was personally the best thing that has ever happened to my body from a health and healing standpoint. I had to learn it, and once I started using it on my patients, they responded like never before. There were more miracles of healing (as I call them) in the first two weeks I started doing this than I have had in the previous five years. Long-time injuries and problems seemed to resolve inside of a few visits and sometimes even the first visit.”
Dr. Jeff has another venture called Health Check Maine-- www.healthcheckmaine.com. Health Check Maine offers FREE Health Fairs for the businesses in the greater Portland area. “We simply get a group of dedicated health care practitioners together and educate companies about everyday health issues. We have massage therapists, N.D.'s, Acupuncturists, Nutritionists, dentists, the Cancer Society, Bicycle Maine, Financial Advisors, and the Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine, to name a few. We offer Lunch and Learn programs for businesses as well.”
Health Check Maine has scheduled three such events for the local YMCA’s, for both employees and members, in November. Dr. Jeff is interested in participating in Bayside’s Health Fair in May as well. Stop by Dr. Jeff’s office on Portland St. and say hello to his dog, Molly, too!
Dr. Jeff had a practice in Lisbon Falls for eight years before coming to Portland. He was inspired to become a chiropractor after being treated by a chiropractor for his chronic hip and back pain. “I was amazed at how the doctor helped me using just his hands and no drugs.” His chiropractor knew that Jeffery disliked his present job and urged Jeffery to go to chiropractic school. It did not take him long to head back to school, and he soon learned that chiropractic medicine was about more than just neck and back pain. “It deals with the nervous system, and we treat infants to the elderly for all kinds of conditions, from headaches and migraines to ear infections, bedwetting, asthma and colic in children to restless leg syndrome, foot and knee pain--the list goes on and on.”
More recently, Dr. Jeff has studied a new chiropractic technique called “Advanced Biostructural Correction,” which is based on body biomechanics. In this procedure, old injuries are unwound or retraced in all the places the body has compensated for the original injury. In traditional chiropractic, manipulation is done from the back side while the patient is lying face down; with this new technique, adjustments are done while the patient sits or stands, effecting an “unwinding” as the body corrects itself. Check out Dr. Jeff's web site – www.SpinalWellnessPortland.com – for a more complete explanation of this dynamic process. “This is the most exciting thing I have found in my ten years of chiropractic. I have been treated by fifty or more chiropractors, and this treatment was personally the best thing that has ever happened to my body from a health and healing standpoint. I had to learn it, and once I started using it on my patients, they responded like never before. There were more miracles of healing (as I call them) in the first two weeks I started doing this than I have had in the previous five years. Long-time injuries and problems seemed to resolve inside of a few visits and sometimes even the first visit.”
Dr. Jeff has another venture called Health Check Maine-- www.healthcheckmaine.com. Health Check Maine offers FREE Health Fairs for the businesses in the greater Portland area. “We simply get a group of dedicated health care practitioners together and educate companies about everyday health issues. We have massage therapists, N.D.'s, Acupuncturists, Nutritionists, dentists, the Cancer Society, Bicycle Maine, Financial Advisors, and the Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine, to name a few. We offer Lunch and Learn programs for businesses as well.”
Health Check Maine has scheduled three such events for the local YMCA’s, for both employees and members, in November. Dr. Jeff is interested in participating in Bayside’s Health Fair in May as well. Stop by Dr. Jeff’s office on Portland St. and say hello to his dog, Molly, too!
Bayside Yesterday
This photo, taken long ago on the fault line where Parkside meets
Bayside, presents many mysteries. When was it taken?
At first glance it looks like hardworking laborers about 1890 laying
granite paving stones into today's Park Avenue, at the point where it becomes
Portland Street, at the junction with Forest Avenue. But a closer look reveals that the street is already paved with blocks, with trolley tracks embedded. Overhead, trolley lines, electric lines, and phone lines are thickly strung. The gent at center (holding the pole) sports a straw boater and a three-piece suspiciously modern suit,
and a magnifying glass reveals behind him reveals several Ford touring cars
chugging down the Avenue, with Deering Oaks in the far right distance.
In addition, the abandoned brick buildings at right (one roofless)
were torn down in the early 1930s to make room for the present brick Portland Post
Office on Forest Avenue, a massive WPA project in the New Deal days. Likely the laborers are taking UP the street, along the line of Forest
Avenue, to install the sewer lines that still serve the Post Office and
this neighborhood.
The brick buildings on the right were replaced by today's Post
Office turn-out and parking lot off Portland Street. On the left, the
brick building with the awning (behind the stacked stones) still
stands, until earlier this month a metal- and fine silversmithing shop.
The wooden buildings beyond are today the parking lot for the C.N. Brown
gas station at this corner.
But note--the 2 1/2- story wooden building with white trim is
special to Bayside's story. It is the grocery store of Lemuel Osgood,
only son of Sea Captain Francis Osgood, whose lovely green Victorian
home on Mechanic Street was just moved last year to grace a revitalized
neighborhood by Bayside's Stone Street playground.
And so this one photo, taken about 1933, embraces the old and new
spirit of a busy city and an ever-changing Bayside.
What else can sharp-eyed Baysiders see in this photo? Let us know.
-State Rep. Herb Adams
Bayside, presents many mysteries. When was it taken?
At first glance it looks like hardworking laborers about 1890 laying
granite paving stones into today's Park Avenue, at the point where it becomes
Portland Street, at the junction with Forest Avenue. But a closer look reveals that the street is already paved with blocks, with trolley tracks embedded. Overhead, trolley lines, electric lines, and phone lines are thickly strung. The gent at center (holding the pole) sports a straw boater and a three-piece suspiciously modern suit,
and a magnifying glass reveals behind him reveals several Ford touring cars
chugging down the Avenue, with Deering Oaks in the far right distance.
In addition, the abandoned brick buildings at right (one roofless)
were torn down in the early 1930s to make room for the present brick Portland Post
Office on Forest Avenue, a massive WPA project in the New Deal days. Likely the laborers are taking UP the street, along the line of Forest
Avenue, to install the sewer lines that still serve the Post Office and
this neighborhood.
The brick buildings on the right were replaced by today's Post
Office turn-out and parking lot off Portland Street. On the left, the
brick building with the awning (behind the stacked stones) still
stands, until earlier this month a metal- and fine silversmithing shop.
The wooden buildings beyond are today the parking lot for the C.N. Brown
gas station at this corner.
But note--the 2 1/2- story wooden building with white trim is
special to Bayside's story. It is the grocery store of Lemuel Osgood,
only son of Sea Captain Francis Osgood, whose lovely green Victorian
home on Mechanic Street was just moved last year to grace a revitalized
neighborhood by Bayside's Stone Street playground.
And so this one photo, taken about 1933, embraces the old and new
spirit of a busy city and an ever-changing Bayside.
What else can sharp-eyed Baysiders see in this photo? Let us know.
-State Rep. Herb Adams
Adopt-a-Block Fall Cleanup a Success
Bayside Neighborhood Association’s Annual Fall Cleanup was a terrific success; much less trash was collected than in previous years. This may seem like a contradiction, but actually it shows the effectiveness of BNA’s Adopt-a-Block program. Folks in this program have been cleaning up their areas twice a month--and it shows. We had no heavy items for pickup, no encampments, no particular trouble spots. The City, too, has been more responsive than in the past and has a strong commitment to the Adopt-a-Block program. I want to thank Mike Bobinsky, Director of Public Works, and Mark Spillar, also at Public Works. They made sure that we had the tools and supplies we needed, put two public works employees on the job on Saturday to go around and pick up all the bagged trash, and gave us a load of mulch, too! The mulch team, Ron Spinella and Rob Sylvain,mulched 62 trees on Oxford, Stone, Wilmot, and Chestnut Streets as well as on Cumberland Ave.
We had 24 volunteers who cleaned up an area stretching from Franklin Arterial to Mechanic St., from Lancaster to Cumberland Ave. We tried to concentrate on residential areas and also heavily traveled areas. Councilor Jill Duson and her campaign aide Sandy Wright cleaned up along Elm and Preble Sts. State Representative Herb Adams concentrated on Chestnut St. The USM Nurses cleaned up the playground. Rebecca Smith from Community Policing worked around Portland, Preble, and Oxford Sts. Please thank these folks if you see them around town, as well as the rest of our volunteers: Susan McCloskey, David Culip, Tom Trott, Deb Locke, Emily Koehn and Casey O’Callahan, Ed Simmons from Rickey’s Tavern, Alex Landry, Adam Hill, Avery Yale Kamilla, Margaret Widner, Scott Demmons, Shannon Stoll, Sandy Austin, Jenna Fadden, Mindy Mondoux, Linsey Peyson, Sarah Dionne, and Sara Cobb. I want to thank the USM Nurses for a fabulous barbecue, too, in particular, Mindy Mondoux and Linda Lambertson, who went above and beyond the call of duty to put on a feast for the whole neighborhood. Thank you to all who came and helped keep beautiful Bayside shining
-Victoria Szatskowski
We had 24 volunteers who cleaned up an area stretching from Franklin Arterial to Mechanic St., from Lancaster to Cumberland Ave. We tried to concentrate on residential areas and also heavily traveled areas. Councilor Jill Duson and her campaign aide Sandy Wright cleaned up along Elm and Preble Sts. State Representative Herb Adams concentrated on Chestnut St. The USM Nurses cleaned up the playground. Rebecca Smith from Community Policing worked around Portland, Preble, and Oxford Sts. Please thank these folks if you see them around town, as well as the rest of our volunteers: Susan McCloskey, David Culip, Tom Trott, Deb Locke, Emily Koehn and Casey O’Callahan, Ed Simmons from Rickey’s Tavern, Alex Landry, Adam Hill, Avery Yale Kamilla, Margaret Widner, Scott Demmons, Shannon Stoll, Sandy Austin, Jenna Fadden, Mindy Mondoux, Linsey Peyson, Sarah Dionne, and Sara Cobb. I want to thank the USM Nurses for a fabulous barbecue, too, in particular, Mindy Mondoux and Linda Lambertson, who went above and beyond the call of duty to put on a feast for the whole neighborhood. Thank you to all who came and helped keep beautiful Bayside shining
-Victoria Szatskowski
Franklin Street Workshop
On May 31, 2007, over 70 people gathered at Franklin Towers to discuss the impacts and potential of Franklin Street Arterial. The Franklin Street Arterial Workshop was organized by members of the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization and the Bayside Neighborhood Association (BNA) and sponsored by Portland Trails and Greater Portland Landmarks. The purpose of the workshop was to ask, from a decidedly neighborhood-based and pedestrian-oriented perspective, “How can we make this road better?”
Historical plans and photos were displayed. The submissions to Architalx’s “Lost Sites” exhibit were hung on the walls, showing various conceptual plans for the Franklin Street corridor. Remarks by Markos Miller, Steve Hirshon, and District 1 City Councilor Kevin Donoghue preceded the introduction by the City of Portland’s Urban Designer, Carrie Marsh, who acted as the facilitator for the evening, assisted by the City’s Senior Planner, Bill Needleman. Carrie specifically noted that a vision should include the entire corridor and not just the road itself.
The attendees broke into five groups to discuss and create group “vision statements.” These statements were then synthesized into one and edited by consensus to create the final Community Vision Statement. The same process was used to define the problem of Franklin Street Arterial, as seen by the participants.
COMMUNITY VISION STATEMENT
FRANKLIN STREET will be a beautiful and vibrant urban street in the center of a new neighborhood. It will:
• be a multi-way boulevard connecting the Waterfront to Back Cove that serves autos, existing and future transit, pedestrians, and cyclists equally.
• be designed to achieve lower speeds, pedestrian and cyclist safety, and lower exhaust levels.
• provide a positive gateway experience; connect historic neighborhoods; reconnect the street grid; provide for human-scale, pedestrian-oriented development; and allow for buildings to orient to the street.
• be redesigned to maximize the use of space and provide an environmentally friendly framework for mixed-use development and housing.
• provide connections to the multi-use trails, access to greenspace, and
opportunities for community gardens as well as add land to Lincoln Park and provide opportunities for trees and public art.
• In summary, the redesign of Franklin Arterial will reverse outdated planning assumptions and reintegrate the Portland Peninsula.
This Statement is the sentiment of the assembled group and reflects the wishes of neighbors: walkers, bicyclists, children, the elderly, the handicapped, and others. It reflects not only a desire for a safer, more pleasant interface with the road but also a sincere and well-founded belief that there is a “higher and better use” of the Franklin Street Corridor.
In September, signage on Franklin advertised the Problem and Vision Statements, garnering coverage by the Portland Press Herald and local television. The Workshop’s report was endorsed by the BNA and can be read in full on BNA’s web site (baysideneighborhood.org) as well as on portlandbikeped.org or franklinstreet.us. Plans are afoot to pursue Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation Study (PACTS) funding for a more comprehensive Franklin Street study.
The general feeling that night was an optimism that has started to grow among Portlanders that if the community comes together to present a clear, tangible vision and works together to advocate for that vision, it will result in change for the better.
-Alex Landry
Historical plans and photos were displayed. The submissions to Architalx’s “Lost Sites” exhibit were hung on the walls, showing various conceptual plans for the Franklin Street corridor. Remarks by Markos Miller, Steve Hirshon, and District 1 City Councilor Kevin Donoghue preceded the introduction by the City of Portland’s Urban Designer, Carrie Marsh, who acted as the facilitator for the evening, assisted by the City’s Senior Planner, Bill Needleman. Carrie specifically noted that a vision should include the entire corridor and not just the road itself.
The attendees broke into five groups to discuss and create group “vision statements.” These statements were then synthesized into one and edited by consensus to create the final Community Vision Statement. The same process was used to define the problem of Franklin Street Arterial, as seen by the participants.
COMMUNITY VISION STATEMENT
FRANKLIN STREET will be a beautiful and vibrant urban street in the center of a new neighborhood. It will:
• be a multi-way boulevard connecting the Waterfront to Back Cove that serves autos, existing and future transit, pedestrians, and cyclists equally.
• be designed to achieve lower speeds, pedestrian and cyclist safety, and lower exhaust levels.
• provide a positive gateway experience; connect historic neighborhoods; reconnect the street grid; provide for human-scale, pedestrian-oriented development; and allow for buildings to orient to the street.
• be redesigned to maximize the use of space and provide an environmentally friendly framework for mixed-use development and housing.
• provide connections to the multi-use trails, access to greenspace, and
opportunities for community gardens as well as add land to Lincoln Park and provide opportunities for trees and public art.
• In summary, the redesign of Franklin Arterial will reverse outdated planning assumptions and reintegrate the Portland Peninsula.
This Statement is the sentiment of the assembled group and reflects the wishes of neighbors: walkers, bicyclists, children, the elderly, the handicapped, and others. It reflects not only a desire for a safer, more pleasant interface with the road but also a sincere and well-founded belief that there is a “higher and better use” of the Franklin Street Corridor.
In September, signage on Franklin advertised the Problem and Vision Statements, garnering coverage by the Portland Press Herald and local television. The Workshop’s report was endorsed by the BNA and can be read in full on BNA’s web site (baysideneighborhood.org) as well as on portlandbikeped.org or franklinstreet.us. Plans are afoot to pursue Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation Study (PACTS) funding for a more comprehensive Franklin Street study.
The general feeling that night was an optimism that has started to grow among Portlanders that if the community comes together to present a clear, tangible vision and works together to advocate for that vision, it will result in change for the better.
-Alex Landry
BNA Mulches Trees and You Can, Too
As part of our fall cleanup, the BNA started a tradition of mulching
our neighborhood trees for the winter. Trees, especially early in
development, need mulch to help retain moisture and protect roots
from freezing over the winter months. Portland Public Works provided
a truckload of mulch, a frontloader, wheelbarrows, and two tireless
and friendly workers to help our great crew of volunteers. In three
hours we were able to mulch over 60 trees on Oxford, Cedar, Chestnut,
Mechanic, and Stone Streets, as well as on part of Cumberland Avenue.
Some trees are in greater need than others, and we weren't able to
service every one of the 500 or more trees in Bayside. If you know a
tree in need, you can help out by mulching it yourself. It takes
about 5 minutes, and a $3 bag of mulch will cover 3-4 trees. If you
can't afford mulch, you can just mow or shred up the tree's own
leaves to make a useable mulch. Either way, here are a few tips on
how to mulch our trees:
First, pull up any weeds or foreign matter in the tree well, if
possible. You can till or "aerate" the soil around the tree, but be
careful not to damage the roots. Then pile up the mulch in a ring
around the trunk, about 3 or 4 inches thick, and 1 inch away from
the base of the tree. Be careful not to let the mulch pile up on the
bark at the base, since this can promote rot. That's it! Your trees
will thank you, and so will your neighbors.
-Robert Sylvain
our neighborhood trees for the winter. Trees, especially early in
development, need mulch to help retain moisture and protect roots
from freezing over the winter months. Portland Public Works provided
a truckload of mulch, a frontloader, wheelbarrows, and two tireless
and friendly workers to help our great crew of volunteers. In three
hours we were able to mulch over 60 trees on Oxford, Cedar, Chestnut,
Mechanic, and Stone Streets, as well as on part of Cumberland Avenue.
Some trees are in greater need than others, and we weren't able to
service every one of the 500 or more trees in Bayside. If you know a
tree in need, you can help out by mulching it yourself. It takes
about 5 minutes, and a $3 bag of mulch will cover 3-4 trees. If you
can't afford mulch, you can just mow or shred up the tree's own
leaves to make a useable mulch. Either way, here are a few tips on
how to mulch our trees:
First, pull up any weeds or foreign matter in the tree well, if
possible. You can till or "aerate" the soil around the tree, but be
careful not to damage the roots. Then pile up the mulch in a ring
around the trunk, about 3 or 4 inches thick, and 1 inch away from
the base of the tree. Be careful not to let the mulch pile up on the
bark at the base, since this can promote rot. That's it! Your trees
will thank you, and so will your neighbors.
-Robert Sylvain
Black Frame Art Sale Another Big Success
Art lovers flocked to the Black Frame Art Sale in droves on Sept 7 and 8. Lines
formed at each of the three participating Bayside
galleries ahead of the 5 p.m. Friday opening. A total
of 84 10x10 works priced at $200 each sold during the
2-day-only show. This raised $16,800, to be split
between the artists and the Bayside Neighborhood
Association, which uses the money to support its
children's art program and other community programs.
Works by John Knight, Marsha Donahue, Holly Ready,
Justin Richel, Matt Welch, Anastasia Wiegle, and Diane
Wienke sold out completely. Many other artists, such
as Otty Merrill and Caren-Marie Michel, had only one
work remaining. At the start of the show, collectors
rushed in to examine and quickly purchase the pieces
created by some of Maine's hottest contemporary
artists.
"The Greater Portland art community looks forward to
this yearly show," said Tom Blackburn, chair of the
Black Frame Art Sale Steering Committee. "It presents
An opportunity to acquire pieces by well-respected
artists at affordable prices. Artists enjoy the show
because it is a great way to generate exposure and
excitement for their work."
Fifty-six artists exhibited at this year's show, which
took place at 3fish Gallery, Grapheteria, and
Back Bay Tower. This was the fourth year the Bayside
Neighborhood Association has held the event. The next
show will take place in September 2008, at a date to
be announced. For more information, call 780-0915.
Generous support for the event was provided by
Portland Digital Printing & Copying, Grapheteria,
Gorham Savings Bank, Avesta Housing, Ocean Gate
Realty, InterMed, PowerPay, and Pizzagalli Construction
Company, with special thanks to WBRC Architects &
Engineers and Back Bay Tower.
-Avery Yale Kamila
formed at each of the three participating Bayside
galleries ahead of the 5 p.m. Friday opening. A total
of 84 10x10 works priced at $200 each sold during the
2-day-only show. This raised $16,800, to be split
between the artists and the Bayside Neighborhood
Association, which uses the money to support its
children's art program and other community programs.
Works by John Knight, Marsha Donahue, Holly Ready,
Justin Richel, Matt Welch, Anastasia Wiegle, and Diane
Wienke sold out completely. Many other artists, such
as Otty Merrill and Caren-Marie Michel, had only one
work remaining. At the start of the show, collectors
rushed in to examine and quickly purchase the pieces
created by some of Maine's hottest contemporary
artists.
"The Greater Portland art community looks forward to
this yearly show," said Tom Blackburn, chair of the
Black Frame Art Sale Steering Committee. "It presents
An opportunity to acquire pieces by well-respected
artists at affordable prices. Artists enjoy the show
because it is a great way to generate exposure and
excitement for their work."
Fifty-six artists exhibited at this year's show, which
took place at 3fish Gallery, Grapheteria, and
Back Bay Tower. This was the fourth year the Bayside
Neighborhood Association has held the event. The next
show will take place in September 2008, at a date to
be announced. For more information, call 780-0915.
Generous support for the event was provided by
Portland Digital Printing & Copying, Grapheteria,
Gorham Savings Bank, Avesta Housing, Ocean Gate
Realty, InterMed, PowerPay, and Pizzagalli Construction
Company, with special thanks to WBRC Architects &
Engineers and Back Bay Tower.
-Avery Yale Kamila
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Governor Ceremonially Signs Bill to Protect Coastal Waters
AUGUSTA – Governor John E. Baldacci today ceremonially signed LD 1297, "Resolve, Regarding Measures to Ensure the Continued Health and Commercial Viability of Maine's Seacoast by Establishing Nutrient Standards for Coastal Waters," sponsored by Representative Herb Adams. The resolve calls for a process to reduce marine pollution, setting nutrient criteria for coastal waters by Jan. 31, 2008.
“I am pleased to sign this important resolve, which continues our efforts to protect our coastal waters for years to come,” said Governor Baldacci. “This will benefit our coastal environment, our quality of place, and our economy, which depends on our maritime industries and tourism.”
The resolve specifically directs the Department of Environmental Protection to work with stakeholders, including wastewater treatment facilities and others, to set nutrient criteria for coastal waters. The initial focus is the Casco Bay, but the work there will be a model for the entire Maine coastline.
The goal is for input and information to be collected and a report to be generated from the department with suggestions for implementing legislation.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the Legislature and our partners to ensure that our coastal waters remain healthy for the future of Maine,” said Governor Baldacci.
“I am pleased to sign this important resolve, which continues our efforts to protect our coastal waters for years to come,” said Governor Baldacci. “This will benefit our coastal environment, our quality of place, and our economy, which depends on our maritime industries and tourism.”
The resolve specifically directs the Department of Environmental Protection to work with stakeholders, including wastewater treatment facilities and others, to set nutrient criteria for coastal waters. The initial focus is the Casco Bay, but the work there will be a model for the entire Maine coastline.
The goal is for input and information to be collected and a report to be generated from the department with suggestions for implementing legislation.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the Legislature and our partners to ensure that our coastal waters remain healthy for the future of Maine,” said Governor Baldacci.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)