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PEAKS ISLAND
COUNCIL UPDATE
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NEWS BRIEFSSCHOOL SUPERINTENDANT NAMED The Portland School Committee voted Feb. 25 to hire Portland native James Morse, Sr. as superintendent of the Portland Public Schools. He has served as superintendent of the Messalonskee School District (MSAD 47) in Oakland for the past 12 years, and previously served as superintendent of the Limestone Public Schools. He will take over the leadership of Maine’s largest district in July. Morse grew up in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood and graduated from Portland High School in 1973. He holds a BA and MA in education at the University of Maine and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Sarasota. His hobbies include drawing and motorcycling. The School Committee will hold a celebration in the spring to introduce him to the community. NEW POLICE CHIEF ANNOUNCED Tuesday, Feb 17, Portland City Manager Joe Gray announced the recommendation of Captain James Craig of the Los Angeles Police Department as the city's 18th Police Chief. Craig will be formally presented to the City Council for confirmation on March 2, and is expected to start work May 4. from Nicole Clegg
CBITD TICKET PRICE INCREASE LIKELY Operations Committee public hearing meeting Feb 11, 7:45am. The CBITD Operations Committee voted against two proposed schedule changes that might have saved the District an estimated $36,000 over the next year, after hearing public comment from 12 island residents, Casco Bay Line crew members and staff who argued that the tightened schedule would adversely impact the quality of life for down-the-bay residents and put too much pressure on crews to load freight quickly, potentially creating unsafe conditions on the boats. Committee Chair Jim Phipps emphasized that the hearing was meant only to garner public opinion and apparently did not expect the matter to be decided on, but when the public comment period ended, after little discussion committee member Mac McKone moved for a vote and both measures were overwhelmingly defeated. The consensus after the meeting was that, as a result of the defeat, ticket prices most likely will go up. The decision evidently took the committee itself by surprise. In statements that echoed one another almost word for word, members said they had fully expected to approve the measures until public comments changed their minds. CBITD board President Donna Rockett was especially regretful. “This is hard,” she said. “I was the one who brought these [measures] to the District and pushed for them.” In part, the reversal may have been a reaction to the attempts by the committee chair to suppress comments from crew members who were saying that the proposed schedule changes would not leave enough time to load freight. Phipps tried to cut them off several times, saying those arguments were not appropriate for public comment and should be addressed to management in “in-house letters”. “This is a public comment period,” he said, “and we need to be hearing from the public.” But prior to voting, instead of discussing the merits of the proposals among themselves, committee members one after another turned to the audience to say they disagreed with Phipps and that based on the crew’s comments as well as other public comment they would not approve the measures.
Said Jim Phipps, “I guess it’s up to the Finance Committee now to find a way to make up the $36,000 you just voted down.” WINTERUSH IS ON Mayor Jill Duson opened Portland WinteRush to the public on Friday, Feb. 6, which kicked off with the International Snow & Ice Art Expo in Lincoln Park, an exhibition of sculptures of marine life including a life-sized humpback whale and her calf. WinteRush offers a number of fun activities to get people out and active during the winter, and runs until Saturday, Feb. 14.
Peaks Island snowboarders ride sticky snow last month.
IMAGE: An animation of images of the back shore on Peaks Island on the almost last day of 2008.
PEAKS ISLAND COUNCIL INAUGURATION CEREMONY
ABOVE: The PIC held its first inauguration of new members Wednesday, Dec. 10 at the Inn on Peaks Island, at 6:30 p.m. Councilor Richards was elected Chair, and both Betsy Stout and Tom Bohan were re-elected to their postions of Vice-Chair and Treasurer respectively. Video courtesy of Pat Kelly, Peaks Island
PEAKS ISLAND CHECK-IN LINE: Beginning Nov 5 seniors who live alone, have recently had surgery or other medical issues, or who are house-bound for any reason can participate in a new call-in monitoring service being implemented by Cynthia and Howard Pedlikin. Participants enrolled in the program call the Check-in Line each day by 10 am (766-0067) and leave a message that all is well. In the event a message is not received, volunteer staff will then check on that person. To sign up, please e-mail the Pedlikins at cindyhow@maine.rr.com . Applications can be found here.
SCHOOL CANCELLATIONS According to a news bulletin by Shoshana Hoose of the Portland Public School District, a 2-hour late day option has been adopted by the school district for use when snow has stopped but road crews are still clearing the streets. All school cancellations and late starts will be announced on the
school district’s Web site (www.portlandschools.org), on TV3 and on
local radio and television stations. On days when a 2-hour late start is planned but the weather is worsening, Interim Superintendant Jeanne Whynot-Vickers says parents should continue to monitor news reports until 9 a.m., in case the district decides to cancel school for the day.
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