June 2014 Munjoy Hill Observer

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MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

1979 – 2014

M U N JOY HIL L

OBSERVER

Profit Org1 JuneNon 2014 US Postage

PAID

Portland, ME Permit No. 824

YEARS

FREE • Published by the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization • Vol. 34, No 5 • JUNE 2014

By Matthew Kennedy Last month, I referenced an article from the December 1980 Observer titled “Are We Being Priced Off The Hill?”

I revisited this article when preparing my June column.

That, in turn, got me thinking about both the challenges we face on Munjoy Hill today, and the efforts the MHNO has made over the past year to address these challenges.

And that got me sidetracked.

So I intend to return to history next month; but right now I want to talk about the present and future.

The December 1980 article addressed not only the marked transformations then underway on the Hill, but also the Board’s efforts to determine how the MHNO, in the service of the neighborhood, might best address such change. As the author noted, the question of what the neighborhood should be like in five years guided many of that earlier Board’s month-to-month decisions, yet it was nonetheless a question that “has never been completely resolved.”

First, we’ve embraced even more strongly our duty to be informed and to inform. We are rigorously monitoring sources of information of potential interest to the Hill.

You likely have noticed the new letter board in the display case in front of Hill House; this is updated at least twice a week. We also provide timely and regular updates to the community via Facebook and email.

We are in the process of designing a new, more dynamic website, which we hope to launch in August.

All of this is on top of the monthly Observer, the oldest and only regularly-produced neighborhood newspaper in Portland.

We are excited to be offering residents so many ways to stay up-to-date on essential Hill news and to share feedback.

LOOKING AHEAD WITH THE MHNO

It’s a tricky question still today: How does a neighborhood organization, working in the service of a widely varied constituency, one embracing a broad range of opinions concerning a number of potentially divisive issues of critical importance to the neighborhood’s future, most effectively represent the interests of the neighborhood as a whole?

In the past year we’ve taken some important steps to more effectively accomplish our mission during this time of change.

Second, with an eye to the state’s demographic shift, we are in the process of launching At Home on Munjoy Hill, an initiative that will support older residents with cooperative services, such as transportation, so that they may age in place, at home. The Hill’s population will age in coming years along with the nation’s; this initiative will directly address this transformation. We view this as a multi-generational endeavor, with neighbors helping neighbors.

To most, the critical issue this past year has been residential development. Here, too, communication has been key; the MHNO has worked to keep the community upto-date, not only via the communications channels noted above, but also by hosting public meetings (often mul-

tiple meetings) with project developers to provide residents the opportunity to learn about these plans, to ask questions of those developing them, and to voice opinions. We have also developed a structure for evaluating new projects and for drawing stakeholders’ attention to aspects that may raise concerns (or, even, that warrant praise). We are currently employing this tool to assess Avesta’s new 134 Washington Avenue proposal.

I know that some are not satisfied with this approach; many have strong views regarding these development projects and believe that the MHNO should adopt those views as well. But the MHNO represents the neighborhood, and the neighborhood is, among other things, the sum of its varied viewpoints and opinions. As the anonymous 1980 board member wrote, we could “try to draw up the barricades after us and discourage people from moving in”; or we could “opt to let the market forces operate as they will without attempting any intervention.” Or we could, and do, seek to inform, engage, manage change and optimize outcomes for the good of the neighborhood See page 3, THE HILL IN FIVE YEARS

JUNE 24: Public Workshop ON FRANKLIN STREET Study THE PUBLIC IS INVITED to a

IN 2014, the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization celebrates its 35th birthday. The MHNO was incorporated as a non-profit on January 17, 1979. Over the past 35 years, the “Hill” has seen many changes, but the MHNO, lead by a volunteer Board of Directors, has been a constant and consistent presence in the neighborhood. The MHNO helps to build community and improve the quality of life for all those fortunate enough to call Munjoy Hill their home.

very important public input session on the Franklin Street Feasibility Study on TUESDAY, JUNE 24, from 5 to 6:30 pm at the Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall in Portland. (The entrance is on Myrtle St. down from Merrill Auditorium towards Cumberland St.) This is the second and final public workshop for this study.

PLEASE mark your calendars and try to attend for the full meeting.

The format will include a half-hour presentation from 5:00 to 5:30 pm, providing an overview of the potential

final road design and the aspects of it where we particularly need additional comment.

After this presentation, between 5:30 and 6:30 pm, participants will be able to provide comments at individual stations, in a format similar to the first public workshop in January.

There will be ample opportunity to ask questions and make comments on the entire proposal during the second portion of the meeting. Pre-meeting information will be posted on the City’s study website prior to the meeting.

FMI: Carol Morris, Franklin Street Study Public Outreach, Morris Communications, 207-329-6502

MHNO PIZZA NIGHT: JULY 8, 5-9 pm On July 8, 2014, the MHNO is hosting a fundraiser at our local OTTO Pizza, at 225 Congress Street. From 5 PM to 9 PM, OTTO will give a percentage of all proceeds from pizza, both eat-in and carryout, to the MHNO. MHNO representatives will be on hand to talk about the organization, our initiatives and goals. Sharpen your multi-tasking skills by eating yummy pizza while helping out the MHNO! (see menu online at ottoportland.com .)

SO CLOSE, YOU CAN ALMOST TASTE IT! The new Hilltop Superette sports a hand-painted sign made by Jeff at Brown’s Signs up in Chelsea. Opening date?

TBA... (We hope it’s soon!) You can follow the progress of renovation online at the Hilltop Superette Facebook page.

WED, JUNE 25: MHNO ANNUAL MEETING & ELECTIONS: details on page 5 // THUR, JUNE 26 MUNJOY HILL NEIGHBORHOOD POTLUCK NIGHT, SUMMER CONCERTS IN THE PARKS, details on page 12 // HILL DEVELOPMENTS, page 9 // LOCAL EVENTS, page 14 // INDIA ST DEVELOPMENTS, page 16 // SAT, OCT 11: MHNO’s 35TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

BUYING OR SELLING, THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR EXPERIENCE.

LOVE the city?

Own a piece of it!

151 Newbury St., Portland, Me 04101 • Cell 207.465.5569 • M arc c hadbourne . coM

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June 2014

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

At the Helm The Munjoy Hill Observer is published by the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization (MHNO) 92 Congress Street Portland, Maine 04101 info@munjoyhill.org 207-775-3050 Editor: Lisa Peñalver

observer@munjoyhill.org (207) 272-5962 munjoyhill.org

Observer Committee Andrea Myhaver, Ross Fields, Tamera Edison, Caron Murray, Sarah Graulty, Lisa Peñalver

advertising Ross Fields Ross.Fields@munjoyhill.org (207) 233-4327 Tamera Edison tamera.edison@munjoyhill.org (207) 939-7998 Lisa Peñalver, Layout & Design Observer@munjoyhill.org (207) 272-5962 3,000 Circulation 8,000+ Readership About our paper The Munjoy Hill Observer is published by the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization (MHNO) as a service to its members and to the community as a whole, to inform Portland’s East End residents of local issues and events, and of the services that can be found here. The Observer serves as a vehicle to connect and inform our neighbors, while enlisting community partners to help us help those who need it most.

The Munjoy Hill Observer was first published in May of 1979. Circulation is 3000, distributed free in Portland at over 100 locations. Nearly 300 copies are mailed to current and former members of the MHNO.

MHNO Board 2013-14

Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization Andrea Myhaver, President.......................... . ......... andrea.myhaver@munjoyhill.org Ross Fields, Vice President............................ . ...................ross.fields@munjoyhill.org Elaine Mullin, Treasurer.................671-6132 . .............. elaine.mullin@munjoyhill.org Sam Cohen, Secretary.................................. . .................. sam.cohen@munjoyhill.org Ralph Carmona..............................518-9177 . ............ ralph.carmona@munjoyhill.org Sarah Graulty.............................................. . ..............sarah.graulty@munjoyhill.org Matthew Kennedy........................................ . ....... matthew.kennedy@munjoyhill.org Thomas Kelley............................................. . ...........................................................

Joan Sheedy.................................. 774-7616 . .................... joaniesheedy@gmail.com Sean Ryan Turley......................................... . ................. sean.turley@munjoyhill.org

MHNO Mission Incorporated as a nonprofit organization in January 1979, our purpose is to be a

MHNO President, Andrea Myhaver

During a recent lunch break, I was re-

minded why I love where I live. I stopped into Hilltop Coffee for my iced-coffee fix, picked up some soup at Rosemont, headed to XPress Copy to pick up copies they had waiting for me, and then took a few minutes to soak up the view of Casco Bay from Cutter Street before heading back to my office for a busy afternoon. In the span of less than 30 minutes, I was able to take care of business, feed my body, and feed my soul, and it all transpired in the neighborhood I live in. How great is that? Not everyone is lucky enough to call a place like Munjoy Hill home, and I am grateful every day that I do.

It was my love of Munjoy Hill that first prompted me to join the MHNO in 2010. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into my first Board meeting that year, but I knew I wanted to find a way to become more involved in the neighborhood I loved, and the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization seemed like a good place to start.

It was. From day one, it has been a challenging and exciting group to be a part of, and I can’t believe that four years have passed since I first walked into Hill House to find out what it was all about.

At my first board meeting back in 2010, I met several like-minded people who were passionate about Munjoy Hill, and who had a surplus of ideas about how to engage others in the neighborhood. I noticed though, that the organization was in need of, well, some organization. While there were some processes in place that seemed to work well, there also was a need for more structure. Some of the things that we (the current Board) take for granted now about the way things operate, were not in place when I joined. The previous Board did things a bit more “organically” than I was used to.

They had a list of topics for each meeting, but timelines were quite loose and meetings often meandered into topics that weren’t on the agenda. This allowed for some lively debates and conversations, but it limited the ability to “get things done”.

When I became President of the Board in 2011, I sought to build upon the passion and excitement that was present, while also growing us into a cohesive team that was able to set and attain realistic and timely goals and objectives. I’m really pleased to say that’s just what we are today.

We are a group that works well together, and the structure we have in place has allowed

Get Ready, Get Set, RELAX!

restaurants is too long to include, but entire websites are devoted to the Foodie scene in Portland (the urbanspoon.com, maine.eater. com and Yelp, to name a few).

For us in our little corner of Maine, this summer is a long time coming.

The long winter is still weighing on our minds. As I’m writing this (end of May), the wet morning sky is dark with clouds and it’s barely 45 degrees outside. Nonetheless, I know, just know, that the hot sweltering days will arrive any day now.

And so, leaving you well-armed for upcoming adventures, I bid you Happy Trails!

• Take a Portland Observatory Tour. The dramatic history of this tower spans the history of our City itself. (Plus, the view from the top is to die for!)

• Take in live perfomances at the St. Lawrence Arts Center and nearby Mayo Street Arts; show times are listed online.

• Visit the Longfellow House, the Maine Historical Society, and the Portland Museum of Art. • Eat out! The list of local

While we’ve come far in the past four years, there’s always room for improvement, and I’m excited to take on the challenges that this next year will bring, as we launch our At Home on Munjoy Hill program, introduce our new website, and celebrate 35 years of existence in a big way with our anniversary celebration in October. I am looking forward to another year “At the Helm” and I hope you’ll still have me!

From the Editor, Lisa Peñalver

It’s coming! Yes, SUMMER. With it, come all the lovely childhood dreams that summer vacation inspires; it’s time for some R&R in the warm/hot sun.

So there is no better time than right now to plan to make the most of those golden days. They don’t call this place ‘Vacationland” for nothing! I found a great list on a site called visitportland.com. And I am including it below. Not on this list, but other stops that you should rank highly on the list are:

this small group of volunteers with very busy lives to accomplish a great deal. Here’s a sampling of what we’ve done, in addition to producing the Observer on time and within budget every month for the past four years: First Friday Art Walks, Annual Festivals, Holiday Gatherings, Candidate Forums, Clean-up Days, Camp Transportation Scholarships, Holiday Giving, Heating Assistance, neighborhood meetings and potlucks.

From VisitPortland.com: 1. Get out on the water. Take any one or more of a number of cruises offered by Casco Bay Lines, Portland Discovery Land & Sea Tours, Lucky Catch Cruises, Maine Sailing Adventures, Odyssey Whale Watch & Nature Cruises or Portland Schooner Company. ... See Portland Harbor and Casco Bay at their best.

2. Attend a Portland Sea Dogs baseball game. Enjoy a summer afternoon or early evening with America’s pastime. Kids will love Slugger, the Sea Dogs’ popular mascot!

3. Take a trolley tour. Portland Discovery Land & Sea Tours offers a 90-min. tour of downtown Portland with a brief stop at Portland Head Light.

4. Visit the summer art exhibits at the Portland Museum of Art or the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland. Both museums have exciting exhibits year-round with a number

of works by artists with Maine ties such as the Wyeths and Winslow Homer. These are great activities for the occasional rainy days.

5. Visit any one of the local beaches. [East End Beach tops the list.] Within minutes of Portland, you can find Crescent Beach State Park in Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough Beach State Park, Higgins Beach, Pine Point Beach in Scarborough, and Old Orchard Beach.

[Or explore the beaches on Peaks Island.]

6. Visit an Amusement Park.

Funtown Splashtown in Saco and Palace Playland in Old Orchard Beach are open all summer long with rides and activities for kids of all ages.

7. Tour a few of Maine’s Lighthouses. There are several lighthouses within the greater Portland area that are easily accessibly by car. Spring Point Ledge Light and Portland Breakwater Light are both located in South Portland.

Spring Point Ledge Light is open to visitors on weekends during the summer and Portland Breakwater Light (also known as Bug Light) is located in a park which used to house the Liberty Ships shipyard during WWII.

S e n d Y o u r L e t t e r s a n d H i ll n e w s t o

8. Enjoy a walking tour of Portland. Greater Portland Landmarks offers a guided architectural tour of the Old Port area (sign up at Tommy’s Park), Maine Foodie Tours offers for a culinary view of Portland, and Wicked Walking Tours highlights Portland’s ghostly past with evening strolls.

Or simply strike out on your own with the downtown map from a Visitors Guide.

9. Stop by the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine, a great rainy day activity for families or just a way to get a respite from the beach. Kids will love the interactive exhibits and programming.

10. Enjoy an evening concert.

Many communities in the greater Portland area offer free outdoor concerts. Portland, South Portland, Scarborough and Freeport showcase a variety of bands of different musical genres in parks throughout the summer.

observ er@Munjoy Hill .org

broad-based, representative organization committed to improving the quality of life for the residents of Munjoy Hill and the East End, by strengthening the

WHO YOU GONNA CALL? You can help prevent crime on the Hill!

If you see a crime happening or see/hear anything suspicious in your neighborhood, please call the police!

groups, encouraging self-sufficiency, and

756-8135 Daytimes: Janine Kaserman with Community Policing 2) 650-9005 cell: 11 am thru the night, Senior Lead Officer Jeff Druan 3) 874-8575/-8574: Dispatch/non-emergency events

enriching the lives of all residents.

4) Emergencies: 9-1-1

sense of community, maintaining the current diversity of social and economic

1)

Clip and save these numbers!

Anonymous Crimes tips Program: Phone Tip—Dial 874-8584 | Online: tipsubmit.com Text-A-Tip: Text “GOTCHA” plus your message to 274637 (CRIMES)

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

June 2014

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Munjoy Hill, an Entrepreneurial Paradise

By Ross Fields, VP & MHNO Membership I love the technology we have today. The “magic” of our devices, coupled with the internet, are an entrepreneur’s dream. It’s no longer about “Location, location, location” but rather “Location independence”. I can connect with people all around the planet from my home on Munjoy Hill or anywhere, for that matter! With a device that fits in my hand (Kirk to Enterprise).

Portland, from the very beginning, has benefited from the entrepreneurial spirit and drive. Being an entrepreneur myself, operating a “location independent” business, I’ve explored how to best use, and stay current with, the ever-evolving technology.

Remembering when I was a kid, my buddies and I were excited about “secretly” communicating with “build-your-own” walkie-talkies from Lafayette Radio (pre-Radio Shack)! Yes, technology keeps expanding, and along with it, there are new ideas and strategies that al-

low today’s entrepreneurs to be creative in never-dreamed-about ways.

Here’s my current list of successful leaders in entrepreneurial endeavors: Books • Start With Why – How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, Simon Sinek • Tribes – We Need You to Lead, Seth Godin • Enchantment – The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions, Guy Kawasaki • Contagious – Why Things Catch On, Jonah Berger • Blue Ocean Strategy – How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant, W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne • Rework , Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Online Business Strategies • Marie Forleo, www.marieforleo.com. Marie teaches how to create a successful online business by knowing and understanding one specific ideal customer; she also helps you to understand your unique talent and creativity, so that you may develop a product that the world needs.

• Ramit Sethi, www.iwillteachyoutoberich. com. Understanding your customer and pricing.

And this is a report worth your time to explore: • Nielsen – Millenials: Breaking the Myths, www.nielsen.com/us/en/reports/2014/ millennials-breaking-the-myths.html (sorry for the long URL, but it will take you right to it) This report contains some very interesting information that will definitely assist you in relating to, and creating content for, Millennials and other age groups represented.

Your Life Reimagined: Considering What’s Next!

Lori K Parham, State Director AARP Maine When was the last time you took a

moment to evaluate what is truly important to you? If you could change anything, what would it be? Perhaps you want to investigate something completely different; a project or a type of work that you never got the chance to try. Although nearly all of us have some dream of this sort (for my next career I’d like to run a Bed & Breakfast), embracing change in later life can feel quite intimidating.

This is why AARP recently launched an initiative called Life Reimagined to help you navigate these changes. A major feature of this initiative is an exciting, interactive website. At www.lifereimagined. org you’ll have a chance to explore ways to capitalize on your existing talents, and take a good look at the changes you want to make.

Life Reimagined is designed to take some of the mystery out of change and help you to discover your path to new possibilities.

You have the opportunity to consult an expert team of counselors, entrepreneurs and social marketers who understand how to help experienced adults navigate life transitions. You’ll also have a chance to hear personal stories from real people who reimagined their lives and triumphed.

Paul Giannone is one of the website’s examples of a successful life reimagined.

Paul spent 30 years doing IT work for some of the largest companies in America, but, as he says in his poignant video, “I always wanted more out of life.” During his working years, Paul’s favorite hobby was sampling different pizzas on the weekends in New York City with his sons.

As Paul’s passion for excellent pizza grew, he decided to try making his own and purchased a wood burning brick oven for his home. It soon became apparent that he had a great talent for making fantastic pizza! Friends and family encouraged him to open his own pizza shop. Two years ago, Paul took their advice and opened “Paulie Gee’s” which has quickly become a popular Brooklyn establishment. Paul’s journey offers proof that you can reshape your destiny if you have the drive and the right tools to get started.

Life Reimagined can give you those tools.

This initiative is a real world approach

that involves six practices designed to guide you through the process. The six practices are: Reflecting, Connecting, Exploring, Choosing, Repacking and Acting.

• Reflecting is the practice of recognizing where you are in life and assessing how you feel about it.

• Connecting with others helps you by creating a unique support system. It lets you share your ideas and consider new perspectives with a core group of trusted people.

• Exploring is about freeing yourself to think broadly and honestly about where your life could go.

• Choosing is the moment that charts your direction and shapes your life.

• Repacking is the process of identifying what you need to succeed. This is the time to add or adjust priorities in your life.

• Acting gets you ready to put it all together and make things happen.

In short, Life Reimagined can help you identify your goals, analyze the challenges you may encounter, and develop a plan to propel yourself toward these goals.

The most important thing to remember throughout the entire process is that this is all about you! Many of us often feel the urge to take a closer look at dreams and goals that were put aside when “life got in the way.” Perhaps it’s time to dust those ideas off and give them another try.

the Hill in Five Years, from front page as a whole. The fact that we’ve been criticized from both sides on these projects suggests to me that we’ve probably got things about right.

We have our President, Andrea Myhaver, to thank for this. Andrea contributes an enormous amount to the MHNO, but perhaps nothing more important than her ability to address these fraught issues with equanimity, patience, and, always, a willingness to listen. Even with issues that seem inherently and insolubly divisive, Andrea finds a way, and the MHNO is more effective for it.

It’s been a great year. We’ve done a lot.

We’ve got a lot more to do. We need your input, and your assistance, and your support. If something concerns you, let us know. Come to meetings. Become a member. Join a committee. Make a difference to your neighborhood.

Last month the Portland Phoenix named the East End Portland’s Best Neighborhood. We already knew that. In five years, let’s be the best neighborhood anywhere.

MHNO Vice President, Ross Fields As always, continue having as much fun as you possibly can; say “Hi” to someone you don’t know when you’re out for a stroll on the Hill, and make sure you’re a member of Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization, celebrating 35 years!

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June 2014

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

Gardener’s Dirt Finding inspiration through travel

By Nini McManamy Traveling during the growing season is always a mixed blessing for gar-

deners, who worry about chores not done, seedlings not watered, and worst of all, missing the bloom of a favorite plant. But garden tourism helps ease the pain, and I’ve heard that the Netherlands is a great spring destination. So after getting early vegetables planted and compost spread, I took off this spring for a cycle tour of North Holland through tulip country.

We slept at night on a comfortable canal barge along with our fellow cyclists, ranging in age from 12 to 80. Cycling was a breeze, since the Netherlands takes cycle paths seriously and the land is flat. Unfortunately, most tulip production had ended due to unusually warm weather, but we saw plenty and the beauty of the agricultural polder with cows, sheep, geese, and fields of yellow rapeseed made up for the lack of color.

We cycled to the famous Keukenhof Gardens (still lots of tulips) and the flower auction at Aalsmer. We cycled to a traditional and still-working windmill one day, and learned from its retired-architect owner about the compressed peat left behind after so much water has been drained out of so many thousands of acres of wetlands (it’s very fragile and can’t be built upon, which preserves it for cows, sheep and tulips).

And along the way we got a delicious slice of canal life, going through locks and getting a back view of irresistably charming towns, most only a 20-30 minute comAbove and at left, images of gardens in the Netherlands, taken by author Nini McManamy during her trip there in early May 2014

Writer Nini McManamy is a master gardener with a garden design and consultation business, Gardener’s Dirt (ninimaine@aol.com)

mute by train to Amsterdam or Rotterdam. We went through a wooden 12th century lock still operated by a club of volunteers. We saw traditional sailboats and rowing sculls.

We saw farmers’ markets that met shopper needs in ways Portland’s falls short (you can get hot tea, chocolate or coffee, freshly shucked shellfish, and takeout food). As always, when on a trip to a country where winters are warmer than ours, I was seduced by the shrubs and perennials that won’t grow in Maine: lacy hydrangeas, ceanothus, tender lavenders. But the most lovely part of all, were the miles of cycle paths through fragrant woods and farmers fields—perfectly flat and free of cars.

We saw the botanic garden where the I have found that garden tourism can be first tulip bulbs were imported to Europe done most anywhere. Pre-trip research from Turkey in the 17th century, leading helps you locate botanic gardens--there’s to the inflamed tulip market known as even a garden museum in London. Many Tulipmania in the 1630s and the evential city garden clubs have tours showcasing crash of the Dutch economy. We saw the garden design and maintenance, some annual bulb parade--floats made entirely cooking schools are allied with gardens. I of hyacinths, tulips and other bulbs take typically begin planning by Googling the name of the- city or region Moderate Sudoku Book 10 and the word three days to wind through tulip towns, Puzzles From www.veryfreesudoku.com “gardens”.

Bon voyage! accompanied by a band riding bicycles while playing drums, tubas and other instruments.

Sudoku Puzzle 7

8 6

“What a desolate place would be a 5 world without a flower!

It would be a face without a smile, a feast without a welcome. Are not5flowers7 the stars of the earth, and are not our 3 stars the flowers of the heaven?”

—A.J. Balfour

2 3 5 9 3 4

8

6

3

1 1 5 6 6 8 2 3 8 9 4 1 5 6 2 2 4 9

8

2

3 5

5

4 7

4 3 3 1 4 8

6 5

4 9

Sudoku Puzzle 8

Ask the Money Prof

By Joel I. Gold

So You Want to Take a Vacation?

Most of us enjoy a different routine now and again. We work hard during the year, and look forward to taking a vacation. Some of the typical questions that come up when making the final vacation decision are: • How much time do I have?

• How much do I have to spend?

• Do I need to finance the vacation or will I pay cash?

• Who will be going?

• Where are we going?

• Will we fly, drive or take public transit?

• What other goals do I have that require funding?

Recognize that taking a vacation is part of personal financial planning. It is one of many goals that families have which require an allocation of resources. Certainly, vacations provide near-term satisfaction which enhance quality of life.

Spending money on vacation creates an opportunity cost. Is the vacation worth more to you than other opportunities?

Taking the family on a week’s vacation can cost thousands of dollars (even if you are traveling in the U.S.).

Do you want a doctor who takes time to really listen to your concerns?

Are you hoping for health care that supports health without surgical or pharmaceutical intervention?

Airlines, hotels, food, car rental, admission fees and so on are not cheap today.

Would it make sense to go away for only one or two days?(It’s amazing how rested one can feel by staying away for even one or two evenings). You could spend less money and have the resources to put toward a new car, real estate, savings and investments, educational costs, and so on. This can especially feel good if you don’t have to pay off vacation loans over the next year. (We discussed , in an earlier column, how debt places a burden on your future income.)

Before you take your next vacation, visit the internet and search for “how to save money on vacation.” There are all sort of budget travel tips, ways to save money on vacation and even how to save for vacation. Everyone deserves a vacation, just make sure it is affordable.

College professor and financial adviser Joel I. Gold is the owner of the Gold Company, located off of India Street, 145 Newbury Street, 3rd flr, (207) 650-7884, where he works as a fee-only Financial Planner. He’s been in Portland since 1995.

inner shores • chiropractic • homeopathy • attunement

Are you searching for an approach in treating conditions that have been unresponsive to other methods?

Wendy Pollock DC, CCH

“Using multiple modalities along with her innate skill as a doctor and healer, she was able to fix what others could not. Dr. Pollock has a big, big heart and soul to match her phenomenal talent.”

—Michelle Patrick, LMT

Dr. Wendy Pollock DC, CCH Practice of Chiropractic, Homeopathy and Attunement 83 India Street Portland, Maine 04101 (207) 370-8330 innershores@gmail.com

www.innershores.com

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

June 2014

the munjoy Hill neighborhood Organization Open Meetings!!

The MHNO Board meets every second Monday of each month at 7 pm at the Hill House at 92 Congress St.

Everyone’s Welcome!

MHNO Board of Directors Elections — Board Seats Available! —

Would you like to get involved in your neighborhood?

Learn what your neighborhood organization is all about and be an integral part of the wonderful programs we have in place now and help develop the programs of the future?

Would you like to bring your thoughts and collaborative focus to work together with other community-minded people?

Email info@munjoyhill.org. Show your neighborhood pride! Munjoy HilL t-shirts are available: S-XL: $18, XXXL: $18. Tees come in black or white. Or get this bumper sticker! (measures 6”x 4”) $3 per sticker. Buy one and support your Neighborhood group. Send your check to MHNO,92 Congress St, Portland ME 04101.

MHNO Annual Meeting coming in June 2014, watch for details in the June Observer

POTLUCK NIGHT at MHNO: Thursday, June 26th, 6:30-8:30 pm at the Hill House, 92 Congress. Come one, come all! Very casual; bring a dish, or not.

Just drop in!

Special thanks to Cecilia Ziko, a member of our Communications Committee, for designing our new logo!

Thank you! We love it!

The Munjoy Hill 35th Anniversary Celebration to be held September 2014! To contribute your ideas and to volunteer, please email info@munjoyhill.org

Feeling right ...

The MHNO Board is elected at the annual meeting in June by the membership present. Votes are counted and new board members are announced at the meeting. The President and Vice President are also elected at this meeting. The Secretary and Treasurer are then elected by the board at the first meeting of the new fiscal year in July.

Candidates are encouraged to contact us at info@munjoyhill , or call 207-671-6132. The process is simple. There is a brief questionnaire, along with demographic information to complete. You must be a member of the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization to run. If you are not yet a member, you can go to the MHNO website for information, www.munjoyhill.org.

Your completed membership form, with payment, can be dropped off in the locked mailbox outside MHNO Hill House (to the LEFT of the door), at 92 Congress St, nextdoor to Hilltop Coffee. You can also join us at the annual meeting. Everyone will be given a few minutes to introduce themselves to the membership during the meeting.

The annual meeting is June 25 at 6:30 pm the East End Community School, Please come to meet, talk, and listen, and consider joining us on the board!

Please Come! Weds, June 25, 2014

6:30-8 pm, East End Community School, 195 North St

Join the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization

At Home on Munjoy Hill

By Elaine Mullin

“Munjoy Hill’s Moment” Downeast Magazine March 2014

“Best Portland Neighborhood: East End” - Portland Phoenix, May 15, 2014 As Munjoy Hill enjoys a resurgence of

appreciation and popularity, many of the newest neighbors are those of us in that Baby Boomer demographic. We are enjoying empty nests; we want to be a part of this vibrant community, and enjoy being able to walk to the many attractions Portland offers. Few of us want want to think about all that happens in our own fast-approaching developmental stage of life, particularly the involuntary slowing-down part.

The good news is, thousands of people across the country, including right here on Munjoy Hill, are working to enable us all be able to stay right here, with a little help from our neighbors and friends. We may not need the help yet, but like an insurance policy, it’s here, and invaluable, when we do need it.

You can invest in this ‘policy’ in several ways, one of which is the At Home on Munjoy Hill, or AHOM. First, join us for our “Community Conversations” as we reach out to tailor our pro-

gram to your needs and wants. Talk with your neighbors, sit down with us of the At Home on Munjoy Hill group, and with the MHNO; Second, volunteer to help others, no minimal commitment; Third, join the Village as an investment in your future.

At Home on Munjoy Hill is a registered ‘Village’ and member of the Village-to-Village Network. The first Village was founded in Boston in 2001, there are now over 125 Villages in the United States and Canada with another 100 in development. Take a look online for more info: www.vtvnetwork.org At Home on Munjoy Hill’s Mission Statement is to empower older residents to continue living in their own homes on Munjoy Hill.

Our vision is a greater community connection for older adults on Munjoy Hill and a closer connection for members of the community to older residents, for the enrichment of all.

Join us! Find out more by contacting Elaine Mullin at elaine.mullin@munjoyhill.org or 671-6132.

New Membership

Renewal

Name(s)_ ____________________________________________________________ Street Address________________________________________________________ City________________________________________State_______ Zip___________ Email (for MHNO updates)_____________________________________________ Day Phone (____)________________ Eve Phone (____)______________________

Membership Levels Individual: $10 Family: $20 Business: $35 Additional Donation $25 $50 $75 $100 $250 $500 Other Amount: ($______) wish my gift to be anonymous

Volunteer for a Committee!

We need your help to make Munjoy Hill an even better place to live! Get involved by joining one or more of our committees:

Membership & Events Communications Services Safe & Livable Neighborhood Observer

We want all members of our community to join the MHNO regardless of financial circumstances. If you are unable to pay the suggested minimum amount, please pay what you can. If you are able to contribute more, we encourage you to do so.

We thank you for your support, and we’re excited to have you on board!

Please send this form along with your check to:

MHNO, 92 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101 Questions? Call (207) 775-3050, email info@munjoyhill.org or visit munjoyhill.org Welcome to the MHNO! 05/2014

5

ACROSS 1 More pleasant 6 Reach across MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER 6 June 2014 10 Houston and Donaldson 14 Got up 15 Give up, as T i p s o n P a r e n t i n g & Rland el at i o nsh i ps 16 Fields, Clippety-__

By Ross Fields, CPE & Kathleen CPE 17 Explorer __ de If there’s León a specific project that you would like to What’s in it for me? undertake, then do it; be the driving force for it.

18 Perched upon What a great way to spend time with your child Alternatives to using rewards.

Vex what giving of oneself is all about. while19 modeling From April’s column . . . A punishment, reward, 20 Running shoes or a bribe create the illusion of correcting a behav- Or simply start by attending one of the monthly 22 Stir from potluck dinners at Hillsleep House. No matter what, do ior, but their effect is short-sighted. Very soon, the 24 Stack something that has you and your child participatpunishment will require more severity, the reward 25 Pokiest ing in your community, together.

Before you know higher value, or the bribe must be much more it, those “what’s in it for me?” thoughts will turn 26 Go skyward enticing in order to have any effect. into “how can I help?”

29 Salesman’s If you remove “rewards” from your parenting tool Focus onpitch interests: Instead of paying your child box what “motivational” tool do you replace it with?

Name(s)_____________________________________________________________ 30 Wet sticky for every “A” he bringsstuff home, take the time to At first this appears to be a tough question because, Street Address________________________________________________________ and support, his genuine interests. A 31 GEICO as a society, we’re rewards driven. Take a moment identify, kid who’s interested in cooking will learn about City________________________________________State_______ Zip___________ spokesman and write down all the situations where you use a weights & andpews measures, while providing 33 Chairs reward. For you it might be that bowl of ice cream fractions, Email (for MHNO updates)_ ___________________________________________ tasty dessert. Ask your child “what he 37orSmell after a long workout. For your child it might be the a meal Day Phone (____)________________ Eve Phone (____)______________________ loves39 to do” instead loudly of “what he wants to be”. Take old “dollars for good grades” arrangement.

Laughs every opportunity to encourage him to think for Please mail payment to MHNO, 92, Congress St., Portland ME 04101 41 Challenge The problem is, over time, the use of a reward himself, and be driven from within, rather than by 42 Powerful winds erodes the satisfaction that comes from personal an external reward.

Thursday’s Puzzle Solved 7 Hamsters and 44 Say contribution and participation. Don’t you want Also, instead of paying your child for doing chores, your child to value giving of himself with no exkittens 46 Chop down give her an allowance as her share of the family’s pectation of anything in return?

8 “Much __ 47 Pigs and hogs resources. Every family member is expected to About Nothing” 49 Ribs Become aware of where you’re using a reward in contribute to the whole, as a team. Sure, you might 9 Kathmandu Widespread attempting to alter or control your child’s behav- have 51 to address some things that need attention, 54 Small ior. This may be challenging at first because you’ve like, “I’ve noticed sled that the dishes aren’tresident getting put been using rewards with the expectation of win- away 55 10Remember Written to in quick, Blockheads like they used to. What’s up?” ning cooperation. What actually happens is that critique clumsy letters 56the Divide problem, not the person. your child starts saying, before agreeing to do any11 Similar 60 Huck __; Mark And as always . . . with patience, education, and thing, “What’s in it for me?”

12 Burrowing Twain hero practice, you will become a more confident and efHere are ideas to encourage self-motivation and in- fective animals 61parent.

Resound ternal satisfaction. You might consider participat13 Used up 63 Leg bone It’s ALL about the relationship. ing as a family: 21 Firstborn of two 64 Golfing pegs 23Parenting Misfortunes 65Kathleen Reddish horse Volunteering: Find a group for you and your child Ross & Fields are Certified 25 Baseball or 66 “Andersen’s to get involved in. Consider the Munjoy Hill Neigh- Educators (CPE) and, co-founders of Results borhood Organization. If you’re not a member, Parenting,Fairy LLC, www.resultsparenting.com. soccer __” there’s a membership form in this paper. Sign up 26 Very excited 67 Certain for a committee and start attending with your kid.

27 Scotch and __; 68 Heavy book bar order 69 Open-eyed (c) 2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 28 __ as a All Rights Reserved. cucumber DOWN 53 Clementine’s 40 Arrange 29 Emulate Scott 1 Short sleeps dad, for one 43 Hit flies Hamilton 2 Clothes54 Sierra __; 45 Sailboat race 32 Dracula’s title pressing African nation 48 Flier stuck in 34 Oohs and __; device 56 Artificial; phony the newspaper shows delight 3 Ice cream 57 Up to the task 50 Antenna 35 Redwood or scoop holder 58 Bleachers level 51 Fissures; sequoia 4 Get away 59 __ Anglia, UK cracks 36 Stitches 5 Stinky 62 Pigeon’s sound 52 “Bye, Pierre!”

38 Answer 6 Frighten

Special Offer: For only $10 a year: Munjoy Hill Observer can be Delivered Right to Your Door!

Includes Free MHNO membership!

Fill out and send in this form with your payment Today!

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GrowingTogether

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

June 2014

7

justinalfond.com

Legislative Session Ends on an Up-Note Another busy and

challenging legislative session came to a close earlier this month. In spite of Governor LePage’s obstructionism—from his record-breaking number of vetoes, to his unwillingness to provide or work on a supplemental budget—the Legislature led on issues important to Mainers and to the future of our state. And much of our work in the Legislature was done through bipartisanship. I am very proud of the work we accomplished and the bills we passed.

We made great strides in bolstering our sluggish economy through investing in Maine’s small businesses, and promoting job creation. One such effort was a bill I sponsored to help start-up companies raise up to $1 million from small equity investors through crowd-funding.

The Legislature also successfully overrode Governor LePage’s veto of a small business bond package, which will provide funding to support Maine’s small businesses,

regional economic development, and the marine economy. These bonds will be on the November ballot for voter approval.

While these economic measures are key to growing our economy, the foundation of a robust economy is a strong workforce. Maine people are known for being hardworking, industrious individuals with a strong work ethic. The Legislature passed numerous bills to help Mainers of all ages access education and training so that they can develop the skills required to secure good jobs right here in Maine.

We provided $1.2 million in funding to the early college transition program to encourage high school students to attend higher educational institutions and acquire marketable skills, while also highlighting college affordability as a way to help more Maine kids get college degrees with the skills that Maine employers need.

We also tackled the issue of child hunger by passing my bill to increase access to summer food programs for Maine students. More than 84,000 Maine children qualify for free and reduced-priced school meals through

kjdonoghue @ por tlandmaine.gov

“How I came to stop worrying about Parking, and support the St. Lawrence” It was the afternoon of July 4, 2013, and my young daughter and I had just come home to Beckett Street. As usual, we had no trouble finding curbside parking in front of our building, even on this busiest of summer days. As we gathered our belongings before joining hundreds of visitors three blocks away on the Eastern Promenade, we were approached by a petitioner. “Excuse me, do you vote on Munjoy Hill?” I do, in fact, vote on Munjoy Hill.

The petition raised concerns about impacts, of both scale and parking, from the 400-seat performing arts center proposed by the St. Lawrence Arts Center which operates the 100-seat theater just up the street at 76 Congress. Naturally, I declined to sign a petition aimed at a vote that I would not have to finally take for well more than a year, but I have continued to consider and engage the issues raised by my neighbors and by those behind the petition. However, living, as we do, in the inner radius of blocks affected, I found that some constituent work begins at home. This year has allowed me to conclude not only that I support the project, but also that the impacts are manageable.

When the Friends of the St. Lawrence were approved to reconstruct the dismantled sanctuary in 2010, parking impacts associated with a performing arts center were understood as the price of resurrecting an icon. Now with the promise of an historic reconstruction shelved in favor of the prospect of a contemporary expansion, public debate has finally arrived at the question of whether a such an attraction is a good bargain for Munjoy Hill. The group behind the early petition drive, Concerned Citizens of Munjoy Hill, questions the bargain most forcefully. With a business plan built around the market for 400 seats, objections focused primarily on implications for scale, but these objections have gained little trac-

tion given its modest stature compared to that of the historic sanctuary.

Meanwhile, the Historic Preservation Board and interested residents have offered helpful critiques of the design, and the much more imposing luxury condos at 118 Congress Street have won approval from the Planning Board. However, Concerned Citizens of Munjoy Hill have also seized on the issue of parking demand for 400 new seats, expressing strong concern for the impacts on those working families, like mine, who depend on on-street parking. None of these concerns, of course, are lost on my neighbors, the Friends of the St. Lawrence, nor the City of Portland.

Once the Friends of the St. Lawrence finally submitted their application for a needed zoning amendment, I called for a neighborhood meeting facilitated, not by any competing interest groups, but by our city planning staff. Julia Kirby, development director for the St. Lawrence, introduced the proposal for the new performing arts center in the context of their three-part mission of Arts & Culture, Neighborhood & Community, and Historic Preservation.

David Lloyd, project architect for the performing arts center, as well as 118 Congress Street, reviewed the design in the context of previous public input, and in that of the approved designs for the fifty-foot condominium building. Tom Gorrill, project traffic engineer, reviewed parking data and plans for travel demand management (TDM).

Not surprisingly, it was neither mission, nor even design, that drew the most comments, but concerns about parking. Speaking in round numbers, 400 new visitors could be bringing as many as 200 cars to the streets of Munjoy Hill, half of which would be expected to find street parking, and the other half, at a remote parking lot on the Eastern Prom. In a nod to transit, which runs

the National School Lunch Program, but currently only 14,000 have access to a summer food program. The new law will better enable our students to access food all year round and hopefully achieve high levels of performance in the classroom and beyond.

As a Portlander and a hockey fan, I missed both the entertainment and the economic vitality the Portland Pirates brought to our city. To that end, the Legislature passed a bill I sponsored to bring the Portland Pirates back home to Portland. Their new agreement will bring hockey back to the Civic Center, helping our Portland businesses and fans alike.

All of these new bills passed by the Legislature this session are strong steps forward for Maine people. Our commitment to collaboration and compromise enabled us to produce significant results for Mainers, despite the immense obstacles put forth by Governor LePage.

It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve as your senator and the President of the Senate this past session, and I look forward to working together in the future.

As always, please send me your thoughts and comments at Justin@JustinAlfond.com.

very infrequently in the evening, their plan proposed a bus fare reimbursement of $1.

To say the least, the transportation plan had been incomplete, but feedback proved constructive and encouraging, some of it recalling experiences in other urban neighborhoods with residential parking permits and reliable transit, and others recalling what Munjoy Hill was like before St. Lawrence Church became the St. Lawrence Arts Center. It became clear to me from listening to neighbors was, that we largely embrace these challenges as opportunities.

As residents of Beckett Street, my daughter and I have been regular visitors to the Parish Hall, walking over for local music and music from as far away as Ireland, Scotland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec. Having this asset so close to home is invaluable and, with easy parking, we’re having our cake and eating it too! The proposed performing arts center at the St. Lawrence challenges this harmony, but it also offers opportunities. Instead of running private shuttles to satellite parking (as if visitors will not park as close as they possibly can) and instead of discounting bus fare (as if cost, and not frequency of evening service, were the limiting factor with transit), imagine what would happen if the cost of these programs went, instead, into funding increased evening frequencies on the METRO #1.

This Congress Street bus line connects the generous supply of both restaurants and parking garages downtown, unlocking

these assets for visitors to the St. Lawrence, and adding downtown access for residents of Munjoy Hill. A neighborhood with sustained access to frequent transit will naturally have a lower baseline demand for parking and thus more capacity to absorb episodic parking demand.

Of course, better transit will do nothing to dissuade those arriving by car from trying to park as close as possible. TDM plans should take this into account as well. Instead of running a shuttle to the parking lot on Cutter Street, the lots should instead support a new valet service, removing those cars from those blocks that would experience the greatest parking pressure from the St. Lawrence, and creating the opportunity to evaluate residential parking permits to protect spaces for residents of Munjoy Hill.

The Planning Board will soon schedule a workshop on TDM with the support of an independent expert in the field and I am confident that their plans will take a turn for the better and include plans for more frequent evening transit. A Munjoy Hill with a new performing arts center and with connections to downtown is a bargain worth considering, and a bargain I believe we will all be able to strike as the proposal wends its way from the Planning Board to the City Council.

Let me know how you consider these challenges and opportunities at kjdonoghue@ portlandmaine.gov.

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June 2014

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

Portland living at its peak.

118 Congress Street at St. Lawrence Street

We are proud to be sponsors of Greater Portland Landmarks’ 50th anniversary, celebrating Portland’s architectural legacy and its vibrancy as a city. While 118 on Munjoy Hill will never match the height, presence or historical importance of the Portland Observatory, we have aimed to design a complementary building that will contribute to the architectural fabric of our community.

As future residents, the developers have thoughtfully created every aspect; one level 2-3 bedroom flats, indoor parking, outdoor decks. Visit us online to see more unique features of the 12 condominiums. Remaining units start at $725,000. Sales center is open by appointment. Move in Spring 2015.

Just a few doors down, the Portland Observatory is open daily from 10 to 5.

118onMunjoyHill.com Life@118onMunjoyHill.com Cell: 202-257-9241

Local - Savvy-Responsive Portland - East End - Single Family •2,450 Sq. Ft. Single Family •3 Bedrooms •3 Full & 1 Half Bath •Master Suite with Private Bath •Roof Top Deck with Water Views •Low/No VOC building materials •Fireplace •Air Conditioning•Super Insulated •1 Car Garage •Yard/Garden •Elevator •Start to Finish in 9 Months

For more Information Contact Tom Landry [E]LandryTeam@BenchmarkMaine.com [C]207-939-0185

*House and plans shown are concepts. These have not been approved by The City of Portland for building. Lot is also approved for a 2 family or in-law.

30MonumentSt.com

Lower Level

1st Floor

2nd Floor

Roof Top Deck

BenchmarkMaine.com (207) 775-0248

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

East End Business Focus Development Update By Sam Cohen, MHNO Secretary 134 Washington Ave. is the site of a proposed 4-story Avesta housing project. If passed, The 18-unit building will be affordable housing efficiencies marketed toward veterans. Avesta’s last project on the hill was the Adam’s school condominiums project, where they built 16 units of “affordable homeownership housing.” They also rent affordable apartments at “Munjoy Commons” next to Top of the World park on North Street.

Avesta’s plan is to demolish the existing single family home on Washington Ave. to make way for the new structure. The green space behind the building will be maintained and buttressed with a retaining wall on the yard’s slope. Avesta has already held a neighborhood meeting and a Planning Board workshop. Concerns have been

raised regarding parking and traffic. City zoning requires one spot for one unit of new housing built, but the City also has a “fee in lieu of parking” fund. By donating money to this fund Avesta will not be required to build 18 parking spaces, and will instead build just two, effectively making construction affordable enough to provide low-income housing.

Neighbors are worried this will add undue stress to an already busy street. Concerns have also been raised that the building’s height is excessive in the context of the neighborhood. One thing the neighbors, developers and planners could all agree on is that the Walnut-Washington-Fox intersection is dangerous and should be a focus for the city to recondition.

118 Congress offers Design tips at

New Sales and Selections Center A boutique condo project at 118 Congress St. broke ground on May 20, with 12 residential units and two commercial units. At the corner of St. Lawrence St., by the Portland Observatory, the project is slated for completion in March, 2015.

Four of the 12 residential units are under contract for sale. All buyers to date currently own homes in Maine (they are not from ‘away’). The attraction is the Munjoy Hill neighborhood, and the design and quality of 118 on Munjoy Hill. Two of the developers, Susan Morris and Chip Newell of The NewHeight Group will also be residents.

By mid-June, a Sales and Selections Center will open next to the 118 site. Purchasers will be able to come to the SSC to receive expert advice on

how to customize their units based on the wide variety of materials that are available. Interested buyers will also be able to see renderings, views and floor plans for the remaining units, which start at $725. Over the past month, the developers have used a lift on the site to take ‘aerial’ photos from the living spaces of each unit, to show a variety of views from sunrise to sunset. They have also created a time-lapse video of the demolition, to show the 24 hour process compressed to two minutes. FMI (and for a link to the video; Kids of all ages will love it), visit 118onmunjoyhill.com, email life@118onmunjoyhill.com or contact Susan Morris at 207-633-4328. Like 118Portland on Facebook to keep up to date on the construction.

We Live Where You Live…

Work with your neighborhood Realtors!

Trevor Coyne

REALTOR, Associate Broker

Joe Piergrossi, Jr.

REALTOR, Associate Broker

Tips from the Pros

Best Buyer Tip: Prepare for financing approval: don’t make any major purchases or change jobs.

Seller Secret: Make sure the outside of your home is clean and tidy – it’s all about curb appeal!

Don’t Miss Flag Day Celebrations at the Observatory on June 14th!

82 Beckett Street Classic triple decker - this fully rented turnkey investment property sold for $440,000!

45 Eastern Promenade Enjoy seaside living at one of our two completely remodeled condos at the Portland House.

Call us today for your FREE no obligation consultation

207-553-1365 info@homesinportlandmaine.com www.trevorandjoe.com

Portland Pottery

& Metalsmithing Studio

118-122 Washington Ave. Portland, ME 04101

Summer Camp for Kids June 23rd - August 22nd

Weekly Camp Themes Clay • Glass •Jewelry • Metalsmithing • Fiber $250/week • Ages 6-14 • Family Discounts

Summer Session Clay & Jewelry Classes

Beginning June 25th - July 1st • Tuition $245 207-772-4334 • www.portlandpottery.com

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***daily seasonal specials

coffee tea cappuccino housemade pastries and desserts breakfast all day fresh homemade soups vegetarian vegan & gluten-free options

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Enjoy a meal in our cafe and browse the pottery in our gallery Hours: mon-thur 8am-7pm fri-sat 8am-5pm 207-772-4334 www.portlandpottery.com

June 2014

SM

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10

June 2014

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

Good Neighbor of the Month Marada F. Adams of Munjoy Hill —1845-1938­—

By Michael C. Connolly, history professor at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine and a nearly lifelong resident of Munjoy Hill.

Marada Adams, an unusual name, but a name not unknown to many who have lived on Munjoy Hill over the years. Many of us recognize the name as that of the elementary school that served the city’s east end from September 1958 until its closing, demolition, and recent replacement by the Avesta housing and the Marada Adams Park.

I was in the first class to attend the Adams School in that year, and as a seven year old from Atlantic Street, I was amazed at the beauty and the bright newness of the building. It was called upon to take the place of the venerable Monument Street School, formerly situated between Atlantic and Saint Lawrence Streets.

Those with memories of that former school are now in their midsixties or beyond, but, like me,

many remember it with fondness.

So who was this Marada Adams, that she merited such an honor?

I went to the Maine Historical Society to read from a booklet, Women Who Made Their Mark, to learn more about her.

Born on November 2, 1845, in Linneus, near Houlton in Aroostook County, Adams began teaching at the tender age of sixteen in a small school consisting of around ten students. She would later attend Ricker Academy in Houlton. She never married and was once quoted in later years as saying, “I have never been sorry that I did not marry that young man who wanted me.” Perhaps that was true because in her seventy-two years of teaching (!!!) she profoundly influenced the lives of thousands of Portland students in a very positive way, giving them the same energy and love that any mother would have given to her own children.

LIVING with Peace

Fifty of those seventy-two years of teaching were on Munjoy Hill. ‘Miss Adams’, as she was known, first arrived at the North School in 1878 and proceeded to the new Shailer School in 1881, before becoming the long-time principal of Emerson School when it opened in September 1898. In the November 28, 1932, edition of “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not”, Marada Adams was said to be America’s oldest active public school teacher, having then taught for sixty-nine years – and she would add three more years to that record, before being forced into compulsory retirement in June, 1935. Her successor at Emerson was a young Howard C. Reiche, the same of Reiche School fame, who moved over from the faculty of Portland High School where he would later return to become the much beloved principal. Reiche and his wife and family lived for many years on the corner of the Eastern Promenade and Vesper Street. Adams died

LIVING with Peace

Middle Juba Relief and Sustainability Organization Bringing medical help to the children of Middle and Lower Juba, Somalia

By Christina L. Feller, VP, Living With Peace “Two more kids died last

night,” Muhidin reported from his sources deep in Al Shabaab controlled territory near Bu’alle in Middle Juba. “We have now lost more than 45 children in less than two months because of measles. The closest hospital is in Afmaadow, which is more than 150 miles away. The parents have no way to get there, and even if they do, and are able to vaccinate their children, they may not get home safely. Even if they do get home, the vaccination scar marks these children, which can lead to death for the parents. We are in a desperate situation. We have about 60 villages and settlements that have been affected by the measles outbreak and we are determined to get medical relief to these people.”

And so, the Middle Juba Relief and Sustainability Organization was formed in 2013, to respond to the major medical crisis in Middle and Lower Juba and the Gedo region, home to the world’s great farmers known as the Bantu. The Bantu were resettled into the United States starting in 2005 and now there are more than 15,000 Bantu in the country. In Lewiston, Maine, the Bantu now outnumber the ethnic Somali population. The Bantu are the largest immigrant farmers’ group in Maine. Working closely with Cultivating Community, they have been farm-

ing in the Greater Portland area and in Lisbon for more than six years. Now, they are expanding their range and working closely with small landowners to cultivate more cropland in Androscoggin, Cumberland, and Sagadahoc counties.

MJRSO is headquartered in Lewiston. The President is Muhidin Libah who also serves as the spokesperson for the Bantu Community Association of Lewiston, Maine. The mission of the international Diaspora organization is to support and assist in the design of a new way to help integrate the Bantu peoples of the region into the social and economic future of the country.

The Bantu are displaced persons, marginalized and abused by the larger society. “As much as certain people do not want us to talk about the abuse we suffered and continue to suffer by the dominant clans in the region, we have to make the world know that every aspect of life for the Bantu in the Camps and back home have been marked by violence, treachery, and regular raids on our settlements. These raids are carried out by Al Shabaab and clan militias who want our land and take our women and children.

They have killed thousands of our people. This is an intolerable situation.”

The 2014 Goals of the organization are to work closely with CDC, WHO, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian

Affairs, World Vision, UNICEF and other organizations to get help to the Bantu. “We are the first international NGO to establish an Early Warning System for Security, Food and Medical Alerts in this region. Our goal is 100% inoculation against the top diseases such as polio, smallpox, diphtheria, whooping cough, malaria, pneumonia, measles, and other horrible killing diseases. We intend to build integrated rehabilitation centers in Bu’aale, Jilib, Sakow and Bardhere. We are in need of major international assistance to reach our goals.”

Reaching out to World Health Organization and the infectious disease control unit in Mogadishu has led to a budding relationship between MJRSO and its local NGO partners on the ground in order to stabilize the situation. Muhidin asks anyone who is interested in helping the Bantu people to reach out to him at 207-344-7132.

Christina Feller is an international development specialist who assists Diaspora NGO’s to rebuild their home countries.

She led the Horn of Africa Aid and Rehabilitation Action Network team to Kenya in January and February of this year and is now in Kenya on behalf of the two leading Bantu Diaspora groups to bring immediate medical relief to the people and raise human rights issues before the UN Human Rights Section.

Above, Marada Adams, Chatham, New Hampshire, 1913. Maine Historical Society photo, contributed by Dyer Library Archives / Saco Museum, mainememory.net, Item 51835.

three years after her retirement on January 24, 1938, after a brief one-week illness, and at the age of ninety-two.

Her epitaph could have read, “She loved and served the children of Munjoy Hill.” One memoir stated, “half of the adults in Portland had gone to school to Miss Adams.” Others remembered her as a strict but fair disciplinarian whose art collection from several trips to Europe made Emerson School the “possessor of the largest and best art gallery of any grammar school in New England.” The famous film

director John Ford, who grew up on Munjoy Hill as John Martin Feeney and attended both Emerson and Portland High School, once credited Miss Adams with giving him a sense of artistic beauty and panorama – traits that he would later employ in many of his iconic films. Charles Holden, a community leader from the Congress Street Methodist Church then located on the corner of Saint Lawrence Street, recalled that she was a proud woman who used discipline “the right way.”

See page 11, MArada Adams

Wellness on the Hill

Homemade Hydration Drinks

By Gretchen Miller Sunshine sparkles on the Hill, rhododendron and lilac are in full bloom, and it’s an athlete’s paradise – June holds the perfect amount of sun, fresh green newly-budded leaves, and warm but not too hot air to tempt even a seasoned spectator off the couch. Time to lace up your favorite speedy sneakers, jog up and around the Hill, throw a Frisbee on the Eastern Prom, or rent a paddle board in Casco Bay, savoring each and every drop of long-awaited golden rays. Now you’re thirsty!

Instead of reaching for your favorite sugar-laden, artificially flavored, artificially sweetened, artificially colored, BPA bottled chemist’s concoction, try a refreshing change of pace with a delicious and healthy homemade hydrater.

Obviously there’s good old-fashioned plain water—delicious!

But sometimes, after a long run, speed workout, or an especially vicious game of croquet, your body craves a bit more. After hill-repeats or a hot yoga session, I turn to one of three simple and favorite homemade re-hydrators.

The first is just lemon water.

Pick up a bag of organic lemons for super-cheap at Trader Joe’s, and squeeze some all-natural electrolytes into your water. Top it off with a shake of Redmond’s Real Salt (available down the Hill at Whole Foods) and guzzle away.

If you’re all out of lemons, turn to your pantry to whip up an apple cider tonic. Always keep on hand Bragg’s Organic Raw

Unfiltered Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar (available at Whole Foods) to create a quick pick-me-up. Simply add a tablespoon to your glass of water or water bottle, a shake of salt, ... delicious! If you’re REALLY depleted and crave a bit of sweetness in either drink, mix in a teaspoon or two of your favorite local maple syrup or local honey. My favorite local honey is Sparky’s Raw Unfiltered, from a small, family-run apiary in Hope, available at Whole Foods or www.sparkyshoneyandmaple. com.

Finally, if you’re missing the brilliant color of your favorite KoolAid, try shockingly refreshing beet kvass. Beet kvass is a traditional fermented drink from the Ukraine, and is much easier to make than kombucha. Simply chop up a 2-3 large beets, cover them with 2 quarts of water, mix in 1 ½ Tablespoons of Redmond’s Real Salt, cover tightly and let sit on your counter for about four days. In four days, give it a stir and taste the fermented beety goodness of your very own kvass! Store it in the fridge, and when you’ve finished the glorious ruby-red beverage, refill it with water and salt for a second (weaker) batch.

I would love to hear from you!

Please email with questions, comments, or ideas for another article! If you are a local wellness practitioner or cook, I would love to interview you for my next article! Please email me at gretchen.rebecca@gmail. com.

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

Marada Adams, On November 2, 1929, a party was given for Adams to honor her eighty-fourth birthday. In attendance were many whose names would be familiar to Munjoy Hill students, especially from Emerson School, teachers and colleagues such as: Miss Florence R. Vose; Miss Louise W. Vose; Miss Corrine Lappin; and Miss Ellen M. LaRochelle.

In the 1940s, the Portland City Council started talking about replacing the century-old Monument Street School, but these plans would languish until they finally were passed in 1955. Just one year later, the Council unanimously agreed to name the new school in her honor. The school straddled Beckett Street, dividing it into Beckett on the north and O’Brion on the south. It replaced an “old car barn” and several garages, and was built at the same time that the federal urban renewal program was changing forever the face of the south side

June 2014

11

continued from page 10

of Munjoy Hill. The original cost of the building itself totaled the grand amount of $232,000, now less than the average price of a single-family home on the East End! The school had a gym/auditorium, quite stunning to the neighborhood children, and the locale from which Monsieur Abbey taught French classes to the enthusiastic public. The Adams School also housed a branch of the Portland Public Library.

One final and very fitting tribute to Miss Adams were the locally famous concrete panels that stood outside the Moody Street entrance of the school near the library.

The panels were imprinted with simple artistic images contrib-

uted by fifteen unnamed students, “because all the children contributed.” This is precisely as Miss Adams would have wished, to give honor to all her students and to let them know that they were all equally cherished. Long may her memory live on Munjoy Hill, and beyond.

Photo at left by Bill Finney (Coumeenoole Beach, Dingle Penninsula, County Kerry).

Autumn In Ireland,

At Left, Marada F. Adams , between Florence K. Vose and M. Abbie Peterson, Teachers at Portland’s Emerson School in 1925. Collections of Maine Historical Society , Item 20353 Below, photo of the Adams School concrete art panel from 2012.

After this photo was shot, the panel was cut into sections and removed from the site by the City, during construction of the Avesta homes. The artwork awaits future installation at a new, as yet undetermined, location.

Unpack Only Once!

This

fall,

Munjoy

Hill

resident and former MHNO Board member, Ann Quinlan, will host another small group (group limited to 12; only two spots left!) on an 11-day, private, Spiral Journey to her native Ireland, September 19-29, 2014.

Unpacking only once, guests are based at the famed Ashley Park House, a Lower Shannon, 75 acre, Eighteenth Century Irish Manor House and bird sanctuary. Traveling daily by private

coach, Ann’s itinerary includes trips throughout the region.

Following dinner, evenings will include fireside music, storytelling, and local historians.

Founded by Ann in 1988, Spiral Journeys draws travelers from across USA. While this journey is filling quickly, a few openings remain; registration is free and simple, at http://www.spiraljourneys.com or call Ann at 207-899-2606.

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ­—Saint Augustine

Spotlight on Non-Profits is a regular feature. To have your favorite non-profit profiled here, please contact observer@munjoyhill.org.

The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) and its annual CeleSoirée event By Ryan Knaus When immigrants in Maine

require legal assistance and information, but lack the necessary money or resources to acquire it, they can turn to the Immigration Legal Advocacy Program (ILAP).

In early April, ILAP held its 10th annual CeleSoirée fund-raising benefit at USM’s Abromson Center in Portland. Attendees and volunteers mingled around a lavish buffet in the atrium and perused a wide selection of local art for sale, while the three-piece Primo Cubano band played lively Cuban music from the mezzanine.

There were raffles, live auctions and stirring speeches delivered in the 500-seat Hannaford Hall, including keynote speaker Elizabeth Strout’s plea for recent immigrants. “Please, stay [in Maine],” Strout said. “We need you here.”

ILAP exceeded its fund-raising goal of $10,000, money that will help ILAP upgrade their computer equipment and systems, but the true focus of the event was never out of sight. A short video told the story of Yugu Yobo, who grew up in south Sudan but settled in Maine in 2007.

Upon his arrival, Yobo did not speak English and had difficulty filling out the necessary forms to apply for permanent residence.

Although his family soon earned their Green Cards, Yobo wasn’t granted citizenship until 2013 when ILAP took his case and gave him the legal representation he could not otherwise afford.

The CeleSoirée was a microcosm of ILAP’s mission to aid and advocate for Maine’s immigrants.

There were dedicated members

of ILAP’s board of directors and staff, pro bono lawyers, passionate volunteers, generous sponsors and in-kind contributors.

There were stirring examples of the need for ILAP’s services and a sampling of its many success stories, among them the experience of a young girl who benefitted from Homeland Security’s new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a policy instituted by the Obama administration which may lead to employment authorization for immigrants, while ensuring that immigration enforcement doesn’t pursue low-priority cases. Executive Director Susan Roche said that last year ILAP helped 3,000 immigrants living in all 16 counties in Maine, and hailing from 100 different countries, who sought le-

gal aid. The diverse impact of ILAP’s mission was just as evident in the bustling crowd attending the CeleSoirée.

Portland School Board member, Pious Ali, the first African-born Muslim elected to the Board, was busily selling raffle tickets throughout the event. A volunteer from Portsmouth, Gigi Kanouse, helped out with the art sale after hearing about the event through her friend Loretta Prescott, ILAP’s Development Director.

Mahad Farah, a 14-year-old from South Portland, was volunteering as a member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Fellows program through Portland’s NAACP branch. With every conversation

came new stories, and with each story, new insights and gratitude for the immigrants who benefit from ILAP’s mission.

ILAP Maine is located at 309 Cumberland Ave, Portland, ME 04101, (207) 780-1593, and online at www.ilapmaine.org

images of the 2014 March CeleSoirée by Ryan Knaus

12

June 2014

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

EasternPromenade.org

From the

Friends of the Eastern Promenade

Old Port Festival Weekend —Friday June 6 though Sunday, June 8­—

(Please note: there will be no street closures on Saturday)

The traditional Sunday festival returns to celebrate its 41st anniversary, but first residents and visitors to Portland alike will get to enjoy a weekend that kicks off with a festival edition of the First Friday Art Walk, and continues with new Saturday events and entertainment, including a Downtown Scavenger Hunt, a Walk the Working Waterfront tour, and Circus in the Square.

All that, plus the Casco Bay Eye, a 90’ gondola wheel located outside DiMillo’s Restaurant, offering rides throughout the entire Old Port Festival Weekend. Come enjoy the spectacular waterfront views before heading off to explore all that Old Port Festival Weekend has to offer!. Find the schedule online at http://www.portlandmaine.com/ cornerstone-events/old-port-festival/

Diane Davison

FoEP Hosts Outdoor Summer Concert Series on the Eastern Promenade

By Diane Davison, FoEP Executive Director We are pleased to announce that our Summer Concert Series kicks off on Thursday July 3rd at 7pm. Concerts will held every Thursday evening from 7-8pm at Fort Sumner Park on North Street, as we continue the completion of the Fort Allen Rehabilitation Project.

Our nine-week series will include a range of music, including blue grass, reggae, honky tonk and a marching band, as well as artists that defy classification all together!

No matter your taste in music, there is no better way to spend a summer evening than laying out a picnic blanket, running your feet through the grass, and enjoying live music performed with the backdrop of Portland’s skyline at dusk.

Though concerts are traditionally hosted at Fort Allen Park, rehabilitation of this historic landmark is underway. Renovations include electrical upgrades to the bandstand, as well as improvements to

the hardscape and pathways. Concerts, weddings, celebrations, and large-scale events cannot take place at Fort Allen until the renovation is complete and new plantings take hold.

The last show of the season, on August 28 th, will be the “Return to Fort Allen Finale”, which will be hosted in the newlyrestored bandstand! We’d like to thank Mancini Electric for powering the shows at Fort Sumner, and our premier sponsor, Martin’s Point Health Care, for generously supporting this community music program! More details will be available at our website: EasternPromenade.org

Monday, June 2 Bowl for the Green!

Join FoEP for a Bowlathon at Bayside Bowl. and help support the work of Friends of the Eastern Promenade: June 2, from 5:30-8:30.

FOR RELEASE MAY 23, 2014

Crossword ACROSS 1 More pleasant 6 Reach across 10 Houston and Donaldson 14 Got up 15 Give up, as land 16 Clippety-__ 17 Explorer __ de León 18 Perched upon 19 Vex 20 Running shoes 22 Stir from sleep 24 Stack 25 Pokiest 26 Go skyward 29 Salesman’s pitch 30 Wet sticky stuff

THE Daily Commuter Puzzle http://www.freep.com/dailycommuter Solution on Page 6

31 GEICO spokesman 33 Chairs & pews 37 Smell 39 Laughs loudly 41 Challenge 42 Powerful winds 44 Say 46 Chop down 47 Pigs and hogs 49 Ribs 51 Widespread 54 Small sled 55 Blockheads 56 Divide 60 Huck __; Mark Twain hero 61 Resound 63 Leg bone 64 Golfing pegs 65 Reddish horse

66 “Andersen’s Fairy __” 67 Certain 68 Heavy book 69 Open-eyed

DOWN 1 Short sleeps 2 Clothespressing device 3 Ice cream scoop holder 4 Get away 5 Stinky 6 Frighten 7 Hamsters and kittens 8 “Much __ About Nothing” 9 Kathmandu resident

10 Written in quick, clumsy letters 11 Similar 12 Burrowing animals 13 Used up 21 Firstborn of two 23 Misfortunes 25 Baseball or soccer 26 Very excited 27 Scotch and __; bar order 28 __ as a cucumber 29 Emulate Scott Hamilton 32 Dracula’s title 34 Oohs and __; shows delight 35 Redwood or

ACROSS

sequoia 1 More pleasant 6 Reach 36 Stitchesacross 10 38 Houston Answer and Donaldson 40 Got Arrange 14 up 15 up, as 43 Give Hit flies 45 land Sailboat race 16 Clippety-__ 48 Explorer Flier stuck__ in de 17 theLeón newspaper 18 50 Perched Antenna upon 19 Vex 51 Running Fissures; shoes 20 22 Stir from sleep cracks 24 52 Stack “Bye, Pierre!”

25 Pokiest 53 Go Clementine’s 26 skyward dad,Salesman’s for one 29 54 pitch Sierra __; 30 Wet sticky stuff African nation 31 GEICO 56 spokesman Artificial; phony 33 & pews 57 Chairs Up to the task 37 Smell 58 Bleachers level 39 Laughs loudly 59 __ Anglia, UK 41 Challenge 42 winds 62 Powerful Pigeon’s sound 44 46 47 49

by Jacqueline E. Mathews

Say Chop down Pigs and hogs Ribs

The Daily Commuter Puzzle by Jacqueline E. Mathews 7 Hamsters and kittens 8 “Much __ About Nothing”

Thursday’s Puzzle Solved

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

June is National Safety Month! Don’t take the fall!!

Stay Safe: Avoid Falls

By Darlene Peterson, University of Vermont College of Medicine.

4th year medical student Falls can be a threat to any-

one, but especially to the health and independence of older adults.

Knowing how to reduce the risk of falls can help older adults live better and longer lives.

Seniors are at special risk; they and their families should be alert to hazards.

Facts about falls

• About half of all falls happen at home • 1 out of every 3 older adults will fall each year • Falling can lead to serious injuries and even disabilities • Avoid falls at home • Move furniture so you have a clear path through the room • Remove rugs or stick them down with two-sided tape • Pick up any books, shoes, or other items from the floor • Make sure stairs are clear of items and have a handrail

Take Action!

• Look for and fix hazards in your home

• If you see someone take a bad fall, call 911 for them don’t let them argue!

For more information

MaineHealth Learning Resource Center, 272 Congress St. Portland, ME 04101 1-866-609-5183 www.mainehealth.org/LRC, Facebook MaineHealthLRC , Twitter @MaineHealthlrc1Portland ME 04101 www.mainehealth.org/LRC www.cdc.gov/features/olderamericans http://nihseniorhealth.gov/falls/ homesafety/01.html www.ncoa.org/improve-health/ falls-prevention http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ oads/aging/healthy-choices/balance.shtml

MaineHealth Learning Resource Center

Learning to be healthy isn’t always easy. How do you find information and resources you can trust? The MaineHealth Learning Resource Center is here to help. Each location has a health educator who can help you find out what you need to know. Visit http:// www.mmc.org/lrc_body.cfm?id=296 Whom do we help?

We help anyone who needs health information.

• Patients who want to learn about a disease, condition or treatment • Community members who need healthy living tips and resources • Healthcare providers looking for health education materials and resources Our services • Health education classes • Free library of health books, brochures and videos • Personalized help from health educators to find out what you need to know • Public computers to search the Internet for health information • Outreach programs to improve the health of Maine communities Find us at 272 Congress St., Portland, Me 04101, 1-866-609-5183, www.mainehealth.org/LRC, www.facebook.com/MaineHealthLRC

Free yourself from alcohol

Barbecue Grill Safety Tips

By Abhijit Bhattacharyya is the student/author. He is a 4th yr. medical student at Tufts

Courtesy of the Portland Fire Department, submitted by Mike Thompson, Captain, Munjoy Hill Fire Station

Many

people

can

enjoy

spending time with friends and family with food and alcohol without an issue. However, there are times when having only few drinks on occasion can turn into frequent or many drinks more regularly. That is when alcohol can start to take control of our lives.

Why is drinking too much alcohol bad? Alcohol can: • harm your body’s organs: brain, heart, liver and pancreas • cause cancer • damage your immune system causing many diseases • harm unborn babies of pregnant women When alcohol use takes control, it damages finances, family ties, education and career—and your future.

Do I drink too much?

Ask yourself these questions: Do I ever feel the need to cut down on my drinking?

Do I get annoyed if people criticize my drinking?

Do I feel guilty about drinking?

Do I need a drink first thing in the morning to calm myself from a hangover?

If you answered ‘yes’ to two or more of these questions, it is possible that your body has become dependent on alcohol and can be harmful to you.

Where can I get help to quit drinking?

There are a number of great resources in Portland: State Crisis Hotline: 1-888-568-1112

Summer is finally upon us, and barbecue grills are coming out of storage. The Portland Fire Department would like to share some fire safety tips and instructions to help everyone have a safe grilling season.

As a property owner, establish a policy that clearly states the rules applicable to operating a barbecue on your premises.

By following these simple safety tips, you can have a great summer barbecue-grilling season!

AA Hotline, Maine: 1-800-737-6237 MaineHealth Learning Resource Center, 272 Congress St. Portland, ME 04101 1-866-609-5183 www.mainehealth.org/LRC, Facebook MaineHealthLRC , Twitter @MaineHealthlrc1Portland ME 04101 www.mainehealth.org/LRC List of ONLINE resources: http://www.mainehealth.org/ LRC, http://www.facebook. com/MaineHealthLRC, http:// www.maine.gov/dhhs/samhs/ osa/help/directory.pdf

Safety Checklist: • Set up a safe grilling location.

Never operate a barbecue in an enclosed space (e.g. a garage), or in close proximity to a structure or wall. Grills put out carbon monoxide (toxic to breathe), and your vinyl siding WILL melt if the barbecue grill is operated near it!

• Ensure your barbecue is secure and can’t topple over.

• Keep the barbecue lid open when starting or shutting it down.

• Never move an operating barbecue.

• Keep children and pets away from the barbecue at all times.

• Clean your grill regularly.

Before Grilling with Propane Gas • Check the propane cylinder hose for leaks before using it for the first time each year. A light soap and water solution applied to the hose will reveal escaping propane quickly by releasing bubbles.

• If your think your grill has a gas leak (by smell or the soapy bubble test), and there is no flame, turn OFF the propane tank and grill.

Grilling with Charcoal Grills: • Purchase the proper starter fluid and store out of reach of children and away from heat sources.

• Never add charcoal starter fluid when coals or kindling have already been ignited, and never use any flammable liquid other than charcoal starter fluid to get the fire started.

• Dispose of charcoal coals only after they are cool. Empty the coals into a metal container and place it outdoors, away from anything that can burn.

Additional Information: Never store propane cylinders in buildings or garages. If you store your grill inside during the winter, disconnect the cylinder and leave it outside.

NFPA Standards, adopted by the Portland Fire Department, prohibits the use of barbecue grills on apartment building decks and balconies.

CHESTER & V ESTAL, P.A. ATTORNEYS AT LAW

Over 30 years of service to Munjoy Hill

“Serving Greater Portland Since 1980”

REAL ESTATE • SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY

Congratulations to all of tonights JUVENILE DEFENSE • PROBATE, WILLS AND ESTATES Award Winners!

104 Washington Avenue • Portland, ME 04101 • 207.773.8198 107 CONGRESS STREET • PORTLAND, MAINE 04101

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104 Washington Avenue • Portland, Maine 04101 • (207) 773-8198 mikerand@maine.rr.com

observer ad.indd 1

9/18/2009 8:37:35 AM

13

Portland’s Positive Health Care Program

Receives National Award

• Get active and stay active • Ask your doctor or nurse to look at your medications (even over-the-counter!) to see if they could make you dizzy

June 2014

The City of Portland is excited to announce that the Positive Health Care Program was recently honored with the Peter M. Fox Excellence in American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) Credentialing Award. Positive Health Care is part of the City of Portland’s Department of Health & Human Services, Public Health Division and is part of the India Street Public Health Center.

Portland’s clinic was one of 14 award recipients from across the country.

Positive Health Care is part of the India Street Public Health Center. Other programs include an HIV/STD Prevention Program, an STD Clinic, the Portland Exchange, a Free Clinic for patients lacking access to insurance, an Immunization Program, and a Travel Clinic that offers health advice and immunizations to travelers.

For questions about how to access these services, please contact the Program Manager at 207.874.8791.

Lawn Chemicals can Pose serious Health risks Product warning labels don’t tell the whole story

Source: http://sustainablepulse. com/2014/03/15/sri-lankanpresident-bans-sale-roundupchronic-kidney-disease-study/#.

U25niseRIjF “A new study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) found a link between the weedicide known as Roundup® [glyphosphate] and the fatal Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown origin (CKDu) affecting mostly the rice farmers in Sri Lanka and several other countries.” In Costa Rica, where the farm workers have only local hard water to drink, the fatal kidney disease has become epidemic. (Source: “Roundup Weedkiller Linked To Global Epidemic of Fatal Kidney Disease” http://www.cornucopia.org/2014/03/11548/) The IJERPH study found that, “while the weedicide itself is not nephrotoxic,” it becomes highly toxic when it combines with common yard fertilizers, or “hard ground water containing metals such as cadmium and arsenic, either naturally present in the soil, or added through fertilizer.” When this happens, “glyphosate becomes extremely toxic to the kidneys.

In recent years, a significant increase in the number of CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) patients has been reported in some parts of [Sri Lanka,] especially in North Central, North Western, Uva and Eastern Provinces.”

In the US, a pilot study released in early April 2014, showed recordable glyphosate levels (toxic herbicides) in pregnant women’s breast milk, placentas, and in infant umbilical cords (study was conducted by Moms Across America and Sustainable Pulse, with support from Environmental Arts & Research).

Read more at: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_ 29697. cfm, http://www.cornucopia. org/2014/03/11548/ , http://www. washingtonsblog.com/2014/02/roundup-pesticide-75-air-water-sampledcauses-kidney-failure.html

June 2014

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

St. Lawrence Arts

Your neighborhood arts venue is at 76 Congress Street, stlawrencearts.org, 347-7177

Port Veritas Spoken Word Poetry Readings, every Tuesday 7-10 pm, @ Bull Feeney’s 375 Fore St. - 7:30-10pm / All Ages, FMI: Gil Helmick, 400-7543.

Mayo Street Arts

Performances & Classes 10 Mayo Street, mayostreetarts. org — Times vary. Classes: Tango, Belly Dancing, Kids Yoga, Juggling, Zumba and Pilates. Artist Studios, theater, poetry, music and more.

Contact 615-3609, or info@mayostreetarts.org

Maine Senior FarmShare

Know a low-income senior (relative, friend or neighbor) who could benefit from $50 of FRESH, UNPROCESSED, LOCALLY GROWN PRODUCE? To participate, directly contact a local farmer to sign up.

Contact your local area agency on aging by calling the ELDERS-1 tollfree number: 1-877-353-3771, for a list of participating FarmShare Farmers, http://www.getrealmaine. com.

The Portland Observatory open daily, May

24 – October 13, 2014. The hours are 10 am – 5 pm. All tours are guided, and the last tour begins at 4:30 pm. Please allow 45 minutes for your tour. http:// portlandlandmarks.org/observatory/ 138 Congress Street on Munjoy Hill, (207) 774-5561

Farmers Markets

Saturdays in Deering Oaks Park, 7 am to 1 pm// Wednesdays on Monument Square, 7 am to 1 pm

Table Tennis/Ping Pong Drop-In Program at East End Community School

This Portland Rec program is open to adults 18+. We have 5 tables at East End Community School and are trying to build this new program! Where: East End Community School, Cafeteria. When: Every Wednesday, 6 pm - 9:30pm; Cost: $2 Resident, $3 Non Resident. We have paddles that people can use! Please feel free to give me a call at 773-8222, or email with questions: Peter Gerard, email: PTG@portlandmaine.gov.

Damariscotta River Pirate Rendezvous

Vegetarian Food Festival

10th Annual event, When: Saturday June 7, 2014 11 am to 3 pm , Where: East End School, 195 North Street, Portland, Maine, What: Vegan Food, Live Music, Exhibitors, Vendors and Speakers, http://www.maineanimalcoalition.org/ vegetarian-food-festival

Pride Portland Festival

Please Join Us for Free Community Meals!

FIRST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH ONLY: First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 425 Congress Street • DINNER 5:00-­‐6:00pm

Maine YogaFest

MONDAYS:

East End Community School July 12-13, 2014

Woodfords Congregational Church, 202 Woodford Street • LUNCH 12:00-­‐1:00pm East End Community School, 195 North Street (Community Room) Dinner for East End Community School students & their families only.

• STUDENT & FAMILY DINNER 5:00pm through school year (6/2, 6/9, 6/13)

10 Days of Events! June 13–22, 2014

• Fri, June 13 - Kick-Off Party - Requiem for the Disco • Fri, Jun 20 - Portland Dyke March • Wed, June 18 at Pride Maine LGBT History: Life and Activism in the 1970s; a panel discussion and exhibit, presented in partnership with Portland Public Library and Portland Pride, 5:30-8 pm in the Rines Auditorium • Sat, June 21 - Parade and Festival; LIFE Dance Party • Sun, June 22 - Finale Party Pride Portland Parade & Festival, formerly known as Southern Maine Gay Pride.

The date this year is June 21, 2014, but there are a number of related events taking place throughout the preceding 10 days or so, including parties during the big weekend (June 20 through June 22).

Find an even larger selection of books, records, CDs and DVDs for the 2014 book sale! The book sale will offer tens of thousands of books under $3, and other rare books and related items. At the Catherine McAuley High School Gymnasium located at 631 Stevens Avenue from Thur, June 26 through Sun, June 29, with a Sneak Preview Day for Friends Members-Only on June 26.

June 25: Elections for MHNO see page 5 for details.

*For Members Only; **Donation Day: take all the books you can fit in your bag for a requested donation

June 26: MHNO Neighborhood Potluck

6:30-8:30 pm at the Hill House, 92 Congress. Come one, come all! Very casual; bring a dish, or not. Just drop in!

Friends of Portland Public Library host

2014 Annual book Sale • June 26-29

TUESDAYS: Hope.Gate.Way. United Methodist community center, 185 High Street (corner of Cumberland Ave. one block up from YMCA) • LUNCH 12:00pm Parkside Neighborhood Center, 85 Grant Street (corner of Mellen Street) Seniors (55+) & families with children only.

• FAMILY & SENIOR SUPPER 5:30pm

WEDNESDAYS:

My Place Teen Center, sponsored by Trinity Lutheran Church, 755 Main Street, Westbrook • DINNER 5:00-­‐6:00pm

THURSDAYS:

Salvation Army Center for Aging, 297 Cumberland Avenue • SENIOR LUNCH 12:00-­‐1:00pm Hope.Gate.Way. United Methodist community center, 185 High Street • DINNER 5:30pm Deering Center Community Church, 4 Brentwood Street (corner of Stevens Avenue) • DINNER 5:30-­‐6:30pm St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 678 Washington Avenue • DINNER 5:30-­‐6:30pm

Book Sale Hours: THU, June 26: Sneak Preview * FMO, 4 pm - 8 pm; FRI June 27: 10 am - 7pm; SAT, June 28 -- 10 am - 5 pm; SUN, June 29, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm**

To volunteer for this event, please send email to: info@friendsofppl.org, INFO@FOPPL.ORg 207.871.1700 Ext.752 P.O. Box 15120, Portland, Me 04112

*Wanted: Extra volunteer help with serving and supervising the meal.

Contact Peter Gerard, EECC Recreation Leader, East End School - Portland Recreation 195 North St. Portland, ME 04101 (207)773-8222.

Wayside Food Programs * PO Box 1278 * Portland ME 04104 * 775-­‐4939 * www.waysidemaine.org

It’s about

relationships

Relationships are built on trust, and that’s something our sales representatives never lose sight of.

You want to feel that you are in capable hands, and that we understand your expectations.

From print to the packing and shipping details, you’ll feel as if you’ve entered into a partnership that fits; our clients tell us they like that.

Bicyclebene its.org Individuals and organizations decided that their city needed a program which encourages citizens to bike more regularly to more places. They reached out to the businesses community and explained the Bike Benefits program and the benefits of encouraging and rewarding biking to their businesses through an incentive/ reward which is awarded to patrons who show up on bike and show their Bike Benefits helmet sticker. Go to Bicyclebenefits.org to learn how you can participate.

The Root Cellar Presents

MHNO Member-sponsored ad

14

THE INTERNATIONAL ARTISAN AND FASHION SHOW

FAIR

Enjoy International Delights, win Prizes and More!

Saturday, June 14th

$6 - Entrance Fee

5 PM - 8 PM 94 Washington St. Portland, ME

3 Business Parkway, Suite 3, Brunswick Industrial Park Brunswick, Maine 04011

(207) 504-8200 • (800) 356-8850

www.alliance-press.com • printsales@alliance-press.com

FULL

SERVICE

Jun 22, 2013. The Mystic Pirates sail into the scenic midcoast towns of Damariscotta and Newcastle. The pirates invade at high noon, http://www.piraterendezvous.com/, (207) 380-4677

Public Library

find events calendar online: www. p o r t l a n d l i b r a r y. com/

see composting article on page 4.

PRINTING

Please Call 207-774-3197 for more information

June 2014

15

maine

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

School News

Flashlights Starting At

3

$ 99 expertly designed land travel in ireland

Next Journey: Sept. 19–­29, 2014

East End Community School Parent Teacher Organization For info about the EECS

PTO and upcoming events, go to www.eecs.portlandpto. org or contact board@eecs.portlandpto.org.

June 2014 Calendar Tuesday, June 3, 2014: School Gardens Greening Day, 3pm-5pm * Volunteers welcome!

No-See-Um Head Net

Made of ultra fine mesh to keep almost every insect out. Fits over most headwear. Elasticized at the neck for a snug fit.

your guide: Ann

ann@spiraljourneys.com • 207–­899–2606

3 Each

$ 99

List 4.66 Order# 171648

THE BODY ARCHITECT PERSONAL TRAINING EXPERIENCE

Multi-Use Plastic Basket

Virtually indestructible!

Great for laundry, toys, shoes, gardening and much more!

$

V Quinlan

30 DAYS

$79

19Each 99

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Friday, June 20, 2014: Last Day of School, 12pm/Noon Dismissal _______________________________

Thank You for Supporting EECS! Thank you to the individuals, community partners, and local businesses that support EECS throughout the school year. Dedicated parents rise and shine to volunteer their creativity and talents to engage students in morning activities that range from sewing to hula hooping to creative writing to chess and more!

Community partners and volunteers keep our gardens growing and blooming. Friends of the library make sure students always have access to a wide variety of books.

Small businesses donate local delicacies such as pizza and baked goods to our family events and event space and sponsorship of our children’s film festival. The EECS community feels the ongoing support and encouragement from our neighborhood community. Thank you for a fantastic year and best wishes for a great summer!

16

June 2014

MUNJOY HILL OBSERVER

India Street: Building Upon Its Strengths

By Markos Miller The India Street neighborhood has been the focus of several planning exercises over the past year. The Sustain Southern Maine (SSM) effort, which sought to identify opportunities for housing and job development while respecting the historic nature of the neighborhood, concluded last summer. Since then, other related task forces have worked to flesh out policy recommendations for issues related to the establishment of a historic district, economic development, equity, and the creation of a pilot form-based code. The outcomes also provide more immediate guidance as more development is contemplated for the neighborhood, and as the redesign study of Franklin Street moves forward.

The effort seeks to strengthen the identity of this “downtown adjacent” neighborhood by emphasizing India Street as the central spine of the neighborhood and to improve connectivity between Portland’s original corridor and the adjacent neighborhoods. The development of a form-based code is an innovative design tool that focuses on what the built environment looks like, more than the uses of the buildings. Form-based

codes are often considered to be a more pro-active, graphicbased planning paradigm that empowers citizens to describe what they want an area to look like. The vision for India Street, not surprisingly, appears to be oriented towards human-scaled mixed-use redevelopment of vacant or under-utilized properties to bring greater vitality to the street.

The Sustain Southern Maine plan envisions over 1,000,000 sq. ft. of new development, with roughly an 80/20 split between residential and commercial development. Over 550 residential units are targeted, through a mix of 2-4 story structures within the existing residential areas, and through larger 4-6 story structures on larger parcels near the perimeter of the neighborhood. The recent opening of the Bay House at Middle Street and Hancock Street brings over 80 units, albeit at high end prices, to the market.

Recent proposals include developments on two corners of the Ocean Gateway parking garage.

Some bolder concepts from the planning processes include high-density redevelopment at the Rite Aide strip mall on Congress Street, and other areas along Franklin Street (pushing

that roadway westerly). This second position is being carefully considered in the larger Franklin Street planning effort, which seeks to find the ideal alignment for a future Franklin Street, and identify preferred land uses on both sides of the corridor.

The goal of establishing a historic district in the neighborhood is to both preserve some of the architectural assets of the neighborhood, some of which have been identified as “threatened” in a recent inventory by Greater Portland Landmarks, and to provide some greater guidance so that new development is sensitive to and complementary to the historic fabric that makes the neighborhood unique. India Street’s historic architecture and street grid are cited as key neighborhood assets that should inform future changes.

neighborhood to the historic east end street network is another issue that is being fully explored in these efforts, as well as in the Franklin Street redesign study. The neighborhood is “barricaded” by Franklin Street, the Munjoy South housing complex, and the Eastern Cemetery. How truncated streets are reconnected across Franklin is a primary issue to resolve, with consideration for bicyclists, pedestrians, and vehicular traffic.

Portland has examples of modern architecture providing an aesthetic contrast to historic structures, such as the CIEE building and the Custom House; on the other hand, the pseudohistoric facade of the Portland Harbor Hotel at Fore and Center does no justice to the Old Port’s historic authenticity.

With limited entry and exit points to the neighborhood, cars will be funneled to specific streets, thus potentially clogging existing intersections at Congress Street and Middle Street. At Federal St. and Franklin St., a right turn in/right turn out option provides local access for residents and visitors; a full restoration of through traffic along Federal Street would reconnect the historic street grid, integrating the neighborhood into the larger transportation network in a human-scaled fashion. Meanwhile, a pedestrian connection emerging from the SSM work turns the right of way of the street into a park or plaza. Connectivity within the neighborhood is addressed extensively by breaking up larger development lots to accommodate pedestrian activity and to enliven the street.

Reconnecting the India Street

The

neighborhood

planning

process for the India Street neighborhood, while not complete, is long overdue. Residents play a vital role in identifying the challenges and opportunities of their community. As this neighborhood is in transition, it raises questions about the relationship between neighborhood planning and the broader planning goals of the City. There is consensus that India Street is poised to play a greater role in meeting the housing and economic development goals of the City. In other cases, such as connectivity and transportation, it’s not evident that the City even has clear goals.

This summer, many recommendations will result from these planning efforts. The public and policy-makers will need to be informed of the trade-offs as our city seeks to find a balance on an array of important issues: economic diversity, preservation and new development, height and density, transportation choices, connectivity, etc.

To grow sustainably, our city must have organizing principles for such growth. To support these collective goals, our neighborhoods must have organizing principles to promote long-term liveability. In working together to envision the best India Street neighborhood possible, we can also envision the best Portland possible.

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