The West End News - April Edition 2024 - Vol. 24 No. 04

A Place for Everybody

Reiche Community Room Activities are free, open to the public, and made possible by dedicated volunteers.

By Tony Zeli

In the 1970s construction began on the Howard C. Reiche Community School in the heart of the West End neighborhood, demolishing four blocks of housing. Part of the deal for the neighborhood has always been that the school would serve in part as a community center. It lives up to that promise to this day thanks largely to the perseverance and hard work of volunteers who want to meet and engage with their neighbors.

Over the years, Reiche has been home to health and dental services, Portland Rec classes, and a popular branch of the Portland Public Library. But decades of austerity and a changing school safety culture led to the closure of the community health center and the library branch.

When the library closed around the time of the fnancial turmoil of 2008-09, it was a big loss for the community. As institutions in our society have lost popularity, libraries have become more than just a comfortable indoor reading space. They are a welcoming, free space for socializing, meeting new people, and learning about our community.

“I don’t think people really appreciated what the library space and the presence of that open get-together, hangout space meant to the community. It was like you ripped something out,” says Rosanne Graef, an active member of the West End Neighborhood Association (WENA).

Rosanne took the lead to restart activities at Reiche, along with help from

Reiche Community Room Activities

WENA and a modest grant from Maine Medical Center. The funding allowed WENA to pay for instructors, buy card tables and lighting, get art supplies, and even acquire movie screening licenses. Now free community activities are running regularly, but there are restrictions.

Portland Recreation allows WENA to run their activities without renting the room on the second foor of Reiche, but the hours are restricted to when rec staff are in the building. So, weekday mornings, Monday evenings, and Thursdays in the late afternoon and early evening are the times they have. But thanks to the grant and support from Portland Rec, everything is free.

ACTIVITIES

AM Exercise starts 8:15 a.m. every weekday morning and is the activity that has been going on the longest, celebrating year seven this April.

“The exercise class is going really strong,” says regular AM Exercise attendee Suzanne Hunt. “We have like a dozen people a day, which is very good. Sometimes more. There are ffteen to twenty people who come on some kind of regular basis. I’m a diehard; I go every day.”

In addition to AM Exercise, the monthly travelogues are popular. Local people share stories and slides from their unique trips around the world and answer questions. West End neighbors have shared their stories from the World Cup in Qatar, visiting Antarctica, and biking

across Europe to name a few. They’ve been very popular.

Movie nights for the movie diehards is curated by Rosanne herself. She presents two flms every month, a classic (over ffty years old) and animation “because I really like animation myself,” Rosanne says.

There was also a book club that has morphed into a magazine readers club with rotating topics from the trivial to profound.

Then there’s educational series like Die Well, where a certifed death educator covers hospice, paperwork, what is required by Maine, and so much more. Also, popular have been classes on internet fraud and safe driving from AARP.

RELATIONSHIPS

“For everybody of every age to get to know their neighbors is really valuable,” notes Rosanne. “I think Covid really drove a lot of that home… (Neighbors) suddenly realized that the people who lived down the hall in their same building… they didn’t know them. Those kind of relationships need a place to happen… Especially in a neighborhood like the West End where it is so diverse and there are so

many people who live alone…”

In short, every neighborhood needs a place, a public place that is free, where people of all types, with all interests, extroverted and introverted, and across generations can meet – a place for everybody.

Not to mention, it’s a place to be seen. For older generations to be visible to the kids can be a huge part of connecting community. “A lot of kids are not seeing anybody other than their parents,

Top: Volunteers painted this banner for the Reiche Community Room Leap Day Dance. Below: AM Exercise group. -Photos courtesy of Rosanne Graef

parents’ friends, and their teachers. You need to get to know who’s in your neighborhood and who you can trust.”

“And we’ve even had romance—” Rosanne notes.

“Yes, we had one major romance,” Suzanne chimes in. “The two people were over eighty and met at the exercise group… And they’re living together; they’re really in love—”

“There’re like teenagers.”

“What we do is not fancy,” says Suzanne, “but it’s really powerful.”

GET INVOLVED – You can make things happen!

Rosanne thinks people want to be engaged and want to have a say in their city but are intimated by bureaucracy and barriers. But “in your own neighborhood you can have some infuence. You can make things happen.”

So, get involved. It’s easy and free. As Suzanne says, “No application or anything. It’s very easy, very accessible, and not intimidating.

“Joining in the activities is a great way to meet your neighbors. You’ll make con-

Portland begins next property revaluation

The City of Portland is beginning the process for its next revaluation for assessment purposes in accordance with Maine property tax law and the City Council’s June 16th, 2021 Resolution. The Council’s resolution recommended that the Assessor and the City Manager, as necessary, conduct ongoing work to support City wide revaluations every fve years, and that suffcient funds to support such city-wide revaluations be authorized and appropriated. Additionally, State property tax law guidelines require municipalities to be between 70% and 110% of market value.

City staff will start the revaluation process this spring with the anticipated completion date in the summer of 2025 and implementation in FY26. This work will be done with current staff, a contracted revaluation company, and updated imagery. It is expected that the City would enter into a multi-year reassessment contract so the work can be conducted every two years until 2031.

The City’s Assessor is also recommending the City conduct a separate Personal Property revaluation. Personal Property is a State imposed tax on business equipment that every business in Maine is subject to. A full Personal Property revaluation would enlist a contractor to conduct a complete street canvass of the city to identify new businesses and list the equipment of existing businesses.

nections. If you come to the exercise class, you’re going to feel better... Just do it for fun. Put a little fun into your life.”

“Just try it,” continues Rosanne, “Just come and see who’s there. You’ll be surprised as you get to know these people a little bit, what they’re interested in, what you might become interested in. It’s a great opportunity to learn things, meet people, try stuff without risk. Nobody fails.”

If you have ideas for activities or want to get involved, send a message to hello@ wenamaine.org.

Tony Zeli is publisher and editor. Reach him at thewestendnews@gmail.com.

MaineCF distrib-

utes

$4.7 million to victims, families of Lewiston shootings

The Maine Community Foundation (MaineCF) has distributed $4,696,067 to 162 individual benefciaries directly impacted by the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shootings in Lewiston from the Lewiston-Auburn Area Response Fund.

Eligible benefciaries included direct heirs of murder victims, victims injured at Schemengee’s Bar & Grille or Just-in-Time Bowling during the shootings, and those present at the time of the shootings.

Eligibility was determined by a protocol drafted by the Lewiston-Auburn Area Response Fund volunteer steering committee comprising local community members.The committee solicited feedback on the protocol during a public town hall in Lewiston to better understand the needs and wishes of those directly impacted by the tragedy.

Applicants were supported by victim advocates throughout the application process. Each applicant’s presence the night of the shootings was validated by law enforcement and applicants who sustained injuries were validated by their medical providers.

“The foundation is humbled to have helped provide a way for people around the world to contribute to victims of this horrible tragedy and the community’s road to recovery,” said Deborah Ellwood, MaineCF president and CEO. “We are grateful for the volunteer committee members who quickly and compassionately offered their time to support this effort.”

Reiche Clark St. entrance. -WEN fle

MUSIC. COMEDY. THEATER. DANCE. and so much more...

Join us on The Hill for amazing performing arts!

Arts & Culture

Neighborhood & Community

Historic Preservation

4/5 Balderdash Academy’s IMPROV LIVE, hilarious unscripted comedy

4/6 Barney Martin performs the songs of James Taylor

4/11-13 Vivid Motion Dance and Empty Pocket Production

4/14 MJFF Presents Film: Born In Chicago and Blues Prophets LIVE

4/16 Balderdash Academy’s IMPROV JAM a Fundraiser (monthly)

4/19 Balderdash Academy’s On the Air! Vintage Comedy LIVE!

4/24 Hildaland LIVE, Fiddle and Mandolin show

4/25-26 Cindy Pierce Presents: Keeping It Inn

4/27 Novel Jazz Septet Celebrates Duke Ellington’s 125th Birthday

5/4 Rasa String Quartet, ensemble from Phillips Exeter Academy

5/7 Albert Lee Returns LIVE in Concert for one night only!

5/9-10 Sara Juli Presents: Naughty Bits (followed by panel on 5/9)

5/12 Pine Tree Pickers LIVE, Some of Maine’s finest guitar pickers

517-19 Vivid Motion Dance Presents: Grania, Pirate Queen

5/24 Los Galactacos LIVE in Concert

5/25 Dave Singley - Singer/Songwriter

5/31 I Love You To Death, A speakeasy mystery by Robert J. Leblanc

6/13 Hey Party People! Presents: No Jerks Allowed! (Laugh silly!)

6/14 Peter Gallway and the Real Band LIVE in Concert 6/21 Steamy Nights: Best of Burlesque Fundraiser for The Hill Arts

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COMMUNITY EVENTS APRIL

Tuesday Tree Talks & Walks

Apr. 9 & Apr. 30 / 6:30p / Reiche

Community Room, Portland

Do you love trees? Or want to learn more about the trees in your community and why they are so important? Join the West End Neighborhood Association for one of our upcoming Tuesday Tree Talks and Walks beginning at Reiche School Community Room, 166 Clark Street, at 6:30 p.m. Enter from Clark Street, frst door on the left.

• April 9 - Mark Reiland, Portland’s City Arborist

• April 30 - Andrew Tufts, Bringing Home Nature Manager, Maine Audubon

For more information see the WENA Facebook page, https://www.facebook. com/WestEndNeighborhoodAssociation, or visit our website at http://www.wenamaine.org/resources/reforest.

We are looking for folks interested in volunteering to help in many capacities. Email Trees@wenamaine.org for more information. We’d love to have you join us!

Maine Master Screening featuring Lois Dodd in Discussion

Thu., Apr. 11 / 6:30p / via Zoom

Union of Maine Visual Artists presents Lois Dodd: Maine Master Screening and Panel Discussion with painter Lois Dodd joined by Suzette McAvoy, curator; Karen Wilkin, critic and curator; and Richard Kane, flm director/moderator. Dodd settled into her current summer/fall home on the Cushing Peninsula in 1961 and has created a remarkable body of work that blends abstraction and representation.

“Lois Dodd: Maine Master” includes a rich sampling of these paintings accompanied by the artist’s personal take on art and life. The screening is free. Email for the Zoom link at kanelewisproductions@gmail.com.

Navigating Economic Justice and Sustainability in Coffee

Wed., Apr. 17 / 5 – 6:30p / Coffee By Design 1 Diamond St., Portland

Coffee By Design will host a panel of four coffee producers from Africa in a conversation centered on Navigating Economic Justice and Sustainability in Coffee, Wednesday, April 17th from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The event will be held at 1 Diamond Street in the Coffee By Design roastery. The conversation will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

West End Neighborhood Assoc. Spring Clean-up

Sat., Apr. 20 / 10a – 12p / Reiche Community Center, Portland

It’s Spring! It’s clean-up time! WENA invites anyone and everyone to join them for their annual Neighborhood Clean-up on Saturday, April 20th, 10 a.m. to Noon. Meet at the Clark Street side of the Reiche Community Center.

• Pick up a bag and gloves.

• Be assigned a street.

• Find out the collection points.

• Meet your neighbors.

• Go to it!

Alternatively, use your own gloves and bag to pick up on your street or block and add to your regular purple City bag on trash day.

Congress Square Park Season Kickoff

Fri., May 3 / 5p / Congress Square, Portland

Friends of Congress Square Park announce the offcial 2024 summer season kickoff extravaganza. Join us on Friday, May 3rd at 5 p.m. for a performance by the incredible Taiko Maine Dojo as well as the Ideal Maine Social Aid & Sanctuary Band. Totally Awesome Vegan Food Truck will also be in the park to serve up delicious vegan treats. It’ll be a First Friday for the ages!

1.

The Death of Vivek Oji

A Dazzling, Devastating Story

By Stephanie Miller

Vivek Oji is dead. Left behind are his high school friends in a small Nigerian town and his mother, gone dizzy and demanding in her desperation for information. In this captivating saga of a young person’s brief but glorious quest for living an authentic life, author and artist Akwaeke Emezi tells a dramatic story that begins the morning a mother opens the door to fnd her son’s body wrapped in colorful fabric lying on the doorstep.

The novel unfolds slowly, teasing out a puzzle to understand Vivek’s choices and how his friends support, protect, and guard him. Sexual and gender exploration abound as with most teens, but there is also lots of love amid the confusion of emotions and pressures of flial duty. At one point, Vivek’s cousin Osita advises, “You know what’s been happening in your head. You’re the only person who knows. So ask yourself if it feels right, and somewhere, deep inside you, there’s a compass that will tell you whether you’re right or wrong.”

Months after the death, Osita tries to convince Vivek’s mother to stop asking people about the day Vivek died. She can’t listen. In fact, she doubles down — pushing Osita and Vivek’s circle of friends relentlessly to fnd out why her son was killed. She sobs in a neighbor’s arms, “He was so young. Something happened. It doesn’t make sense. They took off his clothes when they left him there.”

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Vivek’s friends struggle with loyalty to their friend and sadness for his mother’s suffering. One of them, Juju, “…wondered if Vivek’s mother deserved a bit more of the truth—if [Juju] and the others were hurting her every time she asked them the wrong questions and they gave her their careful answers.”

We learn how this intense motherlove, beautiful and well-meaning as it is, only limited and pressured Vivek. We realize also why in Nigerian culture and with their specifc family history, his mother remains in the dark about his true nature and activities. We see a set of teenagers refuse to share their experiences with their parents, afraid of misunderstanding, anger, or worse, indifference.

This slim novel propels the story forward in a series of captured moments. Conversations, arguments, local lore, and dreams all seem taken out of context, until the critical snapshots of time come together and reveal in the fnal pages who Vivek was. I went back to earlier chapters after fnishing to read again, now that I knew the full story, and saw how much nuance I missed the frst time. Well done, Akwaeke!

It’s not altogether clear if Vivek was understood by anyone, but he was loved. Perhaps that is all we can expect of each other.

MARCH STORM DAMAGE

The West End saw its share of tree casualties due to the March ice storm. One includes the beloved Pitch Pine on the Western Promenade (below, right) that was a favorite with kids and adults. Damages required clean up in Longfellow Square (left) and throughout the neighborhood.

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Stephanie Miller is a voracious reader and bibliophile and spends a lot of time lost in the stacks of bookstores and libraries. Find her online @StephanieSAM.

PHOTOS: © Rosemary Jason

Myles Smith: Highways vs. Smiling Hill Farm

Every Month PelotonLabs founder Liz Trice interviews a community member for The West End News. This month, Liz caught up with Myles Smith, the volunteer facilitator for Mainers for Smarter Transportation, a group opposing the proposed Gorham Connector Highway.

What is Mainers for Smarter Transportation?

M4ST is a group of people and organizations committed to safer streets and transportation options for everyone. In this case, building new highways is not smart. We formed a few weeks ago as an offshoot of an advocacy group working for a statewide complete streets policy. When the highway expansion appeared in the news, it contradicted our goals so starkly that a number of us organized to work on it.

How did you get into this?

My wife and I both grew up in rural parts of the Portland suburbs and resolved to raise our kids where they could walk and bike to friends, school, playgrounds, and activities. So, we live in Oakdale, near USM.

It’s not perfect – Brighton and Forest Avenues hem us in. They’re built to get cars from suburbs and beyond to downtown Portland as quickly as possible and don’t prioritize the people who live here. I can’t let my nine-year-old daughter cross those avenues, and we have to avoid them in order to bike to school.

This made me want to work on improving the state of local streets. I quickly realized that state policy dictates the safety of local streets, and I then fell in with the advocacy coalition.

How do coalitions get built to make real change?

It’s important to have a set of values that you stand for, and that people can sign on to. You also have to be fexible enough to know there’s no one right answer, no perfect solution, and you’re not going to get everything you want. I’m not an expert in any one topic. My job is to facilitate a solution out of the group’s wisdom. Why do you oppose the Gorham Connector?

I oppose it because it is an expensive, ineffectual, permanent scar on our environment and urban fabric. It makes sense that traffc would be a challenge in Gor-

far we can get. This highway is a ffty-year mistake. I suspect that if we build it, we’ll regret it almost as soon as it’s fnished.

How do you get people from different perspectives to work together?

ham because Greater Portland is growing without a plan. For decades now, many people have been moving out of Portland and the urban core to rural areas because Portland’s not affordable. Those folks have to drive all the time because it’s the only viable option. This highway expansion would reinforce this cycle and ultimately just invite more traffc.

What are possible solutions to the traffc in Gorham that wouldn’t require degrading the Red Brook trout and Smiling Hill Farm?

At the public meeting in Gorham, dozens of people who live on the supposedly congested local roads said that conditions have improved since the pandemic. Many offered low-cost, low-impact solutions including better uses of roundabouts, smart traffc lights, connecting the street grid, trails, and expanding the bus service to replace some people having to drive. So many good ideas!

I get excited thinking that we could work with these communities to really implement all these good ideas and see how

We have to listen frst.We can’t come in telling people what our solution is. Long term, we need to acknowledge that traffc is a symptom of a larger problem, then we can start to work on its causes. Why is traffc only getting worse? Why can I only drive to get anywhere? Why is housing so expensive? Portlanders don’t want more cars speeding through our neighborhoods, but we also need to make it easier to build housing so fewer people would need to commute. We have a systemic problem that has grown up over decades and will continue to get worse if we don’t break the cycle.

The growth is going to come, and we need to be proactive. If we don’t, I don’t think we’ll be happy with the results: sprawl, wide roads, and strip malls and houses built over farms for as far as the eye can see. I don’t want that. We can do better.

How can people get involved?

Get in touch with one of these great organizations working on this issue: Mainers for Smarter Transportation, Protect Smiling Hill Farm Facebook Grou, Growsmart Maine, Urbanist Coalition of Portland, Portland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PBPAC), Bicycle Coalition of Maine, Strong Towns, and Build Maine.

PelotonPosts is produced by PelotonLabs founder Liz Trice.

Myles Smith is a facilitator for Mainers for Smarter Transportation. -Cour tesy photo

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"We are not powerless to accomplish this change, but we are powerless as a people if we wait for some- one else to do it for us."

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By Layne V. Witherell SOLO ITALIANO

100 Commercial St.

4:30 - 10 p.m., closed Monday

https://www.soloitalianorestaurant.com

This is about the wonderful meal that we had during Maine Restaurant Week, but it is a lot more. Namely, it is also about who makes the cut for the top 75 best restaurants according to the Portland Press Herald’s food critic.

The fact that Solo didn’t make the cut is due to several things: the adorableness factor – Smalls and Friends & Family being prime examples – together with the craving for newness, including the hot new “it” girl right off the local red carpet. Newness is all.

Solo Italiano has been here for a while and is an authentic version of local modern northern Italian at its best. How do we know? When in Rome we dined at Cloroflla Cucina e Distillati. Solo is cool, local, and magnifcent. Close your eyes for a moment at Solo and you are in Rome. Authenticity is all.

Maine Restaurant Week’s presentation was a tasting menu of fve courses for $55.00 with an eye-popping wine list that is both Italian encyclopedic and the

same prices as Rome to boot. How many times have I heard, “Gee, they are so much cheaper over there.” I collect restaurant wine lists and scrutinize them like a biblical scholar looking over scripture and will gladly compare a myriad of lists. Solo’s list hovers at an average per bottle price of $50.00-$60.00 for an authentic selection.

We desperately try as Americans to break away from Italian as a thick mound of pasta smothered with mom’s red sauce, but we can’t. The courses here aren’t large but they are Roman, true to type.

THE MENU

Italian dinners can vary from one to eight courses.This Maine Restaurant week gem was fve.

-Antipasto: Salmon rillette on crostini.

-Insalata: Organic greens with shaved pecorino (the cheese, not the wine), carrots, radish, and a rosemary-olive oil dressing.

-Primi: Mafaldine pasta with creamy walnut pesto. You are in famous territory here with Solo as they have taken home the “pesto gold,” and it shows in this variation on a classic.

-Secondi: Braised veal belly, as pictured and delicious. Very much out of the ordinary.

-Dolce: Blood orange torta.

THE WINE

The wine decisions for all the courses hovered on Ribolla Gialla, a northern Italian grape from Fruili, an indigenous white that would, with its acidity and nutty favors, pair well with everything from the salad to the pasta and veal belly but wouldn’t provide excitement.

We chose instead a classic little fruity Dolcetto, Altre Vie Dolcetto d’Alba (Anfora), $50.00 per bottle. Dolcetto means “little sweet one” and it is usually fruity not sweet, the Italian version of a Beaujolais,

working softly with all dishes. Dolcetto is the background singer accompaniment to the majestic wines of Barolo and Barbaresco from Piedmont in northern Italy. What we got was a ringer. I love ringers. Especially ones that work. “Vibrancy and brightness with a layering of funk” are my operative words, as the winemaker Frederico Scarzello works twelve acres of land in the storied Barolo region to bring out the best rustic simplicity in his grapes. Either biodynamic hipster winegrowing is becoming more user friendly, or I am becoming a softie.

The wine went exceedingly well with each of the four dishes and provided center stage entertainment, complex favors, and excitement for half the price of the storied Barolo. Any wine list that features around forty excellent, well-chosen regional wines hovering around $50 gets my vote. Dining is still all about food and wine as an experience. “Wine is the intellectual part of the meal,” as novelist Alexandre Dumas once put it.

Cont'd on Next Page

Maine Restaurant Week menu at Solo. -Photos courtesy of Layne Witherell

Braised veal belly with Altre Vie Dolcetto

Cont'd from Previous Page

LEEWARD

85 Free St.

Tues., Wed., Fri., Sat., 5 - 9 p.m. https://leewardmaine.com

The original title of this column was going to be “Leeward.” Problem. Every time there is a major award whiff in the air for this place, reservations close tighter than the toughest clam shell. So, you wait and hope the Resy.com gods smile on your sorry little local self.

The other evening, they did, and they are worth the wait. The dining room is more modern than the rustic brick of Solo. Were it not for the menu, it could be practically any modern, no frills, pared down dining setting.

STARTERS

The crispy artichoke with capers and rosemary was right out of Rome. The butter lettuce salad with blue cheese, radish, herbs, and lemon cream vinaigrette made lots of points with satisfying favors and textures. The Evesham Wood Pinot Gris, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon, $15 per glass was light mineral and fruit – spot on.

Wine is about context. I knew the winery’s founder, the late, unpretentiously great Russ Rainey, who was a giant in the young emerging Oregon wine world of the 1980’s.

We lucked out having Paige Buehrer in the house, General Manager and Wine

Director. Oh, Paige, I have been saving up all those wine questions for you. This is one eclectic list ranging brilliantly far outside the boundaries of Italian, or for that matter even Europe. You can take the plunge from Berkeley to the Niagara region to South Africa. Why are Barnard, Fletcher, or Shelbourne, Vermont wines sprinkled generously about? Paige, we found is from Vermont, and seems occasionally to be homesick.

Please, Paige, list one of these by the glass so we can indulge as well. Would it no doubt pair well with the artichokes?

THE MAIN EVENT

Beef and pork ragu bolognese over house made Rigatoni pasta for me. One of their famous mouth-watering dishes. Tuscan pork ragu over crispy, pillowy polenta was a huge hit with the Mrs., though there was a lot of sharing.

THE WINE

Usually, I don’t exceed ffty to sixty dollar wines for a column, but it was my birthday, and this list combines choices that are wildly eccentric, new wave combined with the time worn classics. Since we had already done a hipster journey at Solo, it was time to sink into the Italian comfort zone.

RUBINELLI VAJOL VALPOLICELLA RIPASSO CLASSICO, VENETO, 2014, $78.00 bottle.

Sadly, most wine lists feature vintages about a minute old. Restaurant costs, storage, distributor inventory, not to mention winery accountants’ bottom-line anxiety all add up to lists full of 2022 vintages that should be enjoyed in the next several decades, not now. In fact, 2014 is perfect for a restaurant.

Rubinelli is a famous producer in northern Italy using (here is your sommelier question of the week) Corvina, Rondinella, and Croatina grapes as the blend. No decanting is needed. It opens in the glass to accompany their acclaimed food. It is created with regular Valpolicella being

poured over the spent skins of Amarone (a wine of both majesty and price) creating an elegant wine for our dishes.

NEXT VISIT

Paige has serious wine chops and frankly I didn’t know we would run into someone quite like her. There is such an array of eclectic favors on this list that it will make me forget the homework exploration altogether. You choose. But please, open the conversation with that missing Vermont wine by the glass.

Entrees at Leeward: Beef & pork ragu bolognese over house made Rigatoni pasta and Tuscan pork ragu over crispy polenta with bottle of Rubinelli Vajol Valpolicella.

10 Years of Venturing Out with Adventure Marketplace

By Nancy Dorrans

I’ve been working as a traditional “travel agent” for various in-house agencies in several states for most of my adult life. I didn’t think or know how I could succeed as an independent agent. But the industry was changing. More and more, traditional travel agencies were closing. I didn’t ft in with the traditional agencies anyway. Many are now run by corporations that are more interested in selling insurance than travel dreams. I had met other agents that worked independently, but it seemed overwhelming to me.

I was skeptical. Then, I was encouraged into venturing out on my own. One friend/entrepreneur coached me. He said, “You can do it. It is what you do and if you work for anyone else, you’re just helping them make money.”

Another industr y rep said, “You have to stay. You’re making me look good in Maine. I’ll help you!” I had booked a private group to Ecuador and the Galapagos through his tour company. I didn’t know that was such a big deal. I had a lot to learn.

Then I contacted OASIS Travel Network, a host agency for independent travel agents/advisors. I spoke with one of the owners and explained my situation, my experience, and that I was out of work and exploring different options. I was even thinking about leaving the travel industry and moving somewhere new to teach En-

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glish as a second language or, or, or….

She listened intently and then said, “Oh... You can’t leave now... Travel is in your blood!”

I heard them. I decided to give it a go. That was April 2014 - 10 years ago.

small global group adventures to Namibia and Botswana, Iceland,Vietnam/Cambodia, and Women, Walking, and Wine in Portugal... Doug cruised with Rock Legends… Local Irishman Evan from Independent Ireland helped me organize a 60th birthday celebration for Nancy Noyes with her husband and a dozen of her closest friends…

I chose a big name: Adventure Marketplace. Mainly because I didn’t know where it was going to lead, and I didn’t want to have to change it later.Then I joined Peloton Labs co-working space and was connected with an energized group of entrepreneurs. I know that my business never would have had the successes it has if it wasn’t for these connections and the support I made – both at Peloton and from so many others in the travel industry. That said, “You can DO IT!” My courage, creativity, experience, adaptability, and diligence have guided me through my Adventure Marketplace journey.

Moving to a new space last month has given me the opportunity to go through my decade worth of fles and a chance to refect on all the experiences I’ve had and all the clients I’ve helped. As I fip through my notes and fles, a food of memories rush over me – many highlights, challenges, and lessons learned.

Early on, I guided a sweet and tech savvy bride and her groom and guests to a

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Clockwise from top left: (1) Nancy at NH Highland Games. (2) Portland Communtiy Chorus in NYC. (3) Small group adventure to Vietnam/Cambodia. (4) Women, Wine & Walking - Portugal.

-Photos courtesy of N. Dorrans

destination wedding in the Mayan Riviera. I customized Hope’s Patagonian adventure... I drove a small group in a rental van to the New Hampshire Highland Games at Loon Mountain up and over the Kancamagus Highway... Escorted a small G-Adventure group to South Africa and Zimbabwe... Set up ski trips to Big Sky, Montana, and Valparaiso and Val-d’Isère in France, among others...

I organized motor coach tours to New York City, Quebec City, the White Mountains, and assisted the Portland Community Chorus on their journey to New York City to sing at Carnegie Hall... Myndilee took a group of friends to her home island of Jamaica... Then there was the sold-out bus tour to the Women’s March on Washington in 2017 and more

Adventure Marketplace was a vendor at the Rockland Blues Festival for a few years before Covid... I worked with the adventurous Bill Yeo who led two successful groups up Kilimanjaro in January 2020 and again in February 2023... My friend Karen and I and another couple took the Cat from Portland to Nova Scotia. Our return ferry was delayed due to a tropical depression in the Atlantic. We spent two extra nights and met some folks from Boston in Halifax that were supposed to be in Bermuda. Their ship was rerouted. Pats were on at the Bah! Whachagonnado?

It has been quite a decade, and I am grateful! Adventure Marketplace is still a BIG NAME for a one-person business. I’m getting used to it. I am looking ahead to creating more unforgettable, out of the ordinary experiences for years to come. Thank you to all who have been part of the journey.

Nancy Dorrans is founder of Adventure Marketplace... Navigating travelers on authentic, nurturing, global and local adventures since 2014.

Nancy at the Women's March on Washington (2017)

A new approach to local control of energy generation in Maine

By David Kunhardt

Were you opposed to the Pine Tree Power Initiative because it looked expensive? Were you in favor of the concept of having more local public control of our energy sources, but nervous about the prospect of years of litigation over eminent domain to control energy assets?

Fortunately, there is another option that achieves local control without the cost of acquiring infrastructure. It is legally permissible in Maine already (with one adjustment). It is called Community Choice Energy Aggregation, and it is being used and tested in nine states from California to New Hampshire.

States w/ Community Choice Energy

• California

• Illinois

• Maryland

• Massachusetts

• New Hampshire

• New Jersey

• New York

• Ohio

• Rhode Island

There are variations of approach, but in over 1,200 communities, customers are saving money and sharing in the benefts. In California, where the CCA approach began in 2010, the savings and the advance to greenhouse gas-free energy have been dramatic.

Maine could be particularly prepared to undertake a community choice energy approach because most of the twelve utilities that serve Maine customers can already be deemed community choice aggregators of independent energy generation.

Though some local utilities already own the distribution infrastructure, under the CCA approach, that is not necessary. Nothing will be removed from them, and energy generation is already deregulated for all Maine utilities. Thus, cities or counties within the districts of Versant, CMP, and others could take on the role of contracting for energy generation, while allowing it to be delivered through the utility’s poles and wires.The utilities would continue to issue invoices, but the generation portion of bills would be passed through to the community energy provider instead of to the PUC’s standard offer.

If we were to refocus just on contracting for the generation, no purchase of transmission and distribution infrastructure would be necessary. This way, no large—and disputed—eminent domain purchase is needed. The community power entities could focus on fnding and delivering ever cleaner energy sources, while the utilities focus on improving reliability.

Maine would need to adopt legislation permitting communities to choose community power generation on an “optout” basis. This is key to success: when state law permits, communities that vote to join a community power entity, all meters within that jurisdiction would be automatically enrolled, unless the customer specifcally opts out.

Are you interested in seeing the Community Choice approach in Maine? If so, email your thoughts to: MaineGridWorks@gmail.com.

Innovating Our Waterfronts:

By Jade Christensen

As we fnd ourselves amid yet another month of rainstorms and fooding, it’s imperative that we turn our attention to fortifying our waterfronts to safeguard our communities. The relentless battle against rising waters is a challenge that coastal regions, including our extensive coastline, grapple with year after year.

Around the globe, innovative approaches are being employed to address similar concerns. Let’s shed light on some noteworthy strategies taken by communities worldwide that have proven successful in enhancing resilience and sustainability in the face of climate-related challenges. Nassauhaven - Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Nassauhaven has utilized an unused harbor basin by building it up with foating water houses and a nature-friendly bank. This initiative allows the ocean and tides to ebb and fow freely while reintroducing nature to areas once dominated by concrete.The foating houses, designed to be mostly self-sustaining, utilize solar panels, biomass heating, and internal water purifcation systems. This project is just one example of the ongoing efforts in the Rotterdam region to mitigate risks and foster a sustainable future.

Jurong Lake Gardens – Singapore. The Gardens, a national park located outside the city center, aims to restore the ecosystem to its freshwater swamp origins and enhance its climate resilience and biodiversity. Originating as an indus-

for Local Solutions

trial development in the 1960s, Jurong Lake Gardens began its metamorphosis in the 1970s. In recent years, Singapore has reignited its commitment to expanding the potential of this space. Beyond reintroducing fora and fauna to the city, the Gardens strive to reconnect the community with nature. The space incorporates garden plots, classrooms, wellness centers, and more. Moreover, Jurong Lake Gardens serves as a living laboratory for sustainability and technology, acting as a testing ground for innovations like autonomous vehicles and integrated garden management.

These international case studies offer Maine a glimpse into the possibilities for developing our own waterfronts while simultaneously addressing the local impacts of the climate crisis. The experiences of Rotterdam and Singapore demonstrate that a forward-thinking approach to urban planning and environmental management can yield resilient, sustainable, and community-centric solutions.

What can we do now? Maine’s coastline is always under development. Look for opportunities to help protect and build natural areas that create a buffer for the community and the ocean, or fnd innovative designs when building out onto the water to create a more resilient structure.

Initialized Names Trivia

1. What Canadian singer/songwriter had a hit in 1992 with “Constant Craving”?

2. Pelham Grenville are the first and middle names of what author who brought us Bertie Wooster and his man Jeeves?

3. Christopher is the first name of what actor that starred in films like “The Outsiders”, “Red Dawn”, and “Gettysburg”?

4. What powerful and mega-rich financier whose initials stand for “John Pierpont” ruled Wall Street during the Gilded age?

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SLICE FROM THE PIE

SMALL SLICES FROM THE COMMUNITY NEWS PIE…

After 30 years at SMCC the Friends of Casco Bay move their offce to the West End and the Star Match building on West Commercial Street… City launches

If Flowers Could Talk

If Flowers could talk I know what they'd say I was picked by a little girl today

DIY Electrify Everything! campaign offering up to $250 for Portland homeowners and renters to improve their home’s energy effciency… In other climate news, New England’s last coal-burning plant Merrimack Station will close by June 2028 and be turned into a renewable energy park for solar power… In business, the Plant Offce celebrates 5 years this spring as Munjoy Hill’s foral studio and houseplant store… Portland Buy Local announces a new education focused mission and eliminates membership fees… Portland ranks as the 25th top city to move to according to moveBuddha for obvious reasons… Maine is the #4 best state for tiny house living thanks to our off-grid lifestyles and the highest Tiny House Legality Score in the nation… And from the weather oddities desk… The March ice storm briefy takes down the WMPG transmitter but luckily all our favorite community radio shows stream on WMPG. org… And a few days earlier harsh winds at the Portland Jetport fip over a parked and unoccupied plane

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