Sunday, October 18, 2015

Arundel scouting sites for town hall

By Duke Harrington
Staff Writer 
ARUNDEL — More than a year after approving plans for a new town hall, Arundel selectmen still face a debilitating problem — they have no place to put it. At their Sept. 28 meeting, selectmen debated three options currently on the table, concluding only that each has its drawbacks.

The solution was to have Town Manager Keith Trefethen create a spreadsheet showing side-by-side comparisons of the three potential plots, for further review at the next board meeting, Oct. 12.
Of the three locations, a 4-acre field on Limerick Road has garnered the most support among selectmen, in part because of its proximity to the center of town, Eastern Trail and Kennebunk River.
It also won broad support from about 140 residents who completed a survey on a town hall move, circulated in early 2014.

“Actually, the people who took that survey said they wanted the new town hall to be as close to the current location as possible,” said Velma Jones Hayes, vice chairman of the board of selectmen, in a recent interview. “There is land there, but it’s just not available.”

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Arundel aims to become seasonal destination with cottage project

The small York County town sees promise in a 259-unit development that expands its tax base while the homeowners use minimal public services.
Joe Paolini, the owner and developer of Cape Arundel Cottage Preserve, shows off the model home in his project. He says there’s a burgeoning market for limited-occupancy vacation homes like the ones he’s building in York County.
Joe Paolini, the owner and developer of Cape Arundel Cottage Preserve, shows off the model home in his project. He says there’s a burgeoning market for limited-occupancy vacation homes like the ones he’s building in York County.  
Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
 
ARUNDEL — For years, Route 1 in Arundel has been an outlier between its more developed neighbors – Biddeford to the north and Kennebunk to the south.

There’s a gas station, a couple of used car lots, a flea market and a few car repair shops. Otherwise, it’s a tree-lined street where the speed limit jumps to 50 mph, allowing people to pass through quickly on the way to Biddeford’s shopping centers or Kennebunk’s classic Main Street.
Cape Arundel Cottage Preserve intends to change that.

The development of 259 cottages is expected to bring in hundreds of part-time residents to the town, which is mostly rural and residential, and has a year-round population of about 4,000. Town officials see such promise in the complex – and about $3,700 in property taxes from each unit – that they granted a tax break to help launch it and adopted new zoning to ensure the homes are used only eight months out of the year. The timing of the season – from May 1 to the end of the year – means minimal impact on town services, including no kids for local schools.

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additional link:
http://www.capearundelcottages.com/

How do I make an environmental complaint or express my concern about a site?

"But neighbors say the periodic stench has been getting worse in recent months, and that they have had enough. One group of nearby residents, who asked not to be named, has been distributing fliers encouraging others to file complaints with local and state officials."

“We encourage you to call these folks whenever you have had enough of the stink and make your concerns known,” the fliers say. “Call, and keep calling every time you are offended by the smell until the town and state authorities take a stand and hold Dubois accountable.”

Arundel Town Manager | 207.985.4201 |townmanager@arundelmaine.org

Maine DEP | 

How do I make an environmental complaint or express my concern about a site?

Each year, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection promptly responds to hundreds of complaints regarding activities that, following investigation, may or may not turn out to be violations of the laws or rules administered by the department. Our investigatory work with each complaint ultimately determines the appropriate course of action to be taken by the department. To report a possible violation of one of the laws or rules administered by the DEP, call your nearest regional DEP office. If you so desire, your report may be made anonymously. Field services and enforcement staff in each regional office are available to take your call. To reach our regional offices:

  • in Augusta call 207-287-7688 or toll free (in-state only) at 800-452-1942;
  • in Bangor at 207-941-4570 or toll free (in-state only) at 888-769-1137;
  • in Portland at 207-822-6300 or toll free (in-state only) at 888-769-1036; and
  • in Presque Isle at 207-764-0477 or toll free (in-state only) 888-769-1053.

You may also report a violation or file a complaint by calling the DEP’s toll free line in our central office in Augusta at 800-452-1942. This phone number will connect you with a receptionist at the front desk. After you have briefly described the situation you wish to report, you will be transferred to a staff person who can take down your information. The staff person to whom you report the possible violation or complaint may ask a few questions or request additional information intended to assist enforcement staff. It is not necessary to have answers to all the questions in order to report a possible violation. Examples of common questions or requests you may receive from staff are:

  • Please describe the activity.
  • What is the name of the water body involved, if any? Example: name of stream or lake.
  • Is your knowledge first hand? Is the activity ongoing? Is the activity actually located in the resource?
  • How do you get to the site? (driving directions)
  • Have you contacted other officials, such as your code enforcement officer or staff at another agency? (this information helps DEP staff to better coordinate with other officials)
  • Who is the landowner where the activity is occurring? Do you know his or her phone number?
  • Do you know the name of the contractor doing the work?

Maine DEP considers next step to address ‘nuisance odor’ coming from composting business in Arundel

Rick Dubois, owner of Dubois Livestock & Excavating Inc., uses a loader to stack compost-blended topsoil at the company's Arundel farm on Thursday. The odor produced by a recent spreading of compost on some of their fields caused complaints from people in the area.
Rick Dubois, owner of Dubois Livestock & Excavating Inc., uses a loader to stack compost-blended topsoil at the company's Arundel farm on Thursday. The odor produced by a recent spreading of compost on some of their fields caused complaints from people in the area.  
 
Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer
 
A putrid stench that has permeated parts of York County since Tuesday is coming from a farm and composting business in Arundel that is operating in violation of local and state rules, officials said.

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Maine D.E.P investigates odor from farm

Smell ‘like manure’ permeates York County communities


An official in Arundel, where the odor reportedly originated, calls it 'stronger than anything I think I ever smelled.'




At least four York County communities were inundated with a powerful stench Wednesday, local officials said.

The smell, which they said resembled manure or raw sewage, apparently came from a farm off Route 111 near Hill Road in Arundel, although public safety and elected officials said they did not know – or would not disclose – the exact source.

“All I heard is that a farm on Route 111 was dressing the fields, and that the smell would go away in a day or two,” said Velma Jones Hayes, vice chair of the Arundel Board of Selectmen. “That smell today was stronger than anything I think I ever smelled.”

The stink reportedly stretched well into Biddeford and Saco and even reached sensitive noses as far away as Old Orchard Beach.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Mildred L. Day School


The Mildred L. Day School provides Kindergarten through Grade 5 educational experiences for the students of Arundel. There are approximately two hundred and sixty students attending the school with a certified teaching staff of twenty-one.

The staff and administration of the Mildred L. Day School strives to ensure a safe and positive learning environment where the social, emotional, and physical needs of students are met while at the same time meeting high academic standards. The school strongly encourages parental involvement in their child's learning and offers a variety of ways for that to occur. Those wishing to become involved should contact their child's teacher.

mld2.png


http://www.rsu21.net/mld/

Tuesday, September 1, 2015