July 2008

 By Carol McCracken

The news that only one developer submitted a proposal to redevelop the former Adams School only served as a grim reminder to ‘A Company of Girls’ officials that by the end of September ’08, the award winning non-profit will have to find a new home from which to run its innovative program. The deadine for the filing of proposals was Tuesday, July 22.

Avesta Housing was the only developer to submit a proposal to the city. The proposal includes 40 housing units and a park – to be called Beckett Green and Marada Adams Park. Half of the 40 units will be three bedroom units and the rest 1 bedroom units. There would be owner occupied income restrictions ranging from $38,000 to $81,000 per year. The Marada Adams Park would provide “public recreation, open space programming and public art needs” according to the proposal submitted by Dana Totman, president. The park would be owned and managed by the city of Portland.

Glaringly absent from the Avesta proposal is the lack of space for non-profits. The lack thereof or the inclusion thereof has been the source of much contention on the Hill – specifically between those who want non-profit space to be available at the former school and others who believe that the Hill already has enough community space. Others argue that affordable housing should be the top priority for the redevelopment of the former Adams School. Still others support a little of both – non-profit space and some affordable housing as well.

Jane Makela, president of the board of ACOG said that a renewed effort is underway by the board to ask the city council to revisit the issue of permitting the group for low-income girls at risk to remain on the property until perhaps next year sometime. (The expected date of the start of the razing of the building is the fall of 2009 with a completion date of 2011.) Makela, who is an attorney, wants to make this a “win-win” situation for both the City and ACOG. “We are good stewards of the property and good neighbors here. The City has been a wonderful landlord for us,” she added. Makela accepts that ACOG needs to vacate the premises – she just wishes it were later rather than sooner.

The future of the former Adams School will take another step forward on August 20^th when the matter comes before the Community Development Committee at 5:00 p.m. at the City Hall. One possibility that will be decided at the meeting is whether to reissue RFPs in order to receive more proposals from developers in the area.

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By Carol McCracken

For oil painter David Campbell, his favorite place for creating landscapes of the city is at the juncture of North Street and the Eastern Promenade. In that area he sets up his easel, places his huge canvass on it and breaks open his paints and brushes. There he paints in detail the dramatic panorama before him – summer and winter. Campbell lives in Cape Elizabeth with his wife, Patty, who is a painter as well.

Originally from Maryland, Campbell studied at the prestigious League of New York in New York City. His studies were interrupted after almost 2 years by the draft. He served in Korea. His tour of duty was one year. Although he still had inactive duty time left, he went to Italy where he lived for seven years. Campbell painted non-stop. It was where he became a landscape painter – a turning point in his painting careeer.

“If I hadn’t gone to Italy, I’d have been called back to duty in Korea. I applied to be a conscientious objector. There was no church to back me up,” Campbell said. “These days I’m a pagan. That means I don’t have a deity. Life and earth are sacred. We do harm to no one,” he said thoughtfully. “The natural earth is the church.”

Tom Crotty, owner of the Frost Gully Gallery, calls Campbell one of the great atists in Maine – living or dead. Clearly disgruntled, Crotty says “no one is doing anything to focus the attention of people on those who deserve attention – like David Campbell.” When MHN asked Crotty what distinguished him from other artists, he responded: “That’s not the question. It’s about teaching the public to segregate the great stuff from the horrible stuff.”

Because “painting sales are infrequent” these days, Campbell finds other ways to  to supplement his income. He does carpentry and paints houses. Also, he teachespainting and drawing for seniors at the Maine College of Art in Portland.

Campbell’s works of art are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Museum of Fne Arts, Boston,  and the Art Institute of Chicago. According to Crotty, his work has appeared in major shows in New York City, Boston and Chicago. He has taught extensively elsewhere.

A number of Campbell’s oil paintings are displayed at Frost Gully Gallery on Route 1- just north of Freeport. The gallery is open 12-5 Monday though Friday. 865-4505. Maybe you’ll also be fortunate enough to meet him at his favorite painting spot on the Hill – that is if you are lucky.

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By Carol McCracken

It was a sunny afternoon in mid-June and many of the new gardners at the North Street Community Garden were hard at work trying to play catch up for a late start in planting their gardens – in an area where the growing season is notoriously already short.  But the reason for the late start overall was the city’s expansion of the Garden which took longer than expected.

Several of them were mothers with young children – gardening while trying to teach their young some gardening etiquette; please don’t run with tools, please don’t walk on others garden plots, after you’ve admired the worm please return it to the soil in one piece thank you very much and the like.

One mother of three young children, Kelly Ayer, said, “The garden brings to my children wonder, hope and anticipation for what will come. They are able to be part of the process of growing food. They see where food comes from and can contribute to the process. It makes them part of a team.” This as the attractive mother was separating her various herbs from each other by tying each bunch with a long strand of chives from her garden before depositing them in her homeward bound basket.

Despite deep budget cuts which resulted in the loss of ninety plus city jobs, some of them high profile jobs, the city proceeded with its plan to expand the North Street garden by sixteen plots. All the work that needed to be done by the city and its contractor to expand the garden accounted for the planting delay experienced by new gardners. The North Street garden is one of four in the City and was established in 1999. “The City of Portland is very supportive of our gardens,” said Joan, community garden coordinator.

Each gardner pays $30.00 to garden in one plot for the growing season. That amount of money covers the cost of tools, water, lyme, organic fertilizer, compost and various other items. According to city officials the $30. does not cover all the expenses the city incurs on behalf of the gardens, although a comprehensive evaluation of the expenses has not been done. Most people that MHN spoke with, however, said they had no problem supporting the concept.

Sue Yandell, one of the new gardners said she’s been trying to play catch up for such a late start in the growing season. “It’s really quite amazing how much ground we’ve been able to make up,” Sue said grinning as she produced four zuccinis she’d just picked from her garden.

“What a great garden year! The new gardens look soo wonderful,” says a note on the bulletin board inside the locked tool shed written by Joan, our intrepid leader.

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By Carol McCracken

Although she finished back in the pack of swimmers in the 27^th annual Peaks Island to Portland swim, Jennifer Rooks was a winner nevertheless. Rooks, 42, the mother of two and a longtime local television anchor, swam for the first time ever in the benefit. “I’d do it again.” said Rooks, energized  by the experience.  Supporting her were her two children, Sam and Julia, and her parents. “I did better than I expected,” said Rooks, grinning broadly.

The actual first place winner in the fund raising event was Joseph Sheeham. Sheehan, 37, finished the 2.4 mile course in just over 42 minutes. He could not be located among the more than 500 onlookers and 180 swimmers at the East End Beach. (One swimmer had to be taken aboard a boat and was unable to complete the race, leaving the actual number who finished the race at 179.) “They are all winners to me, no matter where they finish,” said Terry Swann, aquatics director, of the YMCA.

Swann, who stood on the East End Beach, waving swimmers ashore with her hands and a welcoming – ‘good job, Amy,” said she knew many of the participants personally because they swim at the YMCA regularly where she is the aquatics director. “It’s smooth out there. There’s no wind and no one is getting burned up by the sun,” Swann said looking out at Casco Bay.  It was overcast during most of the swim. “The tide didn’t come in as far as I’d hoped,” said Terry. “The exhausted swimmers would have had a shorter distance than the estimated 30 feet to walk to the finish line,” an unidentified volunteer completed the thought for the MHN. (She was one of 65 volunteers for the day).

Meanwhile, medical teams were waiting at the back of the East End Beach should anyone require assistance. Dr. Max Jacobs, a chiropractor in private practice on St. John Street, said, “These swimmers were in amazingly good shape. They had no problems getting out of the water. But I expect they will be feeling some aches and pains tomorrow.” The injuries were limited to a few sore shoulders and some cuts and bruises according to the medical team on site.

The proceeds of this annual swim will go toward the YMCA scholarship fund. “Terry does a great organizing job, said Hildy Ginsberg, director of the YMCA. “She deserves tons of credit,” said Ginsberg.

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