November 2008

By Carol McCracken

Negotiations between Portland’s Community Development Committee (CDC) and The Olympia Cos. to restore the Maine State Pier have been terminated and the city’s attorney admitted that a complaint against the State of Maine will be filed by early January 2009 - all announced at a press conference this morning in the city hall conducted by CDC Chairman Cheryl Leeman and Kevin Mahaney, President of The Olympia Cos.

The stumbling block for Olympia was the state’s continued insistence that the submerged lands around the Pier still belong to the state and not the city of Portland as the City has contended since the beginning of the process.  In a letter dated October 14, 2008, attorney general Steven Rowe reaffirmed this opinion. Along with that assertion would come only a 30 year lease from the state to Olympia Cos. – something that Olympia Cos. simply could not work with. Mahaney reasserted at today’s press conference that his company requires a 70 year lease to be assured of getting its investment back and that anything less than 70 years would be “too risky” for it. The company’s attorneys advised against proceeding with more negotiations with the CDC that would require an investment of millions of dollars on its part until the title matter is resolved.  

Gary Wood, the city’s attorney, also stated that he expects to file a complaint against the state by early January 2009 concerning who owns the title to the submerged land under question. It could take up to 12 to 18 months for the court to decide the case. The city council will not to have to vote on going forward with the lawsuit but will vote on the termination of talks between the two parties at its next meeting, Monday, November 17.

The council will have to decide whether to issue another Request For Proposal or whether or not to “bump up the other developer,” said Chairman Cheryl Leeman.

A press aide to attorney general Steven Rowe did not return a call to MHN regarding the city’s intent to file a lawsuit by January 2009.

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By Carol McCracken

You are invited to attend the semi-annual concert of the OLLI Singers this Friday, November 14^th at 1:00 p.m. in room 102 at the brand new Wishcamper Center on the campus of the University of Southern Maine, Portland campus – on Bedford Street.

Terry Foster and Faith Varney are co-directors of this group.

Some of the music will include “Dry Bones”, “Mamma Mia” from the movie “Mamma Mia”, with appropriate percussion and other accompaniment! Marian Rich is the accompanist and Nancy Holmes is the choral librarian.

The concert will last almost an hour, is free and light refreshments will be served.  OLLI  (a/k/a Osher Lifelong Learning Institue) is the fomer Senior College for those interested in an academically stimulating program and are over 50 years of age or older.

For more info, please call the OLLI office at 780-4406 for details on this concert and membership, programs, etc.

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By Carol McCracken

Over 61 American Flags will fly over downtown Portland on Congress Street tomorrow – Veteran’s Day. The salute to our veterans was begun several years ago by the Portland Downtown District.

Many of the flags are dedicated to specific men who served in WWII from their families. Other flags are not specifically dedicated to one individual. “To celebrate the best of who we are as Americans and can be,” from Coffee By Design is one example.

Hanaford on Forest Avenue was one of seven recognized for donating flags without a specific dedication.

For more, email info@portlandmaine.com

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Brian Chamberlain Photo By Carol McCracken

Brian Chamberlain remembers when he decided that he wanted to be a professional actor. He was in his 20’s and he’d worked as a production scheduler in the manufacturing field for too long. He wasn’t one bit happy doing that because there wasn’t anything creative about the job at all. His uncle asked him once – “If there were no money in the world, what would you do?”

“I’d be an actor,” he said with no hesitation. With a new goal, his life took a dramatic turn. He studied with the Second City, an improv organization. It’s where many of the “Saturday Night Life” actors study, Brian said. In high school, he’d acted in numerous plays so it wasn’t a suprising career move for those who knew him well.

Nimbleness of mind and body is the hallmark of the play in which Brian currently co-stars at the Hill’s Good Theater. He slips easily into numerous roles with a turn of the head or out of roles with a turn of his body. And that’s very good because the talented Brian plays numerous roles (20 I think?) with no costume changes – it relies on his voice, attitude and physical changes to become another memorable character in the funny and poignant “Stones In His Pockets.” The plot revolves around a high-end movie company filming in a small Irish village and the complications that arise from that endeavor. The other co-star is Chris Reiling. “Stones In His Pockets” runs through Sunday, November 23^rd. www.goodtheater.com Highly recommended by MHN.

Brian lives with his wife, Amy, and their German shephard, Apollo, in a cabin in the White Mounains of New Hampshire. He says their life is very simple right now but if his careers continues to grow as it has this past year or so, the couple may be obliged to move closer to where his works takes him – Portland, Boothbay Harbor, Portsmouth, NH etc. His work keeps the couple apart for long stretches at a time – a situation he’d like to remedy. Brian has played in a number of productions under the direction of Brian Allen including “Shakespeare in Hollywood” and “Prelude to a Kiss” at the Good Theater. Amy is in charge of events for the Mt. Washington Auto Road in NH.

Theater audiences should be grateful to Brian’s uncle for discovering this sooo talented and sooo  unpretentious actor who is a delight to watch in every sense of the word!

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