August 2009

By Carol McCracken

For the past two years, Maine College of Art, (”MECA”), has partnered with the Society of East End Artists, (SEA), to present a large Holiday Sale at the East End Community School on the Hill.  However, MECA has withdrawn from participation this year and will hold its  Holiday Sale at its 522 Congress Street Building.

For the last two years, MECA has been undergoing renovations at the former Porteous Building.  The renovation has been an effort to consolildate all of the College’s major studios under one roof.  Since that work has now been completed, MECA will be hosting its annual Holiday Sale at the former department store in downtown Portland on December 4th and 5th.  Vendors in this show are students and alumni of MECA.  For more information about the sale, please contract the event’s coordinator, Erin Hutton, at ehutton@meca.edu.

In the meantime, SEA is moving forward with its plans to hold its annual Holiday Art Sale at the EECS on Friday, December 4 (6:00 – 9:00 p.m.) and Saturday, December 5th (10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.)  SEA will post the SEA Holiday Art Sale Application form online on September 12th.  Interested artists should go to the website www.seaportland.org for updates, to give SEA contact information and to apply to participate in this popular sale.  As before, the EECS PTO will be selling food and beverages in the Community Room of the School.

“We look forward to an interesting and talented mix of artists,” said Solange Kellermann, coordinator of the SEA Holiday Art Sale.  She can be reached at solangekell@hotmail.com

By Carol McCracken

The Franklin Street Study Committee invites the public to participate in a Public Evaluation Forum at the Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall Wednesday, September 2nd between 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  It will be an opportunity for the public to evaluate three different design alternatives that the Committee has come up with, said Markos Miller, co-chair of the Study Group and its founder.

Last April, over 80 people attended a workshop at Ocean Gateway to come up with design ideas for this strip of land. With the public’s help and the work of a nationally recognized consultant, those three alternatives have been designed. 

This upcoming opportunity to review those alternatives will also give the public a chance to give the Committee their feedback on the three design alternatives. “We believe that an informed public has an essential role to play in setting priorities and informing the decision process.  Please join us September 2nd to learn more about the range of design solutions we have identified and to respond to the work that has been done.  Your input will help guide the study as it moves into the analysis phase, and ensure that final design best reflects the goals and values of our community,” said Miller in an email.

Light refreshments will be served!

By Carol McCracken

Childen and their families are invited to attend a free ice-cream party in front of the East End Community School, Saturday, August 29th between 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – as long as the ice cream supply lasts!

The free ice-cream party is to announce a second children’s book by popular children’s writer Jeff Kinney.  His newest book is called “Dog Days” and the release for this book is coming October 12th.  This book is part of one of the most popular chidlren’s book series around – “The Diary of a Wimpy Kind” is one in the popular series.

The stop at East End Community School is the last stop of a national tour of the Wimpy Kid Ice Cream Truck. The author will not be present.

Preparing 46 Cumberland Avenue for Construction. The Ground Floor Will Have Two Garage Spaces And An Architect's Office.

By Carol McCracken

By the end of next spring, Chris Roberts, his wife, and another couple expect to be moved into their new homes on the Hill.  In the meantime, the two couples have been working to get through the planning  process, getting permitted and, finally, getting to work preparing the property for construction – the property is at 44-46 Cumberland Avenue, near North Street, at the top of the Hill.

The two couples live on Peaks Island.  Roberts is a retired contractor from upstate New York.  He’s lived on the Island for 7 years.  His partner in this endeavor Richard Reed is an architect who has lived on the Island for much longer. Reed has an office on Pleasant Street.  The two men and their wives decided sometime ago to blend their talents into two ‘in-town’ residences while retaining their Peaks Islands homes.  So, they bought the two lots last October. They are zoned R-6.

The side-by-side lots which are less than one acre combined will reuse long-standing old buildings, Roberts recently said.  Number 44 Cumberland Avenue in which he and his wife will live may have been a carriage house, Roberts said.  It may be the newer of the two structures as well.  Two floors will be added on to 46 Cumberland Avenue – the living accommodations – above the two car garage and architect Reed’s office.  The exterior of the two buildings will be a mix of “traditional and modern” said Roberts.  “They will be constructed of wood, concrete and metals,” he said.