February 2010

By Carol McCracken (Post # 402)

The people lost their power last night – and they got it back late this afternoon. That is, they lost their electric power and all that went with it. That meant heat specifically and hot coffee and a hot breakfast that so many expect on winter mornings. For others it may have meant a restless night because of the howling winds whistling around buildings on the Hill – with high gusts of wind approaching hurricane speeds – and the torrential rains that came in from all directions everywhere!

The Big Apple on Washingon Avenue did not lose its electricity and did a high volume of coffee business. Store manager and Hill resident Patrick said this morning that coffee business was definitely higher than normal. However, coffee giant Hilltop Coffee was closed all day due to the power failure. The Rosemont Market & Bakery next door did not open until around 4 pm – after the electricity was back on and the cash register was working.

Along the waterfront, Portland Yacht Services lost its power until late in the day according to Phin Sprague, Jr. A 30 ft. sailboat belong to PYS employee Rob Benson fell over onto the ground early this morning. It was placed back into its cradle by a crane later in the day. Probably the most extensive damage occurrred at 50 Portland Pier when a rubber roof became detached on one side and caved in due to the weight of the water. A team of trash removers was loading trucks full of debris to be hauled away. “I’ll probably be here all night tonight doing this,” said one of the workers. The red brick office building is about 20 years old.

The nearby DiMillo’s Floating Restaurant & Marina had minor internal water damage. Some of the shrink wrap covering the yachts also had to be replaced because of damage to them. Back up on Newbury Street, Mark Moran was concerned about his apartment building that had developed a leak in the foundation. “I just want the power back. I can’t fix the problem until I have the power back,” he said. His building is next to the Abyssinain Meetinghouse.

Marshall Hebert, substations’ technician for Cenral Maine Power was directing the repair work on Fore Street about 2 pm this afternoon. “I’m surprised we didn’t have more damage considering the strong winds we had last night,” he said. He’s been with CMP almost 39 years. (See above photograph.)

However, it wasn’t until late this afternoon that MHN learned from Ed King, editor of the West End News that power had returned to residents of the Hill. King, who lives on the Hill was relaxing in front of the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization office, “MHNO,” on Congress Street. (Ed was pleased that his bi-weekly free newspaper is now into its tenth year of publication; congratulations Ed!)

Dominic White, a resident of the Hill, said that the power failure kept him from “not being on my computer for the day. It helped me get some chores done,” he said laughing.

“Birds Watching” at the East End Beach Today…

By Carol McCracken (Post # 401)

It bears repeating often that the city and the planning board are hosting two public forums on the waterfront next month. Their purpose is to garner public input on uses of the “WCZ” – the waterfront central zone. A coalition of eleven wharf owners out of the fifteen waterfront wharves are petitioning the city for a relaxation of the zoning regulations that are currently in force. Both forums will be held at Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall, Myrtle Street entrance, from 7 pm to 9 pm.

The first forum, Tuesday, March 2, is called, “The Changing Waterfront: Economic Conditions for the Central Waterfront – Ground Fishery, Lobster Fishery and Marine Tourism.” According to the city’s press release, the forum will explore the economic challenges and opportunities facing three key components of the marine industries that current policies are designed to protect. A panel of state-wide experts in various fields has been chosen to be panel members. Charlie Poole will be representing the coalition of wharf owners on the panel. The planning board is expected to participate in this forum. The forum will be moderated by Bill Hall, chair of the board.

The second forum on Wednesday, March 3rd, “Private Piers, Public Policy and the future of Portland’s Central Waterfront” will outline potential changes to Portland’s waterfront and seek public input on the future of the zone.” Focus groups will discuss a number of questions presented to them. Planning board members will not participate, but may be present at the forum.

Later, the planning board will evaluate the results and review current as well as potential changes to policy and zoning for the district. For more information, please visit www.portlandmaine.gov for periodic updates.

In the meantime, the planning board will be holding a meeting on Tuesday, February 23, at 3 pm at city hall, room 205 as a precusor to these upcoming public forums.

Please visit Post # 398, dated 2/28 for more details.

In order to refresh your memory or if you are a newcomer to the area, MHN.com recommends two current articles on different aspects of the waterfornt as backgound information. The first article is on the front page of the February 22 issue of “Mainebiz” newspaper: “Anchors Aweigh,” by Robet M. Cook. The second article is in the March issue of “Down East” magazine. It’s on page 17 of The Talk of Maine column – “Pier Pressure.”

The Portland Observatory on Munjoy Hill

The Spirits Alive Lecture Series continues this Saturday, February 27 at 10 am at the Maine Historical Society at 489 Congress Street, Portland. The topic is: Privatering on Casco Bay. Author James L. Nelson will talk about privateers – armed private ships licensed to attack enemy shipping – in New England. Nelson is the authoor of “George Washington’s Secret Navy” and other books.

On Saturday, March 27, Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr., Director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission will present a slide lecture on the history of Munjoy Hill. His topic is: The Historical Development of Munjoy Hill. Also at 10 AM at the Maine Historical Soceity , 489 Congress Street.

Both lectures are free. For more information, please visit www.spiritsalive.org. Spirits Alive is a three year old non-profit dedicated to the protection and preservation of Portland’s historic Eastern Cemetery through a range of activities including promotion and education. Memberships are available.

Alex Cornell Du Houx, Greg Brown, 1Sky State Organizer and Andrew Campbell at todays press conference.

Two Iraq War Veterans spoke against the Murkowski Resolution which “would gut the authority of Senator Edmund Muskie’s Clean Air Act” at a press conference at city hall this afternoon. Portland resident Andrew Campbell and Alex Cornell Du Houx both served in the Iraq War which galvanized their beliefs that this country should not be dependent on foreign energy.

Du Houx first thanked Senators Snowe and Collins for not signing on to this resolution which could come before the U.S. Senate for vote on February 25th. “We send a billion dollars for oil to states who do not have our interests in mind. Some of those countries, like Saudia Arabia, use the money to fund terrorist organizations. We are funding both sides of the war,” “Du Houx said. Du Houx currently serves in the State Legislature. He served with the US Marines in Faluja where he was an “assault man.” He’s also with the Truman National Security Project.

The other Iraq veteran speaking at todays news conference was Andrew Campbell. A former Hill resident, Campbell served in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 in Mosul. “The US should not be dependent on only one source of energy,” he said. During his service, he experienced a violent backlash on US soldiers when Iraqi soldiers at the front line were unable to get enough fuel to defend themselves. Campbell is now studying psychology at USM here in Portland. He plans to go on to graduate school for school counseling.

The Murkowski resolution was introduced by US Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.