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Town of Cape Elizabeth E-Newsletter

E-Newsletter

NOVEMBER 18, 2024

The Thanksgiving holiday next week marks the beginning of the holiday season; it is a time for gratitude, welcoming of new board and committee members, and renewed goals.

To the 6,939 (or 83%) Cape Elizabeth voters who cast ballots for the November 5, 2025 Election, thank you for fulfilling your democratic duty.  To the poll workers volunteering during the weeks of absentee in-person voting and on Election Day, we thank you for your service and commitment to this important process!  To the residents who stepped up to run for elected office and/or open board and committee seats, we thank you.  Engagement is the first step in building a vibrant and diverse community.

In December, the Town Council will appoint new leadership, develop new goals for 2025, and prepare for the FY 2026 Budget Season.  Make sure to stay informed and participate in the issues that matter to you most by signing up for meeting notifications, daily news, and bi-monthly E-Newsletters.  

TOWN MANAGER'S MONTHLY REPORT

Projects, Plans and Studies: 

• Business Outreach Initiative- GPCOG will be reaching out to businesses individually to inform them of the upcoming Listening Session (December), Business Surveys (January), and a Solutions Summit (Feb/March). 

Councilor Requests and Follow ups: 

• There were Councilor inquiries into the status of cell phone coverage issues in the Shore Road area recently. In August the Fort Williams Park Committee did receive a presentation from Tilson proposing two potential cell tower designs for consideration and installation in Fort Williams Park. The committee did not vote on, or make any recommendations regarding the proposal at that time. Town staff will further explore the “small cell” technology options available at this time and bring this item back to Council shortly to offer options for improving cell coverage in this area. 

Bids, Events and Special Announcements: 

• The Town recently opened bids for the Fort Williams Pond Reclamation Project. Three bids were received for this work. The low bid was approximately $190,000, which is greater than the original project budget. Community Services will be working within the Fort Williams Fund capital work plan to utilize a portion of funds previously planned for bleacher repairs and signage to cover the Pond Reclamation project funding gap. 
• Currently advertised bids include: 
  • Public Works mower with a bid opening of November 14th. 
  • Fort Williams Playground design services with a bid opening of November 19th. (For more information on current bids please visit the Town website under Government/Regulations and Documents/Requests for Proposals.) 
• Our Public Safety Departments have wrapped up a busy month beyond their daily duties with staff and public educational events promoting fire prevention, school safety, and disaster preparedness. The Fire Department also held their annual appreciation night recognizing Department staff, including the WETeam members who responded to the distressed fishing vessel that had run aground this past January, transporting the crew to safety. 

Manager Remarks: 

Thank you to all who gave your time, or are about to contribute your time to the Community through service as an elected or appointed position. Despite how it can feel at times, serving on Council, Boards, and Committees IS appreciated by the Community. 

Special recognition and thank you to over 30 election staff that dedicated more than 1,600 hours over a three-month period to facilitate a smooth election process that included approximately 5,000 absentee ballots and a 75% voter turnout.

ELECTION RESULTS

TOWN COUNCIL

• David W. Andrews - 2,128
• David W. Hughes - 2,149
• Timothy S. Reiniger - 1,961
• Jonathan T. Sahrbeck* - 3,731
• Elizabeth K. Scifres* - 3,742
• Andrew B. Swayze* - 3,181
• BLANKS - 3,883
• WRITE-IN - 54

SCHOOL BOARD

• Christopher H. Boniakowski* - 3,485
• Peter Joy S. Engel* - 3,849
• Lee B. Schroeder* - 4,029
• BLANKS - 9,293
• WRITE-IN - 173

* Elected Officials to the Town Council and School Board will be sworn in for a three-year term at the next Town Council Meeting on Monday, December 9, 2024, at 7 PM

PORTLAND WATER DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES (1 seat - 5-year term)

• WRITE-IN:
  • John Voltz - 35
  • Donald Song - 21
  • Christopher Contras - 12

SCHOOL BOND REFERENDUM

QUESTION 1: $94.7 M SCHOOL PROJECT

YES - 3,282

NO - 3,448

BLANK - 213

QUESTION 2:  SOLAR PANEL PROJECT

YES - 4,747

NO - 1,951

BLANK - 244

Council Affirms New IT Coordinator Appointment

The council voted unanimously to affirm Town Manager Patrick Fox's appointment of Jason Lund as the IT Coordinator for the Town of Cape Elizabeth, effective November 25, 2025.  This is a new a position developed by the council during the Fiscal Year 2025 budget process.  The hiring committee reviewed internal and external applicants for this position and confidently selected Lund as the best candidate to move the Town forward to foster innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Lund, who has been serving the Cape Elizabeth School Department and the Town's IT needs since 1999, will lead and coordinate all information technology operations across the town and schools.

NFWF $122,360 GRANT APPROVED

FOR SPURWINK ROAD CULVERT

At the November 13, 2024 Town Council meeting, the council voted unanimously to accept a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in the amount of $122,360 with a matching grant from the Town in the amount of $11,000.  The Town's portion of $11,000 will be funded by the Unassigned Fund Balance.  Town Manager Patrick Fox explained, "Even though we applied for the grant, we don't budget for every grant we apply for."  

The grant will be used to design a replacement for the Spurwink Avenue culvert located on the Spurwink River.  Councilor Gabrielson said that this project was identified several years ago during a review of all town culverts and that this particular culvert was identified as a high-priority project.  The replacement will maintain a viable north-south traffic flow in town and benefit wildlife movement on the Spurwink River.  "I want to really hold this up and thank the Town Planner [Maureen O'Meara] as well as the other folks who have worked with her to go after this National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant.  It is a nationally competitive funding source and I think it really reflects the importance of this project and the good design work that's gone into it that we were awarded these funds," Gabrielson said.

OVER $66 K CEEF GRANTS AWARDED TO EDUCATORS

The School Board accepted over $66,000 in grants awarded to five educators by the Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation (CEEF) at the November 12, 2024 board meeting.  Per School Board Policy KCD-R, gifts over $10,000 must receive board approval.

CEEF awarded funding to the following initiatives put forth by Cape Elizabeth educators:

1. Play-based Kindergarten Furniture for the six K classrooms - $10,196
2. Cultivating Content Creation at CEMS - $13,945
3. Modern Day Home Economics Class - $10,924
4. CEHS Video Production Studio - $16,694
5. Cape Changemakers - $15,000

CEEF has funded Cape faculty, staff, and students since 2002 to enhance and support the education of Cape students with projects that would otherwise fall outside of the school budget.  Click here to learn more about CEEF.

BOARDS & COMMITTEES

1000 POUNDS OF PLASTIC FILM RECYCLED CELEBRATION:  TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19 / 5 PM

Join members of the Cape Elizabeth Recycling Committee and Volunteers who have helped the town reach a goal of 1000 pounds of recycled plastic film on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at the Thomas Memorial Library!  Light refreshements will be served and discussion on future projects.  CLICK HERE TO RSVP.

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UPDATES FROM PUBLIC WORKS

TREE ALERTS FOR FALL/WINTER 20024

Trees along our roadways, public lands and town forests are important environmental assets for Cape Elizabeth.  Our goal is to keep our trees and forest healthy by sharing information.

BATTERY RECYCLING

Public Works, has partnered with Battery Recycling Services to launch a new single-use battery recycling program at the Town Recycling Center. 

The new collection bin is located next to the main building at the Recycling Center, where the rechargeable battery recycling dropoff is also located.

RECREATIONAL NEWS

TURKEY TROT 5K ROAD RACE, CAPE ELIZABETH

The Maine Track Club's Turkey Trot 5K Road Race will take place on Sunday, November 24, 2024.  Motorists are encouraged to avoid the area due to the road closures listed below: 9 AM - 9:10 AM: Route 77 between the Cape Elizabeth High School and Shore Road 9:05 AM - 9:25 AM: Scott Dyer Road, westbound from Hill Way to Spurwink avenue 9:05 AM - 9:45 AM: Scott Dyer Road eastbound Delays: 9:20 AM - 9:45 AM - Spurwink Avenue between Wells Road and Dennison Drive.

5TH ANNUAL TOWN TREE LIGHTING  

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6

The 5th Annual Town Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place at the Town Green on Friday, December 6, 2024.  All are welcome!

ENGAGE CAPE ELIZABETH!

Our new Engage hub provides comprehensive information on current issues and projects within Cape Elizabeth. With this new hub, the community can stay informed and engaged with topics concerning our town.  Click here to ENGAGE!

Current projects include:

• Town Center Intersection
• Sawyer Road Redevelopment
• Fort Williams Master Plan

Coming soon!  Fort Williams Master Plan Updates

COMMUNITY LINKS

Cape Elizabeth Community Services  •   Cape Elizabeth School Department  •   CETV On Demand  •.  Thomas Memorial Library  •.  Meetings Calendar