By Amanda Estes

Staff Writer

Lee Humiston, a South Portland native, Cape Elizabeth resident and
renowned curator of prisoner of war artifacts, may have found a home
for his dream on the grounds of Mill Creek Park.

“It has been my dream for longer than I can tell you to build something
for the state of Maine,” Humiston said, addressing the South Portland
City Council during Monday’s workshop.

Humiston believes a former electrical building located in the southeast
corner of the park, which the historical society is currently using for
storage space, would be a prime location for a Maine Military Museum
and Learning Center.

Last year, the historical society considered moving its collection from
the city hall basement to the electrical building, however, in May the
society negotiated an option to purchase an historic building adjacent
to Bug Light Park know as the Cushing’s Point House.

Portions of Humiston’s collection are on display at the Nixon Library,
the United States Air Force Academy, two Smithsonian Museums and the
Naval Air Engineering Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Humiston’s said
he has artifacts dating back to World War II and has an extensive
collection from the Vietnam War including some of the only video
footage to come out of Hanoi. He referenced items in his collection
including the lyrics to  “God Bless America” scribbled on toilet
paper, cigarette wrappers and blood stained uniforms.

“I would love this to grow from that small building to a real learning center,” Humiston said.

Humiston said he already has a group of 14 people who are willing to
volunteer as docents. In the beginning, he envisions the museum only
opening on weekends.

In a position paper to the council, Acting City Manager Jim Gailey said
the city currently budgets roughly $3,300 a year to keep the building
functioning. He proposed the city and Humiston share the costs to keep
the building in operation.

The council showed support for Humiston’s proposal and a will move
forward in discussions about specifics such as parking, signage,
plumbing and ADA compliance.

Consolidating public transportation

In other business, South Portland Transportation and Waterfront
Director Tom Meyers advocated for the council’s support to explore
methods for integrating services and policies within greater Portland’s
seven public transit agencies with an objective of working toward one
regional system.

The seven agencies are Shuttlebus, covering Biddeford, Saco, Old
Orchard Beach and the Turnpike ZOOM service; the Casco Bay Island
Transit District, the Greater Portland Transit District (METRO),
Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, which offers the
Downeaster; the Regional Transportation Program (RTP), the South
Portland Bus Service and the York County Community Action Corporation.
 

The Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation Committee (PACTS), the
metropolitan planning organization for Portland, commissioned a
regional coordination study to determine the feasibility of
regionalization.

Meyers said the study’s recommendations are comparable to other efforts
to regionalize public services such as public safety dispatch, ecomaine
and school consolidation.

The goal is to preserve local control of operations and funding, while
expanding and improving services, reducing costs and increasing
revenues, Meyers said.

In order to support the study recommendations, representatives from all
seven transit agencies’ governing bodies must approve a joint
resolution. In South Portland a public hearing is scheduled for the
Oct. 1 council meeting.

According to a memo presented by Myers at a Sept. 18 Knightville-Mill
Creek Neighborhood Association meeting, a May 2007 bus route study with
Shuttlebus-ZOOM demonstrated several system-wide needs including
simpler, more direct service; the elimination of redundant service and
the creation of hubs. An Ocean Street transit hub has been identified
as a possible way to reconfigure and simplify all bus routes. The Maine
Mall and Red Bank areas may also be suitable hub locations, Meyers said.

Zoning Ordinance changes

Monday’s workshop was also an opportunity for the council to air any
lingering concerns or questions about proposed amendments to the city’s
zoning regulations before the second vote, scheduled for the Oct. 1
meeting.

Mark Eyerman, a consultant with the South Portland firm Planning
Decisions, who worked with the Zoning Improvement Committee, said the
council is in the position to make a policy decision on how “liberal or
restrictive” it wants to be in terms of allowing development on lots
with less than 5,000 feet that do not conform to current zoning
regulations. While he said there have been some examples of “reasonable
development” on some of the nonconforming lots with less than 5,000
feet, the current board of appeals process has also resulted in
development that’s “less good than it could have been.”

In order to provide some control over development in individual and
abutting nonconforming lots with less than 5,000 square feet, the
proposed amendments call for the creation of a planning board site plan
review process. The planning board will have the authority to require
new homes be compatible with established patterns of development, if
they exist, via such criteria as front setbacks, building widths, roof
styles, building height and visual exterior appearance. At the
suggestion of Councilor Linda Boudreau, the zoning committee also
recommended “visually similar materials” be included in the set of
criteria.

Planning Director Tex Haeuser said the Knightville Design District has
given the planning board five years of experience working with such
criteria.

Haeuser provided the council with a packet with more than 12 examples
of small nonconforming lots located throughout the city to demonstrate
the type of development that could potentially be allowed with the
zoning amendments.

“I do look back and question whether we had a great process,” said
Gerard Jalbert, board of appeals chairman, referencing a three story
single family home on a 1,307 square foot lot on Fisherman’s Lane. He
said the applicant made an effective case and no abutters came out to
oppose his plans.

Mayor Claude Morgan said the Fisherman’s Lane property stands out
because it abuts a much smaller house, but said since its construction,
other properties along the beach have incorporated similar
architectural elements.

Councilor Linda Boudreau suggested several revisions to the proposed
amendments following a Sept. 17 meeting with Haeuser. On Monday, she
said she had “continued concern over the basic philosophy of allowing
development on sub-5,000 square foot lots, especially those that are
‘de-merged’ from an abutting, parent lot [but] in general agrees that
compared with variance hearings, the planning board approach is
better.”

Haeuser encouraged creating development opportunities for lots that
meet setback requirements. He said the next set of proposed amendments
address environmental regulations such as shoreland zoning, wetlands
and storm water and are going to be more restrictive on development in
the city. He said the amendments will have some impact on private
property rights.

While not finding support among the rest of the council, Boudreau also
she is adamant the current two-year period to rebuild nonconforming
structures following a fire or accident not be expanded to four years.
Boudreau said the extra time rewards unresponsive individuals and
insurance companies and punishes the neighborhood.

The zoning board of appeals can currently grant exceptions in the form
of an additional two years for property owners who demonstrate “good
cause, such as evidence of delayed insurance processing.”

Councilors Jim Soule and Kay Loring said they would be comfortable with
the two-year window with the zoning board of appeals component in
place. Boudreau said she will likely propose an amendment on Monday to
keep the current two-year window.

Fewer bumps for Broadway?

During a brief special meeting Monday night, the South Portland City
Council unanimously approved a $58,000 bid for the “short-term
remediation of Broadway.”

A stretch of road from Buttonwood Street to Evans Street, was scheduled
to be paved in 2005, but was postponed due to the 2006 Pleasantdale
Sewer Separation Project. The Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT)
earmarked money in its 2004-2005 capital work plan to pave over the
section, but has since allocated the money to other projects.

Because the road is still settling, MDOT said it will not participate
in a short-term solution, but will give the city priority standing in
it’s 2010-2011 work plan, Acting City Manager Jim Gailey said. A
temporary fix is needed to alleviate complaints from Broadway residents
about property damage including cracked ceilings, walls and foundations
and avoid potential liability for motor vehicle accidents.

The $58,000 will come from the Fairchild Semiconductor Tax Increment
Finance fund with the work to be completed by Dayton Sand and Gravel,
who are expected to be on site within the week. D & C Construction,
the primary contractor for the original $2.2 million sewer project has
offered $2,000 toward the grinding and overlay costs.

Because she said the council will likely receive calls from residents
who will complain about the pavement not holding up, Boudreau stressed
the work is not intended to be the “be all, end all of pavement
projects.”