By Tom McPheeters, Special to the Biddeford Gazette More than a year after a catastrophic storm decimated Biddeford’s beaches, coastal properties and roads, community organizations are calling for the city to move beyond cleanup and embrace a plan that would prepare coastal beaches and dunes for the next big storm. […]
Author: Randy Seaver
Proposed Biddeford budget seeks modest increase
Despite concerns about a proposed double-digit property tax increase this year, acting City Manager Brian Phinney presented the Biddeford City Council with some good news on Tuesday evening. Phinney presented a budget that shows a proposed 5.7 percent increase over last year’s budget. That overall increase includes the city’s share […]
Budget tensions include homeless funding
Last week, more than two dozen people appeared before the Biddeford City Council, each of them requesting varying amounts of public funding for their respective non-profit organizations. It is an annual process that is just one part of the city’s annual budget. None of the public presenters were questioned or […]
OPINION: What is community? How much does it cost?
Former Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant — now the vice president of the non-profit Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center — appeared before the Biddeford City Council Thursday to present his organization’s annual funding request. Before the meeting started, Casavant was seated next to me in the back row of the council […]
Biddeford budget: ‘Saltines & Cauliflower’
The Biddeford City Council was presented Tuesday with preliminary budget proposals from both the School Department and the acting city manager. There were a lot of grim faces in the room after both acting City Manager Brian Phinney and School Superintendent Jeremy Ray reviewed their budget projections with the council. […]
Biddeford’s ‘Big Dig’ will begin in April
The seven-month project is expected to have a “significant impact” on local traffic No matter how you slice it, there is no denying that a major road repair project will significantly impact traffic in Biddeford and Saco. City officials are asking motorists in the two cities to prepare for significant […]
Chamber director announces pending departure
After nearly seven years at the helm, Jim LaBelle announced Thursday that he will be stepping down as executive director of the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce + Industry. LaBelle, 60, said he plans to stay in place and help the Chamber with its transition to new leadership. “It’s not an […]
An evening of sophistication, a memory kept alive
Michael Goulet of Saco died on October 14, 2010. He was just 19 years old. While Michael’s cause of death was described as complications from a grand mal seizure, his struggle began roughly six years earlier when he suffered a traumatic brain injury while riding a snowmobile in northern Maine. […]
City responds to questions about financial problems
On Saturday, the Biddeford Gazette sent a list of questions to Biddeford’s acting city manager regarding concerns about financial problems the city is facing. Less than 48 hours later, we received a detailed and comprehensive reply from Brian Phinney, the acting city manager. Below, you will find our list of […]
Biddeford is facing ‘significant’ financial difficulties
During the March 4 Biddeford City Council meeting, acting city manager Brian Phinney provided the council with some concerning and significant updates regarding the finance department. According to Phinney’s regular report to the council, the city could be facing: According to Phinney, the city is also nearly three years behind […]
