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 […]
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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 […]
Biddeford’s Housing Crisis, Part Three
Editor’s note: This is the third and final installment of our three-part series regarding Biddeford’s housing crisis. When discussing Biddeford’s housing crisis, the bulk of the conversation often settles upon issues of homelessness, low-income housing or so-called “affordable” housing projects. But there is another important piece to the puzzle. Over […]
City denies FOIA/FOAA requests
The city of Biddeford has denied the Biddeford Gazette’s request to release an internal email regarding the abrupt departure of former City Manager James Bennett on Feb. 20. The Gazette first learned that Bennett was leaving his post early by obtaining a February .20 email that was distributed to all […]
