Due to the rain predicted for Saturday, Oct. 7, the “bring you own” picnic planned by the Southport Island Association and the Southport Yacht Club, beginning at 1 p.m. at the Southport Yacht Club, has been postponed to Sunday, Oct. 8, same time - same place - same plans. In addition to your own picnic, you can enjoy cider, apples, and a choice of ‘dessert bites.’

 

Also on Oct. 8, 1-3 p.m., you can attend one more museum event at the Hendricks Hill Museum, an Open House hosted by the museum trustees. Enjoy cider and donuts along with the museum displays, and bring any question you may have. All are welcome.

 

News of the docent and volunteer luncheon that took place Monday, Oct. 2 comes from Nan Jackson. The luncheon was provided by the Officers and Board of the Friends of The Southport Historical Society for present and past docents and volunteers. Twenty people attended. Pumpkins, gourds and place ware with fall motifs and colors on the tables greeted everyone as they entered to chat before choosing from a variety of sandwiches from the General Store along with additional choices of items to compliment the sandwiches. To satisfy the sweet tooth, you could choose from a variety of desert items to finish off the lunch. Mari Tiwari, President of the Friends, thanked all those who had contributed their time and knowledge to guide and explain the exhibits to the numerous visitors who came during July, August and Saturdays in September. It was a busy summer with great attendance for the museum and for the special programs that were provided throughout the summer.

 

Our next chance to discuss climate impacts will be a public workshop on Oct. 12, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Southport Town Hall. If you missed the first two meetings, you can hear a summary of what was discussed, see a list of action items being proposed, and then join breakout sessions for more conversation. If you have questions or want to attend the meeting via Zoom, contact Claire Tomlin at Clarie@themarketcompany.org.Another opportunity for community discussion will occur during three public meetings called to discuss short term rentals on Southport. On Oct. 16, 23, and 30, a series of public meetings will be held at the Southport Town Hall beginning at 6 p.m. A citizens committee was formed this fall to bring the community together to discuss the issue of short term rentals on the island (both owner present and owner absent). Now they want to hear the residents’ thoughts on the subject. The committee will act as scribes and report the residents’ thoughts back to the town selectmen. The selectmen will then work with the planning board to see if the island’s land use ordinances need to be updated pertaining to this topic. For those who cannot attend in person, an online survey has been created to gather your thoughts on the issue - https://form.jotform.com/232644334029049. Not sure whether this data impacts the discussion on short term rentals, but at the Selectmen’s meeting last Wednesday evening I learned that the State of Maine has proposed a value of Southport property for 2024 being $811,850,000, up $60,000 from last year. “The State Valuation process, which takes about 18 months to complete, begins with the compilation of a sales ratio study which measures the assessed value of residential and certain commercial properties relative to their actual selling price.”