#westbrookme — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #westbrookme, aggregated by home.social.
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Well, what is open for folks in #Maine needing #CoolingShelters during #ExtremeHeat? Let's find out... (And there has to be more than just these, right? Right?)
#CoolingCenters across Maine offer relief from extreme heat
Extreme heat watch ahead of the Fourth of July
By Adelaide Brown, June 29, 2026
PORTLAND, Maine — An extreme #HeatWatch is in effect this week for much of the state ahead of the Fourth of July.
"Need to get out of the heat? There are multiple community cooling centers in Maine that help provide temporary relief from the high temperatures.
"According to the Maine Emergency Management Agency, a cooling center is a facility that has been opened for short-term operations due to a specific emergency or event. They are normally opened when hot temperatures may become dangerous.
"City of #PortlandME officials said the public library on Congress Street will be open as a cooling center on Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Meanwhile, Troubh Ice Arena will be open as a cooling center on Friday because the library will be closed in observance of the Fourth of July holiday. Portland officials also said there will be splash pads at several city parks and reminded people they can also cool off at the Deering Oaks Ravine.
"The city of #AugustaME also announced that it will offer a daytime cooling center at the Augusta Civic Center on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. People are being asked to enter the Civic Center through the South Entrance and follow the signs to the Cumberland Room. Pets are welcome, provided they always remain in a secure crate or carrier, which will not be available on-site. People with questions about the cooling center or transportation needs can call the Augusta Police Department's non-emergency line at 207-626-2370 ext. 0.
Listed below are cooling centers featured on the Maine Emergency Management Agency's website.
- Bridgton will have a cooling center open at the Bridgton Community Center, 15 Depot St., Bridgton, Maine. Wednesday, July 1, and Thursday, July 2, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Have a pet? Call ahead. Pet protocol: Animals will be housed in the garage. No exceptions unless a service animal. Owners must provide carrier/crate, food, and bowl. For more information, please contact the community center. Contact: 207-647-3116
- Mason-Motz Activity Center, 190 Middle Road, Falmouth, ME. Cooling Center during Summer Season, Monday – Thursday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Family Ice Arena, 20 Hat Trick Drive, Falmouth, ME. Open for Cooling Center during Summer Season, Monday – Friday: 4 a.m. to midnight; Saturday & Sunday: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Contact: 207-781-4200
- Falmouth Memorial Library, 5 Lunt Road, Falmouth, ME. Open as a Cooling Center During Summer Season, Monday – Saturday: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Sundays. Contact: 207-781-2351- Freeport Community Services at 53 Depot St. will be open as a cooling center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from June 30 through July 2.
- The Lisbon Police Department's lobby is available as a cooling/charging center. Address: 300 Lisbon Street, Lisbon, Maine 04250. Services: Cooling/Charging. Hours: 24/7 as needed. Contact: 207-353-2500
- South Portland Community Center, Cooling Center open July 2, 2026, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Offers device charging, Wi-Fi, water, and is ADA accessible. Contact: 207-767-7650
- Walker Memorial Library, 800 Main St. in Westbrook. Open as a cooling center, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday & Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Offers device charging, computer access, water, and books. Contact: 207-854-0630
- The Westbrook Community Center, 425 Bridge St. in Westbrook, is open as a Cooling Center on Wednesday, July 1, and Thursday, July 2, 2026, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact: 207-854-0676Source:
https://www.wmtw.com/article/maine-cooling-centers-extreme-heat/71773045#MainePol #ClimateDiaryMaine #ExtremeHeat #Heatwave #Unhoused #Homeless #MaineLibraries #LibrariesRule!
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#BrunswickME considers pause on #datacenter proposals
There will be a public hearing on the proposed moratorium on June 1.
by Katie Langley, Posted May 19, 2026, Updated May 20
"Brunswick is among several Maine municipalities considering moratoriums on large-scale data centers after Gov. #JanetMills vetoed a bill that would have temporarily restricted such developments.
"At a Monday night meeting, Brunswick’s town councilors set a June 1 public hearing on the proposed moratorium. If passed, the moratorium would give the town 180 days to gather information on the impact of data centers and set regulations on their development.
"The drafted moratorium closely mirrors other temporary policies being considered in towns and cities including #WestbrookME, which uses the same law firm as Brunswick.
"Town councilors on Monday removed a section in the draft moratorium that defined data centers as having a gross floor area of at least 10,000 square feet or electrical capacities of at least 20 megawatts. Instead, data center projects with an electrical capacity of 1 megawatt or more would be prohibited during the moratorium period.
"Brunswick has an existing, smaller-scale data center on #BrunswickLanding, owned by internet company #FirstLight, that town leaders have said has not been an issue and does not store artificial intelligence data.
"Town Manager Julia Henze said Monday night that there are no proposals for data centers on the horizon for Brunswick, but a moratorium would give the council time to update town ordinances and be prepared for such projects.
"Other municipalities, including #SanfordME and #ScarboroughME, are considering data center moratoriums in response to already proposed projects."
Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/05/20/brunswick-considers-pause-on-data-center-proposals/Archived version:
https://archive.md/tt3nk#ResistBigData #MaineResists
#MainePol #DatacenterMoratoriums #DatacentersSuck #Datacenters #NoisePollution #WaterIsLife #EnergyConsumption #AISucks -
#WestbrookME considers moratorium on #AIDataCenters as debate grows across #Maine
Story by Drew Peters, 5/18/2026
"The Westbrook City Council is expected to decide Monday whether to temporarily halt new #Datacenter development as communities across Maine continue weighing the benefits and risks tied to the growing artificial intelligence industry.
"The proposal would create a 180-day moratorium on new data center projects in Westbrook. City leaders said the pause would give officials time to update ordinances and better understand how large-scale facilities could impact the city’s electric grid, water supply, and taxpayers.
"The discussion comes as Maine communities increasingly debate the future of AI-related infrastructure. Last month, Gov. #JanetMills vetoed a bill that would have imposed a statewide moratorium on data centers.
" 'This is a subject that has the potential to destroy our community,' Westbrook resident Marnie Ward said ahead of the meeting.
"Ward said she has followed reports of data center development in other parts of the country and worries promises made by developers may not always be fulfilled.
" 'Places where companies have promised to put in things like their own electrical generation and they don’t do it,' Ward said.
"She questioned whether the economic benefits outweigh the environmental and infrastructure costs.
" 'What’s the benefit, and does the benefit of having one of these data centers outweigh the costs it’s going to be?' Ward said.
"Mayor David Morse said the proposed moratorium is intended to help the city prepare before a project proposal arrives."
#ResistBigData #MaineResists
#MainePol #DatacenterMoratoriums #DatacentersSuck #Datacenters #NoisePollution #WaterIsLife #EnergyConsumption #AISucks -
#JanetMills vetoed a #DataCenter pause. Towns are looking to pass their own.
At least four municipalities have proposed their own moratoriums on new data center development while they refine local regulations.
by Daniel Kool, May 18, 2026
"Without a statewide moratorium on large data center development, a patchwork of local laws appears to be forming in #Maine.
"Weeks after Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill to temporarily restrict permitting for new data centers of 20 megawatts or more, at least four towns and cities are considering enacting their own moratoriums. The local pauses are designed to give officials time to review their zoning rules and develop new regulations for large data centers — should they ever come to town.
"Some, like those in Sanford and Scarborough, come as developers have already proposed building data centers in town. Others, like in Brunswick and Westbrook, are designed to get ahead of potential data center construction. All four communities plan to discuss their proposals at meetings this week.
"Though these local proposals have taken on new urgency in a lieu of a broader moratorium, they are not the first of their kind. The Bangor City Council unanimously passed a city-wide pause in April, days before Mills shot down the statewide effort. Anne Krieg, the town’s director of development, said they 'didn’t want to wait for the state,' as development pressure mounted."
Archived version:
https://archive.md/gSis4#ResistBigData #MaineResists #MainePol #DatacenterMoratoriums #BangorME #ScarboroughME #SanfordME #BrunswickME #WestbrookME #DatacentersSuck #NoisePollution #WaterIsLife #EnergyConsumption #AISucks
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Oh, and of course, I knew once #AmazonCorp announced plans to build a warehouse in #GorhamME, the #GorhamConnector would rear its ugly head again... And even though #JanetMills' brother #PeterMills is no longer in charge of #MDOT doesn't mean the new director won't be pushing this... Instead of a light rail system or rapid bus transit on the existing roads (and / or safer bike lanes. I knew friends who used to bike from Gorham to Portland, but it got too dangerous because of a lack of dedicated bike lanes and speeders).
#MDOT will launch new examination of traffic issues west of Portland
The state study will focus on Gorham, #ScarboroughME, #SouthPortlandME and #WestbrookME.
Robert Lowell, April 22, 2026
Excerpt: "The announcement of the new study comes just days before Amazon goes to the Gorham Planning Board on May 4, seeking approval for a warehouse and distribution center on Main Street (Route 25). Traffic will likely be one issue fueling concerns about the Amazon project.
"The study also comes in the aftermath of plans the Maine Turnpike Authority shelved last year for a four-lane toll road connector to Gorham. The connector was aimed at reducing commuter rush-hour traffic in the routes 22 and 114 commuter corridor [which the #Maine Legislature failed to make go away!]
"A connector would have linked the roundabout at South Street (Route 114) and the southerly end of Gorham’s Bernard Rines Bypass with the turnpike’s Exit 45 in South Portland. The connector proposal was met with a public outcry because it called for cutting a swath through #SmilingHillFarm in #WestbrookME."
Archived version:
https://archive.md/Rh3bH#MainePol #InducedSprawl #Maine #RuralLife #SaveTheFarms #SaveRedBrook #MainersForSmarterTransportation #Maine #MaineNews #GorhamBypass #GorhamSpur #Maine #RapidTransit #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #ProtectTheWetlands #BrookTrout #SaveTheForest #Wildlife #HuskyLine #RapidBusTransit
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Damn! If I had gone into the office today instead of yesterday, I would have encountered this scene (in #PortlandME)! WTF! And a USM student was grabbed at the Market Basket grocery store in nearby #WestbrookME!
via #ProjectReliefME
#ICEOut #ICEOutMaine #ICEOutForGood #MaineImmigrantRights #NewMainers #ICESucks #Authoritarianism #StormTroopers #Immigrants #ShelterInPlace #USPol