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in brief: charity fatigue, Club One-O-One, Portsmouth wins arts award and more |
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Written by Larry Clow
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Wednesday, 02 November 2005 |
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Page 3 of 3
Kittery seafood restaurants settle dispute
The legal battle between Bob’s Clam Hut owner Michael Landgarten and
the founder of Weathervane Seafoods is over. A Maine Superior Court
judge last week signed off on an agreement the dueling restaurants
created over the last two months.
The agreement allows Landgarten to proceed with construction of
Robert’s Maine Grill, a new restaurant planned for the site of the
former Quarterdeck Restaurant. Landgarten purchased the property in
September 2004 and was ready to begin construction when Ray Gagner Sr.,
founder of Weathervane Seafoods, whose residential property abuts the
Quarterdeck site along Route 1 in Kittery, sued Landgarten and the Town
of Kittery, claiming that town codes were not followed in permitting
the project. The Kittery Zoning Board and the Maine Superior Court
upheld the town’s decisions. Gagner appealed to the Maine Supreme
Court, but the new agreement has canceled that appeal.
During the dispute, a group of local businesses calling themselves the
Free Robert’s/Save Bob’s Coalition, picketed the Weathervane’s Kittery
location and asked Gagner and his son, Weathervane owner Terry Gagner,
to drop the lawsuit. Bob’s Clam Hut is located about a quarter-mile
from The Weathervane on Route 1. Weathervane Seafoods has 18 locations
throughout New England.
Landgarten expects construction on Robert’s Maine Grill to resume in
December, with the restaurant opening in May 2006. This is the second
truce to be called between a local business and a regional chain in the
last month. The owners of Honey Bee Donuts in Seabrook and New England
donut chain Honey Dew Donuts reached an agreement earlier this month
over Honey Dew’s plans to open a shop a half-mile away from Honey Bee.
Portsmouth wins “community spirit” arts award, looks for new Art-Speak director
Portsmouth’s reputation as an arts-friendly community was cemented last
week when the city received the “community spirit” award as part of the
bi-annual Governor’s Arts Awards ceremony. The GAA recognize
accomplishment in a variety of arts-related endeavors, including
“outstanding accomplishments in arts education, arts patronage, arts
support by a town or city, cultural access leadership, distinguished
arts leadership, folk heritage, and an individual artist’s lifetime of
work.”
Elizabeth Shepard-Rabadam, coordinator of Art-Speak, Portsmouth’s
cultural commission, says the award is the result of “years of hard
work in establishing the foundation for arts and culture in the
community.”
Though the award winners were named at a special event last week, the
actual awards, designed by New Hampshire artists, will be presented at
the State Arts Council’s 40th Anniversary Gala on April 13, 2006.
In other Portsmouth arts news, three local artists have been named to
the New Hampshire Artist Roster: photographer Nancy Grace Horton,
musician and DJ Jeff Erwin, and the classical voice ensemble Sirens’
Song. Compiled by the State Arts Council, the roster provides an
up-to-date listing of the state’s artists. Schools, communities and
organizations often consult the roster when working with artists.
Acceptance is competitive and artists are juried for membership.
Meanwhile, Art-Speak is seeking a new part-time coordinator.
Shepard-Rabadam is leaving the organization to take over as assistant
dean of planning and assessment at the University of Southern Maine in
Gorham.
“I have enjoyed my one year consultancy with the city and it has been
an honor to be here,” she says. “There is a very active volunteer civic
board in place that will ensure the good work continues.”
Shepard-Rabadam worked with the Art-Speak board for a year and helped
bring about projects like the Overnight Art! public art competition and
the city’s Arts and Culture Directory. The position will be advertised
by the city of Portsmouth, and a job description will be posted on
www.art-speak.org and www.cityofportsmouth.com.
unpaid bill delays vote on USA Springs
The Nottingham Planning Board delayed a vote on water bottling company
USA Springs’ request for a 176,000-square-foot bottling plant along
Route 4 last week after it was discovered the company owes a town
consultant $25,000. The Planning Board has given the company until Nov.
2 to pay the bill and will hold off on any decision for the project
until its Nov. 16 meeting. USA Springs needs the Planning Board’s
approval before it can proceed with construction of the plant. The
company already has a permit from the state Department of Environmental
Services to withdraw up to 309,000 gallons of water per day. That
permit is being challenged in the state Supreme Court. Also last week,
the DES gave the company conditional approval to withdraw water from
three wells located on the proposed plant site.
UNH to hold Seacoast land use forum
Everyone knows the Seacoast has changed drastically in the last four
decades, but the geographic reality of that change may still surprise
you. The results of a year-long project designed to uncover how the
Seacoast has grown in the last 40 years and what effect that change has
had on residents will be presented at a forum titled “The Changing Face
of the Seacoast” at the University of New Hampshire on Wednesday, Nov.
9 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Presented by the Carsey Institute at UNH and the New Hampshire
Geographically Referenced Analysis and Information Transfer System
(GRANIT), the presentation will use population trends, geographic data
and personal accounts from locals to measure how the Seacoast has grown
and what steps can be taken to manage future growth.
The forum will be held in the 1925 room of the Elliot Alumni Center at
UNH in Durham. The forum is free and open to the public. For more
information or to RSVP, call 603-862-4240.
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