A new development district signals the city’s plans to put retail around Exit 80 and protects the area from methadone clinics.

Councilors adopted the new South Lewiston Retail Growth district to signal how sure they are the area around Exit 80 will be dedicated to new retail. It’s similar to development districts the council approved for the Western and Southern Gateways, City Administrator Jim Bennett said, but without much of the power.

“It doesn’t make it easier for this council to (do) eminent domain, to take a property,” Bennett said Tuesday. “What it does is signal to property owners and the rest of the city that this is the area we are targeting for retail.”

– Scott Taylor
Lewiston: Police sell old command vehicle

Auburn police will take over Lewiston’s old incident-command vehicle, Lewiston councilors agreed Tuesday.

Lewiston police took delivery of a new $107,000 command vehicle last month. It has map tables and desks for planning, flat screen computer monitors and lockers for equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus, body bunkers, weapons and evidence collection kits. The vehicle was purchased with a federal Homeland Security grant.

The city’s old command vehicle is a converted 1988 Ford ambulance. That will be sold to Auburn for $2,000.

– Scott Taylor
Poland: New courses include finance

The high school committee has approved the addition of six new courses proposed by the Vision Keepers faculty group.

The availability of the new courses – wellness, strategic reading and writing, personal finances, advanced placement Latin and Spanish, and advanced graphic design – will be determined by budgeting and student interest, although Superintendent Nina Schlikin assured committee members that the advanced placement courses would be fully funded by an existing AP grant.

The committee also voted to authorize school administrators to negotiate a continuation of the cooperative hockey program with New Gloucester. “They seem to be doing pretty well,” committee Vice Chairman Jack Conway said.

– Chris Mendros