A downtown expert who was scheduled to give a public presentation Thursday, May 4, has postponed the event due to medical issues.
Anne Ball, director of the Maine Downtown Center, was scheduled to talk about the historic, economic and environmental aspects of a healthy downtown in advance of a May 23 Town Council meeting where the council will hear from Port City Architecture of Portland, a company hired to study the various options for using Town Hall or building a new one.
The talk was being sponsored by SmartGrowth South Berwick, a program of the local nonprofit, SoBo Central. It will be rescheduled, likely in June, as circumstances allow.
Ball was invited to speak by SmartGrowth, in large part to help the community make imminent decisions about the Town Hall, which is antiquated and in need of repairs. Since the Police Department moved to its own location on Route 236, the building has also been underutilized.
SmartGrowth planned the event as a way for town residents to explore how various development options would affect the downtown over the long term.
A building committee appointed by town officials has met three times this spring to discuss the future of Town Hall. They have already heard the presentation from Port City and met three times with Port City.
