Scarborough Conservation Commission Approves Field Pesticide Waiver

The Scarborough Conservation Commission voted to approve a 10-month waiver allowing the town to treat a grub infestation at a youth playing field with pesticides, after staff said the damage was severe and past waivers were granted in 2014 and 2018. The commission also discussed the low impact development ordinance, the community stewardship guide, and plans to table at the polls on November 3.

Key points

• The commission unanimously approved a 10-month pest management waiver for two applications (an emergency treatment this fall and a spring pre-emergent) at a heavily used youth playing field, with members urging the fall application be delayed until after a hard frost to protect pollinators.
• Community Services staff reported grub counts of 14 to as high as 39 per square foot, above the typical threshold, and said soil and grub samples were sent to the University of Maine for testing.
• Members raised questions about pollinator and wildlife impacts, runoff near the Spurwink headwaters, and treatment timing, and asked that the town emphasize education and integrated pest management as a last resort.
• Staff said the low impact development ordinance public meeting is now set for October 13 at 6 p.m. at the public safety building, with the ordinance committee likely in January and town council in early spring, ahead of an August 2027 adoption deadline.
• The commission discussed the community stewardship guide, agreeing to move it to Google Docs, gather member comments, and schedule a separate working meeting; members also discussed tabling at the polls on November 3 with a bingo-style activity.
• Staff gave updates on the climate action plan (town council workshop October 21), a proposed data center zoning amendment, new Metro transit service in Scarborough, and the Portland West connector study.

Next steps

• Chair Hepli Miller will send a scheduling poll for a separate stewardship guide working meeting, and Cressy Mauer will share the new Google Doc link.
• Mauer will pull together two-hour volunteer shifts and materials for the November 3 polling place table and check with the sustainability committee about sharing a table.
• Staff will continue coordinating the October 13 low impact development public meeting and gather commission input for the ordinance committee and town council stages.
• Members were asked to review the climate action plan and provide comments, and to renew their volunteer applications with the clerk's office.

Read the full transcript