Gossip from July and August 2006
By Chris Busby
August 29, 2006
Children’s Theatre in troubled waters
The Children’s Theatre of Maine is in danger of ending its run as the country’s oldest continuously operating children’s dramatic organization. The Portland-based non-profit is searching for a new home and reorganizing its structure and finances in hopes of completing its 82nd season.
Board members say plans call for CTM to put on two as-yet-undetermined productions this fall, in October and December, but the remainder of the season is in question. CTM will not continue to lease its Marginal Way theater and office space when that lease expires at the end of this year. The group typically presents over half a dozen plays and festivals each year, in addition to offering classes and workshops.
Earlier this year, CTM lost a bid to relocate to the armory building at the end of the Casco Bay Bridge in South Portland. According to press reports, a group of anonymous donors offered over $600,000 to purchase the historic armory and transform it into CTM’s new home. The donors were outbid by the city of South Portland, which may turn the armory into an expanded police station.
Several other promising options have also failed to materialize, and the lack of a viable new space has “set us back financially,” said board secretary Michael Bourke. These financial problems have prompted the board to reorganize and reassess CTM’s future operations.
“Our current model isn’t financially viable,” said Bourke. “Any arts organization is difficult to run, difficult to finance,” he added, noting the Center for Cultural Exchange’s recent struggles.
Board president Gina Nappi declined to discuss the extent of the organization’s financial woes. “I don’t think anybody needs to know that,” she said. “We’re struggling a bit, but we’ll be fine.”
Board treasurer David Shorette did not return a call seeking comment. A message left last week on CTM’s answering machine was not returned.
Bourke was also optimistic CTM will continue in some form for decades to come. He said the board is trying to make changes to ensure CTM continues for “another 82 years.”
August 16, 2006
Bramhall Pub/Roma Cafe for sale
The historic Congress Street home of the Roma Cafe and the Bramhall Pub is up for sale. Owner Peter Landrigan is selling the 19th-century mansion after nearly a quarter century of ownership. The Roma Cafe has occupied the building since 1935, according to the high-end restaurant’s Web site (www.theromacafe.com).
Landrigan declined to give details about the sale, but sources say the building is on the market for about $1.25 million. At least one restaurateur has expressed interest in the property, but a newspaper ad placed by the property’s broker notes the mansion could be converted into an office or condominiums.
Were such a conversion to happen, Portland would lose not only a great restaurant, but one of the West End’s favorite neighborhood bars. The Bramhall Pub, located beneath the Roma, hosts live music a couple nights a week (bluegrass heroes Jerks of Grass have been playing a Thursday night gig there for many years) and is a popular spot for darts, billiards, and general drinking and conversation. [Read our review here.]
The Icehouse facing the heat
Meanwhile, another West End neighborhood bar is facing extinction. Portland police are recommending the city council revoke the liquor license held by The Icehouse, formerly Popeye’s Icehouse, on York Street. The bar is expected to be before the council on Aug. 21. [Read our review of The Icehouse here.]
City documents indicate this matter is coming up for council review at the request of City Councilor Karen Geraghty, whose council district includes the West End and Parkside. Geraghty did not return calls seeking comment.
The bar’s attorney, Gary Prolman, vowed The Icehouse will sue the city if its liquor license is yanked. The number of police calls for service at The Icehouse “pales in comparison to many other bars the police have approved” for license renewal, said Prolman. A review of police records provided to councilors indicates officers have responded to the bar over a dozen times since last summer for calls regarding fights, heavily intoxicated people and general disturbances. The records do not indicate whether arrests were made in most of these instances.
Prolman said the bar’s owners have taken proactive steps to cooperate with the police, and are now facing punishment for heeding the department’s advice. “The police say to call them when there’s a problem,” he said. “They’ve called when there was a problem, and that’s now being used against them.”
The Icehouse has faced council scrutiny several times over the past decade, mainly due to complaints from neighbors who say the bar’s patrons cause problems in the area. The council recently restricted use of the bar’s outdoor deck in response to those complaints.
Prolman said he sees another motive in this latest attempt to shutter The Icehouse. The city “is singling out Popeye’s, I believe, for financial reasons,” said Prolman. “If they put condos there, they get a bigger tax base, and other people have financial interests that are complaining about The Icehouse.”
It’s Binga’s town – we just eat in it
Less than a year since they established themselves in Bramhall Square on Congress Street, the owners of the bar and restaurant Binga’s Wingas are adding a second location on Portland Street, in the space last occupied by the Portland Street Diner.
One of Binga’s owners, Al Altman, said the new outpost, to be called Binga’s Wingas Burgers and Dogs, should be open in early September, in time for football season. The Portland Street Binga’s will offer some of the same pub-style grub as the Bramhall Square location, but will emphasize burgers and other hot items, like Sloppy Joe sandwiches. And, of course, there’ll be beer. [Read our review of Binga’s here.]
Earlier this year, Altman bought a four-story building on the corner of Washington Avenue and Congress Street last occupied by a dry cleaning business (pictured above). This building may become a third Binga’s location next year.
August 9, 2006
Space Gallery landlord buying Center for Cultural Exchange
Christopher Campbell, the local architect who owns the Congress Street home of Space Gallery, is in the final stages of purchasing the Center for Cultural Exchange’s Longfellow Square building.
Campbell’s partner in the deal is Stephen Benenson, a painter who rents a studio in the artist studio building adjacent to Space that Campbell also owns.
Campbell said he and Beneson are still figuring out how they will use the first-floor performance space in the Longfellow Square building, but they expect it will continue to be a venue for the performing arts. As with Space Gallery, the as-yet-unnamed venue may also have a small bar, and food service is another possibility. Unlike Space, the new venue will not be run as a non-profit, though Campbell intends to offer office space to non-profit groups on the building’s second floor. Office tenants now occupying the third floor are expected to remain following the transition.
Campbell said that based on the Center’s struggles, he knows operating a performance venue there “is going to be a challenge,” and he’s been talking with others in Portland’s arts community to determine how best to proceed. He expects to reopen the venue soon, and has purchased the Center’s lighting and sound equipment in hopes of making an “easy transition” in the coming months.
The Center’s building was on the market for $735,000. Campbell declined to give an exact figure for the sales price, but said it’s in the neighborhood of that amount.
The non-profit Center put its building on the market earlier this summer, but is expected to continue some of its work in a new, smaller incarnation.
July 26, 2006
Big-name promoters eye State Theatre
Two major, regional concert promoters – and one troubled Old Port bar owner – are looking to present shows again at the historic State Theatre in downtown Portland. The venue has been dark since last winter, when a dispute between tenant Chris Morgan and landlord Grant Wilson of Stone Coast Properties led to Morgan’s eviction and an ongoing legal squabble.
Wilson said Boston-based MassConcerts is interested in becoming the theater’s exclusive booking and promotion company, as is Alex Crothers, owner of Higher Ground, a large music and comedy venue in South Burlington, Vermont. The third interested party is Tom Manning, the Old Port bar owner arrested earlier this month for fighting on Wharf Street and throwing punches at cops. [See below.]
MassConcerts puts on shows at venues throughout New England. It’s bringing pop-rappers The Black-Eyed Peas to the Cumberland County Civic Center this September. Bob Dylan is playing two MassConcerts-produced shows in Massachusetts this summer, though the company tends to book heavy rock acts (like Fear Factory and Celtic Frost) and up-and-coming alternative rock bands.
Higher Ground tends to book jam bands and roots-rock acts, like Bela Fleck, Ben Harper and John Hiatt, though it also hosts indie rock shows and hip-hop acts like Jurassic 5 and The Pharcyde. Crothers’ company competes closely with MassConcerts – for example, the acclaimed rock band Built to Spill plays Higher Ground on Oct. 1, then heads to Boston for a MassConcerts show at The Roxy on Oct. 2.
Even if a new deal is struck with one of these promoters, it may still be many months before the State Theatre opens its doors. Sources say the venue still needs some major renovation work, repairs that could prove to be quite costly given the theater’s historic character. Wilson said Stone Coast Properties would continue to own the theater, with the concert promoter responsible for the venue’s operations and upkeep.
Meanwhile, Wilson is pursuing a new career as a band manager. His project is a four-piece, New York-based rock outfit called Trusty (www.myspace.com/trustymusic), and Wilson has booked several shows for the band next month at venues such as The Great Lost Bear, The Big Easy and Brian Boru. The group will also appear in a forthcoming episode of the USA Network show Monk, and Wilson is arranging to have Trusty cross-promote the beers produced by his Stone Coast Brewing Company.
July 21, 2006
Drunk Old Port bar owner attacks cops
Diggers/Liquid Blue, Iguana owner Tom Manning arrested
Old Port bar owner Tom Manning was arrested July 9 on Wharf Street for fighting with another man and then taking swings at police officers who intervened to break up the fight. No officers were hurt in the altercation, which took place around 1 a.m. amid a crowd of onlookers.
Manning, a 38-year-old resident of Falmouth, was eventually wrestled to the cobblestones and handcuffed by officers, who charged him with disorderly conduct and refusal to submit to arrest. He is free on $250 cash bail, but his bail conditions may still prohibit him from entering the Old Port area between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. Manning owns two popular nightclubs: the Diggers/Liquid Blue complex on Fore Street and The Iguana, on Wharf Street.
Manning did not return a call today seeking comment.
Portland police Lt. Vern Malloch said officers on foot encountered a crowd of about 10 people watching the fight between Manning and another man, who police did not identify. The group of onlookers was urging the pair to stop fighting, said Malloch, and the officers also issued verbal commands to cease.
Those commands were not heeded. The other man “was on the ground, on his knees or his back, [and] Manning was on top of him, punching him, when officers had to pull him off,” said Malloch, reading from the incident report. Manning then took a swing at the officers, but the blow was deflected, Malloch said.
The narrative that appears on bail forms indicates Manning “fought with” officers, taking several “swings” before he was handcuffed. It also indicates that the bar owner was intoxicated at the time the incident took place.
Manning’s arrest comes as city officials are considering new ways to try to keep the peace in the Old Port, particularly on Wharf Street, where drunken patrons of Manning’s bars and other establishments have caused serious problems. Manning has been attending meetings of Mayor Jim Cohen’s Old Port Nightlife Task Force as an observer.
In fact, Manning was present at the task force’s July 18 meeting, during which city officials were told by state liquor authorities that they can pull an establishment’s liquor license anytime, without state approval. City officials had previously thought they had to wait until a license came up for yearly renewal before taking action. City attorney Gary Wood is attempting to confirm this interpretation of the law with the state Attorney General’s office.
Given the seriousness of the charges again him and the city council’s near-zero tolerance for Old Port violence, it’s possible Manning could lose his ability to operate his Old Port bars. If so, it’s unlikely that Diggers/Liquid Blue and The Iguana would continue to operate as they have in the past. Both bars are in properties owned and managed by Ed Baumann and his son, Steve Baumann. The Baumanns have made a point of replacing troubled bars and dance clubs in Old Port buildings they own with more “upscale” food and drink establishments and retail.
Steve Baumann, a member of the mayor’s task force, said Manning’s arrest was “concerning,” but added that he hadn’t yet given much thought to the matter. Councilors deferred comment until legal proceedings against Manning progress.
Kiefer Sutherland parties in the Old Port
Film and television star Kiefer Sutherland was in town last weekend for a musical performance, at Bull Moose Records in Scarborough, by an act on his new record label. Sources tell The Bollard Sutherland, best known these days for his role as special agent Jack Bauer in the TV series 24, was a very cool guy who handled all the attention showered on him by fans with patience and class.
It seems he also has great taste in bars. Sutherland was spotted at Rosie’s, on Fore Street, last Saturday night. On Sunday night, he was seen at Amigo’s, on Dana Street, playing pool and, by several eye-witness accounts, getting absolutely plastered. Sources further report that Sutherland is much shorter and slightly built than he appears on screen.
Hey, they guy has saved civilization several times over the past few years – he’s got a right to tie one on, and at least he didn’t beat anybody up.
Peaks woman arrested after nasty secession meeting
By all accounts, the July 20 “meeting” between city officials and Peaks Islanders who want to secede from Portland was a nasty affair. The sides were supposed to begin negotiating the terms of a secession agreement, but city officials want those talks to take place in public – at least during their early stages – while pro-secession advocates are demanding private talks.
During last night’s gathering, held in the gymnasium of the Peaks Island Elementary School, the city’s negotiating team repeatedly asked secession advocates to “come to the table” they’d set up in the gym and begin the discussions. Secession advocates refused to join their city counterparts, and some people in the crowd of about 60 shouted insults at Mayor Jim Cohen and other city officials who pled for calm.
One woman finally did approach the table: 49-year-old Cathy Hasson, who works delivering UPS and Fed Ex packages to islanders. Hasson, according to police, was visibly intoxicated, walking unsteadily and slurring her speech, said Portland police Lt. Vern Malloch.
After several tense minutes at the table, she heeded entreaties to return to the crowd, but later left the gym and attempted to drive away. An officer stopped Hasson and conducted several field sobriety tests, which Hasson failed, said Malloch. She was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol.
Several councilors privately confided to The Bollard that the meeting almost made them wish Mayor Cohen had heeded this publication’s tongue-in-cheek advice and selected a “Dream Team” of hard-line negotiators to represent the city in these talks (see “The Bollard’s View”).
July 18, 2006
Cruisin’ at the Maine State Pier
The Bollard recently had an opportunity to view plans for the Portland Ocean Terminal being developed by Ocean Properties, the New Hampshire-based hotel and resort development company eying the publicly owned terminal for a luxury hotel project. It turns out Ocean Properties’ plans include an element city officials never mentioned when pressed to discuss the company’s proposal: a cruise ship terminal. [See “Ex-Mayor, Gov’s brother push waterfront hotel project.”]
About six months ago, Ocean Properties executive Bob Baldacci (brother of Gov. John Baldacci) and former Portland City Councilor and Mayor Peter O’Donnell (now an employee of the state Department of Economic and Community Development) held private meetings with individual councilors to discuss Ocean Properties’ proposal. Councilors told The Bollard a hotel, a museum and retail space were among the elements of Ocean Properties’ plan, and Baldacci has said the company would preserve part of the deep-water site for marine industrial work.
Those elements are all in the plans The Bollard viewed (courtesy of a private source unaffiliated with Ocean Properties or city government), but so is a big cruise ship and passenger terminal – a detail city officials seemingly failed to recall. The fairly detailed sketch of Ocean Properties’ preliminary plans – drawn up by TMS Architects, of Portsmouth – shows a hotel rising about eight stories from the middle of the terminal site. Building heights are reduced as the complex extends toward the water, with structures designated for a “market” and a museum of some sort.
Construction of the public Ocean Gateway passenger-ship terminal began last fall. The facility is expected to open in the fall of 2007.
City officials are in the process of considering zoning changes for the POT site (part of the Maine State Pier) that would allow a hotel to be built there. A draft of the new zoning would also allow “accessory passenger support services” at the POT. This detail confused some observers at a rezoning meeting last month, who wondered why such services would be needed at the POT, given that the Ocean Gateway project will provide them.
Capt. Jeff Monroe, the city’s Director of Ports and Transportation, said there’s room for another ferry terminal at the POT, in addition to Ocean Gateway, both physically and in terms of the cruise ship tourism market.
