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V O L . X X X I N O. X V I J U LY 2 8 , 2 0 2 5 14 R E A L E S TAT E / C O N S T R U C T I O N / E N G I N E E R I N G F O C U S In an April letter to the Portland City Council, Turin warned of "an existential crisis and a threat to my business," including verbal abuse and physical threats against employees and customers, staff cars broken into on six occasions and the eatery's front windows smashed twice in two years, resulting in hefty bills for a 58-employee business in a tight-margin industry. Turin didn't attend an evening meeting where his letter was read aloud, followed by a host of others voicing similar concerns; he was out volunteering to prepare meals for those in need. "e idea of people being hungry, to me as a chef and a restaurateur, is abhorrent," he says two months later. Frustrated with the fact that some of the people who need food can't get into shelters because they don't meet the drug-free requirement, Turin says he'd like to see more assistance with health care, housing and employ- ment. He also suggests feeding them in a place that's more discreet than Monument Square, where volunteers from Portland nonprofit Preble Street offer daily morning and afternoon meals along with social services. "Humiliating the homeless people by feeding them in the most visible place in the city of Portland doesn't make any sense to me," says Turin. Preble Street spokeswoman Danielle Smaha said the location of meal services isn't the reason for homelessness on Congress Street and called for a "focus on long-term solutions." Turin, who owns another restaurant in South Portland on the other side of Casco Bay, says he has no plans to leave Monument Square. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Find the When other banks say no, we work hard to find your YES! For more than 150 years, Machias Savings Bank has been moving Mainers and their businesses forward with the banking solutions they need to find their "yes!" And that's only the beginning. That's because we don't simply say "yes!" to basic banking. With quick, local decision-making, and a culture that delivers above and beyond, we're the bank of Yes! your business needs. WP Clark & Sons Homebuilders, INC. I don't think there's a total perception that Congress Street is dead or never going to come back. It's just been beaten down a little bit. — Peter Harrington Malone Commercial Brokers P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Vestibules at 465 Congress St. were boarded up as a safety precaution (and spray painted by the fire department).

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