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V O L . X X I I I N O. X I I M AY 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 6 UNE graduates its fi rst class of dentists e University of New England gradu- ated its fi rst class from the College of Dental Medicine. Sixty-two students received the doctor of dental medi- cine. Founded in 2013, the college is the fi rst dental school in northern New England. Of the dental students who have announced their post-graduation plans, 47% will be staying in New England. Twenty-four members of the fi rst dental class hail from Maine, with at least 11 of those students staying in the state to practice or receive further professional training. Several more stu- dents have expressed a desire to return to Maine after completing residency and specialty programs. It was the 11 th and fi nal commencement for UNE President Danielle Ripich, who oversaw the awarding of 1,800 diplomas at the recent commencement. Ripich, who led UNE through a period of unprec- edented growth, will retire on July 1. James Herbert, executive vice provost and dean of the graduate college at Drexel University in Philadelphia, was named in February as her successor. N O T E W O R T H Y S O U T H E R N The Portland Symphony Orchestra was awarded a two-year innova- tion grant totaling $80,000 from the League of American Orchestras' American orchestras' futures fund which will be used to support its explorers program for the next two school years: 2017-18 and 2018-19. Easterseals Maine announced it will close its Child Development Center in Portland at the conclusion of this school year. The center provided pre- school services to children and fami- lies for the past 10 years. The Maine Law School's Refugee and Human Rights Clinic, a program of the University of Maine School of Law in Portland, received a $500,000 grant from the Sam L. Cohen Foundation in South Portland. The grant will help the clinic, which offers legal assistance to refugees and immigrants, continue its mission over the next four years. The Planet Dog Foundation's inaugu- ral Planet Dog Ball raised more than New international trade leadership Maine International Trade Center will have new leadership. Janine Bisaillon- Cary, president of MITC for 11 years, will step down. She will be replaced by Wade Merritt, who joined MITC as an international trade specialist in 1997. He was promoted to the position of vice president in 2006, following six years as director of MITC's regional offi ce in Bangor. Cary was credited with leading trade missions to Europe, Latin America and Asia. Since 2006, MITC has developed robust trade education and business assistance services, aiding 14,000 individuals and providing trade education to 8,300 Mainers in areas such as export compliance, international fi nance and logistics. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E Hannaford announced that its 17th an- nual Hannaford Helps Schools campaign raised $640,000 for schools in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Massachusetts. More than 1,500 schools received funds that can be used to support educational programs. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins announced that the fi scal year 2017 funding bill that was recently signed into law contained $6 million to initiate two grant programs to support safety for fi shermen: the Fishing Safety Training Grant Program and the Fishing Safety Research Grant Program. For the fi rst time, these competitive grants will expand access to training resources for fi shermen in Maine and other coastal states as well as support research on technologies and tools that will enhance safety. B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E S O U T H E R N Port offi cials, Portland residents clash over proposed cold storage facility B y R e n e e C o r d e s Porltand — Supporters and opponents of a proposed cold storage facility on Portland's western waterfront clashed at a public workshop May 18 as city planning board mem- bers signaled that the discussion is far from over. "We're not yet ready to go to a public hearing without another workshop," Planning Board Chairwoman Elizabeth Boepple said during the meeting. The standing-room-only event at Portland's City Hall fol- lowed a site visit by some 50 people to the International Marine Terminal on Commercial Street where the planned warehouse would be built. Atlanta-based Americold Logistics LLC won the bid two and a half years ago to design and build the waterfront facility, pledging to invest up to $30 million. It currently operates a 65-year-old facility on Read Street in Portland. The new warehouse can only be built if Portland City Council agrees to a zoning change to raise the height limit for buildings on the proposed site from 45 feet to 70 feet. Elsewhere on the western waterfront, the city is calling for an absolute height limit of 50 feet. City and state officials used Thursday's meeting to make the case for the cold storage project, citing studies done since the last meet- ing, including an independent report by researchers at the University of Southern Maine putting the potential long-term economic impact at up to $900 million for the state. That didn't change the minds of West End neighborhood residents skeptical about the project. Several urged the planning board to hold off on making its recommendation to the City Council. Anne Pringle, president of the Western Promenade Neighborhood Association and a former Portland City Council member, suggested forming a working group to study the matter further, saying that "it's important to take the time to get it right." Another resident, Jo Coyne, pleaded with planning board members to "please pay attention" to citizens' petitions, including one with 750 signatures so far that calls for keep- ing the height limit at 45 feet. "Getting out there and actually talking to the people on the street is really eye-opening," Coyne said. "The word on the street as I see it … is that why do we even have zoning, because every time a developer comes along it just gets changed?" Portland Fish Exchange President Tom Valleau spoke in favor of the zoning change. He said the fi shing industry in Portland will benefi t from the type of facility Americold is pro- posing — especially as it becomes increasingly dependent on frozen products from Europe and Asia. The Fish Exchange "fully supports the Americold proposal," he said. "We see it as not only helping Portland but helping the fl eet and helping our exchange accomplish the kinds of things the city wants us to accomplish." B R I E F R E N D E R I N G / C O U R T E S Y O F A M E R I C O L D L O G I S T I C S L L C Americold Logistics LLC of Atlanta hopes to build a cold storage facility on the Portland waterfront, but must get a zoning change to raise the height limit from 45 feet to 70 feet.

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