By Carol McCracken

The City is hosting a series of public meetings to receive input on key issues for the redevelopment of the Maine State Pier. The meetings are designed to inform the public of the history, policies and developmental goals for the pier, gather information from the public on a variety of key issues and finally, convey this to the City Council and Ocean Properties. The latter company has been picked to redevelop the MSP in lieu of the default by developer Olympia Cos., the Council’s first choice.

At its Monday, January 5 meeting, the Council directed the staff to set up such a series of public meetings to start the end of this month.

The first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 29 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the Ocean Gateway Terminal, 14 Ocean Gateway Pier. The subject is: The Maine State Pier – Building on the Past.

The second meeting is scheduled for Saturday, January 31 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the same place. The subject is: Community Design Workshop – Creating a Pier for Portland’s Future.

The final step in the series is the presentation of workshop results on Thursday, February 26 at 6:30 p.m. in Council chambers at the city hall. For more information, please call the city’s planning division at 874-8719 or visit the city’s website www.portlandmaine.gov for periodic updates.