During a February 7, 2022 workshop the Town Council reviewed a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Town of Cape Elizabeth and the Cape Community Arena Group (CCAG).  The group is seeking approval to move forward with the Town’s permitting and site plan review process with the Planning Board for a year-round, open-air community arena.  The group first presented the project concept on August 2, 2021 during an earlier Town Council workshop [Article].  The group last met with the council on January 10, whereby Chair Jeremy Gabrielson requested staff to provide a draft site control agreement to review at the February 7 workhshop [Article].

The draft MOU aims to define: 

• The goal of the partnership between CCAG and the Town.
• The term of the MOU.
• The roles and responsibilities.
• The site control and Planning Board review authorization process.
• Oversight of the partnership and primary contacts for the partnership.

Included in the draft MOU is an Appendix A which outlines a list of period milestones which must be completed in order for the Town Council to grant CCAG permission to begin construction.  Several of the milestones listed in the appendix were requested by the council during the January 10 meeting.  In particular, the development of a Business Plan which outlines: project revenue and operating expenses; operations and maintenance requirements; and a transition plan detailing the transfer of ownership of the arena from CCAG to the Town in the form of a donation.  Additionally, the appendix calls for creating opportunities for public input.

The Town Council discussed the need to gain greater clarity of possible operational budget models and asked Town Manager Matthew Sturgis to research how other neighboring towns have structured the financial details of similar arenas.  A request to have citizen input on the design of the arena was also voiced by the council.  Scheduling a Public Hearing was also discussed.  Once a final MOU has been established and approved, the CCAG will move forward with submitting an initial application to the Planning Board.