Dougherty Field selected as site of new skate park

A skateboarding park will be built at Dougherty Field, the City Council decided Monday.

The council voted 8-0 for the Douglass Street location, rejecting an alternative site on Preble Street Extension, near Back Cove Trail.

While some councilors initially supported the Preble Street site, most said that building on run-down tennis courts at Dougherty Field would be less expensive.

The council directed the parks department to incorporate the skate park in drafting a new master plan for Dougherty Field.

The city earmarked $75,000 for a new skate park. Skateboarding advocates say they will raise $250,000 to $350,000 to build a concrete skate park.

City Council backs plan to combine dispatch services

The City Council endorsed a plan Monday that will combine dispatching services for Portland and South Portland emergency response personnel.

The council voted 8-0 to authorize City Manager Joseph Gray Jr. to sign an agreement with South Portland. Police and fire officials in both cities negotiated the deal in the hope that shared dispatching services will save money.

Councilors praised the agreement as the first of many cost- sharing ventures with Portland’s neighbors.

Peaks Island voters willelect council in November

Peaks Island voters will elect a seven-member council later this year to advise the Portland City Council on island issues.

The council voted 8-0 Monday to approve rules for the annual elections, the first of which will be held in November.

The island council is part of the city’s effort to address concerns that led some islanders to try to secede from the city. The Legislature killed the secession bill in May.