ORONO, Maine — Law enforcement personnel from the area went to the recently renamed student apartment complex called The Reserve at Orono on Wednesday afternoon in response to a report of a large number of people celebrating Maine Day, an annual event devoted to spring cleanup and having a little fun at the University of Maine.
“Maine Day got out of hand,” Orono Police Chief Josh Ewing said after personnel from UMaine, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, Maine State Police, Old Town and Veazie joined Orono officers at the student housing complex formerly known as The Grove.
Law enforcement, at the request of management, began to disperse the crowd of 300 to 400 students and young people at about 3:30 p.m.
Two were arrested for disorderly conduct, Ewing said.
At 5:30 p.m., officers were still dealing with a pool party organized by the complex’s management.
“A bunch are still in the pool,” Ewing said, adding that the group was slowly dispersing.
The town of Orono issued The Grove a bill for $737.37 for the law enforcement cost to deal with the Maine Day 2015 incident.
A security officer at the front gate was checking identifications of residents and telling residents driving in that they could only bring in one guest.
Emma Coyne, a freshman journalism student, and Tim Adams, both of Cumberland, got out of a car after their driver was told he could only bring in one person.
“It’s kind of a bummer,” Coyne said. “There was a Facebook post saying there was going to be a barbecue so we went and got kicked out.”
Coyne said she understood why the two were denied access. She said she has seen a number of intoxicated students.
“I understand about them wanting to be safe,” she said. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Adams said he was surprised by the number of law enforcement personnel.
The Reserve apartments are near the UMaine campus. Harrison Street Real Estate Capital LLC, a privately owned investment firm headquartered in Chicago, acquired North Carolina-based Campus Crest Communities Inc., owner of The Grove property and others across the country, for $1.9 billion on March 2.
“It’s a bummer, but it’s fine,” Coyne said as she and Adams started walking down the street.
This is not the first time police have organized a large-scale response to the complex. Several parties at The Grove ended with police present.