SOUTH PORTLAND - Back in late February, just days after Deb Smith had been laid off after 28 years at the South Portland Recreation Department, Jen DeRice, a former colleague, stopped by Smith's home to see how her good friend was doing.

While some people in that situation may stay mired in the past for a few weeks, DeRice found that Smith, well-known from her time as director of the city's Community Center, was already looking ahead.

"Immediately following the layoffs, even within a couple of days, Deb had already unpacked most of her boxes and set up a new office where she continued to arrive each day at 6:30 a.m. so that she could get to work on the next chapter of her life," said DeRice. "Everything was set up with pictures on the walls and books on the shelf. She was ready to get to work and didn't take much time for feeling sorry for herself."

Smith, whose firing led to heavy criticism of city officials by residents, never doubted that she could rebuild her professional life after being laid off without notice. In a tough economy, where hundreds of Mainers have lost jobs, she rebounded and quickly found work. She was unemployed for about six weeks before landing several jobs as an independent contractor.

Today, Smith is project manager at Sylvan Learning Center, an office manager at Children's Time Child Development Center in South Portland, and a conference planner for the Maine Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. She describes her work as freelancing.

"After I was escorted out the door (of the Community Center), my attitude was, 'I will survive this,' '' Smith said recently, eight months after she was told by top city officials to collect her belongings and leave the building immediately. "I never doubted I would be fine. It was about picking up and regrouping and about believing in something bigger than yourself."

Smith, 55, moved on, and, after hiring a lawyer she decided not to pursue legal action. But the dismissal of Smith and four other veteran city workers became the focus of weekly protests by residents. People complained to the City Council about how the terminations were handled and asked why alternatives had not been explored. City Manager Jim Gailey said he was forced to eliminate jobs to close a budget gap.

After the dismissal, Smith found herself looking for a job in an uncertain economy. But she credits the skills and contacts she developed managing the popular Community Center. Those who knew her work agree.

"I knew Deb would flourish," said Jo Dill, executive director of the Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

"She always is looking at the big picture," said Dill, who has known Smith for 30 years.

At Sylvan, Smith spearheads marketing campaigns and develops brochures for the learning centers in South Portland, Augusta, Auburn and Bangor. At the Child Development Center, she interviews new teachers, helps with bookkeeping and develops teaching programs.

Smith sees her work with the child care center as a natural offshoot of managing South Portland's pre-school, which operates at the Community Center.

"I'm really loving what I am doing," she said. "I had a lot of freedom in my job at the Community Center. As a freelancer, I have even more flexibility than I did before."

She credits supportive friends for keeping her spirits buoyed as she planned the next chapter of her life.

"The friends and associates I have surrounded myself with never had one negative thing to say after I lost my job," Smith noted. "The feedback I had from everyone was positive."

Adds DeRice: "If nothing else, I always knew that Deb would come out of it just fine. Now, more than eight months later, she continues to be surrounded by her family and friends who all support her, just as she would have supported them."

Smith also continues to pursue her personal passion: promoting basketball and athletics for women over 50.

She runs a popular four-day summer camp, the Not Too Late Basketball Camp. Held at Southern Maine Community College, the training is for female athletes who grew up before Title IX and the opportunities it offered women to play sports.

Smith also plays in senior basketball leagues. In August, her team - the Maine Flashes - competed in the National Senior Games in Palo Alto, Calif.

The Flashes were hot, taking first place in the 55-59 age group and bringing home a gold medal to Maine. The Maine Triple Threat, the 50-54 age group team, also won gold.

Smith described the nationals as "an unbelievable" experience, capping a year of drama and change.

"Excitement is building for Not Too Late Basketball Camp," she said. "After two Maine teams won gold medals at the National Senior Games, more women want to come here to experience camp. I am also working on hosting a National Senior Women's Basketball tournament here in June at SMCC."

As she plans her future, Smith spends little time thinking of her work history with the city.

She decided not to pursue legal action against the city, after disclosing last spring that she had hired a lawyer and was considering her options.

"I'm not spending any more money on this. For me to go forward legally would cost a ton of money. I'm not willing to do that," said Smith, who submitted a report to Gailey after her layoff.

Although the city has never released the report, Smith said it listed concerns she had about working conditions at the Community Center and personnel decisions by Public Works chief Dana Anderson, who oversees the Recreation Department.

"My report was reviewed by an independent investigator," she said. "I was not pleased with the final results."

Anderson has not commented on the layoff or Smith's report.

Smith said she has not seen Gailey or Anderson since her dismissal, even though she requested a meeting with the city manager on three separate occasions.

"I have pretty much tried to put everything behind me," Smith said. "The way the whole thing happened still upsets me, but it is time to move on."

Smith, a Portland resident, said she has not returned to the Community Center since her layoff. "I have no interest at this point in visiting the Community Center. This was the end of a relationship," she said. "The sad part is, I built (the center) internally and created it. I never expected this to happen.

"I knew I was not irreplaceable and this was a reminder of that. There was no happy ending," she said. "But I was able to take a hit pretty well and continue to be the person I am because of my values and the life I lead."