2013: Year in Review
2013: Year in Review
JANUARY
Demolition of Nickerson building may be $151K
Greenville voters authorized the town to demolish the former Nickerson Elementary School building last June, but the town doesn’t have the funds to do it. A civil engineering student, Amber Simmons, told the Greenville Board of Selectmen at their Jan. 2 meeting that the project could take up to three months and cost more than $151,000.
Shorey promoted at AOS 43
Stacey Shorey of Dover-Foxcroft was named assistant superintendent of AOS 43, consisting of School Administrative Districts 41 and 31. Shorey served as director of student services in SAD 41 and curriculum director of AOS 43. Prior to her assignments in SAD 41, Shorey was director of student services as SAD 53 in Pittsfield. Her husband, Arnold Shorey, is headmaster of Foxcroft Academy.
No Name Calling Week at SeDoMoCha
SeDoMoCha Middle School students observed No Name Calling Week from Jan. 22-25 with a variety of fun and games with a serious theme. These included Hat Day, to put a “lid” on name calling; and clothing promoting their favorite athletic team to build a sense of togetherness.
Sangerville accepts USDA tree canopy grant
Sangerville town officials initially had reservations about the value of a U.S. Department of Agriculture tree canopy grant, but ultimately decided to accept the $9,925 award. It was used to replant the recently-harvested Bean Hill woodlot. The selectmen voted on Jan. 24 to accept the grant after Dr. Ken Woodbury explained that the grant’s provisions weren’t as restrictive as previously thought.
Dover-Foxcroft planners may revise LED light law
Following requests made by Foxcroft Academy and Foxcroft Veterinary Services to place LED signs on their respective properties, the Board of Selectmen opted to ask the planning board to consider revising the town’s Land Use Ordinance. At the Jan. 28 selectmen’s meeting, Town Manager Jack Clukey explained that one problem is that Foxcroft Academy is located in the village zone which has tighter restrictions.
FEBRUARY
First Wind outlines plans for Abbot-Parkman lead line
The town line between Abbot and Parkman has become a focal point in a New England power company’s attempt to transport electricity generated at a Somerset County wind farm to customers in the Northeast. First Wind held an information meeting in Abbot on Feb. 5 about the company’s estimated $500 million project.
FA honors Dyer with special football jersey
Foxcroft Academy recognized Dover-Foxcroft Police Chief Dennis Dyer for his 40 years with the department, including 27 as chief, by presenting him with a number 40 football jersey during a school assembly on Feb. 8.
Ribbon cutting marks rebirth of downtown Milo
A dedication ceremony took place at Elaine’s Cafe and Bakery in the newly-constructed Heritage Building on Feb. 14. The structure was financed through a $500,000 Rural Business Enterprise Grant and a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and financial assistance was provided for bakery owner Elaine Poulin through another program.
Greenville tax liens loom for 45 residents
Greenville Town Manager Gary Lamb announced that 45 tax liens were about to mature, the same number as the previous year. However, 14 delinquent owners had made partial payments on their back taxes by Feb. 19, six days before the deadline.
Safe Havens opens at Penquis Center
Families impacted by domestic violence and other issues now have a place in which non-custodial parents can visit with their children in a safe, supervised environment and parents can safely transfer custody of their children. Located in the Penquis building at 50 North Street, the Piscataquis Safe Havens Center offers these services at no cost to residents.
MARCH
Greenville man questions LUPC nomination
A Greenville man questioned the procedure used for first nominating a county representative to the new Land Use Planning Commission then rescinding it in favor of another applicant. Loren Ritchie asked the County Commissioners at their Feb. 5 meeting why Sally Farrand’s nomination was approved, then rescinded. Commissioners later voted 2-1 to nominate Duane Lander for the post.
FA teachers accepted in Apple Educator program
Foxcroft Academy English teacher Mia Morrison and science teacher Julie Willcott were accepted to the prestigious Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) Program. Morrison and Willcott were among a group of 75 teachers from North America — and only three from Maine — were selected for the program. It recognizes K-12 and higher education pioneers who use Apple products to transform teaching and learning in powerful ways.
Career Aspirations Day held at SAD 41 schools
Students at the Brownville Elementary School and the Marion C. Cook School in LaGrange, who joined their SAD 41 peers, had the opportunity to think about what may lie beyond high school during Career Aspirations Day on March 12. Guidance counselor B.J. Bowden said that the students heard from several presenters, both in person and from across the county via Skype.
SAD 4 officials express concern over state aid
SAD 4 Superintendent of Schools Paul Stearns and Guilford Town Manager Tom Goulette, who described themselves as “fiscal conservatives,” said they had grave concerns about Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed budget during a March 27 informational meeting. Both Stearns and Goulette believe the governor’s proposal spells doom for small municipalities and school districts which received a large portion of their funding from the state. They predicted that SAD 4 could lose up to $460,000.
Mandatory gun ownership rejected for Sangerville warrant
After a 20-minute debate, the Sangerville board of selectmen voted not to place an article mandating that residents own a firearm on the March 30 town meeting warrant Chairman Tom Carone proposed the measure after a “native son” of the town requested to have residents consider the measure at the town meeting. But Carone eventually voted against his own article. Irving McNaughton supported it while Melissa Randall voted with Carone.
APRIL
SAD 41 approves alternate education program
The SAD 41 Board of Directors approved the adoption of an alternative education program for the next two years and authorized Superintendent Michael Wright to develop a realignment plan to accommodate the program. Wright said that SAD 41 is looking to partner with the Carleton Project, a licensed private alternate school approved by the Maine Department of Education. The alternate program would target students who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out.
Bomb scares rattle SAD 4 staffers and parents
Three bomb scares within 19 days in SAD 4 schools prompted several parents to attend the April 9 board of directors meeting. District officials cancelled school for grades 7-12 on April 9 after discovering the latest bomb threat. Parents sought assurances from district officials that better safety precautions would be in place for future threats. Some claimed that the evacuation of the secondary school was “chaotic” after one threat.
Center Theatre installs digital projector
The Center Theatre for the Performing Arts installed a new digital projector, an upgrade to the latest in movie technology. Executive Director Angela Bonacasa said that the “entire viewing experience, from the quality of the picture to the digital sound, is like night and day from our previous system.” The upgrade, including the new Solaria One projector, installation, training and electrical work cost approximately $48,000 but came in under the expected budget of $55,000.
Carroll named Game Warden of the Year
Daniel Carroll Jr. of Sebec was named the 2012 Maine Game Warden of the Year during the agency’s annual ceremony April 3 at the Winslow VFW. Carroll Jr., 52, patrols the Brownville area. He became a deputy game warden in 1985, and two years later became a full-fledged field warden. In 2012, Carroll and two Sebec firefighters — Joe Legere and Bobby Slama — saved a 17-year-old Guilford boy from drowning after he went for a swim in Sebec Lake, and a strong current carried him over the Sebec Lake dam and into the river.
MAY
Merrill named Mayo 2013 Nurse of the Year
Darcy Merrill, RN, who has worked at Mayo Regional Hospital since 1990, was recognized as the 2013 Nurse of the Year on May 6. Merrill has worked since 2008 as Mayo’s Resource Nurse, helping out where the need is greatest in the emergency department and medical/surgical unit, and assisting with patient. Merrill earned her BSN from the University of Southern Maine and immediately began work at Mayo. Her mother, Deanne, had been a nurse at the former Mayo Memorial Hospital since 1975.
Lange joins Piscataquis Observer staff
Veteran journalist Mike Lange of St. Albans joined the staff of The Piscataquis Observer to cover the Dexter, Guilford and Greenville area. Lange succeeded Bill Pearson who was hired as a staff reporter for The Ellsworth American. During the past 25 years, Lange was a general assignment reporter and special sections writer for the Central Maine Morning Sentinel, editor of the Moosehead Messenger in Greenville and part-time executive editor of the Maine Press Association.
Valley Grange honors Piscataquis Observer and WABI-TV
Valley Grange presented Community Service Awards to The Piscataquis Observer and WABI-TV 5 at the Grange’s Community Celebration on May 17. The paper was honored for its coverage of local events and community service, such as the parent company’s donation of the former Observer building which now houses the Dover-Foxcroft Historical Society.
SeDoMoCha recognized for Tree City USA help
SeDoMoCha School in Dover-Foxcroft was recognized for its part in helping the town earn Tree City USA Community status. In late October 2012, students from both the elementary and middle schools planted a sugar maple behind the building. Dover-Foxcroft Town Manager Jack Clukey made a presentation to the pupils on May 24 and showed them one of the Tree City signs that will be placed around the community. Clukey also noted that the town has a forestry committee to help oversee community green spaces.
Guilford couple first to buy Balloon Festival tickets
Stubby and Nena Schultz of Guilford were the first couple to jump at the chance to go up, up, and away in a beautiful balloon in the Balloon Festival Committee’s first annual event to be held in Dover-Foxcroft on May 31, June 1 and 2. The Schultzes bought the first tickets selling for $225 apiece from their son-in-law, Brian Woodworth, who is a committee member. The three-day festival was organized by members of the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce and Dover-Foxcroft Kiwanis Club.
Dexter Council hears complaints about cannon noise
A Dexter resident complained that the peace and tranquility around Lake Wassookeag is a thing of the past, as the blast of cannon fire has disrupted those formerly peaceful nights. The town council heard several residents complain their May 9 meeting about how cannon fire had interrupted their evenings. However, according to the Dexter Police Department, the cannon blast was permissible, according to the state fireworks law passed in 2010 and guidelines set by the town’s own noise ordinance.
JUNE
Milo applies for grant to assist taxi service
The town of Milo announced that it will apply for a $60,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to help expand Milo Taxi and Delivery. Residents approved the proposal during a special town meeting earlier in the month. The $60,000 would enable the local firm to purchase two used Lincoln Town Cars to increase the fleet to six taxis and a 7-passenger handicapped accessible van, construct a service garage, acquire a computer system and improve customer contacts.
Crowd of 6,000 attends Whoopie Pie Festival
Scattered showers couldn’t scatter a throng of 6,000 people that visited Dover-Foxcroft on June 22 for the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival. The downtown was packed and the whoopie pies were flying from bakery’s booths from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Besides whoopie pies, festival-goers enjoyed visiting more than 100 vendors and craftspeople downtown organized by the Chamber of Commerce. There were also foot races, scavenger hunts and musical entertainment.
Greenville students will get iPads this fall
Although Hewlett-Packard was announced as the preferred contractor for the Maine Learning Technology Institute (MLTI), Greenville junior high and high school students will use Apple iPads when school reopens this fall. Superintendent Beth Lorigan told the Greenville School Committee that the cost of 89 tablet computers for students and MacBook Air and Mini iPads for their teachers was far less than switching to the HP units.
Lamb resigns as Greenville town manager
Gary Lamb announced his resignation as Greenville town manager effective Aug. 6. Lamb was hired in November 2010 out of a field of 26 candidates. He was the director of planning and community development for Old Orchard Beach and formerly served as assistant planner and code enforcement officer in Kennebunk. Lamb was eventually hired as town manager of Waterboro.
Community garden for seniors sprouts in Dexter
Thanks to a parcel of land donated by a local farmer and plenty of volunteer work, senior citizens in the Dexter area will have fresh vegetables free of charge this fall from the Joe Sherburne Senior Community Garden. Fred Sherburne donated the use of part of his farmland for a garden in memory of his late brother, Joe, who passed away in 2008. The concept of the community garden is credited to Deb Burdin, the owner-operator of Bwarts Plants in Dexter.