Letters to the Editor

Central Hall: Jumbo, not white elephant

To the Editor:
    I am writing in response to a recent letter by Mr. Benjamin who remains concerned by the renovation and repurposing by Maine Highlands Senior Center (MHSC) of Central Hall as a building to serve the residents of Dover-Foxcroft and yes, dare I say it, the surrounding towns. I do not share his odd belief that buildings and services in our town should only serve our community.

    Look at the value of Mayo Hospital or Foxcroft Academy or Pine Tree Hospice to the region. I concur with the governor’s approach to managing expenses at the local and state level by sharing costs, shrinking overhead and collaborating to reduce waste and unnecessary duplication of services. The MHSC project will help support that collaboration.
    People who use the programs and services of the MHSC will help support it in the long term. Money from Guilford is as good as money from Dover-Foxcroft. Nevertheless, he raises some other questions that are important for our community to discuss thoughtfully.
    He takes issue with the size of the project, calling the building a “white elephant.” I rather think of it as “Jumbo” the elephant that brought P.T. Barnum success!
    The Historical Society, who first considered what to do with the abandoned building in 2008, looked at the costs of tearing it down because it was badly in need of repair and had lead paint and asbestos.
    The cost of demolition would have been nearly $500,000 due to the need to remove those toxins before the demolition, and with only a vacant lot to show for it afterward. That certainly would have been a taxpayer burden that the town was not eager to incur. Mr. Benjamin seems to have approved of the project when it was just “preservation of Central Hall,” but is disapproving of it being used for a community purpose.
    Public grants were able to be obtained only because there was a community purpose for the space. The plan to remediate the building and give it a purpose not only saved the building and removed the asbestos and lead paint but also saved the town that half a million dollars! This is not chump change.
    The money left to raise will come from individuals and philanthropic foundations who choose to give money to projects they believe to be socially useful.
    Perhaps surprising to Mr. Benjamin, many of them find satisfaction in knowing they are making a difference in the lives of people in a community.
    It is true that there will be some funding that will be provided by the town for heat and utilities for Central Hall in years to come (nowhere near $500,000).
    The benefits to the community for this expense will include a vibrant senior community center, a medical model Adult Day Service Center for dependent adults which will allow them to remain at home (and reduce costs to MaineCare for payment to boarding homes and nursing homes) and a modern event center for public functions.
    Mr. Benjamin says in his last sentence that the town’s support of this project through taxation “will reduce the ability of the town to service its own critical needs and essential services.”
    It is clear to everyone that the aging of our population will present significant hardships for towns like ours.
    As the population ages there are expenses to towns including infrastructure changes, support for nutrition, housing, heating, transportation, etc.
    I would refer anyone who is interested to read The Maine State Plan on Aging 2012-2016 from DHHS and signed by Gov. LePage which is a very thorough analysis of the consequences of the shifting demographics and recognizes the potential human and economic catastrophe of not planning for the coming demographic shift. In it there are recommendations for development of programs just like those being developed by the Maine Highlands Senior Center.
    Finally, I am unclear about why he might have put the word “senior” in quotes. Is he suggesting that we seniors are a figment of our imaginations?
    Or perhaps that this group is insignificant or undeserving of community support?
    He too is growing old and will possibly some day benefit from our programs!

Lesley Fernow, MD
Dover-Foxcroft

Missed opportunity for students

To the Editor:
    On Saturday, Feb. 14, the American Legion Department of Maine Oratorical Contest was held at Thomas College in Waterville.
    Oona MacKinnon of Portland was selected as the first place winner of seven contestants competing. The contestants are required to speak 8-10 minutes on a subject of their choice from the Bill of Rights and Constitution of the United States and another assigned topic for 3-5 minutes.
    Ms. MacKinnon received a check for $1,500 and will receive an all-expense paid trip to Indianapolis for her and a chaperone to compete in the national competition. She will receive $1,500 for appearing in the first round and another $1,500 if selected for the second round.
    The national winner will receive $18,000 — not bad for starting a scholarship fund.
    The Department Of Maine has this opportunity annually beginning in January of each year and it starts at an American Legion Post level seeking contestants from local high schools or private schooling that equates to high school from grade 9-12. In other words, the student could compete for four years.
    Joseph P. Chaisson Post 41 in Milo offers $150 and seeks students from Penquis Valley High School and home schooling. The winner would advance to the district (Piscataquis County) contest, which offers $150, then advancing to the state level that offer $1,500. This year, there were no students interested; and sadly, the opportunity was missed.
    For those who want to do the math, $150 equates to $10 per minute, not to mention the medal and certificates providing a positive entry on resumes for public speaking.
    If anyone who qualifies in the Penquis Valley High School or home schooling is interested in next year’s opportunity, please get in touch with the local American Legion Post and we will contact you with the necessary instructions.
    Parents: please encourage your student to be competitive. Don’t miss another opportunity for personal advancement and monetary gains.

Richard L Graves Sr.,
State Commander
American Legion
Milo

The last stand for Christians: The bait

To the Editor:
    “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.” This simple but poignant quote from Ronald Reagan was never more appropriate than the day and age in which we live today. Much of the liberties we have enjoyed in our past now stand alone on the precipice, teetering on the jagged edge of the deep chasm of tyranny.
    It is no secret that in some corners of our society the well of tolerance towards those of Christian faith has dwindled to a small stagnant puddle or a dusty dry cistern. The teachings of love, salvation, redemption, yes, that arcane Pilgrim’s Progress towards that Celestial City, are viewed with a thinly veiled contempt or the open disdain that moral virtue is the scourge of civilization and must be removed. The American Christian now finds himself walking through the gilded streets of Bunyan’s Vanity Fair.
    If Christians could just dispense with the profession of their faith and betray their convictions there would be no trouble, for this is what political and societal elites are demanding. What seems logical to the self-preservationist is unfathomable to a person of faith. This is the crux of the issue, faith, a belief in something bigger than themselves with vows and allegiances they cannot compromise; therefore, an easy target.
    With a humanistic snort of disgust, the elitist feels compelled to remove or reeducate the weak-minded who cling to their obstructive convictions. Obstructive to whom and who are really the weak-minded? When did we become a nation of such squeamish constitution and so flimsy a skeletal structure that a mere differing belief, disproval or even rebuke of ones actions somehow decimates a person’s freedom and the offender must be punished with the whole weight of the bludgeon of government?
    The cry and the hue of late seems to that of liberty, yet the cry of liberty for some has been modernized to say, “Give me liberty and give them death!” Any that hold to the belief of moral absolutes are targeted for removal from influence in society. The weakness of conviction must bow to the strength of relativism; it’s the natural selection of civilization.
    So just as the political rivals of the Hebrew Daniel convinced the King of Babylon to outlaw prayer knowing full well Daniel would not compromise his convictions, the trap has been set for Christians here in the United States. The traditions of procreation, marriage, are sacred within Christianity, as Christians are given a Biblical command to “raise up a Godly seed” and pass on the principles of Christ to each generation. These sacred traditions are now the bait to justify the persecution of Christians in this country.
    A recent political cartoon I happened across mocked the hypocrisy of relativism that is so prevalent in our society today. Two individuals are remarking over recent news. One tells the other that first, a hotel is refusing to have Bibles in its rooms, secondly, a mall is banning prayer, and thirdly, conservatives are complaining that Facebook is screening and blocking posts, all to which the other individual responds that these are a private businesses. It is their right.
    When the first individual observes that several businesses have refused to participate in gay-marriages because of their religious beliefs, the other individual is furious and demands that the government punish these businesses. This would be humorous if not for the consequences of the hard irony. Again we have selective liberty, with just Christians targeted for denial of basic liberties and removal from the workplace of society.
    Ask Barronelle Stutzman a Washington State florist, who had served a male customer, knowing he was gay, for years without discrimination. When he decided to have a gay marriage, Stutzman declined to do his floral arrangements on the basis of her beliefs, and instead referred him to another florist. This other florist provided the flowers to the man, and other florists even offered free flowers. Still the 72-year-old grandmother was sued, the Washington Courts have taken away her business, and ruled that she can now be sued personally … because of her beliefs. She was targeted.
    Whether you believe in the value of marriage or not, you should believe in the value of freedom. The political disposition of today despises the tenants of faith. Yes, although the tradition of heterosexual marriage is not exclusive to Christianity, Christians hold marriage as one of the fundamental rites that bind the foundation of their faith. While some will find smug satisfaction in the persecutions of Christians with unshakable convictions, be wary that the bludgeon does not swing both ways.
    As we trudge down this tired and over trodden road towards the doom of repeated history, ask yourself this: If a government can target a private business based on the religious beliefs of the proprietor, what is to keep it from targeting others for new things it deems intolerant? Beware of the other shoe! It just might drop. When we allow fools to march in and take away the decency and civility that was once the hallmark of our civilization, we have doomed liberty to die here in her last stand.

Andy Torbett
Atkinson