Area news
Page A, The Bridgton News, May 5, 2011
State weighs bridge plan
HOMEOWNER OF BURNED HOUSE FOUND ALIVE — A few scary hours passed by as State Fire Marshal’s Office Investigator Rick Shepard sifted through the charred remains of 58-year-old Dana Hatch’s house which burned to the ground at Highland Park in Fryeburg Friday morning. Maine Department of Public Safety Spokesman Steve McCausland said Hatch was located in the woods near his home and appeared to have minor injuries not related to the fire. Investigators now plan to question Hatch about the fire, McCausland said. (Ackley Photo)
Budget: Rate up by 60 cents By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES - During the quickest budget presentation in the Lake Region, Naples Town Manager Derik Goodine went over department expenses at a rapid-fire pace. Faster than the hands on the clock, he clicked off dollar differences between the current budget and the proposed one. Twenty minutes later, during its Monday meeting, the Naples Board of Selectmen approved the $10,345,900 budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year, which begins July 1. Residents will have an opportunity to vote on the proposed budget at town meeting in June. The date for town meeting has not been scheduled yet, according to staff at the Naples Town Offices. If the budget is passed, the adjusted mill rate will be $12.20, which would be an increase of 60 cents over the current mill rate. “County taxes are down. The school (tax) unfortunately is up. The mil rate is $12.20,”
Goodine said. The Town Budget Committee’s recommendations differed only slightly from Goodine’s proposed budget, and both proposals landed at the same mil rate.
Both Goodine and Selectman Christine Powers publicly thanked the Budget Committee for the work it has done since it began meeting in late February. At Monday’s meeting, NAPLES, Page 7C
call, Neault talked about district bus schedules with Andy Madura, the director of transportation, maintenance and food service for School Administrative District (SAD) No. 61. Madura informed him of the times when buses would most likely be traveling through Naples. He also gave Neault feedback about the best time to arrange draw-bridge openings so as not to interfere with bus traffic. According to Neault, the drawbridge has been opened twice this month so far. In Naples, the drawbridge openings begin May 1. The drawbridge is required to open every two hours during the day, starting at 8 a.m. The protocol is: If boats are waiting to pass through the drawbridge, the MDOT operator will open the marine passage way. Also, the Songo River Queen usually follows a May weekend schedule of leaving Long Lake at noon and returning at 2 p.m. via the drawbridge. Prior to Monday’s selectmen meeting, Neault had discussed with the Songo River Queen owner the scheduling for the paddleboat during the weekends in May. Neault said he asked if limited drawbridge
openings would interfere with his plans to provide tours across Brandy Pond and down the Songo River to a turn-around point just past the Songo River Locks. The businessman was agreeable to the idea of curtailing the number of drawbridge openings, Neault said. On Tuesday, the Songo River Queen owner said he planned to wait until Memorial Day weekend — when Route 302 is repaved, and he has a safe dock to accommodate customers. Because the town was making a formal request of MDOT, it was required to be done in writing. But, Neault said Naples stakeholders don’t have time to use the traditional mail system to complete necessary paperwork. “I called (Scarborough MDOT offices) and outlined the proposal. He said, ‘What is the mailing address? And, I said how about e-mail,” he said, adding the town didn’t have time to wait for the mail to deliver forms and letters. In another three weeks, when the road construction crews pull off the Causeway, the town’s drawbridge openings will return to normal — allowing boat traffics to pass between Long Lake and Brandy Pond, he said.
First aid skills saved lives
By Allen Crabtree Volunteer, Public Affairs Southern Maine Chapter of the American Red Cross “I tell my students to learn these life-saving skills well, because they will never know when they might have to use them,” said Benjamin Anthony. “Last Saturday after the tornado went through it was a good thing I’d learned these skills well, because I had to use them to help my neighbors.” Anthony has been teaching Red Cross first aid and CPR for the Greater Richmond Chapter in Virginia since 1990. He teaches three or four classes of 30 to 40 students a month, so over the 20 years he has been
doing it he estimates that he has taught nearly 30,000 students these life-saving first responder skills. “In all that time, I have only had to use these skills myself once,” he continued. “That was in a restaurant when someone was choking on a piece of food. I used the Heimlich maneuver on the person, the piece of food popped out and he was fine. I’d taught my students the Heimlich many times but had never had to actually use it on someone.” He said that he didn’t think about it — his training kicked in and he did it automatically. That is also what happened on April 16, 2011 in Bertie
Missing girls found in Arundel
OXFORD — A Harrison girl and her friend from Oxford were found safe Monday by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department 11 hours after their parents reported them missing. Oxford Police Chief
(Continued from Page A) according. From now until May 26, the drawbridge will open Monday through Friday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; on Saturday at noon and 2 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., every two hours. On Friday, May 27, the drawbridge will return to its summer schedule, opening every two hours between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily. What worried Neault and other residents is that when the drawbridge is opened for boat traffic, it will cause additional traffic to sit and wait, which won’t be a good combination with existing lane closures. Neault spoke to the Naples Board of Selectmen on Monday. The board gave him a nod to move forward with contacting the state on the matter. On Tuesday, Neault phoned MDOT’s Scarborough office to explore if the state would be willing to forego some of May’s openings of the drawbridge until the Memorial Day holiday. “I am waiting to hear back. Their initial response was positive, but needs to be run by a few people,” he said on Tuesday afternoon. Before making the phone
John Tibbetts said Brittany Dochnahl, 16, of 60 Duck Pond Road in Harrison, took off with Kaitlyn Reed, 16, of Oxford in Reed’s parents car, a 1993 Lexus on Sunday, and were reported missing at 10 p.m. Reed did not have permission
to use the car, Tibbetts said. The two girls were found at a family friend’s house in Arundel Pines in Arundel around 11 a.m. Monday by the sheriff’s department, Tibbetts said. The girls have been returned to their parents.
County, North Carolina. A very strong EF3 tornado touched down near Colerain and ripped a 3/4 to 1-mile wide path of destruction through houses, trailers and barns for nearly 10 miles. Anthony was with his family and friends at their 234 Perry School Road home when the tornado hit at suppertime. They had been tracking the tornado on television as it progressed from Greenville toward them, and were staying inside. As precautions they had moved their cars away from the trees and secured loose items in the yard. They prayed that the tornado wouldn’t touch down near them and would pass harmlessly over their heads, but at about 7:15 p.m. the tornado dropped right on their heads and exploded their house around them, ripTORNADO, Page A
Corn Shop Trading Co. a quirky, old-fashioned country store
AFTER THE TORNADO — Bertie County, N.C. was hit hard by a strong EF3 tornado on Saturday, April 16 that killed 12 people and injured many others, and destroying homes and businesses. Benjamin Anthony stands in front of what is left of his home where he and four others survived the tornado. He saved the lives of four of his neighbors who were severely injured and trapped in the wreckage of their destroyed homes next door. This photo shows Allen Crabtree of Sebago (left) and Anthony. (Photo by Daniel Cima/American Red Cross)
N O I T C U A INESEMay 7, 2010 CHSaturday, American Legion Hall, Route 11, Naples
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179 Main St., Bridgton, ME 04009
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Bethel, Davis Park: Registration: 7:00 – 8:00 A.M. Walk 8:00 – 10:00 A.M. (Information: Ellie Andrews 592-9614)
Fryeburg, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church: (Information: David Chaffee 207-240-1643)
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Donations: Bridgton Lake-Region Rotary Club PO Box 845, Bridgton, Maine 04009
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