Holiday market
Near collapse
Allen Crabtree of Sebago explores the interesting Christmas shops in Austria
Inside News Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 8A
Lake Region watches a 22point lead vanish, but manages to hold off Gray-NG
Page 9A
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 5B Country Living . . . 8A-9A Directory . . . . . . . . . . 6B
Page 1B
Obituaries . . . . . . 5A-6A Opinions . . . . . . 7B-10B Police/Court . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . 1B-3B Student News . . . . . . . . Games . . . . . . . . . . . . 6B
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 146, No. 1
20 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
January 1, 2015
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 5B
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Fires leave several homeless Hot chimney blamed
TOTAL LOSS — Fire destroyed the home of David and Deborah Martin on Forest Avenue in Bridgton Monday night. A car caught fire and triggered the blaze around 7:30 p.m. (Photo by Sue Rivet)
Families left at a loss
IN BRIDGTON A fire erupted at a Forest Avenue home in Bridgton Monday night resulting in a total loss. Firefighters were dispatched to the home of David and Deborah Martin at about 7:30 p.m. The fire started while Mr. Martin was working on a car in a garage which is attached to the home. A loud explosion could be heard in the neighborhood. Martin was able to evacu-
ate an adult and two children, along with the family dog. It was not known whether the family cat was able to flee the burning structure. Fire crews from Sebago, Waterford, Harrison, Paris and West Paris responded. IN NAPLES On Christmas Eve, the Steve Milton family in Naples had a disastrous fire and lost all their personal items, Christmas presents plus household goods. The
trailer was heavily damaged. Donations — both financial and personal — are being requested and can be sent to the Augustus Bove House, 11 Sebago Road, Naples, ME 04055. Please address checks to the Milton Family Fund. Toys and personal items can be left at the Augustus Bove House. There are four children, mostly teenagers. Sizes will be provided. Call 693-6365 for more information.
REVIEW, Page 10A
SERIOUS SMOKE DAMAGE resulted from a Dec. 22 fire at this home at 33 Green Street, Bridgton, displacing its owner, Don Miles. (Geraghty Photo) dig up the ceiling to make sure all embers had been extinguished. Garland said he was told the home was insured, and while it “looked rebuildable,” the amount of smoke and water damage was extensive. He said Miles, an older gentleman who lived alone, was able to stay with family members that night. Garland said he didn’t know of Miles’s long-term plans. He said the fire department’s chaplain lives on the street
and was able to offer assistance. The Dec. 22 fire was the first structure fire in Bridgton in “quite a while.” Earlier in the evening, the department had sent a tank truck to Otisfield to assist with a structure fire in that town. Around 45 firefighters responded to the call, with mutual aid provided by Naples, Harrison, Norway, Paris, Sebago, Denmark and Waterford.
Much-anticipated fire study expected soon
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer How efficient is the current call system of firefighting in Bridgton? Is the cost of equipping four district stations — central, north, west and south — the best use of limited funds, or would it be wiser to pay for professional firefighters? Those questions and others concerning the Bridgton Fire Department have long been debated in Bridgton, but — lacking a study — no answers were in sight. So it is with keen anticipation that Bridgton Selectmen are awaiting the results of an in-depth Fire Department Review and Strategies Report that will shape the face of firefighting in town in the years to come. Fire Chief Glen Garland is anxiously awaiting the study as well. Equipment Garland needs for the West Bridgton Station has been put on hold by selectmen until they have a chance to review the study, begun in May by a Massachusetts consulting firm, the Public Safety Strategies Group. The firm promised to submit a final report by Dec. 31 but, as of Monday, it still was unclear when the report would be ready. The consultants evaluated every aspect of
Year in Review
With the arrival of a New Year, here’s a look back at 2014, which saw physical changes in the Lake Region area landscape, some growing pains and rallies to help those in need. JANUARY Bridgton town officials revisit what work needs to be done to keep the Old Town Hall on North High Street both functional and safe. The price tag was pegged in the vicinity of $300,000. On the school front, SAD 72 and Fryeburg Academy agreed upon a new five-year contract, while SAD 61 wrestled with the idea of dispensing condoms at the high school level. School Board member Erica Pond-Greene said officials attempted to create a policy that was “respectful” to both sides — parents and students. Several members of the public questioned whether schools should be involved in the matter. “You are dealing with a lot of stuff you shouldn’t have to. It’s a different time and place than when I was growing up. I know you want to help the kids, but you are enabling parents to walk away from their responsibilities,” said Bridgton resident Robert
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Extensive smoke and water damage makes rebuilding questionable following a Dec. 22 fire at the home of Don Miles at 33 Green Street. The fire began in wood framing around a central chimney, and quickly spread into the wall between the kitchen and first-floor bedroom, said Fire Chief Glen Garland. “It was older construction, and the wood framing was too close to the chimney,” he said. Miles was home alone when he spotted what he thought was a fire in the ceiling, and went across the street to a neighbor’s house to call for help at 7:39 p.m. When the first fire truck arrived four minutes later, flames were coming out of the second floor, Garland said. “We were able to knock it down fairly quickly,” within 20 minutes, he said. Several more hours were needed to
fire department operations, including the command structure, deployment strategies, training levels, equipment needs and number of stations. Recommendations are expected to be made on whether to switch to a paid, professional department, and/or whether to require fitness testing and a wellness program for firefighters. The decision to fund the $13,000 study resulted in part from selectmen’s questioning the need for equipment and more space at the West Bridgton Station. Another factor was the decision two years ago to eliminate the position of assistant fire chief following the resignation of Tim Cook, who carried many responsibilities in the department for many years in the tradition of informal small-town firefighting. The study consultants were charged with factoring in future growth trends in town and the increase in recent years in the numbers of large approved subdivisions. Bridgton’s Fire Department boasts a 50member roster, but on any given call, only five or so members are available to respond immediately. The study will weigh the town’s heavy reliance on mutual aid from other towns, and the increased stress and injuries such reliance places on Bridgton’s firefighters.
Board eyes revisions to cell tower ordinance IN THE NEWS — Plenty of construction around the Lake Region including work on Route 11 (top); despite neighbors’ complaints, a new cell tower is headed for Hio Ridge Road in Bridgton; after eight years, Mitch Berkowitz left Bridgton as town manager, he was succeeded by Robert Peabody; and several longtime buildings came tumbling down, including Casco Memorial School.
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer It’s hardly surprising that Bridgton’s Tower Ordinance was high on the list, when the Bridgton Planning Board recently decided which ordinances to update this winter. The deficiencies in the existing document became glaringly clear during the board’s review of AT&T’s cell tower application on Hio Ridge Road. Nothing is currently spelled out requiring an applicant to notify abuttors in writing that a telecommunications tower is planned for their neighborhood. That omission of requiring abuttor notification cost the Planning Board dearly, in terms of goodwill, among neighbors on Hio Ridge Road. The residents’ level of shock and outrage over the cell tower plans was all the
more amplified when they learned after the fact that the review had begun. Now the board has drafted new language to ensure that nothing like that ever happens again. At their Dec. 16 meeting, the board reviewed new rules for tower developers requiring that all abuttors living within 1,000 feet of the proposed tower property line be notified in writing of the plans at least 12 days before the first meeting is held. The rules would require
those living within 500 feet of the tower property to be notified by certified mail, with regular mail to be used for the remaining notices. Notices by certified mail would also be required to be sent to any town located within 1,000 feet of the tower property, in cases where the project site is located near a town line. As with all other abuttor notifications, the developer must prove they mailed the TOWER, Page 10A
The Bridgton News Established 1870
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