Major investment Food City continues its ‘comeback in Bridgton’ by installing new freezers and meat coolers Page 2A
Dominant effort
Inside News
Lake Region’s Tianna-Jo Carter scores 20 points, hauls down 26 rebounds in big win over Greely
Calendar. . . . . . . . . . .9A
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Classifieds . . . . . . . . 8B Country Living . . .7A-8A Directory . . . . . . . . . . 7B Obituaries . . . . . 10A-11A Opinions . . . . . . . .6B-9B Police/Court . . . . 4A, 5A Sports . . . . . 1B-4B, 12B Towns . . . . . . . . . .7A-8A Weather . . . . . . . . . . 9B
www.bridgton.com Vol. 142, No. 5
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. 24 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
February 3, 2011
(USPS 065-020)
SIXTY CENTS
Local or regional?
Voters could decide dispatch’s fate
By Lisa Williams Ackley Staff Writer Town Manager Mitch Berkowitz is recommending to the Bridgton Board Below is the comparison of of Selectmen that voters should decide, Dispatch options prepared by via a referendum vote in June, the issue Bridgton Town Manager Mitch of whether or not the town retains its Berkowitz. own dispatching service or switches over The town manager’s executive to the Cumberland County Regional summary gives a comparison of Communications Center. dispatch services, costs and savThe Bridgton Board of Selectmen will ings. The purpose of the comparidiscuss options for dispatching services, son, Berkowitz said, “is to assist in when they next meet on Feb. 8, 2011. determining the most cost effective A report prepared for the town last year approach to providing dispatching by Public Safety Strategies Group out of services to the citizens and visitors Massachusetts concluded that the town in the town of Bridgton.” could save roughly $140,000 per year, by The cost to have the Cumberland changing from the local dispatching serCounty Regional Communications vice to the one operated by Cumberland Center perform dispatching services County. for the town would be $92,291, However, according to Town Manager while the cost of Bridgton Dispatch Mitch Berkowitz, should the town would be $283,489, for a savings of choose to change from Bridgton Dispatch $191,198, according to Berkowitz. to the Cumberland County Regional The cost shift to the Bridgton Police Communications Center, the first year savDepartment would be $150,732. ings would total about $40,000 “which Savings to the town (presumes continues to grow in years two and three all other costs increase at the same to about $125,000 and leveling off at that COSTS, Page 4A point. This is based upon current costs for both services and adding a full time admin“Some of these savings could be investistrative position to service weekday public ed in the upgrading of our transmitter and safety support,” the town manager stated. repeater capabilities, mobile data terminals
Tale of the Tape
for police cruisers and fire trucks and for a fulltime administrative support position to work for both Police and Fire,” wrote Berkowitz. “I did talk with representatives from Gray, Gorham and Standish and was informed that their overall satisfaction with time responses (from the CCRCC) was well within acceptable ranges. They also indicated that transmission quality was good.” Berkowitz has prepared a “Comparison of Dispatching Services” packet that shows the differences between Bridgton Dispatch and the Cumberland County Regional Communications Center (CCRCC) which he said “attempts to accomplish several goals.” “In reviewing this possible change I am aware that the town may lose what is considered a ‘tailored’ service for a standardized service which would rely upon technology and different people to ‘locate and dispatch’ all calls for services,” stated Berkowitz, in the “Conclusions” section of his comparison document. “The contemplation of this change coupled with the loss of local jobs makes such a decision a difficult one though very important.” “Such a change could impact both future budgets as well as the ability of the Bridgton Police Department to improve its service DISPATCH’S FATE, Page 4A
Berkowitz to Development Corp.: ‘Failure is not an option’ By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Amidst the elegance and ambiance of the Magic Lantern’s Tannery Pub, the 13 men and women chosen to lead Bridgton into a 21st Century global economy sat around a long conference table Tuesday. A 14th person, Lee Eastman, chairman of the Bridgton Economic Development Committee, sat in from Florida through the magic of a live video feed. If they didn’t know already of the serious commitment they were making in agreeing to serve on the board of directors of the newly-inaugurated Bridgton Economic Development Corporation, Bridgton Town Manager Mitch Berkowitz made that perfectly clear in his opening remarks. Bridgton stands at a crossroads, he said. Jobs are scarce. National chain development
looms. Small-town character is prized. Ordinances need updating. They, as members of a private non-profit corporation working with local government, must be the visionaries. The practitioners. The educators. The motivators. And, of course, the realists. As a tax-exempt corporation, they can buy and sell real estate; one of their first projects will be the redevelopment of the former Bridgton Memorial School on Depot Street, provided voters agree to sell the property to them at town meeting. It won’t be easy to find the right mix of retail and industrial development in a tourist town, Berkowitz told them. It goes without saying that everyone won’t be happy, no matter what they do. However large the challenge, “Failure is not an option,” Berkowitz said. Past initiatives
similar to the BEDC ended badly, because they didn’t sustain their core mission or the work that was needed. “Each of you now must undertake the task of defining our future, our values and who we will become, pending on which path is taken,” Berkowitz said. “As a community we have evolved,” and there’s a great need right now for experienced leaders with vision that are willing to work hard and try new initiatives to advance economic development. The board members, in short, are being asked to continue the proud legacy of the Bridgton Industrial Development Corporation, which revived Bridgton in the 1960s by attracting Malden Mills and Sebago Moc to town. Those two businesses revitalized the industrial sector, and provided a strong base for Bridgton’s growth spurt of the last quarter century. Before
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer A huge turnout is expected for next Tuesday’s public hearing on the future of big box stores and fast food restaurants in Bridgton. The joint selectmen-planning board hearing will get underway at 6 p.m. in the basement of the Bridgton Municipal Complex off Iredale Street. It will give residents the opportunity to understand and comment on two referendum questions
facing voters March 1, which would require amendments to the town’s Site Plan Review Ordinance. The first question asks whether fast food and/or formula restaurants should be prohibited in town and provides a definition stating that such restaurants are those that are “substantially identical” to one another regardless of ownership or location by virtue of the architectural design, uniforms, color schemes, signage, name,
presentation format or similar standardized features. The second question asks whether a limit of 30,000 square feet of gross floor area in the aggregate be imposed on any retail establishments in town located in a single building, a combination of buildings, single tenant space or combination of tenant spaces. Both questions apply to any application that was pending before the town as of Dec. 1, 2010. In the case of the fast
they closed their doors, the two manufacturers employed over 500 people from Bridgton and surrounding towns. At Tuesday’s meeting, members of the economic development committee formally voted to create the corporation, whose first order of business was to elect officers. Eastman, northeast director of Everlast Roofing Co., was voted in as chairman. Vice president will be Ed Rock, general manager and vice president of Shawnee Peak. Holly Dvorak, assistant vice president and branch manager of TD Bank, will serve as treasurer, while Patrick “Skip” Sullivan, retired auto industry executive, will serve as secretary. Dvorak and Sullivan, along with Selectman Woody Woodward, owner of Highland Lake Resort, are the three citizen board members who were appointed by the Board of CORP, Page 6A
Timber harvesting in shoreland zones? a workshop date of Tuesday, Feb. 22, to finalize language on the amendments before turning them over to the Board of Selectmen for possible inclusion in the June town meeting warrant. The amendments are being considered at the request of local resident Glen Zaidman, who thinks owners of property in the Shoreland Zone should
have the right to do tree harvesting on their land for the income it provides, and not only when a house is being built. At a public hearing on the issue held Jan. 25, Colin Holme of the Lakes Environmental Association said he was concerned that allowing timber harvesting in the Shoreland Zone could be used as a way to clear more than what is allowed
Bridgton audit: Assets increase
By Lisa Williams Ackley Staff Writer The auditor for the Town of Bridgton gave his annual report to the selectmen and members of the public, last week. During the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2010, the town’s total net assets increased by $437,216 to $10,611,888, according to Greg Chabot of Runyon Kersteen Ouellette Certified Public Accountants and Business Consultants, and net capital assets increased by $200,832. Chabot said general revefood question, the “reachback” provision will, if passed by nues accounted for $12,605,907 voters, prevent McDonald’s Corporation from building the 40-seat restaurant and adjoining retail space that was given final approval by the Bridgton Planning Board on Jan. 4. The second question, if By Lisa Williams Ackley passed by voters, will not only Staff Writer prevent any new retail develFRYEBURG — The auditor opment in town of 30,000 square feet or more, but will for the Town of Fryeburg rates also prevent existing business- this municipality’s financial position a “B or B-plus.” HEARING, Page 5A “I think you’re a healthy town,” said Ron Smith, CPA and principal of RHR Smith & Company, who has been performing the town’s audit for under normal clearing stan- five years now. “Your excise tax collecdards. He recommended that a management plan be required to provide oversight and accountability. Code Enforcement Officer Established 1870 Robbie Baker said the town P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. could ask the Maine Forest Bridgton, ME 04009 Service to come in on a consult207-647-2851 ing basis to help with any treeFax: 207-647-5001 cutting projects in the shoreland bnews@roadrunner.com TIMBER, Page 6A
Heated hearing expected Tuesday
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Most towns allow timber harvesting in their shoreland zones. Bridgton does not. That might change, however, under proposed amendments to the town’s shoreland zoning ordinance now being considered for all districts by the Bridgton Planning Board. The board on Tuesday set
BURRRR!!!!! — Mother Nature has sure been dishing out some nasty weather lately. First, the frigid cold which had many residents including Karen Erickson of Lovell bundling up. Now, a big storm was set to hit yesterday. (Rivet Photo)
in revenue, or 91.1% of all revenues. Program specific revenues consisting of charges for services and grants and contributions accounted for $1,229,610 in revenue, or 8.9% of $13,835,517 in total revenues. At the end of the current fiscal year, the unreserved fund balance for the general fund was $2,769,247, of which $406,549 has been internally designated for specific purposes. Summary & significant changes to general fund General Fund assets — BRIDGTON, Page 12A
Fryeburg: ‘You’re a healthy town’
tions were good,” Smith told Selectmen Rick Eastman, Tom Klinepeter and Ed Wilkey and Town Manager Sharon Jackson Jan. 27. According to Smith, Fryeburg’s General Fund shows that at the end of Fiscal Year 2010 (June 30, 2010) the town had assets of $3.3 million and liabilities of $2.175 million with a Fund Balance of $1.2 FRYEBURG, Page 12A
The Bridgton News