The Inside News
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Sports beat
Virtual Porter clock talk; Club’s goodwill gesture; Birds and their environment
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 6B
Local track athletes take advantage of smaller field; LR pulls off OT thriller
Page 5B
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 7B Country Living . . . 5B-6B Directory . . . . . . . . . . 6B
Page 6A
Obituaries . . . . . . 2B-3B Opinions . . . . . . . 1B-4B Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . 6A-7A Student News . . . . . . 5A Games . . . . . . . . . . . . 4B
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870 Vol. 152, No. 5
16 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
February 3, 2022
Legal Notices . . . . . . . 2B
www.bridgton.com
(USPS 065-020)
95¢
BRAG turns rec complex over to town By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer When Bridgton voters agreed to take over the BRAG sports complex, Larry Carter and Bill Macdonald hoped to finish up a “punch list” of remaining items to complete the project. But, obstacles stood in the way. Fundraising was ongoing, but money trickled — not poured — in. Lining up contractors, who were willing to donate their time, but had busy schedules, was tricky. An unexpected problem with the irrigation forced extra money and time spent to redo the water system. Meanwhile, volunteers came and went. The Carters — Larry, who maintained the facility and Lynne, who spearheaded fundraising events — remained on a steady course to see the project through. Macdonald was anxious to turn the complex over to the town, but only when the project was completed. It took 15 years since voters acted on acceptance to reach mission accom-
Station fixes at $1.5M
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — The poor condition of the pavement has been a concern at the Naples-Casco Transfer Station for a number of years. Every rainstorm makes it a mess for the residents who bring their household trash and recycling there. The pavement is not the only fix that is being proposed for the upcoming budget cycle. Recently, the Naples Board of Selectmen heard about plans to improve the transfer site that are likely to cost approximately $1.5 million. The Town of Naples shares the facility with the Town of Casco, and people from both towns sit on the Bulky Waste and Transfer Station Council. “The council has been working with Sebago Technics who have drafted a plan that would provide two lanes of one-way traffic up at the transfer station to include two sets of recycling bins, new pavement in the areas most vulnerable to potholes, and repairs to the retaining wall in the bulky waste areas,” Naples Town Manager John Hawley said. “The estimate for all improvements comes to about $1.5 million before bidding. The proposal from the council will be for the towns to consider a bond for the improvements and the cost, naturally, shared between the two communities. This cost will be reflected in the proposed budget for UPGRADE, Page 8A
plished (somewhat), and on Tuesday, the Bridgton Select Board unanimously agreed for the town to assume responsibility on July 1. Town Manager Bob Peabody will meet with staff to determine funding needed for maintenance and some purchases (such as mowing equipment). Larry Carter, who served as clerk of the works, gave town officials a rundown on what has been completed and what remains to be done before July 1. Primarily, the to-do is completion of a concession building, which needs exterior siding and interior work (from plumbing and electrical). Quotes are being sought, and work will be addressed this spring. Carter outlined his work, from mowing to fertilizing to general upkeep at the complex. After years of service, Carter — who figures works about 700 hours from April to October at the facility — plans to head to Florida as part of retirement, but will be back in the area during the summer. “I love doing it, it’s for a great cause — the kids, That’s what I am all about. I want to see a place where kids and parents can go,” Carter said. “The grass was really nice this sum-
ICY START TO THE DAY — Ice fishermen at sunrise in late January on Moose Pond when the temperature was minus19 degrees! The minute the sun cleared the trees, it lit the area and the fog started to rise. (Photo by Nancy Campbell) mer, very green, coming along nicely. The ball fields are in good shape.” Macdonald noted that money appropriated by the town covered maintenance at the complex, while fundraising efforts addressed construction costs and materials. “We do what we can with what we have; we’re grateful to the town, but it doesn’t quite cover everything,” he said. Carter and Macdonald pointed out that once the town takes over the sports complex, BRAG will continue in its mission to support recreation. “BRAG will be around, we’re not dissolving, we’ll continue to raise money;
whatever we sell will go toward the complex,” Carter said. Selectman Bear Zaidman asked whether BRAG had planned to “rent” the complex to outside groups this upcoming season? Macdonald noted that the complex is primarily used by town rec programs, and at this time, there hasn’t been a move to bring in a summer soccer camp. State baseball tournament is on the docket. “It’s not utilized as much as it could be. We don’t have the capacity — we have just one person overseeing the complex — to bring concert series in, like a rec director can,”
$1.3 MILLION UPGRADE is scheduled for the Fryeburg Academy sports complex, which will include a turf field, lighting and new bleachers and press box.
FA to install turf field, add stadium lighting FRYEBURG — The Home of the Raiders sports complex will look quite different this coming fall. Fryeburg Academy’s Board of Trustees recently voted to move forward with an exciting plan to install synthetic turf and lights at the school’s current football field location. This new complex will create a lasting, permanent, multisport use addition to the Academy campus. Last fall, the school retained Activitas, Inc., a Boston-area firm specializing in planning, landscape architecture, civil engineering, and athletic facility planning, to consult on
project design and related considerations. The plan’s initial phase includes: • An infilled synthetic turf field suitable for soccer, football, boys’ lacrosse, girls’ lacrosse, and field hockey. • Seating for 600 spectators. • A new press box. • Sports lighting, a new scoreboard, and a sound system. • Various parking improvements. “The project will benefit male and female athletes equally and allow teams to utilize an outdoor field much earlier in the spring,”
FA officials said. “Not only will the upgraded facility provide practice and competition surfaces on par with those of conference competitors, but it will also expand scheduling possibilities for FA teams and allow use by middle school and local recreation programs, facilitating a unified K-12 extracurricular program.” The Academy also plans to generate revenue through use for regional athletic events and rental by sports clinics, and summer camps. FA’s head of school Erin Mayo stated, “We’re very excited. With so many benTURF, Page 3A
Macdonald noted. However, during the sports seasons, the fields are often buzzing with activity. People also use the fields to fly kites and drones. “There’s always a breeze, and very few black flies,” Macdonald said. Selectman Bob McHatton, who was chairman of the board when the town voted on field acceptance in 2007, said Bridgton is fortunate that a group took on developing rec fields, and praised the efforts of those volunteers
involved over the years. “I feel personally strongly about, I didn’t want to turn over an unfinished project. I wasn’t super comfortable turn over a promise not fulfilled,” Macdonald said. “Now, July 1, concession stand be done, last item on our list. No we don’t have funds in house to finish the project; we’ll get quotes, material list what we need, what can you donate in labor? We’re ahead of the game because we’ve developed relationships along the way; get BRAG, Page 2A
Casco to revive Budget Committee
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — An extra set of eyes comes in handy, one selectman said. The locally elected officials agreed wholeheartedly that they would like the assistance of a committee for the upcoming budget planning process. A few years ago, former town manager Courtney O’Donnell decided to disband the Casco Budget Committee in favor of the selectmen having a more active role in planning the budget. On Tuesday, current Town Manager Anthony Ward asked the Casco Board of Selectmen what it desired as far as re-establishing the budget committee. The response was favorable for bringing back into existence what Ward referred to as the “budget advisory committee.” Ward recommended that the meetings be held for both the board and the committee to attend at the same time — if the board were to decide to have a budget committee revitalized. “If you do go with that, you should have joint meetings between the board and committee simultaneously so that you hear the exact some presentation at the same time,” Ward said. He was referring to department heads that provide a summary of their department’s budget. Also, sometimes, community groups come forward with requests for financial assistance from the town. Ward said it would take about a month to get together the volunteers for the committee. That timeframe would dovetail nicely with the time of year the budget process typically begins in Casco. Selectman Scott Avery provided his viewpoint. “I like the idea of a budget committee. I always have. It’s an extra set of eyes,” Avery said. “I like the idea of working together as a group of people, to hammer it out, to let the taxpayers know a few more people than us are making the decisions.” Chairman Mary-Vienessa Fernandes shared her thoughts. “When the board was directly involved with it, I saw it as a positive, because we weren’t directly involved in the past,” she said. She had enjoyed being able to better explain BUDGET, Page 8A
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