Community Speaker, power of welcome; Valentine’s meal & music; Boxberry School open house Page 5A
Fantastic finishes
Inside News
Three local H.S. hoop games go down to the wire; track teams set for WMC finals
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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 150, No. 6
18 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
February 6, 2020
In Ye Olden Times . . . 8A
www.bridgton.com
(USPS 065-020)
95¢
$1,000 fee not part of the plan
Animal lovers pledge to jump
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer Animal lovers can go big. Animal lovers can demonstrate and prove their support of the local animal shelter by jumping in a lake — in the middle of the winter. The 18th Annual Freezing for a Reason polar jump is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Harvest Hills Animal Shelter. The jump is scheduled to take place the Saturday after Valentine’s Day, Feb. 15, along with the Maine Lakes Winter Carnival. This week, at the shelter, early registration has started and will run through Friday, Feb. 14. The shelter is located SPOTLIGHT IS ON Harvest Hills Animal Shelter at 1389 Bridgton Road, in Fryeburg. People must preregevery year when the zany fundraiser Freezing For ister in person. a Reason takes place at Highland Lake. HHAS There is still time to register to participate in the funExecutive Director Joan McBurnie (middle) interdraiser and to ask people to pledge money, according to views a couple of spotted friends. HHAS Executive Director Joan McBurnie. (Photo courtesy of Harvest Hills Animal Shelter) “I haven’t heard from somebody that it is hard for them “Some people go on Facebook and ask friends. Some to find donors, especially the young kids,” McBurnie said. “We have had kids as young as six years old raise quite a people make a GoFundMe page and raise donations that bit of money, from family members, from neighbors, from way. Everyone has their own niche for getting pledges,” she said. their own piggy banks.” Pledge sheets and registration forms can be picked up “It is a proud achievement to raise money for the shelter and jump in the lake,” she said. FREEZING, Page 4A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — The owner of a small business on the Naples Causeway withdrew an application to hold weddings on her property because of the $l,000 planner fee that she felt was unaffordable and unfair. Marie Kushner, the owner of Marie’s Kitchen in the Heart of Naples, withdrew her change-of-use application with the Naples Planning Board because she was being charged a cost of $1,000 to be paid upfront in order for the contracted planner to review her application. On Jan. 27, Kushner appeared before the Naples Board of Selectmen and asked if the fee could be waived. The answer was no. On Jan. 28, Kushner
e-mailed the town hall, saying she wanted to withdraw the application and cited the cost as being prohibitive. “I withdrew it the next day. I did it by e-mail. I was too upset to go in person,” she said. When asked if she WITHDRAWS, Page 3A
House to be completed, easement fee & fine levied
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Tim and Sarah Becker will see their new home on Highland Road fully built, but the construction process developed into a valuable lesson. Do not build until a written permit is in hand, Code Enforcement Officer Brenda Day had placed a “stop order” on construction in late December when she discovered when contacted to do a septic inspection on a “fully installed system” that a “written” permit had not been issued. Day also found a build-
ing permit, which was also pending approval. According to a memo to selectmen, Day noted that “a building permit cannot be issued without a septic design being permitted first.” Another issue surfaced when it was found that the septic design — which the engineer informed selectmen at their Jan. 28 meeting that due to restrictions at the site, the system was placed where a garage was once situated but it encroaches on town property — would require an easement from the town. Easements are granted by selectmen.
When Day checked the building site on Dec. 27, she found that the home was under construction by Main Eco Homes. A stop order was issued, but Day allowed MEH to complete roof work to protect the structure. Selectmen were presented an easement deed, which had been reviewed by the town’s attorney, at their Jan. 14, but tabled the matter until they had a chance to talk over the matter with the engineer, who designed the septic system, and MEH owner, Justin McIver. Chairman Lee Eastman voiced displeasure that the
board was being placed in a “difficult” position, having to approve an easement when a system was already in the ground without a permit. “It shouldn’t have started without real paper,” he said. Selectperson Carmen Lone agreed, “This is disturbing at a number of levels.” McIver said former Code Enforcement Officer (the late) Rob Baker had reviewed the proposal, gave him verbal permission to proceed and felt gaining an
easement would “not be a problem.” McIver paid a fee and expected the permits to be “forthcoming,” he told selectmen. “I took him (Baker) at his word that there was no issue,” he added. McIver noted that he had a good working relationship with Baker, and he “was the kind of guy that didn’t want to hold anything up,” and thus gave verbal authorization or “a handshake” with written permission to follow later. Since the town had approved a similar ease-
ment to an abutter, McIver did not foresee a problem arising with his request. Eastman, however, reiterated that the “proper way to go about the process” had not been followed, and now the board was “between a rock and a hard place” regarding whether to agree to the easement. The entire matter was further complicated by Baker’s sudden passing. Selectman Bear Zaidman added that since Baker “isn’t here to defend himself,” he found it hard to believe that EASEMENT, Page 4A
Request drives home need for public parking By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — Finding a parking space on the Causeway during the height of the summer might be similar to spotting a fourleaf clover on a lawn. It’s difficult to do, and a person feels lucky. A request by one Causeway business owner to use the Begin Estate field for public parking during large events turned into an acknowledgement that the property by the Naples fire station is an ideal overflow parking lot for everyone in town. The discussion also cleared up some misconceptions about reserved parking spots and grandfather rights to parking. Additionally, the elected officials discussed how the Begin lot might be improved with a little earthwork as well as signage along Route 302 to direct drivers to the
parking area. If a grant comes through, improved sidewalks could be constructed in a few years. On Jan. 27, Marie Kushner, the owner of Marie’s Kitchen in the Heart of Naples, appeared before the Naples Board of Selectmen. She had asked about overflow parking on the Causeway because she had hoped to expand the uses on her property to include weddings, a use that would draw a larger crowd. When she appeared before the selectmen, Marie’s Kitchen was on the Naples Planning Board agenda for the Feb. 4 meeting. Last week, Kushner withdrew her application because she felt she could not afford the $1,000 expense for the town-contracted planner’s work. Kushner’s request to use the Begin lot drove home the need for more public
parking on the Causeway — something with which the town has been struggling. Part of the parking problem is attitudes: Most people prefer to park close to where they are going and walking a distance can discourage people from spending time on the Causeway. During the Jan. 27 selectmen’s meeting, Kushner addressed several parking issues. She asked to use the Begin field for events at her business. She asked if other businesses could be encouraged to do the same. She asked about grandfathered rights to street-side parking on the Causeway. Also, she asked if it was possible to get employees of all business to park farther away and to save the street-side parking for customers. The answer that covers most of her inquiries is that the Town of Naples does not PARKING, Page 2A
By Ben Peierls LEA Research Director It may look quiet on an ice-covered lake, but there can be a world of life underneath the frozen surface. Last winter, Lakes Environmental Association staff found an extraordinary display of lake biology in these frigid waters. Hovering just below the two feet of ice and one foot of snow on Keoka Lake, an algae bloom made the lake
water look like diluted pea soup. This find was part of an expanded effort by LEA to assess lake conditions during winter time. Over the course of two and half months, LEA staff visited six different local lakes, three times each. Included were Highland Lake, Island Pond, Sand Pond, Stearns Pond and Trickey Pond, in addition to Keoka. Our goal was to build an understand-
ing of lake physical and biological conditions under the ice, how those conditions change throughout the season, and eventually whether there is a connection with summertime water quality. We had previously noticed more algae just below the ice on several lakes, but the March Keoka trip was exceptional. Our sensor that measures chlorophyll, a pigment found ALGAE, Page 2A
LEA study: Algae, not just summer visitor
FINALLY, the fruits of a lot of time, fundraising and planning will be realized at Stevens Brook Elementary School with the construction of a greenhouse. Pictured in front of the future location with Principal Cheryl Turpin and Academic leader Liz Shane are students (not in order) Jonathan Bueler, Grade 5; Kolt Doucette, Grade 4; Elle Pendexter, Grade 3; Emmalyn Miller, Grade 2; Ada Leland, Grade 1; and Kai Hagan, Kindergarten. (Rivet Photo)
Nine years in making Greenhouse soon to be SBES reality
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer When Principal Cheryl Turpin suggested that a greenhouse be built as an extended classroom for Stevens Brook Elementary School, she thought it would take a “little time” to raise money for the project. WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE — The long-awaited It took longer than expect- greenhouse at SBES will look like this photo, without ed — nine years. the brick skirting. “I just wanted to be alive to see this project done,” joked Turpin as she led youngsters representing each class at the school to the greenhouse site Established 1870 for a photo. “When you are P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. raising money at $500 at a Bridgton, ME 04009 time, that takes a long time. 207-647-2851 We’ve had many events to Fax: 207-647-5001 raise money and we’ve had a bnews@roadrunner.com GREENHOUSE, Page 6A
The Bridgton News