Off to D.C.
Headed for divorce?
Inside News
Two local residents will push their causes with trips to Washington
Town officials hear where SAD 61 and Sebago stand on withdrawal process
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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 148, No. 13
24 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
March 30, 2017
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 5B
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Choice is yours
Owner given chance to fix home, or it will be demolished
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer When Benjamin Guiliani Sr. looks at his house on 218 Willis Park Road, he admits the structure needs some work. Selectmen, however, see the two-story house as a dangerous building. Following a lengthy public hearing Tuesday night, selectmen decided to give GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE? — Bridgton selectmen deemed this Willis Park Road Guiliani a chance to save the home a “dangerous building,” but will give owner Benjamin Guiliani an opportunity structure from demolition. to make repairs and thus avoid having to tear down the structure. (Rivet Photo) By a 4-0 vote, the board followed a motion by
SAD 61 taps into reserves to address improvement projects
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer As SAD 61 officials considered a long list of perceived needs, tough choices had to be made to keep the proposed budget to within a 3% hike. Fixed costs — led by contracted increases in salaries and benefits — pushed the budget needle to the school board mandated threshold, leaving little room financially to address major purchases and projects. So, Superintendent of Schools Al Smith suggested that the Finance Committee dip into the Undesignated Fund Balance and Capital Reserve accounts to pay for a laundry list of improvements totaling $1,455,755 — with-
Important Budget Dates • Monday, April 3, 6 p.m., public hearing on the proposed budget, Great Room, Lake Region Vocational Center. • Tuesday, May 16, 6:30 p.m., district budget meeting, Lake Region High School gym. • Tuesday, May 30, budget validation referendum, ballot vote in all four district towns. out increasing taxes. Monday night, the Finance Committee agreed to move $1.1 million from the Undesignated Fund Balance into Capital Reserve to pay for: • $170,000 to replace two buses • $85,000 to upgrade the Lake Region High School elevator. While the present elevator is “grandfathered,” Smith said it needs to be big-
ger to accommodate special service needs of some students, and should be brought up to current code. • $328,255 for parking and traffic improvements at Lake Region Middle School • $475,000 for parking and traffic improvements at Songo Locks School • $41,745 for paving at Lake Region High School. Superintendent Smith said the current Undesignated
Selectman Bear Zaidman instructing Guiliani to: • Hire a structural engineer to evaluate the stability of the building, and file a report with the town, whether it can be repaired or whether it should be demolished. The engineer hired must be approved by the code enforcement officer. • The building must be secured immediately. • Proof of insurance must be submitted to the town. • If the owner fails to comply, the building will be demolished (at the owner’s expense) within 30 days. Guiliani opened the hearing asking Baker why he
felt the home should be torn down? Guiliani told selectmen that he had taken photos of other structures in town — that in his opinion — are in as poor of shape as his 218 Willis Park Road residence and should also be demolished. Board Chairman Greg Watkins told Guiliani that selectmen’s sole focus Tuesday night was his property, no others. As selectmen reviewed photos of Guiliani’s home, which included both interior and exterior pictures, Guiliani requested that he be given copies. He also quesFIX IT, Page 3A
Fund Balance (UFB) sits at $2,333,838. State statute allows school systems to carry forward 3% per year, which means over a threeyear period that figure could reach 9%. With some funds expected to rollover after this budget season — to be added to the remaining $1.2 million left in the UFB —Smith anticipates that SAD 61 will still have a good cushion (6% to 7%) available over the next two years. Procedurally, money from the UFB is shifted to the Capital Reserve Account, and is earmarked specifically for each project. Voters will then decide whether to expend those Capital Reserve funds. SAD 61, Page 3B
Naples eyes marijuana law moratorium; warrant article? By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — Many residents are curious to know how the Maine Marijuana Legalization Act will impact their town. Some Maine towns have already put into place moratoriums until the details of the law are sorted out on the state level. The Naples Board of Selectmen is highly likely to present a marijuana moratorium as a warrant article at the upcoming Town Meeting. By law, a municipality can put a moratorium in place until an ordinance is crafted to address the specific law — in this case the passage of the law allowing the recreational use of marijuana. How to govern the industry end of the pot business, such as retail shops and social clubs, is what will be controlled.
According to Selectman Rich Cebra, who two weeks ago suggested the moratorium be put on the agenda for discussion, “a moratorium is not a permanent ordinance.” Cebra indicated that he was reading from a Maine Municipal Association (MMA) newsletter. “By law, a moratorium is subject to 180 days, and has a 180-day extensions,” he said. “The idea is to put a moratorium in place while an ordinance is being developed,” Cebra said. Chairman Bob Caron II said, “It could be 360 days. We have that flexibility.” Naples resident Roger Clement weighed in on the topic. “I would like to recommend that we do in fact adopt a moratorium for a year or two until such a time that
we can develop a marijuana ordinance,” Clement said. The moratorium would not be official until it is approved at the town meeting. That is why the Naples selectmen have elected to discuss the issue now. “If there’s a decent enough reason to put it as a warrant article at the town meeting, then let’s talk about it,” Cebra had said earlier this month. Likewise, the passage of a permanent ordinance governing marijuana retail shops and social smoking clubs would also require a town meeting vote. But, the crafting of such an ordinance is several months to a year away. In fact, the selectmen have not yet directed the Ordinance Review Committee to begin that work; they are still wrapping up the town’s Sign Ordinance.
Both Cebra and Caron have heard from Naples residents regarding their concerns about the legalization of pot. At the beginning of Monday night’s meeting, Caron said, “Since this came out, I received two e-mails from Naples residents, and also a letter from the Planning Board Chairman Larry Anton that outlines (his) concerns for the Town of Naples.” A few weeks ago, after the March 13 meeting, Cebra said, “There were five Naples residents” who contacted him. “They all pretty much were saying the same things,” Cebra said. “They had been reading about what is going on in Augusta” with the marijuana legislation. According to Cebra, who serves in the House of MARIJUANA, Page 5A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — The dam in Casco has been completed for several weeks now. Once the Pleasant LakeParker Pond Dam was finished, a crew continued work on completing the Casco Fish Hatchery pipes — which is a construction project paid for by the Department of Inland Fisheries, not the town. A week ago, the earthwork or backfill was completed at the wings of the dam. So, the concrete spillway-
gate dam is done. What next? Well, Wednesday morning is a big day in the life of the brand new dam. “The design engineer will complete an inspection tomorrow,” Casco Town Manager Dave Morton said on Tuesday. Morton updated the Casco Board of Selectmen — as he does every meeting — on the construction project shared with the Town of Otisfield. “There will actually be two inspections,” Morton said.
“One to make sure everything is as it is supposed to be on the engineer’s designs,” he said. “Then, they will be removing the coffer dam and testing the gate in the dam to make sure it is watertight,” Morton said. He did not say whether or not he would be on-site to see how the dam rates during Wednesday’s inspection. The test of the dam will require that all other obstacles that impede the flow of water are removed. Except for the removal of the coffer dam, which will
be done on Wednesday, the crew has removed the sheeting from the Mill Pond that was placed there so they could work. Depending on the outcome of the inspection, the construction crew will either troubleshoot any problems or the crew will permanently remove the coffer dam and “flood the mill pond” so that “things will be back as they were,” Morton said. “They will have to come back in the spring and complete the seeding and stabilization and regrassing of the slopes,” he said.
Inspections next for Casco dam
BETH DOONAN is a Bridgton businesswoman who took a risk at the right time, opening her café on the cusp of the Great Recession and later buying another building on Main Street and relocating Beth’s Kitchen Café to its current home.
One on One with...
Beth Doonan By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer Beth Doonan is a mainstay at her namesake coffeehouse — a familiar face with an easy smile and flour handprints on her black apron. At Beth’s Kitchen Café, people know that they can find gluten-free products and homemade meals that satisfy the palate. People know that they can get their caffeine fix while supporting local roasters. People know they can rely on the cheerful and welcoming service from early in the morning through the afternoon. What people don’t know about Beth they might find as pleasant as the smell of fresh-brewed coffee and stillwarm cinnamon rolls. Although hesitant to reveal her private life to the public, Beth explains how she has honed in on her own spirituality and found her true calling in life through baking and serving others. Beth is proud to have been a single mom and doesn’t have a doubt she will always be a solid foundation for her two children, who are now young adults. Beth’s list of outdoor recreational activities, that she embarks on as a way of relaxing, is as long as her workONE ON ONE WITH, Page 12A
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