Wild bird chase
Helping others
Columnist Jean Preis joins the search for a chance to see a surfbird
Inside News Calendar . . . . . . . 7A, 9A
FA students use math skills to create something useful, beautiful for Foundation
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Classifieds . . . . . . 6B-7B Country Living . . . 6A-9A Directory . . . . . . . . . . 5B
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Obituaries . . . . . . 7B-8B Opinions . 1B-4B, 8B, 9B Police/Court . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . 11B Student News . . . . . 10A Games . . . . . . . . . . . . 5B
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 146, No. 14
24 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
April 2, 2015
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . 12B
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Opportunity knocked
Police Chief leaving for Windham
CASTAWAY Ryan Holt of Harrison will appear in the season premiere of ‘Naked and Afraid’ on the Discovery Channel on Sunday, April 19.
Ryan unafraid of naked journey
‘Naked and Afraid’ — “It’s where the strong show what they are made of.” By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer HARRISON — As a U.S. Marine, Ryan Holt faced precarious and dangerous situations during tours of action in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now, he faces a new test of will and survival. Ryan and a complete female stranger will be stranded with no food, water and clothing — yes, the castaways will be nude — in the Everglades for 21 days. Will they have the brains and brawn to endure the harsh conditions? The answer will be revealed on the season premiere of Naked and Afraid on the Discovery Channel on Sunday, April 19. In its third season, Naked and Afraid takes “survival of the fittest” to the next level. Each week, a new pair of complete and total strangers — one man and one woman — will find themselves stranded in and, quite literally, exposed to some of the world’s most extreme weather environments. The series, which has aired 27 episodes, has dropped off castaways in tropical and treacherous spots across the globe from Botswana to Cambodia to the Bahamas and Amazon to Nicaragua and Bolivia. “Each couple battles the elements, each other, and their own inner weaknesses to see who will triumph over the terrain or fail under the force of nature,” the Discovery Channel website says. After they meet in the assigned locale, the partners strip down and must find and/or produce water, food, shelter, and clothing within the environment. They are provided with rough cross-body satchels containing a personal diary/camera — for use when the camera crew is not there at night — and a map. They all wear identical necklaces with a center bead, which is a microphone that has a wire that connects to a wireless audio transmitter hidden in the satchel. Some personal jewelry is allowed. Each survivalist is allowed to bring one helpful item, such as a hatchet or a fire starter. There is a camera crew who are not allowed to intervene except for medical emergencies when it is “absolutely necessary.” Viewers are updated throughout with statistics including how many days have passed, the time and the temperature. Participants must be at least 21 years of age. So, how did Harrison native Ryan Holt land the role of Naked and Afraid castaway? His military training makes him a solid candidate to survive environmental challengNAKED BUT UNAFRAID, Page A
Couple honored for heroic act By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer NAPLES — He never hesitated. In fact, he acted so fast he didn’t even take time to put on his shoes or shirt or life jacket. When 79-year-old Edward Sorenson heard the cries for help coming from the darkness out somewhere on Brandy Pond, his only thought was saving their lives. For that reason, and for his wife’s quick thinking in calling 911, Ed and Roberta Sorenson were selected for this year’s Civilian Valor Award by the Maine Sheriff’s Association. “Quite frankly, it happened so quickly he just acted instinctively to go out there and help,” said Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce, who nominated the Sorensons for the award, which is voted on by a number of sheriffs in Maine. “For Mr. Sorenson, it was all in a day’s work.” Joyce accepted the award at the association’s March 19 banquet on behalf of the Sorensons, who are summer residents of Naples and were unable to attend from their home in Pompano Beach, Fla. The criteria for the valor award is straightforward, Joyce said. It is given to someone who “puts their own life in danger to help somebody else out.” Ed was relaxing in his shorts, watching TV around 9 p.m. Sept. 2, inside his Cobby Road cottage, when he heard male voices yelling for help. They sounded like HEROISM, Page A
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer When he first came to Bridgton four years ago, Police Chief Kevin Schofield figured he’d probably be retiring here. Then opportunity knocked. He’d heard that Rick Lewson was retiring as chief of the Windham Police Department, which is three times the size of Bridgton’s with its own detective unit, drug enforcement investigator, canine unit, honor guard and school resource officer. With still a decade or so to go before hanging up the badge, Schofield, 48, couldn’t resist the challenge, or the opportunity. He applied for the job, and on March 24 the Windham Town Council confirmed Schofield’s appointment from a pool of 50 candidates. His last day in Bridgton will be Friday, April 10, and he’ll start in Windham on April 21. It will be his second chief’s job, after serving 21 years with the Brunswick Police Department, leaving as commander, and four years before that as a patrol and school resource officer for the Topsham Police Department. His starting salary will be $76,355, about $12,000 more than he makes in Bridgton. He’ll oversee a force of 27 officers, compared with Bridgton’s eight-person depart-
ment. Considering that Brunswick has 49 police officers, Schofield feels up to the challenge of leading a larger and more diversified department. But he said his parting from Bridgton will still be bittersweet. “Working in a smaller town has helped me in so many ways, because I got to know the people and I got to go on a lot of calls, at least a couple a week,” Schofield said. “That’s the hard thing about leaving. People like to see their police officers on the street.” Selectmen Chairman Bernie King anticipates it will take three to six months to find Schofield’s replacement, and that the process will be similar to when Schofield was hired to replace former Police Chief Dave Lyons. “I liked Kevin. He was very professional and personable. I’m sorry to see him go, and wish him the best,” King said. An interim chief will need to take over until a new chief can be hired, King said, although whether that person will come from inside or outside the department remains to be seen. Selectmen will discuss the process at their next meeting on Tuesday, April 7. King said there will be a hiring committee that will include someone from the community and per-
FOR NOT MUCH LONGER — Bridgton Police Chief Kevin Schofield stands beside the door to his office, which he’ll be leaving on April 10 after four years to become police chief in Windham. haps a retired police chief. Proud of progress Schofield said he’s proud of the technological improvements that have come to the Bridgton Police Department CHIEF, Page A
Red Iron Bridge’s fate sealed By Emily Butterfield Contributing Writer FRYEBURG — Despite the best efforts and pleas from townspeople, the Red Iron Bridge in North Fryeburg can’t be saved. Selectmen reiterated the bridge’s fate is virtually a done deal at their meeting last Thursday. At their March 19 meeting, Diane Jones and others asked selectmen for their help in saving the bridge any way they could. The Red Iron Bridge on McNeil Road in North Fryeburg was closed in 2013 due to concerns about its structural integrity and safety. That same year, voters overwhelmingly supported the state-funded removal of the bridge, as opposed to allocating $600,000 to repair it or $750,000 to replace it. Jones stated that taking the bridge out would be a public safety concern.
BRIDGE SCHEDULED FOR REMOVAL — Despite efforts to save the Red Iron Bridge in North Fryeburg, the bridge is slated for removal in July. Saco Valley Fire and his men have to reach Department Chief John McNeil Road. He also called Plowden said that the clos- between Old River Road and ing of the Red Iron Bridge Harbor road an “awkward has added three minutes to intersection. There’s only the response time when he room for one vehicle in either
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Last week, Point Sebago was on a fastpaced timeline with the Town of Casco to come before that town’s planning board and selectmen, and to get approval on the amendment to a Contract Zone Agreement (CZA) that had been headed for Town Meeting on June 10. However, that course was altered this Friday when Point Sebago Resort withdrew its application with the town for an extension. Previously, an agreement between the local business
and the town had remained in limbo, or “at loggerheads” as Casco Board of Selectmen Thomas Peaslee said during a March 24 meeting. One of the points of disagreement was the number of years to be applied to a temporary extension. The town advocated for one year, while Point Sebago’s lawyer requested a three-year extension. That and other factors came into play on Friday as Point Sebago opted to officially withdraw its application. Almost immediately, the town posted on its website the subsequent cancellations of the
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Bridgton’s Budget Committee doesn’t think the town can afford to hire a new administrative assistant to help keep up with all the paperwork of the Community Development Block Grant program. The four-member committee of Earl Cash, Art Triglione, Bill Vincent and Vanessa Jones also doesn’t think the Transfer Station needs another employee. But they’re split 2-2, on the question of whether the
Bridgton Police Department needs another police officer. The committee gave its recommendations to selectmen at their March 24 meeting. All down the line, they have urged a more frugal approach than that proposed by Town Manager Bob Peabody. The committee suggests reducing funding to outside agencies by 20% per agency, based on last year’s requests, and thinks the 20% reduction ought to be continued each succeeding year until the amount is zero. The com-
section and it’s very hard to see around.” Selectman Paul Naughton said that their hands were tied, but they would try to see if anything could be done. He also noted that even though the bridge is closed, it still poses a public safety threat. “If someone were to ride their bike across that bridge and have the deck collapse catastrophically, the state would be responsible.” “It sounds like the state is pulling the wool over our eyes with the condition of the bridge,” said North Fryeburg resident Justin Lipson, who also felt that there must be some ulterior motive to remove the bridge. “There’s no reason to take the bridge out.” Town Manager Sharon Jackson gave a quick timeline of all the events starting in 2009 and ending with a sumBRIDGE, Page A
Pt. Sebago withdraws extension
DURING A TOUR of the gated community, Casco Planning Board members saw homes in stages of development along Deer Run at Point Sebago Resort. Casco Planning Board meet- as well as the Public Hearing ing that was specially sched- slated to happen before the uled on Monday to hurry up two boards on April 7. EXTENSION, Page A the Point Sebago paperwork
Budget Committee weighs in mittee also would like to see last year’s $9,000 allocation to the North Bridgton Library returned to the General Fund, and not given to the Bridgton Public Library. They want the
library to be held accountable to deliver an annual financial statement to the town, including assets, liabilities and working capital, before the budget BRIDGTON, Page A
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