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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870 Vol. 152, No. 14
16 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
April 7, 2022
Legal Notices . . . . . . . 2B
www.bridgton.com
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$13.8 million budget won’t raise Naples mil By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES— The Naples Board of Selectmen are sending a proposed budget to Annual Town Meeting in a month’s time. Last Monday night, the selectmen voted to recommend the entire budget as presented. The Naples Budget Committee, which has been working steadfastly on the budget since January, also recommended the final product. The proposed budget totals $13.8 million, which is about five percent more than this fiscal year’s budget, according to Naples Town Manager John Hawley. That 5.9 percent increase means that the budget went up by $768,622 compared to the 2021-22 budget, he said. However, the increase equates to pennies for most taxpayers, he said. “This proposed budget will not change
the mil rate. What will change the mil rate is the result of the reval process,” Hawley said. One thing that may work in the taxpayers’ favor is that the town will be applying American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to reduce the budget by $374,444. On Monday, Hawley highlighted some of the changes during the joint meeting of the selectmen and the budget committee. The capital reserves line item took a 150 percent jump from last year, according to the budget paperwork. “Capital reserves — we proposed more. The main reason for that is that we under-budgeted,” Hawley said. Naples Chairman Jim Grattelo pointed out, “the lion’s share is paving.” Hawley moved onto the Capital Improvement line item, which dropped by 80 percent, saving the town a total of $115,000, according to a draft of the budBUDGET, Page 3A
Naples hires engineer for beach dredge plan
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — The shallowness of the water at the Naples Town Beach has prevented larger watercraft from launching there, and has concerned citizens operating smaller boats. Over the years, constantly shifting sand has caused the water to become even more shallow. It has gotten to the point that it is a public safety problem. The solution lies in getting a permit from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to dredge, or remove the sand thus making the water deeper. “An engineering plan needs to accompany any new permit request,” according to Naples Town Manager John Hawley. The Naples Board of Selectmen voted to hire an engineering firm, which is the first step toward applying for a permit to dredge. The board awarded the contract to Main-Land Development Consultant for a price of $11,500. The vote was unanimous with all five selectmen accounted for; Kevin Rogers joined the group via Zoom.
Last month, the state denied a permit that would have allowed the town to dredge in order to make the water deeper. The reason cited by the DEP is that the town has not been dredging regularly as part of maintenance plan, Hawley said. “Because the town hasn’t done any dredging there in the last five years, it requires review as if it were a first-time application. Because it’s not considered maintenance, it falls under a different category, essentially the construction of a new boat launch area. So, the new application requires that a dredging plan be engineered, and the engineering plans then have to be reviewed by the Army Corp of Engineers and then submitted to DEP for review and permitting,” Hawley said. “The goal was to get this done sooner than later because we all know that the boat launch is exceptionally shallow and needs to be dredged,” he said. The town sent out four invitations to bid and received three responses, he said. The three companies vying for the job were: Main-Land, Sebago Technics and Gorrill Palmer.
SAND IS GREAT on the beach, but not so great piled up in boat launch area. The Town of Naples hired the engineering firm Main-Land Development Consultants to assist with a DEP application to dredge Kent’s Landing. (De Busk Photo)
POWERFUL STORY — Charles Rotmil detailed his time as a hidden Jewish child during WWII and how his father was killed at a concentration camp during a special talk with Lake Region High School students last week. (Rivet Photo)
Tell the story...
...prevent a new lie
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer As Charles Rotmil watches television reports of Ukrainian women and children, carrying single suitcases and walking along roadways strewn with dead bodies, debris and burnt vehicles, he vividly remembers a similar time. Charles was 6 years old when his mother quickly packed and left with her three children to escape Nazi persecution. They walked 100 miles, sleeping on hay in barns along the way, to reach a train headed for safer destinations. “As people walked, German planes fired on us. We ran to the side of the road and jumped into the gully. I saw scene where a man and a woman were on a horse and carriage, and were killed. The horse was sliced in half. My mother tried to shield my eyes, as we walked right by them,” Charles recalled. “I had to be carried at one point. How far can I walk?” At age 89, Charles Rotmil tells his story as a hidden Jewish child during the Nazi reign of terror in Europe during WWII to provide a living history of the Holocaust, as well as providing a bold reminder to today’s youth to learn
SURVIVORS — Just Charles (right) and his older brother, Bernard, survived during the days of WWII. They were saved by going into hiding in Belgium. from the past to avoid his- ies. Some 30 years ago, tory repeating itself. Alternative Ed Teacher Ann Rotmil spoke to Lake Bragdon first met Rotmil Region High School while taking a course at Humanities class junior Bates College. He was one students last week as part of the Holocaust Human of their Holocaust studSTORY, Page 2A
Mgr. lands pact, solar moratorium vote By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer After the Bridgton Select Board held four closed negotiating sessions, officials presented Town Manager Robert Peabody with a new three-year contract at their March 8 meeting. Peabody agreed to the offer. The terms: salary at $125,000, $130,567 and $139,707; retirement at 9%, 10%, 10%; automobile allowance (the manager uses his own vehicle) at
$300, $325 and $350; vacation at 4 weeks. “I look forward to the next three years working with the town staff and continuing to shepherd the infrastructure projects we’ve started. I am appreciative of the town staff for their professionalism and support during the months it took to negotiate my contract,” Peabody said in a statement to The News. “I would also like to express my gratitude to all the townspeople who reached out to me with their kind
words. Lastly, my thanks to the Chair (Carmen Lone) for her leadership during a difficult negotiation. It is now time to move forward and continue our good work for Bridgton.” In person or by ballot? Due to COVID-19, Bridgton switched to a secret vote referendum ballot to act upon annual town meeting warrant articles. Did townspeople find this method more convenient or to their liking? Or, now with COVID-19 restrictions subsiding, is a return to the
in-person town meeting format a better approach? The Select Board will ask townspeople what approach they favor at the polls this June. Neighboring Harrison switched to a referendum vote on warrant articles a couple of years ago, and found greater participation by townspeople, who could access ballots in advance and cast them on election day. Prior to the vote, the town holds a public hearing to explain and answer questions regarding the articles. Bridgton will meet in
person on Wednesday, June 15. Elections are held on Tuesday, June 14 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Town Hall on North High Street. Solar Farm moratorium. One article on the
June warrant will seek a moratorium on solar farms. In their recommendation to seek the moratorium, the Planning Board noted, “Thus far, we have been BRIDGTON, Page 4A
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