Mary ‘JoJo’ Cressy Fryeburg’s oldest citizen celebrating 105 years
Earth Day cleanups
Inside News
Area towns plan community events to welcome spring
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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 148, No. 16
20 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
April 20, 2017
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 6B
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Fire destroys Denmark home
DENMARK — The Denmark Fire Department responded to an early morning structure fire at 26 East Main St. in Denmark at 4:43 a.m., on Tuesday, April 18. The first unit passed the scene approximately six minutes after the call and reported seeing flames on all four sides of the building. Due to the balloon construction and the age of the house, the fire spread quickly through the roof and into the barn. Central Maine Power was called to disconnect the electrical wires from
the home so that firefighting apparatus, including the ladder truck from Bridgton Fire Department, could move in closer to the scene. All five residents, including four children, evacuated safely from the home and they were able to save some of their pets. However, some animals are still missing. Embers from the fire ignited leaf debris in the woods across the road from the house but fire crews were able to extinguish those fires before they got out of control. The home and barn are a
total loss but no residents or fire personnel were injured. The towns of Brownfield, Fryeburg, Hiram, Bridgton, Sweden, Harrison, Naples, and Sebago provided firefighting equipment and personnel to help fight the fire. United Ambulance was also on the scene. As of mid-morning on April 18, the cause of the fire was undetermined. The Fire Marshall’s Office has been notified and Denmark Fire Department is awaiting a fire investigator to examine the scene.
Gravel pit, Town of Harrison legal battle
is the same as writing a whole new” ordinance. “People on the waterfront get nervous when there is a change to the SZO. They feel RULES, Page 10A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer HARRISON — “We’ll have our lawyer call your lawyer,” might sound like a cliché line from the movie. But, in this case, it is the best course of action. It was what Harrison Town Manager George “Bud” Finch recommended. And, it was the plan of action decided upon by the Harrison Board of Selectmen “We have an attorney that represents the town. My advice is to have our lawyer talk to their lawyer,” Finch said. “It is out of our hands at this stage in the game.” “My advice is to thank the person for the information
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer DENMARK — Twin lambs that were born prematurely gave their owner a good scare. So much so that the female farmer asked a friend to take a look at the freezing, weak preemies and determine if there was any hope for the lambs. When Karen Smith, the owner of Shearbrooke Farm in Standish, went out to feed her sheep on Saturday it was obvious something was amiss. The other sheep were clustered away from one area, where a distraught ewe stood. Newborn twins lay in the hay. The pregnant ewe had given birth in the wee hours of the morning, said Smith’s friend, Jan Winsor. “The lambs were cold and weak. They weren’t moving or standing up. Their eyes were cloudy. It didn’t look good,” Winsor said. Winsor arrived at Smith’s house early in the morning on Saturday because the two women were sharing a booth during the fiber arts show that is part of the Denmark Sheepfest every April. The two women wrapped the lambs in blankets and placed them in a clear plastic storage container. Winsor placed the container on the floor of her truck and turned the heat on full blast. It did not matter that sweat was pouring down her forehead; Winsor had to warm up the lambs and hope that the twins would pull through a rough start to life. Once the fiber arts show
started, “we kept checking on the lambs every 20 minutes,” Winsor said. “Now, they are standing — that is so good. We didn’t think they were going to make it.” On Saturday afternoon, Winsor had stepped outside of the Denmark Arts Center to check on the lambs. Luckily, the runt was ready to bottle-feed again. “This is a good sign,” she said, cooing about a droplet of white milk on the black lamb’s little face. On Easter day, Winsor posted on her business Facebook Page, “Update on lambs! I just heard they went through the night waking up every three hours and then would settle down after eating like pigs.” On Saturday evening, the mother ewe was milked so that the newborn lambs could get the antibody-filled colostrum into their systems, Winsor’s post said. “In addition to doing Sheepfest, we wound up working hard to save twin lambs born prematurely. When we discovered them, they were very weak and cold. If left alone, they would not have had a chance of surviving,” she said. “After arriving (at Sheepfest) and having wonderful friends help set up our products for us, we stayed in the car blasting the heat and rubbing the lambs with towels to dry them off and warm them up. Getting their core temperature up was key in giving them a chance at survival. They warmed up and slowly got their sucking reflex so we were able to get LAMBS, Page 3A
Tuesday morning structure fire at 26 East Main St. in Denmark.
Shoreland rules online before public hearing By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer HARRISON — The proposed changes to the Shoreland Zone Ordinance (SZO) are now available on the Town of Harrison’s website. Harrison residents will be able to review the amended ordinance prior to its second public hearing on Thursday, April 27. The upcoming public hearing will start at 7 p.m. at the Harrison Town Hall. After the public hearing, the proposed amendments to the ordinance will likely appear as a warrant article during the Town Meeting. The other possible option is that the SZO amendments will be a decision for local voters during the November election. The State of Maine has required that all towns review a portion of the SZO and decide whether to keep two methods of calculating square footage of construction on Shoreland Zone property or to decide
on one method. The idea is to make the calculations easier for the homeowner desiring to expand their dwelling. Going with one more user-friendly calculation is one way to go. So, some towns are eliminating one of the two calculations. No matter what, the ordinance takes into account the structure’s distance from the water. “It is state-mandated. The state is trying to better define the issues that make it complex. Towns everywhere are going to change it sooner or later,” Harrison Town Manager George “Bud” Finch said, adding with the town meeting slated for June it seemed natural for town officials in Harrison to do it now. “This is not something that will make a great difference to the majority of people, but the town has to go through the whole process,” he said. “It is far more complex to go through the process than the change is worth. The process
EGG INSPECTION — A young girl double-checks the plastic eggs that have been tossed into a recycling bin before parting with the one in her hand. In the background, Casco Recreation Director Beth Latsey prepares to announce the winners of the drawing for two Easter baskets. (De Busk Photo)
and to let everyone’s lawyer settle it,” he said. The operator of a local gravel pit asked the selectmen for a stop-work order to be lifted so that he could start earning a paycheck again. Tony Campbell is the operator of Sargent Gravel on Plains Road. However Sargent Gravel, LLC is the company that owns the land and the business. John Schieferstein is the person who receives the Town of Harrison property tax bill for the land where the gravel pit is located. Sargent Gravel is not to be confused with Sargent Corporation, which does excavation work and is based
in Old Town. About two months ago, the District Court in Bridgton held the hearing for the case, the Town of Harrison versus Sargent Gravel, LLC and others, according to Harrison Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) John Wentworth. A representative from Sargent Gravel did not show up to court, he said. “It was a default judgment that resulted in civil penalties, costs and attorney fees for the town,” Wentworth said, referring to the court summary in his office. On Thursday, businessman Campbell presented his request and the details of his BATTLE, Page 5A
Premature twin lambs take lifesaving road trip to Sheepfest
PREEMIE LAMB REVIVED — This one-day-old lamb was one of two born prematurely on Good Friday. Jan Winsor, of Four Winds Farm, holds the runt which, along with its sibling, was doing fine on Saturday afternoon. The lambs, which are owned by Karen Smith, of Shearbrooke Farm, ended up going on a life-saving road trip to the Denmark Sheepfest. (De Busk Photo)
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