Firing up the grills The Fryeburg Fairgrounds will host the Western Maine BBQ Festival this July Page 1B
Sports previews
Inside News
Lake Region, Fryeburg Academy tennis; Raider girls’ lacrosse looks to step up their game
Calendar. . . . . . . 4B. 8B
Page 1C
Classifieds . . . . . . . . 4D Country Living . . .5B-7B Directory . . . . . . . . . . 3D Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 6D Opinions 1D-3D, 5D, 7D Police/Court . . . . . . . 5C Sports . . . . . . . . . 1C-4C Student News . . . . . . 2C Towns . . . . . . . . . .2B-3B Weather . . . . . . . . . . 5D
www.bridgton.com Vol. 142, No. 16
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. 28 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
April 21, 2011
(USPS 065-020)
SIXTY CENTS
Phillips to leave SAD 61 By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Truly, Patrick Phillips thought he would end his educational career as SAD 61’s Superintendent of Schools. Hearing about dramatic changes in the Maine State Retirement System, as well as seeing his contribution to his two daughters’ college education rising, Phillips calculated he would need to find a new job that pays more and he would need to work a few years beyond his anticipated retirement date. Phillips immediately found the “right fit.” Last week, he was selected as the new superintendent for Regional School Unit (RSU) 23, which serves Saco, Dayton and Old Orchard Beach. RSU 23 had received 14 applications for the position,
and a search committee interviewed seven finalists. Phillips will begin his new job July 1. “It was a very tough decision. It wasn’t me looking at the market and being opportunistic. I recognized my daughters’ college tuition was going up this year, and the odds are very high that there will be changes in the retirement system, expecting people like myself to contribute twice as much per year. It was a calculation for me about survival. People probably think, ‘What the heck, he is probably one of the highest paid individuals in the region,’ but the fact is, we get big tax bites. A third of my income goes to taxes. Another third goes to my daughters (one is a junior and the other probably be in graduate school, and I want to
help her out),” he said. “I was looking forward to finishing out my career here. The board and I had talked about it. They hoped it was going to be my last job, and so did I. Seeing what is going on with the retirement system as well as cost of living, I found that the final three years of salary I earned would determine what my retirement would be. What you do in those final years really makes a difference.” Phillips said the difference in salary between the two school districts is “significant.” He added, “It was an offer that I could not refuse.” Phillips strongly believes his departure occurs at a time that SAD 61 is in very capable hands. “The work here, that I have done over the past three years,
is well underway. Part of the calculation for me was my confidence level in the ability of the excellent team of professionals, whom I work with, that the projects and work would be in good hands,” Phillips said. He cited the efforts of new high school principal, Ted Finn, and a “group of professional staff members that are really stepping up to the plate with great energy and imagination” as they reinvent and reshape Lake Region High School’s curriculum. “I have been progressively stepping back over the past year as leadership there has taken on full responsibility for that work. I have still been involved and gone to a number of meetings, but I am finding more and more, they don’t need me as PHILLIPS, Page 6A
BCC services impacted by cut
By Lisa Williams Ackley Staff Writer Last week, members of the Bridgton Community Center’s Board of Directors urged the Bridgton Board of Selectmen not to cut their usual $75,000 appropriation by $7,500, or more, saying it could impact the programs they offer to local citizens. Selectman Paul Hoyt told Steve Collins, who is president of the Community Center’s Board of Directors, April 12, “I assume you’re here about the (proposed) cut. Basically, we went down the line and cut from a lot of places where we hadn’t in the past.” “This is going to be a serious cut out of our ability to
Causeway concerns
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — Causeway crosswalks and wooden railings on the public dock surfaced at a selectmen’s meeting when talk turned to the construction transforming Route 302 as it passes through town. On Monday, the Naples Board of Selectmen brought up the concerns and questions they’ve heard from residents as it becomes more apparent how the Causeway might look when summer traffic arrives in late May. Selectman Christine Powers said she’s had conversations with many people who have wondered where the crosswalks will be going in. According to Selectman Rick Paraschak, a traditional crosswalk by Rick’s Café would not be safe after the widening of the Route 114 intersection is completed. “Rick’s Café was the worst place to put in a crosswalk,” Paraschak said. Selectman Robert Caron Sr. commented on human behavior, saying, “I don’t care how many crosswalks they put (on the Causeway), people are going to cross wherever they want.” Paraschak pointed out that one of the areas where the town would like a permanent crosswalk is being redesigned so it meets the requirements of the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT). “We wanted to put in a crosswalk between the (Naples Public) library and the ice cream shop,” Paraschak said. The curb on one side will be lowered to make it a legal crosswalk, he said. Naples Town Manager Derik Goodine explained the need for a railing along the public dock,
CAUSEWAY, Page 6A
provide for the town,” Collins said. “Since the Community Center opened, we have been running on a moral handshake. A 10% cut would really cut in to the muscle and bone of our budget.” Collins explained that the Community Center directors had “looked very hard at our what our income is” and felt that 3.5% to 4% of the budget could be made up by increasing fees, imposing fees or increasing fees where there had been discounts. A cut in services? “This is not a threat,” Collins stated, “but we are going to have to cut services.” “We are open on demand, five days per week,” Collins
explained. “We may have to curtail the hours.” “And, there are going to be some good things for the community that are going to fall off the end,” said Collins. “Even with grants — we have found a number of problems seeking grants — we see a need to host a certain activity for the town and no one (grant program) is funding that — grants are more for bricks and mortar — but, if you want to find grants for programs, as the economy teeters, everyone’s shaking the grant tree harder and harder.” Board of Directors member Mike Tarantino said the Community Center’s budget for last year was about $107,000. “We don’t charge for pro-
grams brought in by other agencies and groups,” said Carmen Lone, executive director of the Bridgton Community Center. “We don’t charge fees for programs like LEA’s Discovery Kids. Our most popular program is the Senior Lunch program for senior citizens. Right now, we charge just a $2 donation, and we already have shortfalls due to increasing costs. Several support groups meet at the Community Center and we don’t charge them a fee — Alzheimer’s Support group, Pathways through Grief, Narcotics Anonymous, a Parkinson’s Disease Support group, a Medicare Advocate and a COPD (Chronic Obstructive BHCC, Page 6A
U.S. CENSUS — POPULATION GROWTH Greater Bridgton Towns (Largest to Smallest) Windham Bridgton Raymond Naples Casco Fryeburg Harrison Sebago Brownfield Waterford Baldwin Denmark Lovell Sweden Stoneham
2010 pop
2000 pop
2000 – 2010 Percentage of Growth
1970 pop
1970 – 2010 Percentage of Growth
17,001 5,210 4,436 3,872 3,742 3,449 2,730 1,719 1,597 1,553 1,525 1,148 1,140 391 236
14,904 4,883 4,299 3,274 3,469 3,083 2,315 1,433 1,251 1,455 1,290 1,004 974 324 255
14.1% 6.7% 3.2% 18.3% 7.9% 11.9% 17.9% 20% 27.7% 6.7% 18.2% 14.3% 17% 20.7% -7.5%
6,593 2,967 1,328 956 1,256 2,208 1,045 708 478 760 878 397 607 110 160
158% 75% 234% 305% 198% 56% 161% 143% 234% 104% 74% 189% 88% 255% 48%
Growth spurts 2010 Census says Harrison, Naples post highest percentage increases By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Bridgton’s population grew by 6.7% in the 2010 Census, but the biggest growth spurts were reported in Naples and Harrison, where population grew by 18.3% and 17.9%, respectively. Bridgton’s population is now officially over the 5,000 mark, at 5,210 residents, up from 4,883 in 2000. Raymond, which saw a 3.2% increase in population, is not far behind, at 4,436 residents, up from 4,299 in 2000. Naples is just behind Raymond at 3,872 residents, up from 3,274 in 2000, and Casco is the fourth largest town in the Greater Bridgton region, at a population of
3,742, up from 3,469. Fryeburg also saw respectable growth, showing an 11.9% increase from 3,083 to 3,449 residents, and the smaller towns of Baldwin and Denmark showed a percentage of growth of 18.2 and 14.3%, respectively. Countywide, Cumberland County’s population grew by 6%, from 265,612 in 2000 to 281,674 in 2010 — the fastest rate of growth of any of Maine’s 16 counties. Statewide, the population of Maine has grown by 4.2%, from 1,274,923 residents to 1,328,361 residents. Looking beyond simple population counts, the U.S. Census’ American Fact Finder Website provides some revealing numbers on poverty lev-
els in the Greater Bridgton towns. In Bridgton, 15.3% of the population lived below the poverty level in the last 12 months. For female householders with no husband present and a child under the age of 18, that number skyrockets to 50.7% — significantly higher than the county average of 35% for that demographic. “This is alarming,” said Alan Manoian, Bridgton’s Director of Economic and Community Development. “Everyone should be alarmed about this. I have never seen this in my 20 years of public service as a planner.” Manoian will be using the 2010 Census information to CENSUS, Page 5A
LEAVING IN JULY — SAD 61 Superintendent Patrick Phillips has accepted a similar position with RSU 23, which includes Saco, Old Orchard Beach and Dayton. (Rivet Photo)
What it takes to create a gateway
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer It’s the little things that matter when it comes to creating an attractive gateway to Bridgton, Alan Manoian, Economic and Community Development director, said Saturday. Addressing a group of around 43 people attending the first session on Portland Road development standards, Manoian pointed to the screen, showing an abandoned shopping cart, left beside a commercial business. “It’s the little things like that, that make a difference” in the way Bridgton views its economic vitality, he said. Manoian showed slide after slide, depicting neglected or non-existent landscaping. “The overall appearance, it gives it a look of almost impermanence
or transience, like we’re just moving through. It’s simply not reflecting the actual authentic character of who we are.” He also pointed out the corridor’s excessive amount of curb cuts and large asphalt expanses, unbroken by landscaping. These are examples of bad design, “massive asphalt bleeding one property into the next,” he said, which will need to be addressed in whatever amendments the new comprehensive plan will be writing over the next several months. The amendments would not affect existing businesses on the corridor, which are grandfathered, he said. But if new development comes in that must meet a higher standard for landscaping, it might well encourGATEWAY, Page 5A
By Lisa Williams Ackley Staff Writer Voters in the Town of Bridgton will be asked to take over ownership of the 65-acre Pondicherry Park. Peter Lowell and Carrie Walia, executive directors of Lakes Environmental Association and Loon Echo Land Trust, respectively, gave a presentation at the April 12 selectmen’s meeting on the status of Pondicherry Park and what remains to be done before Pondicherry Park can be gifted to the town. “In 2006, the Town of Bridgton was the first major donor to Pondicherry Park,” Lowell said, in his overview of the project. “It is made up of seven different parcels totaling 65 acres.” He explained how the Pondicherry Park trail system “is virtually completed.” “The trail is accessible,”
stated Lowell. “It took a lot of work last fall, but it is now wheelchair accessible from Depot Street to Willett Road. I think 95% of the infrastructure in the park and at the entryways is complete. A couple of things we’d be finishing up are the spiral staircase on the entryway walkway to the Bob Dunning Memorial Bridge. Frank Howell and Down East Snapdragon were generous enough to give Loon Echo Land Trust an easement to the bridge — he wants people to stay on the trail. The bridges are done, and the trails are almost complete. We’re talking about having a dog loop off South High Street. The Steering Committee suggested the center of the park be wild and quiet.” “So, what’s left to do is pretty minor,” said Lowell. PARK, Page 3A
Town to take park ownership?
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